Daniel chapter 12 is about (in the words of verse 7), “Him who lives forever.”
We have seen over and over again that the book of Daniel is not ultimately about the wiseman Daniel, even though Daniel has given us a great example to follow in every single chapter. Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to be godly in a godless world. Dare to live wisely like he did in the midst of a hostile culture that wants you to become just like them.
But the wiseman Daniel would be the first to tell you that his book is not primarily about himself.
And it’s not primarily about all of these kings. And there have been so many kings! Kings, kings, kings, kings, kings, kings. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. King Belteshazzar of Babylon, King Darius the Mede, King Cyrus of Persia and so many others that were to come and are still on the way.
These kings might have thought that this book was all about them, but it was not. There is only one King that this book is all about, and that’s the King of Kingdoms. Our God Himself.
In every chapter, we’ve identified, highlighted, and focused upon at least one name for God embedded in that chapter. Some in Hebrew and some in Aramaic:
Last week, we learned about “Everlasting Life.” That’s only possible because of the everlasting God. The ever-living God. “He Who Lives Forever.” His life will never end. That is Whom this chapter is all about.
It’s kind of obvious, and yet it’s also easy to miss because there are so many other things in this little chapter, especially mysterious predictions of the future. So much of the Book of Daniel is prophetic, telling these kings and the wiseman Daniel what was going to happen in the near future and in the far future. And chapter 12 is no different.
If you thought you the last chapter of Daniel might be simple and straightforward, and clear everything up, you have another think coming. Daniel chapter 12 is just as wild and wonderful as the first 11 chapters and just as enigmatic and mysterious.
One last time, we have prophetic math to encounter (in verse 7 and verse 11 and verse 12). And there are several verses here where I will have to say once again, “I’m not sure....and that’s okay.” And every sentence is important. But behind every sentence and above every sentence is “He Who Lives Forever.” Let’s see what this chapter tells us about Him.
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It’s important to remember that chapters 10, 11, and 12 are one thing. Together, these 3 chapters tell the one story of Daniel’s fourth and final vision in about 536BC, the third year that King Cyrus of Persia was ruling over the kingdom of Babylon which he had conquered in 539.
Old Daniel was praying by the Tigris River. He was very sad about something, probably about how badly things were going for his people who had been released from exile in Babylon and returned to Jerusalem but had so far failed to rebuild the temple. And Daniel was probably sad about all he had recently learned in his first three visions (chapters 7, 8, and 9) because he had been told about great trials and tribulations that would be coming on his people in the days to come. Beastly kingdoms that would conquer and monstrously oppress his people.
For three weeks, Daniel had been taking very little nourishment and humbling himself, and praying his heart out before his God. And the Lord sent Daniel a visitor. This is in chapter 10.
Daniel said, “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude....gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless” (Dan. 10:5-8).
It just about killed old Daniel to see this “man dressed in linen.”
We speculated in chapter 10 that this was either an exalted angel perhaps the highest angel there is, the Angel of the LORD, or even a visit from the Son of God Himself before He came in the flesh. We don’t know, but Whoever it is, He is dazzling! He is amazing and reveals the glory of God.
And this heavenly visitor sets Daniel on his feet, assures Daniel that he’s loved, and then tells him about the future. Chapter 11 was full of the future. And the future is full of kings. This king and that king. That king and this king. And the prophecies about these kings are so accurate that some people cannot believe that they were written before they happened! But they were.
A great number of the predictions have already come true, exactly as he said they would! And that gives us reason to believe that the rest of the predictions will, too.
In chapter 12, this heavenly messenger told Daniel that a time of great distress is coming, the worst distress there has ever been, but there will also be a great deliverance. God’s people will be saved. All those whose names are in written in the book will be delivered (v.1).
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (vv.2-3).
That’s where all of this is headed. There’s where all of us are headed. Either to everlasting life or to everlasting contempt. I know which one I want. And I know which one I want for you. And for all of our neighbors.
And those who are wise will shine. We will dazzle. We will glow. We will be resplendent in some way like our glorious Lord.
I can hardly wait. But I have to wait. And Daniel had to wait, as well. Look at verse 4.
“But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Now, there’s different ways of understanding this verse. It’s tricky. But I think he’s telling Daniel that he’s done writing his book. “Write these things down, Dan, and then roll up the scroll. It’s done.” The Book of Daniel is complete. And it’s fixed. It’s set. I think that word “seal” there is kind of like when you save your document on your computer as a PDF, and it kind of locks it in? You can’t really edit it after that. And then you can save it. Put it in a secure folder for safe-keeping. I think that Daniel is supposed to preserve and protect this scroll because it’s got God’s Holy Word in it.
Now, “close up and seal the words” might mean to keep them secret. He could be saying that this just isn’t the time for reading and understanding these particular words. “Your people will need them later.” That’s possible, because they would need them later especially during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
And if that’s the meaning, what a contrast with what God told John the Revelator in the last chapter of the Bible! Revelation 22:10 says, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.” We need to be on our toes and ready. Reading and understanding as much as we possibly can.
