Let’s just say it up front…Good will win, evil will be defeated!
The daily news headlines remind us that throughout history we are in battle of Good versus Evil. In a recent speech, news commentator Tucker Carlson emphasized this point extremely well.
(Tucker Carlson clip from his Heritage Foundation speech)
So what is Good and Evil?
Good is a modern day term for Righteousness as used throughout the Bible. Evil is simply the antithesis of Good, and for Christians it means the “works of the devil”. Satan’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy. In the wake of his activity throughout history we see the curse, which started when Adam and Eve rebelled in the garden. The curse is manifested as poverty, sickness and death. So the words steal, kill, destroy and poverty, sickness and death represent evil and the devil’s agenda. The good news? Christ came to destroy the works of the devil and give us life abundantly. (John 10:10 and 1st John 3:8)
I heard a great definition of Good some years ago by author and pastor, the late Peter Lord. Good, or righteousness, is simply an act of doing or saying the right thing, for the right reason (motive), and thus realizing the right results. Christ’s perfect definition is, love your neighbor as yourself. If we did that every day and in every circumstance we would truly overcome evil with good. In essence, forgiveness is the key with the expectation, based on faith, that God will provide justice in His timing. In fact, He is drawn to acts of forgiveness and mercy. But, He also uses the “magistrate” (law and order), to keep the peace and pass judgement where needed. However, when the magistrate is corrupt and justice no longer prevails, then we need divine intervention. If divine intervention is delayed, the corruption, like we are experiencing now, could turn into complete anarchy and chaos. Pray the Lord will deliver his justice soon.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12: 20 & 21
We are to overcome evil by doing good. As our good works are expanded, and others take notice, it makes our faith and the proclamation of the ‘good news’ more credible.
If you want to know what Satan is up to, just look for those three definitive words: steal, kill, destroy. It’s not always obvious. He is a liar and masquerades as an “angel of light”.
Examples of the devil’s evil work include, stealing our freedom, killing our babies and destroying our hope in the future, among other things. Think of any major conflict and you will find his strategy at work. Whether it’s conflicts between nations or the conflict within families, between husbands and wives or division within communities and school boards.
Satan’s recurring strategy is to shorten history. He does not want to see the Kingdom of Heaven succeed on earth. You see the same conditions over and over throughout history. tyranny, disease, mass killings, chaos, strife and conflict. If it were possible to shorten history with a nuclear holocaust, Satan would have won by now. In the meantime, disease, abortion and wars (among other disasters), are his way of shortening history for individuals and nations. As the disciples prayer is answered (on earth as it is in heaven) the devil’s days are numbered and the gates of hell will be crushed. The manifestation of kingdom blessings will become dominate as good overcomes evil.
Satan knows that his time is short. Soon we will see Christ’s Kingdom begin to dominate the scene. Since the days of the prophets like Isaiah and Daniel, we’ve known that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of Christ. In the Bible, Kingdoms have often been symbolized as mountains, among other things like stars.
Isaiah 2: 2 & 3
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Hebrews
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[e] 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.
The advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven will become more and more evident as we see evil become eradicated. Tyranny will be crushed; disease will see a cure or experience supernatural healing (or both); the “so-called” need for an abortion will be eliminated and many natural disasters will be exposed for their technological manipulation introduced by evil human agents, including the manipulation of DNA in humans and our food supply (population control).
How long will it take for Christ’s Kingdom to become successful on earth as it is in Heaven? So far, since Christ’s resurrection, it has taken more than two thousand years. So, when we talk about a thousand year reign of Christ, the word “thousand” actually means a period of uncertain infinity or an untold number of years (Strong’s concordance). As history moves forward, we can expect an exponential increase in the triumph of good over evil and the resulting blessings of freedom, health, prosperity and peace on earth.
Isaiah 60: 17 & 18
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.
Isaiah 9: 6 & 7
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 65: 20 -25
20)….No longer will there be in it an infant who lives only a few days,
Or an old person who does not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of a hundred,
And the one who does not reach the age of a hundred
Will be thought accursed. 21 They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labor in vain, Or give birth to children for disaster; For they are the descendants of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them. 24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. 25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm on all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Notice in Isaiah 65: 20 above that people still die, but at a very old age and verse 22 says we will live as long as trees. So this is not after the resurrection at the “last day” (no more time) when death is completely defeated but near the end of this present world as Edenic blessings have increased because of the increase of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. As the Good News (Gospel) invades every area of life, evil is eliminated and Good or Righteousness reigns. I know it’s taking a while, but hang in there, the reality of Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men is not far away. The obvious and public manifestation of God’s peace is just around the corner. Light will overcome the darkness and good will overcome evil.
Christ is now ruling and reigning from his throne in Heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, having been giving all authority in Heaven and on Earth.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 22:44 “The Lord (the Father) said to my Lord (the Son), “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”
Sitting at the right hand of the Father now, Christ will return after all of his enemies have been defeated… with the last enemy being death itself. That means we can expect, during history, all other enemies will have been defeated.
This means if poverty has been defeated, we can expect that the nations of the world are operating within the principles of Biblical liberty and without political manipulation or economic oppression. It also means that human life and the environment are flourishing from the defeat of sickness. It means that the Kingdom of Heaven is operating on earth as far as the waters cover the sea with justice and righteousness. It will truly be peace on earth, declared at Christ’s birth.
On the last day of history, the last evidence of evil will be finally eradicated at the resurrection.
When will we see these Kingdom benefits become reality on a mass scale? It could be decades, centuries or longer… but it also might happen faster as Christians begin to realize their true identity and operate as kings and priests with the authority already given them by Christ. The gates of hell will be crushed as we become obedient to His principles.
Matthew 16:18 (Living Bible) I (Christ) will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 12:28 (NASB) … if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
1 Corinthians 15:25-26 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.. (on the last day)
It’s time to move forward with a spirit of expectation that victory is ours.
