‘UNTIL THE TIME OF THE END’

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on October 13, 2024 under 2024 |

Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message from October 13, 2024 from Daniel 12:1-4

Theme: We should respond to the changing times with confidence in what God has already said He will do in them.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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Over the past month or so, we’ve been looking carefully at the details of an amazing vision. It’s the last vision that God revealed to the prophet Daniel—through an angel—of the events that would lead up to the time of Jesus’ return.  It’s an amazing prophecy—one in which the angel gave Daniel the details of history centuries before they occurred.  And it all leads up to the time when the Lord Jesus will bodily return to this earth, and reign in victory as King of kings at Jerusalem.

And now, this morning, we come to the last portion of that amazing prophecy. It describes the extremes of the most terrible time of trouble on earth, and the glorious time of blessedness on earth that will follow—all together in just a few verses. In Daniel 12:1-4, the angel told the prophet Daniel;

“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Everyone who is found written in the book.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:1-4).

God has recorded these words and preserved them, dear brothers and sisters, for our endurance, for our blessedness, and for the encouragement of our hope—and all so that we will live the way He wants us to in the midst of these very tumultuous times.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; you’re already convinced that these truly are very tumultuous times, aren’t you?  Everyone is feeling that something significant is happening—and not just in our own homeland, but all around the globe.  A dominant worldview—that was primarily Judeo-Christian in nature—seems to be getting dismantled before our eyes.  It’s being replaced by something else—something truly ‘antichrist’ in nature—and we don’t really know yet what our experience of it all will be.

As I thought of this, I remembered the old Bob Dylan song, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’.  Maybe back in those days—in the early 60s—it was meant to be a call to action. But now, those lines feel more like an affirmation of a sense of foreboding than anything else.  What exactly are ’the times’ going to be ‘a-changin’ into?  There was another song—written at about the same time by another singer named Barry McGuire.  It was titled, “The Eve of Destruction”. And after the six decades or so since those two songs were popular, that second song seems to describe what the ‘times’ are ‘a-changin’ into more than the first.

The Lord Jesus once spoke about these changing times. He described them as occurring at the end of a long period in human history called ‘the times of the Gentiles’.  In Luke 21:25-27, He told His disciples what would happen as those ‘times’ progressed to their conclusion; and said,

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27).

As the people of this world look upon the times in which we’re living, they clearly have a sense of ‘fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth’.  Even those who do not believe the Bible—and who do not believe in the promise of Jesus’ return—feel that way. And it seems that the ‘fearful expectation’ is intensifying. But Jesus went on to say—to those who are His followers;

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (v. 28).

So, dear brothers and sisters; we’re not to be gripped by the fear that has captivated so many in this world. And that’s because, in His holy word, our heavenly Father has already told us what will happen—promising that it will all occur just as He has decreed for His glory and our ultimate good.

And that brings us to the value of this amazing prophecy in Daniel. It’s been a challenge for us to study together; but it’s very much worth our doing so.  In fact, it helps us to see the value of carefully studying all the prophetic portions of the Scripture with respect to the end times.  It’s not merely to satisfy an inordinate curiosity about end-times events.  Rather, it’s meant to assure our hearts that—while the times may be ‘a-changin’—God’s sovereign plan is not ‘a-changin’ one little bit … and neither will our future destiny.  He will accomplish all that He has decreed; and it will result in His Son Jesus Christ reigning on earth from Jerusalem and with our glorification with Him.

As these closing words of Daniel’s final prophecy teach us, we should respond to the changing times with confidence in what God has already said He will do in them.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now; this passage that we’ll be looking at has had more than its fair share of varied interpretations. But I’m going to do my best to stick to the basics in this passage; and try to lay out to you the things that it tells us in as plain a way as I can.

In fact, I’m going to try to break it up into divisions that are based on the words that the angel himself used in describing these things to Daniel.  And so, the first thing that we see—in verse one—is the phrase …

1. ‘MICHAEL SHALL STAND UP’.