Verse 4 predicts that many will rush around trying to “increase knowledge.” And that could be a negative thing. People wearing themselves out with following the latest intellectual fads. That’s an exercise in futility, keeping up with latest and greatest ideas.
But it could be talking about a positive thing. He could be saying that God’s people will keep on studying Daniel’s book and understanding it more and more as they go here and there. And as they read it and read it and see more and more of its fulfillment in the Bible here and there, they will “get it” more and more themselves and apply it more an more and more to themselves here, and there, and everywhere.
And I hope we’ve been doing just that in 2025. I know that as we’ve gone deeper into Daniel than I ever have before, my knowledge of my God has increased, and I hope it’s been spiritually good for you, as well.
But this visitor isn’t done with Daniel. He’s got more to say. And he’s got more company. The party is getting bigger. Look at verse 5.
“Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, ‘How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?’” (vv.5-6).
Wow! I look forward to seeing the pictures generated by this sermon at Snack and Yack after the service.
Daniel has two more visitors. Probably angels. Maybe even Gabriel and Michael. It doesn’t say (though both have been named in this book). Or it could be Moses and Elijah. It doesn’t say. And it doesn’t say if they are shining or anything about how they looked.
They are standing on either side of the river. Where is the man clothed in linen?
He’s “above the waters.” He’s just hovering there. Gold around his waist. Body like gleaming metal. Face like lightning, Eyes like flaming torches, voice like a crowd in a stadium, flying above the waters of the river!
And one of these two new angels asks the question of him that we all want to know, “How long?”
“How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
“How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”
“You’ve told us so many wild and wonderful things in this book, in these last 3 chapters. When is it all going down?
When will this king come and that king come?
When will this great tribulation come?
When will the resurrection come?
When will the kingdom of kingdoms come?”
“How long?”
How long will God’s people have to suffer under all of these other kingdoms?
Look at verse 7.
“The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, ‘It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.’”
I’ve got two points this morning to summarize this passage, and here’s the first one:
#1. HE WHO LIVES FOREVER WILL COMPLETE ALL OF THESE ASTONISHING THINGS PERFECTLY ON TIME.
Now, before we talk about the timing, we have to see how great a promise this is.
This glorious person hanging in the air above the waters of the river is making an oath. He’s swearing.
Right? Like have you ever given testimony in a courtroom? I have just a few times. You raise your hand and you solemnly swear to the tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God.
Well, this man in linen raises both hands. That was unusual then, too. And this man in linen raises both hands while flying above the river! And he aims those hands at heaven, and he swears by “him who lives forever.”
And for all we know, He’s swearing by Himself. You cannot get a stronger oath.
And when you swear by someone, it’s on their name, on their authority, on their power. And there’s no greater name than this one. And no greater authority and no greater power. And it will never end! He lives forever! Forever, forever, forever, forever! He’s the Ancient of Days. Keep your eyes on the Ancient of Days. This promise is coming from and based upon the Ancient of Days.
So everything that has been promised is going to happen just as it is promised! You can count on it. It is guaranteed. It is sure and certain. It is more certain than that the sun will come up tomorrow. The sun may not come up tomorrow, but He Who lives forever will fulfill all of these astonishing promises.
Everything we’ve read in Daniel will come true.
From the smallest thing to the greatest.
From the things we don’t hardly understand to the things we wo understand but hardly can believe are true.
From the shortest kingdom to the kingdom that will never be destroyed.
From the defeat of our enemies to the resurrection of all who are asleep in the dust of death.
Everything we’ve read in Daniel will come true.
God has given us a double-armed oath in His own eternal name!
And He’s even told us when it’s going happen. Look again at verse 7.
How long? “I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, ‘It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.’”
And look at verse 8. Daniel says, “I heard, but I did not understand.”
Me, too, Daniel! Me, too! I don’t feel so bad if Wise Old Daniel didn’t get it. I wonder if he went home to his wife and said, “I’m not sure and that’s okay. I was told today when all of God’s promises would come to pass, but I didn’t quite understand the answer.”
Isn’t that just like this book? I love it that God answers the question and kind of doesn’t the answer the question. Isn’t that just like Him?
I think the main point is that God is perfectly on schedule. He who lives forever is going to keep all of these amazing promises, and He’s going to keep them perfectly and perfectly on time. God has a perfect schedule, and He’s perfectly on schedule. And so He swears by Him who lives forever.
Isn’t that encouraging? Because I’m often asking, “How long?” Life feels out of control. It feels out of sync. Like some terrible things are going on far too long. This world is deeply broken. Things are not the way they are supposed to be. And we’re waiting, waiting, waiting for things to be fixed.
And it easy to start thinking that maybe God’s plan has gotten off track. He’s been delayed. He’s got a late start. He’s texting to say, “Running late. Will be there when I can be. Ran into some traffic.”
No. No. That happens to us. It doesn’t happen to Him. God’s timetable may look very different from the one we draw up, but ours would be all wrong. And He’s not gotten off of His.
Now, there are (as you might expect by now) several different interpretations of the timing in verse 7. “A time, times, and half a time.”
