When Evil Seems to Win: Finding Hope in God's Sovereign Plan

The book of Daniel contains some of the most vivid and perplexing imagery in all of Scripture. Rams with uneven horns, flying goats, little horns that grow into great powers—it reads like something from a fantasy novel. Yet within these strange visions lies a timeless truth that speaks directly to our deepest fears and questions: What do we do when evil appears to be winning?

A Vision of Beasts and Kingdoms

In Daniel chapter 8, we encounter a prophetic vision filled with symbolic animals representing great empires. A ram with two horns—one longer than the other—charges in three directions: west, north, and south. Nothing can stand against it. The ram does whatever it pleases, becoming exceedingly great.

Then suddenly, a male goat appears from the west, moving so swiftly it doesn't even touch the ground. This goat has a single prominent horn between its eyes, and it attacks the ram with furious rage, breaking both its horns and trampling it completely. The goat becomes even greater than the ram—but its dominance is short-lived. At the height of its power, the large horn breaks off, and four horns grow in its place.

From one of these four horns emerges a "little horn" that grows toward "the glorious land"—Israel. This little horn reaches beyond earthly dimensions, attacking even the heavenly hosts. It overthrows the sanctuary, stops the daily sacrifices, and throws truth to the ground. For 2,300 evenings and mornings, this terror reigns.

History Reveals the Mystery

What makes this vision remarkable is that it's not just symbolic speculation—it's fulfilled prophecy. The ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered Babylon in 539 BC. The goat symbolizes Greece, and that prominent horn is Alexander the Great, who conquered the known world by age 26 with unprecedented speed.

Alexander died at 33, and his empire was divided among four successors—the four horns. From one of these divisions arose Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the "little horn," one of history's most brutal persecutors of the Jewish people.

Antiochus called himself "Epiphanes," meaning "God appearing," a title dripping with blasphemous arrogance. He slaughtered thousands of Jews, outlawed their religious practices, raided the Jerusalem temple, set up an altar to Zeus, and sacrificed a pig on the holy altar—an act known as "the abomination of desolation." He tried to erase Jewish identity entirely.

Yet the prophecy also predicted his end: "He shall be broken, but by no human hand." History records that Antiochus didn't die in battle but fell from a chariot and succumbed to a painful, rotting illness. Even in his death, God's word proved true.

The Weight of Evil

When Daniel received this vision, he was physically sick for days. The text tells us he was "appalled by the vision" and "overcome." This wasn't a detached, academic response to prophecy. Daniel felt the crushing weight of knowing what suffering awaited God's people.

This response teaches us something profound: we should be appalled by evil. We shouldn't become numb to injustice, persecution, or suffering. We shouldn't shrug off the darkness in our world as simply "the way things are."

Romans 12:9 instructs us to "abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." Ephesians 5:11 tells us to "take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." As followers of Christ, we're called to feel the weight of evil—the mass shootings, the trafficking, the persecution of believers worldwide, the devaluing of human life, the racism and injustice that plague our societies.

Being appalled by evil isn't weakness; it's spiritual sensitivity. It's evidence that our hearts haven't been hardened by a fallen world.

Evil's Expiration Date

But here's the hope woven throughout Daniel's vision: evil never gets the final word.

The Persian Empire fell. The Greek Empire fell. Antiochus fell. Over and over throughout Scripture, we see the same pattern—evil may appear brilliant and powerful for a season, but it continually oversteps itself. There's an expiration date to every manifestation of darkness.

Think about Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, falsely accused, and imprisoned. It looked like evil had won. Yet God positioned Joseph to save nations from famine. Genesis 50:20 captures this perfectly: "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."

Consider Pharaoh enslaving Israel, killing Hebrew babies, and chasing God's people into the sea. It looked like evil was winning—until God split the Red Sea and delivered His people while destroying Pharaoh's army.

And then there's the cross. When they arrested Jesus, spit on Him, crowned Him with thorns, whipped Him, and hung Him on a cross, darkness was rejoicing. The disciples were terrified. It seemed Satan had gotten the last laugh.

But Hebrews 2:14 reveals the stunning reversal: through death, Christ destroyed "the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil." In the very moment when evil appeared victorious, Christ triumphed. The grave couldn't hold Him. The gospel exploded into the world. The kingdom advanced.

Keep Doing the King's Business

Despite Daniel's physical sickness and emotional devastation over the vision, the text tells us he "rose and went about the king's business." He didn't quit. He didn't retreat. He got back on his feet and faithfully did what God had called him to do.

This is our call as well. When we're feeling weary over the evil we see, when we're physically sick at the injustice, when it feels overwhelming—we fix our eyes on the mission. We continue abiding in Jesus, walking in obedience, pursuing holiness, and living for the kingdom that will never be destroyed.

Our knowledge of God's sovereignty and His ultimate victory shouldn't paralyze us with fear about the future. Instead, it should empower us to live faithfully in the present, knowing that the kingdom of God will outlast every earthly power, every "little horn," every manifestation of evil.

The God Who Controls the Future

The theme running throughout Daniel is clear: God doesn't just know the future—He ordains it. He's sovereignly working history out for His redemptive purposes. Even when things are terrifying, confusing, and painful, God remains in control.

There is coming a day when Christ will return and evil will be fully eradicated—not just restrained, but completely destroyed. Creation will be renewed. We will be physically resurrected and glorified. Our hearts will be purified so we can see God without fear.

Until that day, we live as exiles in Babylon, engaging our culture, shining as lights in the darkness, appalled by evil but never overcome by it, confident that our God reigns and His kingdom advances.

When evil seems to be winning, remember: it's not the end of the story. God is writing a narrative where every villain falls and every tear is wiped away. Keep doing the King's business. The kingdom is coming, and nothing can stop it.