Will Evil Win?
Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
The simple yet profound answer to the question of “Will evil win?” is NO! What was God’s answer?
God’s declared His answer through the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 40:31 is in contrast to those who appear strong like youths and those who are powerful. Those who are strong in worldly terms will all grow tired and weary. But those who wait for the LORD will not only survive but will run because they won’t get tired. At times it seems as though evil strong men are winning. We search for those who know and seek to do what is good, right, and true.
God promised to deliver His people, and the prophet Isaiah began chapter 40 with God’s word of “comfort”. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” This chapter of Isaiah is the beginning of the “Suffering Servant” passages, which continue through chapter 55. The “Servant” was revealed to be Jesus! He declared that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant (Luke 4:18-21). The Servant of God, Jesus, is the one who brings comfort. The comfort He brings is the assurance of deliverance which leads to glory in heaven and the judgment of all who do evil.
Isaiah saw the total destruction of the wicked as a certainty. He saw their final end. He used expressions such as, “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7).
The end is certain. On the one hand God will establish perfect righteousness and on the other He will judge all ungodliness. There will be no escape for the ungodly. He will lift the curse of original sin and usher in the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21).
God has promised the elect comfort, peace, and glory. This is for what we wait! We know that God never fails to keep His word. His word declares that He has claimed His people as His possessions (Isaiah 43:1). Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
God’s people wait upon Him with eager expectation for the fulfillment of His promises. The promise now is comfort. We eagerly await His promise of final deliverance. These promises are for all those who belong to the LORD. Those who belong to the Lord wait upon Him. The word translated as wait means trusting God now by obeying Him while waiting for His final deliverance.
Evil in the world and in the church may lead one to lose hope. But God is always faithful to His word. He will execute perfect justice. Those who call evil good and good evil, hiding behind what they claim to be their good intentions, will face the Holy and Just God. Likewise, God will judge men of lawlessness and those who encourage others to violate established laws.
Evil men will be with us until Christ returns. The evil in the world done by men is a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. We know that evil will be absent from the perfection that God has promised when Christ returns. God has declared it! But for now God has promised comfort. His comfort is the certainty of knowing that evil and all ungodliness will come to an end. Further, the comfort that God gives is in knowing that He walks through these evil days with His people. Those who believe that Jesus is who He said He is and rely upon Him have the assurance that nothing will ever separate them from God (Romans 8:35-39).
The comfort is grounded in knowing that His word is always true. He promised He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). By God’s grace, the experience of Christ’s work in our lives causes us to know that He holds us in the palm of His hand.
We persevere knowing that glory awaits us. We are waiting for perfect justice and peace. We wait with an eager expectation and certain assurance that God will bring His promises all to pass. While we wait, we have the comfort of the Lord given in His promise to be with us. God will win!