And a lot is determined by which astonishing things are being referenced in verse 6 and promised to be fulfilled in verse 7.
And a lot is also determined by what you think is going on in the other places in the Bible where that same “time, times, and half a time” language is used. We’ve seen it already in chapter 7, verse 25. And it shows up again in Revelation chapter 12, verse 14.
Many Christians scholars think that it means a year, two years, and half a year. And that makes sense. That would make it three and a half years. And that could refer then to the terrible time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes from 167 to 164BC, about three and a half years. There’s probably something to that.
Or it could be the second half of a seven year tribulation period, and that might correspond to what we read about in chapter 9, verses 24 through 27, the enigmatic prophecy of seventy set of “sevens.” Do you remember that? And that might fit with what’s going on in the first verse of this chapter, the time of greatest distress (12:1).
I’m not sure, and that’s okay for me, right now. But one day I will be sure. One day, I’ll know exactly what this means. I will say, “Oh, that’s what he meant!” Even Daniel will be saying that! But one day it will be obvious because He who lives forever will complete all of these astonishing things perfectly and on time.
It’s important to point out that he does not give a date. But he does give us certainty. There is a certain time. Even if we don’t understand what it is. He does! And it’s not going to be forever until it comes.
Personally, I lean towards taking these three words, “time, times, and half a time” as saying that it almost feels like forever, but then it gets cuts short.
Time = “How long?” This feels forever. This is so hard.
Times = It gets doubly hard. Verse 7 says that the “power of the holy people” has to be “finally broken.” What does that mean? That’s either Israel or the church or both, and it means that the darkest, worst day has come when it seems like all is shattered and lost. The greatest distress ever. That’s “times.” It feels like forever and forever.
But it’s not! Time, times, and then [mercifuly!] half a time. It’s cut short. It’s limited. The dawn breaks. The light comes. And just in time!
V.7 “All these things will be completed.”
Church, we can build our lives on this. He who lives forever will complete all of these astonishing things perfectly on time.
So, Daniel does not understand, at least at first, so he asks another question. Look at verse 8.
“So I asked, ‘My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?’”
“How is this going to fall out? How is this going to play out? Can I ask where all this is going?” And the visitor basically says, “No.” Verse 9.
“He replied, ‘Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.”
I think he’s basically saying, “Don’t worry about it, Dan. You wouldn’t understand if I explained it to you. Just write it down. Roll it up and save it for later. Because people are going to need it later.
Not so much “hide it away” as make sure it’s stored and safe and ready for when the prophecies really start to get rolling.
In other words, he’s telling Daniel to wait. And, in the meantime, to keep growing in wisdom. Look at verse 10.
“Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.”
That is what’s going to happen, and it’s a great description of what things are like, isn’t it?
God’s people are growing in sanctification. We are learning to hate and fight our sin. We are learning to resist temptation. We are becoming more and more like our Savior, purified, spotless, and refined.
But the wicked? Unless they repent, they continue to be wicked. And the divide grows more and more each day.
He says, “None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.”
Isn’t that interesting that the divide here is not between the wicked and the righteous like in other parts of the Bible, but the wicked and the wise?
Those with spiritual insight. Those who “get” what God is doing in the world. We’ve learned about these truly wise people. They showed up in chapter 11, verses 33 and 35. And they are in verse 3 of this chapter (12), as well.
And we’ve learned that wise people make people wise. And the wise will shine!
Wise people repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Wise people know what is truly important.
Wise people believe that God is truly in control.
That He is keeping His promises, every single one. And perfectly on time.
Are you in the wise? I’m not asking if you are a wise guy, but I am asking if you have joined the group who have turned from doing things your own way, doing things Babylon’s way, doing things the world’s way and embracing God’s way. Turning from your sin and trusting in the Messiah whom God has promised to send. The King of Kingdoms! Trusting in a Messiah who died on the “Mercy Tree” and, hallelujah, came back to life on the third day. And now lives forever.
That’s the wisdom of God! Keep growing in that wisdom. It will purify you, make you spotless and refined.
Now, in verses 11 and 12, the heavenly messenger gives us some more prophetic math. So get out your calculators one more time.
And just in case you’ve got everything figured out in what came before, he’s got something completely new to lay on us in the last few verses. Look at verse 11.
“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days” (vv.11-12).
Now, those are new numbers, and they are don’t quite match up with anything else.
In the book of Revelation, there is a number 1,260 days and also the number 42 months (see Rev. 11:2 and also 12:6). And that comes out to three and a half years if you use 30 day months and 360 day years which also could be a time, times, and half a time. So it could be saying the same thing as verse 7.
But 1,290 days is 30 more days than 1260. And 1335 days is 45 more days than that.
What’s he talking about? I’m not sure, and that’s okay.
Because he talks here about the daily sacrifice being abolished and the abomination that causes desolation, many Christians scholars have thought this was talking about Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
And he may do some of the exact same things but worse.
If these are literal days, perhaps they are the second half of a seven year tribulation and then there are 30 days, after Jesus comes, to cleanse and purify a new temple (like the Maccabees did!) and 45 more days after that to judge the nations (see Matthew 25:31-46) and separate the sheep from the goats.