Verse one starts with the angel telling Daniel, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people …”

The way this verse begins is important; because it helps us to set what follows in a proper historical context. It says, “At that time …” And the time that the angel had just been telling Daniel about in Daniel 11:36-45 is the horrible future activities on earth of the Antichrist—that devil-inspired man of sin who will viciously war against the saints of God … and especially against the Jewish people. In the original language, these words can be translated as “in that time”; which would indicate that the context of the angel’s words are during the time of the Antichrist’s activities … although very near the end of those activities. The angel has already told Daniel that the Antichrist would “come to his end, and no one will help him” (11:45). But now, he tells Daniel more about what happens during the Antichrist’s time of activity—before he comes to his end.

And you’ll notice that something very remarkable is told to us.  It concerns “Michael … the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people …” To Daniel, ‘the sons of his people’ would—of course—be the future generations of his Jewish kinsmen.  Do you remember what the angelic messenger—who was giving these words to Daniel—told him in Chapter 10? In verse 13, he said that he had been delayed in coming to Daniel because the “prince” over the kingdom of Persia—that is, a powerful and malicious spiritual being—had withstood him; “and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me”.  Later on, he told Daniel, “No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince” (v. 21); indicating that Michael is a mighty angelic being charged with the responsibility of standing guard over and defending the nation of Israel. In Jude 1:9, we’re told that this mighty angel Michael contends with the devil—who is at war with God’s plan for the people of Israel; and in Revelation 12:7, we’re told that he is a mighty general over a mighty angelic army that fights against the forces of the devil.

But we’re told something startling. It says—in Daniel 12:1—that at the time of the activities of the Antichrist, “Michael shall stand up …”  He’s described as doing something so unusual, that the angel who spoke to Daniel called special attention to it. And the thing that immediately happens after this remarkable action by Michael is “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time”.  Now; what exactly does this mean?

Many Bible teachers—Bible teachers that I love and respect—have suggested that this means that Michael “stands up” in bold defense of the Jewish people at the time of the Antichrist. But wasn’t he defending them before then? And I hardly think that—before that time—he was ‘sitting down’ while he was doing it; do you? And besides; if he stood up to boldly defend them, then it’s hard to explain why it all immediately leads to the troubles that the Jewish people would experience afterward—troubles which are absolutely unprecedented and that will never see their like again in history.

In studying the original language of this passage, I made a fascinating discovery. The word that’s here translated as ‘to stand up’ or ‘to arise’ can also be translated as ‘to stand still’ or ‘to cease’.  That’s how the very same word is translated in Joshua 10:12-13—in the story of how, in the midst of the battle, God helped Joshua by causing the sun to ‘stand still in the midst of heaven’, and cease temporarily in its circuit, and did not set for a whole day. And that’s how I believe we should understand this remarkable action of Michael the archangel. In the midst of the activities of the dreadful Antichrist, God will command His angelic general to “stand still” and “cease” in his battle for the defense of the Jewish people—but only for a time. And that brief period will then allow the Antichrist to inflict horrible suffering upon the Jewish people and upon the world … but only for as long as God will allow him to do so.  This is probably, then, describing the action by Michael the archangel that precipitates the thing described to us in Daniel 9:27—concerning the phony covenant that the Antichrist makes with the people of Israel in the ‘seventieth week’ of Daniel’s previous prophecy:

“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

Now; given all the vicious attacks of the devil against the nation of Israel—and given the fact that it is still here after all these thousands of years—I’d say Michael is truly a mighty defender of God’s chosen people! He’s done a good job. But this seems to be telling us that God will command him to ‘stand still’ for a time—not to leave his post, of course, but to temporarily cease in his defensive activities—until God’s sovereign purposes, through the persecutions by the devil’s inspired man, are accomplished. And then will come God’s glorious victory for His chosen people.

And there’s a great lesson in that; isn’t there? The times we’re living in may seem out of control … but they most definitely are not. God still has His hand on them; and all that He decreed in them will be fulfilled. We should respond to the changing times with confidence in what God has already said He will do in them—never doubting Him—always trusting Him—and always waiting on His perfect timing of things.

