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This morning we’re saying “Goodbye” to our friend Daniel. We met him in Nebuchadnezzar’s court as a teenager of godly character, biblical conviction, and spiritual courage. You’ll remember he drove in that post of conviction not to defile himself with the King’s pagan food. He stood true and obedient to God regardless of political enemies and the threat of lions. He prayed fervently for his people Israel.
God used Daniel to write the greatest Old Testament book of prophecy with details about the future found nowhere else. In Daniel 2 he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great image as four world empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The dream ended with that great stone smashing the whole image and transforming it into a great mountain that filled the earth. That is the coming millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ that will fill the whole world (one of my favorite images from Daniel). In Daniel 7 he interpreted the four beasts, again Babylon, Persia, Greece, and then the dreadful Roman Empire with that dreadful horn which we understand to be the antichrist, bringing the prophecy to the end of the times of the Gentiles when Christ returns.
In Daniel 9 we saw those 490 years, 70 times seven. The 483 years brought us to the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth, which leaves seven years still left unfilled. Those last seven years are divided in half by the abomination of desolation. At the end of those seven years, Christ will come back and throw the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19). They will be there 1,000 years before anybody else.
Last time we saw three of the six major factors of the end times: the final world ruler, the final Middle East conflict, and that final great tribulation in Daniel 12:1.
Daniel 12:1a, Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time…
This world has seen horrendous distress through the centuries, but this last three and one-half years will be worse than anything anyone has seen. Jesus described it as great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be (Matthew 24:21). We’re shocked as we watch documentaries of WW 1 and 2 with the slaughter of millions upon millions of human beings blown to bits by the machinery of war. But the future will be far worse. Notice Michael will arise to guard God’s chosen people the Jews in this worst of all holocausts. Many will be slaughtered, but God will preserve many to the end, including the 144,000 Jews and many Gentiles (Rev. 7).
This morning we’ll see the last three major factors of the end times in verses 1-3.
THE GREAT RESCUE OF GOD’S PEOPLE OUT OF THE TRIBULATIOIN PERIOD
Daniel 12:1b, “…at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
God is the God of great rescues. He rescued Noah from the flood, Lot from Sodom, and Israel out of Egypt. He rescued us from sin, sin’s curse, Satan’s dominion, and from death. Has He rescued you from the domain of darkness and transferred you into the kingdom of the Son of His love? He knows how to rescue His people. No one falls through the cracks. Here He’s going to deliver His elect Jews in the tribulation period, those who survive and those who are killed. He’ll rescue every last one. None written in His book of redemption, the elect, will be lost. Nothing can erase them.
This rescue is nothing less than a heavenly invasion when Christ returns on the Mount of Olives to destroy God’s enemies and rescue His people. This is when Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:26 is fulfilled:
Zechariah 12:10, “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Alva McClain, the founder of Grace Seminary, described this coming rescue beautifully:
The importance of this grand event cannot be overemphasized. For the arrival of the divine King from heaven to take over the kingdoms of the world will mark the most crucial turning point in human history since Calvary…. The deep darkness of man’s day will now pass into the glorious light of “God’s Day.” (The Greatness of the Kingdom)
A GLORIOUS RESURRECTION AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
Daniel 12:2, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Part of this great rescue will include this glorious resurrection. Now watch carefully. Some believe in a general resurrection of the saved and the lost, but that’s not what God’s Word teaches. Who is resurrected here? “Many.” Not all. This is one of those verses that future revelation clarifies for us. The bodies of these who sleep or have died have decomposed over many thousands of years into the earth. They’ve become plant food or fish food or dust in the wind. Many, not all, will awake or come alive. They will be resurrected, given new bodies never to die again, and resurrected to everlasting life.
Now the church age believers have already been resurrected at the rapture before the seven year tribulation began. We’re already with the Lord, so this isn’t talking about us. This is talking about Israel at the end of the Tribulation Period. Revelation 20 talks about the first resurrection and the second resurrection. The first resurrection started with Christ when He was resurrected. Then the church is resurrected at the rapture. And those who are resurrected at the end of this Tribulation Period are part of the first resurrection. We can prove that from Revelation 20. This resurrection will be the end of the first resurrection which began with Christ, then the church at the rapture, and now these “many.” Who are these people who are resurrected at the end of the tribulation period? They are all the Old Testament saints who died from the very beginning starting with Adam all the way down through Moses, David, and John the Baptist; all the Old Testament saints. They weren’t there at Pentecost; they weren’t part of the church. This is the only time we know that the Old Testament saints will be raised. And, along with them, will be all the believing Jews and Gentiles who were killed or died during the Tribulation Period. They are all part of what John calls the first resurrection in Revelation 20:5.
What about “the others”? Revelation 20:5 clearly tells us lost people of all history will not be resurrected until the end of the 1000 year kingdom.
Revelation 20:5, The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.
Daniel 12:2 says they will be raised to disgrace and everlasting contempt or loathing. They will be raised from the land and the sea, including all lost human beings. How many billions? I read there may have been 300 billion total humans on earth, although we really don’t know. God tells us here that they will be resurrected to stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment, that their names are not found written in the Lamb’s book of life, and that they will be cast into the lake of fire!
Revelation 20:15, And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Steven Lawson has an excellent message on The Great White Throne Judgment).
A GLORIOUS REWARD FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Daniel 12:3, “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
We do nothing to deserve salvation. God does the saving. We deserve only condemnation, but praise God, Christ took our condemnation when He bled and died on that cross. We’re saved by grace alone through faith alone, by nothing we do. However, God also assures us that when Christ comes, He comes with rewards for His people. In Revelation 22:12 He promises, “My reward is with Me.”