And still other scholars see verses 11 and 12 being fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.
I’m not sure. We’ve got a new puzzle to ponder in the last few verses of the book. Enigmatic to the end.
Personally, I kind of lean towards thinking these numbers are more symbolic. And what they point to is that there is blessing for those who persevere past the end of all of the persecution and the pain.
He’s basically saying, “Hang on!”
“Hang on through the time and the times, and you’ll be so happy when the half a time comes!”
“Push past the 1260 days to the 1290 days. And if you hit the 1335 days? Then you’re home free.”
“Blessed [happy!] is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days” (v.12).
Hang on! Wait for it! You will go through terrible times, but these terrible times are set and short. They are certain and limited. It won’t feel like it. It will feel like forever and double forever. But it won’t be forever. It will be cut short.
Push past it. Keep going. Keeping going. Keep waiting. Hang on!
Reach for the 1335! It will be worth it.
Because (point #2 and last):
#2. HE WHO LIVES FOREVER WILL REST, RAISE, AND REWARD HIS PEOPLE FOREVER.
Look at verse 13. The last thing this glorious being says to Daniel:
“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
Before long, Old Daniel was going to die. He was at least in his mid-eighties at this point. We don’t know when he died. Tradition says that Daniel moved from Babylon to Persia, to the city of Susa where, 50 years later, Esther would become a queen. I don’t think Daniel lived long enough to meet Esther.
The glorious visitor from heaven hovering above the water of the Tigris told old Daniel to “go your way till the end.” I think that means to keep on keeping on.
The Brits have this saying, “Keep calm and carry on.” Perhaps you’ve seen the poster?
Do you need to hear that? Some of us are getting older. Okay. We’re all getting older. Some of us are getting old (me included!).
Don’t stop being faithful now. Don’t try to coast. Give it your all.
“Go your way till the end.”
Because this is what’s waiting for you: Rest! The glorious person hovering over the waters tells Daniel (v.13), “You will rest.”
“You’re going to lay down in the dust of the ground. It’ll be like going to sleep. God’s going to give you rest. So keep going now.”
But that rest is not the end. He also says (v.13), “and then at the end of the days you will rise!” Rest then rise. Death is temporary. Death is not forever. Not for believers!
“You will rise.” You will stand again. That’s what “resurrection” means standing again. There’s another resurrection morning on the way. Jesus is the first-fruits, but one day we, too, will rise.
Don’t worry about when it will happen. Rest assured that it will happen!
Old Daniel was going to lay down in the dust. He probably died of old age. He didn’t die of lion-bite!
But one day Daniel will rise to (v.13) “receive your allotted inheritance.” Daniel never went home to Israel. Daniel never got to live in Jerusalem again. Daniel never got to live on the plot of ground that his ancestral tribe had been allotted.
And right now, Daniel is resting and waiting.
But one day, and one day soon, Daniel will receive his full reward.
And so will you and I!
Dare to be a Daniel and be faithful to the end.
Dare to be a Daniel and “go your way” till the end.
Because death is not the end. You and I will rest, and rise, and receive. And we will shine! Forever!
How can this be? It can be because the One Who promises it is He Who Lives Forever.
Let me read to you what it says in Daniel chapter 12, verses 2 and 3.
These words were given to Daniel the Wiseman in 536BC by a dazzling supernatural being who was sent by God to deliver a prophecy of the future.
Notice the word “will” or your version might have the word “shall.” This is a true word about what will happen some day in the future. And, in one word, it is “resurrection.” Daniel chapter 12, verses 2 and 3.
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
That is what is going to happen one day. It is certain and sure and guaranteed.
Daniel is a wild and wonderful book full of wild and wonderful things, some of which I still don’t completely understand. (And that’s okay.)
And we’ve reached the end of his book. Next week, Lord-willing, if you come back, we’ll finish our study of the last chapter together. We would love to have you all join us once again! We meet every Sunday at 10:00am.
Last week, we read chapter 11 where the messenger told Daniel a lot of what was going to happen in the next 370 years or so...and then beyond. This king was going to do this and then this king was going to do that and so forth for king after king after king after king. And what we learned last week was that’s exactly what happened!
The prophecies came true. So much so, that some people can’t believe that they were written down before they happened! But they were. Now, some of the things that were prophesied are still to come. They are still in the future, even our future. Like chapter 12, verses 2 and 3. That hasn’t happened yet. At least...not fully. But it’s going to happen, guaranteed.
Many of the things prophesied in chapter 11 were very depressing. They were disturbing. They were very distressing. There was a lot of oppression and tribulation and injustice and death. But death, as terrible as it is, does not get the last word. God says, in this prophecy, that after death for God’s people, there will be life.
And not just any life but “Everlasting Life.”
You might be surprised to learn that this is the first time that the phrase “Everlasting Life” appears in the Bible. The concept is sprinkled all over the Old Testament, but this is where it’s first given this name: “Everlasting Life.”