A second thing we notice is summed up in the words …

2. ‘THERE WILL BE A TIME OF TROUBLE’.

Verse 1 goes on to tell us that, after Michael ‘stands up’ in the temporary cessation of his protective work against the devil, “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.”

Now; that’s a pretty remarkable description! There can only be one period in all of history like that. And the Bible actually tells us much about this coming time of trouble in the last days. In Jeremiah 30:7 it’s called ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’.  The Bible tells us that it will be a time that God permits—in anticipation of the coming of His Son—in order to refine the Jewish people and to prepare them for Him. But it’ll be a horrific time of trouble and loss. In Zechariah 13:8-9, it says;

And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:

I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God’” (Zechariah 13:8-9).

Perhaps the clearest picture we have of it in the Bible is from the words of the Lord Jesus:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22).

Who can grasp the horror of those days?!  And yet, the thing that this passage reminds us is that even those days are in God’s hand.  They will only be opened up upon the world when God sovereignly decrees they will be; and they will only be permitted to occur in order to accomplish His sovereign purpose.  And as those days seem to be looming toward us, our response should not be with fear, but with confidence in what God has already said He will do in them.

Now; at the end of those times of trouble, God promises deliverance. The angel who spoke to Daniel went on to use the next phrase …

3. ‘YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED’.

In verse 1, after speaking of those dreadful days, the angel went on to tell Daniel, “And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.” Again, looking in the original language, I found something interesting. The words “at that time”, that the angel speaks in reference to the time of the unleashing of the Antichrist, are the same words that are used in reference to God’s promised deliverance of His people. And this means that “in” or “during” those times—when the Antichrist is permitted to bring trouble—God also brings His mighty deliverance.

Who is it that will experience this deliverance during the reign of the Antichrist? The angel said that it’s “Everyone who is found written in the book”.  God has already chosen those who would be His during this dreadful time. Perhaps this is describing the 144,000 Jewish people that we’re told about in Revelation 7—Jewish people from every tribe, who will be sealed by God in their foreheads and set apart as His instruments on earth in the time of tribulation.

And as for the greatness of this deliverance, the Bible gives us a very remarkable description of it in Zechariah 12.  We’re told that God will strike the horses of the enemy armies all around Jerusalem with confusion, their riders with madness, and the horses of the peoples with blindness. It will be a warfare in which God Himself clearly fights with his people. In Zechariah 12:6, God says;

“In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:6).

I love how God stresses, with double force, that “Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem”! Though the whole world, and the Antichrist, and all the forces of hell combined, fight viciously to destroy it, Jerusalem will never cease to be upon this earth. God Himself affirms that He will not fail to preserve that city for His glory, and to seat His Son upon the throne in it for a thousand years. In verse 8, we’re told;

In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them (v. 8).

There’s no other way to explain this remarkable victory than by God Himself empowering His people.  And we’d have to ask: Could God so remarkably empower His people—and it be evident that it was Him—if he didn’t first allow them to suffer in order to purify them and refine them?

I certainly don’t propose to understand all the ways of God. But I do draw great comfort from this passage—knowing that our mighty God knows what He’s doing. And so; in these changing times, let’s remember that we should respond—not with fear—but with confidence in what God has already said He will accomplish in them.

A fourth thing that the angel says to Daniel is that …

4. ‘MANY OF THOSE WHO SLEEP … SHALL AWAKE’.

The angel went on to say in verse 2, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Some have interpreted this as a spiritual awakening of the Jewish people—a kind of revival—a kind of ‘awakening out of a spiritual slumber’.  The Bible does indeed promise that such an awakening will occur. But I believe we should take these words for what they say—an awakening from sleep “in the dust of the earth”.  It’s speaking of physical resurrection.

Now; you’ll notice that it says, “many” and “some”—but not “all”. That’s because there won’t be just one resurrection … but two. The first one will be the resurrection of the just to everlasting life. The Book of Revelation tells us about this in Chapter 20; when it says that at the time of the Lord’s glorious return;

… I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.  Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.  This is the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-5).

