When You’re Weary… Keep Your Head Up

Text: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Daniel 7-8

“16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, ESV).

Paul invites his readers to keep their eyes on eternity. The struggles we face are light and temporary, but the glory of God’s kingdom—being revealed each day—is eternal.

Daniel’s Story of Perseverance Thus Far

• When culture shifts… Stand firm.

• When the world is insane… Speak truth.

• When the music plays… Don’t bow.

• When the nation loses its mind… Stay humble.

• When the writing is on the wall… Stay holy.

• When you’re in the den… Stay hungry.

How Do We Keep Our Head Up When We are Growing Weary?

One of the signs of the end is that “the saints are worn out”   That’s where Daniel finds himself in these final chapters. After 70 years of exile he tells us he’s heartsick, overcome, alarmed, anxious, and confused.

In his weariness, the Lord sends an angel to tell him… Son, Keep Your Head Up!

Daniel’s Vision of the Beasts (Daniel 7)

Daniel 7:1-3: In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of four great beasts coming out of the sea, different from one another.

As Daniel is troubled about the visions he sees, he is invited to lift his head and see things from an eternal perspective

Daniel 7:9-10 (ESV):

“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire… The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.”

Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV):

“And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days… To him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

I can choose an INTERNAL perspective where my emotions rule

I can choose an EXTERNAL perspective where my circumstances rule

Or I can choose an ETERNAL perspective where my God rules 

What Matters Most In Chap 7-8

1. God is sovereign over all the affairs of men.

2. God is the judge of how men use the authority given to them.

3. God fulfills His promises.

4. God’s kingdom has no end.

The Fourth Beast and the Antichrist (Daniel 7:19, Daniel 8)

Daniel 7:19-22 (ESV):

Daniel focuses on the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest—exceedingly terrifying. It made war with the saints and prevailed over them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints.

Daniel sees a fourth horn that was greater than the other three.

Antiochus  and the Antichrist

• Antiochus (c. 215–164 BC) was a Greek king who ruled over the Middle East and Judea. He forced the Jewish people to worship Greek gods, outlawed Jewish religious practices, and desecrated the Jewish temple by setting up an altar to Zeus and offering pigs on the altar.
• Antiochus is a foreshadowing of the Antichrist, who will rise in the last days.

7 Signs of the Antichrist (Daniel 7:23, Daniel 8:18-19)

1. He Seeks Global Dominion:

• Daniel 7:23: He will arise from a fourth kingdom that “devours the whole earth.”

• Daniel 8:24: His power shall be great, but it is not by his own power—suggesting satanic influence.

2. He Opposes God and His People:

• Daniel 7:25: He speaks blasphemies against the Most High and persecutes the saints.

• Daniel 8:24-25: He destroys mighty men and the saints through deceit.

3. He Seeks to Change Laws and Times:

• Daniel 7:25: He will attempt to change the times and the law, altering religious and moral structures.

4. He Works Through Deception:

• Daniel 8:23-25: He uses cunning and deceit to achieve his goals and make deceit prosper.

5. He Exalts Himself:

• Daniel 8:25: He exalts himself as God, even rising up against the Prince of princes (Christ).

6. His Rule is Limited:

• Daniel 7:25: His rule will last for “a time, times, and half a time” (interpreted as three and a half years).

7. He Faces Supernatural Defeat:

• Daniel 8:25: Though powerful, he will be broken, not by human hands.

• Daniel 7:26: The court of heaven will sit in judgment, and his dominion will be consumed and destroyed.

Daniel’s Reaction and Our Response

Daniel 8:27 (ESV): “I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days.”

How to Keep Your Head Up When You’re Worn Out (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

• Don’t Lose Heart (v.16).

• Strengthen Your Spirit: Be renewed day by day through God’s Word and prayer (v.16).

• Put Eyes On Eternity: Keep your eyes on the eternal glory (v.17).

• Keep The Faith: Trust in God’s sovereignty over all things (v.18).

• Remember There’s an Expiration Date: The trials we face are temporary (v.18).

• Know You’ve Already Won: The victory is secure in Christ, whose kingdom will never end.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor Frankl