What a thought! Life that goes and on and on forever and ever and ever. Life that is not broken by the ravages of time and age and illness and death. Life that is full and free and joyful. Not just life that goes on and on and on but life that is abundant and vibrant and blessed. “Everlasting Life”
And this life comes, according to verse 2, after death.
This is the perhaps most important passage in the Old Testament about resurrection. It’s the clearest text in the Old Testament about resurrection. About coming back to life in the flesh. There are hints and clues all over the Old Testament, but right here it clearly says, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (v.2).
I have two questions for you this morning to apply this passage to your life today, and here’s the first one:
I think that one of the reasons for that is to communicate to us that death is temporary. We think of death as final. And it sure feels like it. Any time somebody dies it feels so final. The cemetery feels like the end.
And so many of Daniel’s people were going to die, and did die more than 2000 years ago. And they are still dead! They are still laying down in the dust of the earth.
That word “dust” reminds us of the curse that came from our sin. There is death in the world because of our sin. When our first parents rebelled against God, He pronounced a curse on the ground and told us, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).
But now He says that, one day, we will come back out of the dust! “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.”
And that’s everybody! He’s saying, “multitudes” to emphasize the vast number of people who will awaken from the dead. Billions and billions of people will awaken from the dust of the earth.
Death is temporary. Are you ready for it to be over? Are you ready to awaken from death?
Now, of course, we in this room haven’t even died yet. But it’s coming for us all. The oldest person in this room and the youngest person in this room are going to die, and they might not die in that order. And one day we are all going to be awakened from the dust.
But the quality of our lives will not all be the same. Did you see that in verse 2? After we are resurrected, there are two different destinations, and only two.
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life [what a joy!], others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
And that’s the scariest thing you will ever hear about. Instead of everlasting life, some will awaken to everlasting shame, everlasting abhorrence, everlasting contempt. And that is God’s contempt of those people. That is God’s verdict over their resurrected lives. That is God’s perfect justice. God’s enemies will be forever shamed, forever abhorred, forever condemned.
All of those evil kings who oppressed God’s people in chapter 11 and seemed to get away with it? They did not escape God’s justice. Not one of the LORD’s unrepentant enemies will escape His perfect justice.
And that’s what we all deserve. We all deserve shame and everlasting contempt because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23).
So, which is it going to be? How do we know if we will awaken to everlasting life or everlasting contempt? Especially if we all deserve shame and contempt?
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have [everlasting] life” (John 3:16, NIV & KJV).
God didn’t just leave us on our own. In His great love, He sent His Son Jesus Christ. He GAVE Him to us. He allowed Him to be mocked, flogged, and crucified. Mocked, flogged, and crucified. To be killed on a Roman instrument of torture and death. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have [everlasting] life.”
Do you believe in Him? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus and what He did for you on the Cross? That’s how you get ready to awaken from death.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live....a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out–those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:24-29).
Jesus knew Daniel chapter 12! And He knew that faith in Him was the key to everlasting life.
Are you ready to awaken from death? Do you know what’s going to happen when you do?
Now, this passage is not telling us WHEN this is going to happen. And there are some details about the timing of the resurrection that Christians differ on in their understanding.
It may not be that everyone gets resurrected at the exact same time. We’re going to see in just a minute that Somebody has already has been! Somebody has already gotten this resurrection thing going.
And so it stands to reason that it might come in stages. Some think that the church gets resurrected before a great tribulation period and then Israelite believers after the tribulation and then unbelievers after a millennium. Other see it as all the believers at one time and all the unbelievers at another. And still others see it all going down at once.
It’s okay for us to have some different takes on that. Daniel 12 is not telling us when this is going to happen but that it is going to happen! This shall surely occur. “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Are you ready to awaken from the dead?
Are you sure? As we’ve been studying the Book of Daniel, we’ve said this one thing again and again on some of the more minor points of interpretation. The things that faithful Christians have disagreed about over the centuries, especially timing of certain events.
“I’m not sure. And that’s okay.”
But, friends, it is not okay to not be sure if you will awaken to everlasting life or everlasting contempt. This is something you need to be sure about! Because death is temporary, and we’re all going to wake up one day out of the dust, and then what’s next? God gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
“Whoever believes!” That can be you. I sure hope it is. It is this church’s hope and prayer that every single person here would be sure that they have everlasting life. We invite you to trust in Jesus right here and right now.
Are you ready to awaken from the dead? I am. I can hardly wait. Not only do I believe in Jesus and what He did for me on the Cross, but I can’t hardly wait to live in a world that is resurrected, too. And to live a resurrected body. The older I get, the more I look forward to what that body will be like. Amen?
D.A. Carson likes to say, “There isn’t anything wrong with me that a good resurrection won’t fix!”
Now, of course, Daniel 12 doesn’t tell us much about what our resurrected bodies will be like. He just says, “everlasting life,” and that’s plenty to go on, isn’t it? But the New Testament fills out the picture for us by giving a sneak peak of coming attractions by telling us that we’re going to have a new body like the body of the Person who already came back from the dead.