You have two groups here. There are those who have spiritual insight, whose eyes God has opened to spiritual truth, their own depravity and Christ’s redemption. And then there are those who lead others to God’s righteousness, which we know is Jesus Christ Himself. God rewards those who are open about their faith and labor to lead others to Christ. These will get special rewards to shine like stars forever! All believers want to hear from Christ, “Well done you good and faithful servant.”
This emphasizes how important living for Christ really is. You can train an athlete to win the Heisman trophy; you can teach an honors student to be the greatest intellect on the planet; you can show a man how to make millions. But nothing comes close to bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to someone. This is the greatest thing we could ever do in this short time on earth. Proverbs 11:30, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.
Two things will affect your eternal blessing. #1 Did you pursue God’s wisdom while in this life, like Daniel did? Did you grow in knowing and loving God like Daniel did? #2 Did you in some way give God’s truth about Christ to others? Did you look for opportunities to share the gospel with others, starting with your own family? Nothing we do in this world is more important!
Now, we’ll read the final verses and comment as we say our goodbyes to our friend and mentor Daniel.
Daniel 12:4, “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
The angelic messenger who’s been revealing all this to Daniel ever since chapter ten, tells him to make sure this great volume is concealed and sealed so that people in the end time will wonder what is going on and will search and find this book. Running back and forth means they’ll be searching God’s Word and they’ll gain knowledge. The Jews will search Daniel’s prophecies for understanding in the last days.
Daniel 12:5-6, Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”
Now Daniel begins to write. He sees these two angels and a man dressed in linen standing over the Tigris River with both hands raised to God the Father. The angels want to know what we want to know. When will all this happen? How long from the abomination of desolation, or this world-wide distress? That third person, a man dressed in linen whom we saw in Daniel 10:5-6, may well be a Christophany.
Daniel 12:7, I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.
That third person reminds them that there will be three and one half years during which time the Antichrist and his powers will brutally persecute the Jews, shattering them. God will use the Antichrist to shatter or crush the pride and self-sufficiency of Israel until they are ready to humble themselves before their Messiah, mourning over Him as we saw in Zechariah 12:10. Then the end will come when Christ returns.
Daniel 12:8, As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”
Daniel again fears for his people Israel. Like us, he doesn’t understand, but he is concerned what the outcome will be. He may well be thinking, “God, you made promises to Israel. Will you keep them? Will you restore them to their land?” He may have read Ezekiel 37 that repeatedly assures Israel that God will bring them back into their land in the covenant of peace (Ezekiel 37:26).
Daniel 12:9-10, He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 “Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.
Don’t worry, Daniel. God is in control. He’ll preserve all this truth for the end times. He’s going to use those three and one half years of distress to purge and purify His elect Jews and prepare them for their coming Messiah. The wicked will remain wicked. They will have no clue what is happening, much like today as world rulers think they can bring about a global utopian with the great reset and their “build back better” slogan of Klaus Scwab of the World Economic Forum, which really means bring back global totalitarian and communistic rule. We can be sure Bill Gates isn’t reading the book of Daniel or Revelation for insight into these last days. Only God can change a depraved, wicked heart.
Daniel 12:11-12, “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!
Here we’re faced with a math problem. The great tribulation will be 1260 days. But here you have 1290 days and then 1335 days. That’s 75 extra days. We may not know exactly what this means, but let’s stop and think. When Christ returns at the end of the 1260 days (the end of the tribulation period), He will clean up Jerusalem and anoint the temple and purify it of all evil. There will be judgments of the nations and of Israel. All this will take time before the millennial kingdom is established around the world. This could account for the extra days.
One thing we know for certain. Just as Christ came right on time at His first coming, we can be sure He’ll be right on time and these extra days are exactly what God meant to reveal. Christ will establish His world-wide kingdom, which will take some time. Remember the world has just gone through this greatest of all distresses. Who knows the millions of corpses and the wreckage around the world. This well may be why the man says, “Blessed is he who attains to the 1335 days.” All those entering that millennial kingdom under Christ will be exhilarated to finally sit with Abraham, Jacob, Daniel, and all of God’s people. They will begin to rebuild the entire world under Christ’s rule and authority, and joy will fill every heart.
Isaiah 51:11, So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Daniel 12:13, “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”
What a fantastic conclusion. Daniel, you’re going to enter your rest and then you too will rise to your reward at the end of the age, to rule and reign with Christ. Right now he’s in glory waiting for all of this to happen! What a glorious time that will be when this old sinful cursed world is populated and ruled by none other than the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Zechariah 14:9, And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.
Let’s conclude with FOUR MASSIVE ROCKS OF CONFIDENCE FROM THE BOOK OF DANIEL.
#1 A rock solid confidence in the sovereignty of God over all earthly and spiritual powers, from Satan to Nebuchadnezzar to the Antichrist.
#2 A rock solid confidence in God’s power to deliver His people from the fires of affliction.
#3 A rock solid confidence in the precision and infallibility of God’s Word. How precise God is. He declares the end from the beginning and fulfills His word with absolute precision.
#4 A rock solid confidence in the final victory of God through Christ over every foe: the eternal blessedness of those who trust Him, and the eternal misery and contempt of all those who refuse to submit to His authority. Daniel assures us with all these great prophecies that sooner or later we will see the King in His glory.