I believe that—at this time—all of God’s saints who are in Christ will be raised.  The special focus of the words of the angel in Daniel 12, however, seems to be specifically on the Jewish people who are ‘found written in the book’; because that’s who Daniel’s ‘people’ are.  But then, notice that—even in that passage from the Book of Revelation—there is a second ‘resurrection’ implied.  This is a resurrection that will occur after the thousand-year reign of our Lord on the earth. The angel told Daniel that some would be raised ‘to everlasting life’ and some would be raised ‘to shame and everlasting contempt’—that is, to judgment before the great white throne.

How important it is to make sure we’re in a relationship by faith with Jesus Christ; and are ready for that first resurrection!—to make sure our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life! And praise Him that our future resurrection is also in His hand and will occur as He promised. Jesus’ own resurrection is our proof of it. And so, we can respond with confidence to the changing times around us—because God has already promised what our glorious future will be in Christ.

And speaking of that future, a fifth phrase that the angel used is the one found in verse 3 …

5. ‘THOSE WHO ARE WISE SHALL SHINE’.

The angel said, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”  This seems to speak especially of those who—in devotion to the promised Messiah—go out into the world and tell others about Him. And more, they even seek to turn them from the lies and temptations of the devil’s man—the Antichrist; and to turn them to righteousness and obedience to the Lord. (Perhaps this is why we’re told in Revelation 714 that, after the 144,000 from every tribe are sealed, a great multitude of people are seen from every nation—a multitude that no one could number—who will be praising God before His throne “who come out of the great tribulation”). These promised Jewish ‘soul winners’ are like those that Proverbs 11:30 speaks of when it says;

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30).

Given the eternal blessedness of those who do this, they truly are wise!  So; no matter what else we may see going on in this world—no matter how the ‘times may be ‘a-changin’—we know what we also need to be doing.  We need to be proclaiming the message of the gospel.  This takes away our fear, and gives us confidence in view of the promises that God has made of what is yet to come.

Now; it’s interesting how the vision closes. After it had been fully given—after this fourth and final revelation had been explained to Daniel—the angel offered one more phrase …

5. ‘SEAL THE BOOK UNTIL THE TIME OF THE END’.

In verse 4, the angel told Daniel, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

What does it mean that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”?  Some have thought that this means that many will travel around the known world—seeking answers to these things—searching for greater prophetic clarity. And that may well be. But I think it speaks of the fact that—as humanity grew from the time that Daniel received this vision—many have run to and fro; and knowledge (at least in the sense of the accumulation of information) has increased. And this may indeed affect our understanding of this prophecy.  Just in the last century and a half, there have been more books published on the subject of prophecy than ever before—and this has been especially true in the last fifty years.  People truly are traveling all around the world to know more about these things. But the hand of God’s providence still prevails. These things are sealed and the book is closed until the time that God chooses.

It’s important to remember, though, that there is a time when all will be opened and unsealed. In Revelation 22:10—at the end of that final great unveiling of God’s plan in great detail—at the end of the whole book of God’s revealed truth—this is what another angel told the apostle John:

“Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10).

Even the opening-up of God’s sovereign plan to the understanding of man is in the hand of almighty God. We will understand it all only in God’s time—not in our own. And so; this should inspire us to keep confident in the midst of the changing times—knowing that what God has already said He will do in them He most certainly will do.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; most of what the angel has told Daniel in these words was meant for the Jewish people—not just what he said in these specific words, but in the whole of the final vision. But there’s no doubt that it’s been preserved, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for the benefit and edification of all of us who trust in Jesus.  It’s meant to teach us that we should respond to the changing times with confidence in what God has already said He will do in them.  As we see the times unfolding, we should look up … because our redemption is near.

And with that in mind, let’s close with the words of the apostle Paul in Titus 2:11-14;

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14).

That’s yours and my call from God, dear brothers and sisters in Christ—no matter how else the times may be a-changin’.

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