Who is that? Yes, that’s Jesus! That’s what we are celebrating this very day. Jesus died on the Cross, yes, but He did not stay dead! He did not stay in the tomb. He did not stay in His grave. He walked out alive again never to die again! That’s everlasting life!
And the Bible says that Jesus is the “first-fruits” of the resurrection.
It’s an agricultural term that describes the first crops that pop up, the early crops in the field. Like the first row of corn to be ready for harvest before all the others. And the first-fruits tell you two things about the crop.
The first thing it tells you is that the crop is going to come up! It is guaranteed. If the first-fruits popped up, then the rest will surely follow. Isn’t that good news?! Because Jesus has come back from the dead, we know that Daniel 12:2 is going to happen! It is guaranteed.
And the second thing that the first-fruits tell us is what the crop will actually be like. Will it be healthy? Will it be fruitful? Will it be abundant? Will it be blessed? Do you want to know what your resurrected body will be like if you are a believer in Jesus? Then look at what Jesus’ body was like.
The Bible says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21).
I can’t wait! I’m ready. How about you? See, this isn’t just “going to heaven when we die.” Immaterial. Incorporeal. Just a naked spirit. This is resurrection. This is coming back from the dead in the flesh and having a new body that is like Jesus’ body. This isn’t some kind of zombie existence, either. Not just un-dead but truly alive! This is life to the fullest. This is everlasting life. Are you ready?
Here’s the second and last question for application today:
#2. ARE YOU LEADING OTHERS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?
If you are ready for your resurrection, are you taking somebody with you to get theirs? Are you leading other people to have what you have? Look again at v.3. This is what it’s going to be like in the resurrection.
“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
Wow. That’s Hebrew parallelism. He’s saying the same thing twice with slightly different words to emphasize it. “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens...” I don’t know if that’s literal or a figure of speech. Either way, it’s awesome. I want to “shine like the brightness of the heavens!”
We learned in chapter 10 that the brilliant being that is telling Daniel these amazing things had a “face like lightning” and “eyes like flaming torches.” Our Lord Jesus once gave His followers a glimpse of His glory. He was shining like the sun (see also Revelation 1:10-16)!
I want to share in God’s glory and be dazzling and resplendent myself. And the way to get there is through...wisdom.
“Those who are wise.”
“Those who have insight.”
“Those who has spiritual discernment.”
Like Daniel. Daniel was a wise man. He knew what was right and wrong and what to do when life got tough.
Dare to be a Daniel and be wise.
In chapter 11, when things got really hard, some of the believers would become wise (vv.33, 35), and they would teach others their wisdom. They would help them to stand firm in troubled times. Last week, we said wise people make people wise. And so chapter 12, verse 3 says what wise people do is “lead many to righteousness.” And when you do that, you’ll shine like the stars forever and ever.
I want to do that. I want to shine! How about you?
Are you living in wisdom and teaching others to? Are you walking in righteousness and leading others to do so, too?
This can be through our example. Like how we live our lives. Because people are watching! People are watching how you live your life. What you do, what you say, what you post on social media. They are looking at your life and learning things. Are they learning righteousness?
But it’s more than just our example, we have to open our mouths, and we have point people towards the source of eternal righteousness. We have to tell people about Jesus and His death and His resurrection.
Because they won’t know about it unless somebody tells them! They won’t know that everybody is going to die and then one day everybody is going to awaken from the dust of the ground. And they won’t know what Jesus did for them–mocked, flogged, and crucified–unless somebody tells them. They won’t know that Jesus came back from the dead unless we tell them! And they won’t know that He’s coming back again to bring His kingdom here on Earth as it is in heaven.
But if we tell them, then they will know. I’m telling you right now.
I’m trying to lead you all to righteousness right now so that we all shine together forever (see Matthew 13:38-43, Philippians 2:14-16)!
Christ is Risen!
He Is Risen Indeed!
Who are you going to tell? Who are you going to lead to righteousness? I love that we can go from one day deserving condemnation and eternal contempt to one day shining like the stars forever and ever.
In the kingdom that is forever. Because, remember, the Son of Man is receiving a kingdom that is forever.
Remember our previous memory verse from Daniel 7, where Daniel said, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting [similar root word in Aramaic word and Hebrew translated as "everlasting" in 12:2!] dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14).
And neither will He! Because Jesus has an everlasting life.
He lives!
“He arose a Victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever with His saints to reign!”
And all who believe in Him will enjoy everlasting life in the everlasting kingdom of the King of Kingdoms.
Daniel chapter 11 is about the God above all other powers and authorities. The God Who is God above all. “The God of Gods.”
Everything we think of when we think of what “God” means--this God is the God that is all of that and infinitely more.
For the messages in this series, I have scoured the passage that we’re studying for key names of God which show up in that particular passage and have then titled and centered the message on that name. And this passage is no different. I pulled the name, “The God of Gods” from verse 36 of chapter 11. The quintessential God. “The God of Gods”
And that name is good for us to focus on because, even though it’s kind of obvious, it’s also easy to miss and easy to lose sight of even if you know it’s there.
Because Daniel chapter 11 seems to be about a bunch of kings. I’m not sure how many kings are actually mentioned. At least 13 different kings and probably more.
And while God is mentioned from time to time, there are a lot more words about all these kings, kings, kings, kings, kings. And so we might lose sight of the forest for all of these trees. Because the Book of Daniel is ultimately about the King of Kingdoms Who is the God of Gods.
For example, we might forget that the Person telling Daniel about all of these kings, kings, kings, kings, kings is God Himself!
We’ve reached the very end of the Book of the Wiseman Daniel. We learned last time we were in Daniel that chapters 10, 11, and 12 are all one thing. These three chapters tell the story of Daniel’s fourth and last recorded vision. Do you remember that? Chapters 10, 11, and 12 are one big long thing. Daniel’s fourth and last recorded vision.
And what a vision it’s been so far! We learned at the beginning of chapter 10 that Old Daniel was still praying. It’s the year 536 BC, the third year of Persian King Cyrus ruling over Babylon which he had conquered in 539.
Daniel was about 83 or 84 years old, and he was praying, fasting, and praying for three weeks of days (21 days), probably about the troubles he’s heard were happening to the Jewish people who had returned to Judah when King Cyrus allowed them to, three years before. And Old Daniel was fasting and praying near the Tigris River, and he was visited by a being unlike anything else!
And it just about killed him. Do you remember this? The dazzling person?!
Daniel said he, “looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude” (Dan. 10:5-6).
And that just about did him in. He fell flat on his face. But Daniel was strengthened by being touched and told that he was highly esteemed by God Himself.
And Daniel was told by this messenger from God (who might have been Gabriel or the Angel of the LORD or even the pre-incarnate Person of God the Son Himself!), “I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come” (Daniel 10:14).
And that’s what we are reading in Daniel chapter 11. It’s a message about the future. And it’s a message from God. It’s a message about the future from the God of Gods.
I have three points this morning, and they are all very simple even though the chapter is complicated.
#1. THE GOD OF GODS KNOWS THE FUTURE, TELLS THE FUTURE, RULES THE FUTURE.
And that’s good news for you and me.
First, that He knows the future. What we’re about to read was given to Daniel in about 536BC, and it’s all about what is still to come from Daniel’s perspective.
A lot of it is history to us. It was future for Daniel, but it is history for us, at least verses 2 through 35.
And it’s very detailed. In fact, it’s so detailed that a lot of unbelieving scholars assume that it must have been written after the fact! That’s a weird thing about most of Daniel chapter 11, almost everybody agrees about who the kings are! We don’t have the problem of identification that we’ve struggled with so much in the previous 10 chapters. Who is who and what is what?
So many scholars agree on which king is which king in Daniel chapter 11. If you have a study Bible on your lap, you probably have half or more of the page taken up with footnotes about who is who and which king is what king. Unlike most of the rest of Daniel, it kind of seems obvious! So obvious that unbelievers have to think that this was written down after all of these things had happened.
But that’s not what I think. I think that the God of Gods knows the future. Because He lives in the future. He lives over and above time itself.
And I think that the God of Gods not only knows the future, but chooses to tell us about the future. He doesn’t tell us everything we want to know about the future. We couldn’t handle it if He did. But He tells us everything we need to know about the future.
And that’s encouraging and comforting because it gets us ready for the future. But it’s even more encouraging and comforting that when He tells us about the future, it’s abundantly clear that He rules the future. That the future is not just known by Him but controlled by Him. The future is not out control. It is firmly in His hands.
As we’ve seen time and time again in Daniel, God has a perfect plan on a perfect schedule, and His perfect plan is perfectly on schedule.
So let’s wade in here. Let me give you a few things to look for as we read.
The first thing to notice is that Daniel 11 is not so apocalyptic. That is, it doesn’t have as many wild images and symbols. There are no monsters, no beasts, no horns, no giant animals. It’s more prosaic. And while it’s still vague (to us) if you know your history, look backwards, it’s almost obvious who the various people are. God knows the future, and He’s telling it to His people.
As we go through, I’m going to say this phrase over and over again, “And that’s exactly what happened.” Because God knows the future and He tells is to His people.
The second thing to look for is the word “BUT” (b-u-t). This is a little word with a big meaning. It shows up again and again in chapter 11. There are these kings and they have power, BUT things don’t always go according to their plans. These little turns of history. They think they are in control, and for a time they are, BUT then they are not. And we’re going to see that again and again and again in these verses.
And that points to the fact that God is in ultimate control. He allows them to do what they choose to do (and they are freely choosing these things), but He is also directing the whole shebang to His own ends.
And with that word “but,” we’ll also see the word “appointed” and “determined.” There are these limits placed upon all of these kings. None of them goes beyond the limits of God’s perfect plan. Because God not only knows the future and tells us about the future, but He also rules the future. Let’s jump in, and I will show you what I mean.
The first verse of chapter 10 said that Daniel’s fourth vision was about “a great war.” And the messenger from God pulled back a corner of the curtain at the end of chapter 10 to give us a peak about the great war going on in the heavens with the angel Michael and the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece (cf. 10:20-11:1). Now we’re going to be told about the great war (or wars) going on on the Earth. Here’s what He reveals. Daniel chapter 11, verse 2.
“Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases” (vv.2-3).
Those two verses just covered about 200 years of history.
God’s not going to tell Daniel everything that’s going to happen. He’s going to be selective. He tells Daniel about four more Persian kings after Cyrus. He doesn’t say their names, but most scholars think they know who they are: Cambyses (530-522), Smerdis [522], Darius I Hystaspes [522-486], and the fourth (far richer who attacked Greece): Ahauserus also known as Xerses I (486-464), and we know him more because of his famous wife, the queen named Esther.
You know that big banquet that the king is holding in Esther chapter 1? Many people think that was part of Xerxes’ fund-raising for his big attack on Greece. But that didn’t go very well for him.
And, before long, the Persian kingdom is no more. The Medes dropped off from prominence long ago, but even the Persians disappeared from the scene of world dominance.
And who was the mighty king of Greece described in verse 3? Alexander the Great. We’ve talked about him before in chapter 7 and 8. He’s probably the big horn on the goat of chapter 8. And he quickly conquers the whole world, but then he dies. He gets just 1 verse here!
And which of his sons took over him? He didn’t have a son that lived to rule. Verse 4.
“After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Does anybody know how many pieces the Greek empire was broken into after Alexander? Remember how there were 4 heads on the leopard-like beast in chapter 7 and there were for 4 horns that replaces the 1 big horn o the goat in chapter 8? And there are four winds here in verse 4? There were 4 Greek kings who took over from Alexander.
And 2 of them were far from Israel, and 2 of them were very near it.
The king called Seleucus ruled to the North of Israel, like Syria and over to Babylon. And the king called Ptolemy ruled to the South of Israel (like Egypt and over there). And so did their sons.
And in between those two kingdoms was Israel.
How do you think it felt to be Israel?
Let me ask you a question. Which you rather be? The Pittsburgh Steelers, the Philadelphia Eagles, the referees, or the football that they play with? Israel felt like the football. They were caught in between.
Or maybe it would be better to say Israel felt like the football field that the two teams were always trampling all over as they fought with each other.
So verses 3 through 20 tell the story of about 150 years of various kings of the North (Seleucid kings) and kings of the South (Ptolemaic kings) vying for power over their territories and trampling over Israel in between. Verse 5.
“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her. One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone.
Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant.
For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. In those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success.
Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land [Israel] and will have the power to destroy it. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.
Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back upon him. After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle” (vv.5-20).
Did you hear all the of “buts,” all of the “yets,” all of the turns of events?
It’s amazing because we have pretty good names for all of these kings. Everything that God told Daniel is exactly what happened. We won’t go into all of the details because they really are, to us, ancient history. Greek history! You see that there isn’t just one King of the North and one King of the South. They have different people take up that position and wrangle with each other. Sometimes they’re friends and allies and most of the time they are in conflict with each other.
And Israel was the football. Between North and South was the Beautiful Land being trampled on.
Interestingly, one of those queens mentioned in there (v. 17) was a woman named Cleopatra. She wasn’t the famous one with Julius Ceasar and Mark Antony, but the famous one was most probably named after her.
You can read about all of these people in the history books. I have several I can loan you which go into deep detail about all of these events. I read 88 pages in one of them just about the identification of all of these people in this chapter.
This is exactly what happened.
The God of Gods knows the future and chooses to tell His people some of that future, and rules all of that future.
That must have been encouraging to old Daniel. If you remember, his people were suffering in Israel in 536 BC. They had returned from exile but they had not been able to rebuild the temple yet and were opposed and discouraged. And then they were going to get kicked around for hundreds of years.
Wait. Is this encouraging?
It is if you know there’s a grand plan. And if you know that the plan is on track. It’s tough being the football. But not as hard if you know that there is a game on and if you know that you (the football!) belong to the real winner.
Do you feel like you’re the football right now?
You and I are small and have only a small amount of control over our lives.
Some of you feel like a football because of Governor Shapiro and some of you feel like a football because of President Trump. And some of you feel like a football because of both of them.
And they are both elected officials! We all have a small say in that in America. Israel had almost no say with the Kings of the North and the Kings of the South trampling all over the Beautiful Land.
And then it got worse.
One of those Greek Seleucid Kings of the North was much worse than any that had come before.
And his name was Antiochus IV Epiphanes. We’ve talked about him before, especially in chapter 8. Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power in 175BC and he was a precursor of the Antichrist.
Almost everybody agrees that verses 21 through 35 are about his time as king. Look at verse 21.
“He [This is probably Seleucus IV] will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. [Antiochus was not next in line for the throne, but somehow ended up on the throne anyways...] Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. [Perhaps that was the removal of Onias from being the High Priest in Israel and Antiochus’s man put in his place]. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.
When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses–but only for a time.
With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South [Ptolemy VI]. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.
The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time” (vv.21-27).
You know what? That is exactly what happened!
Antiochus IV and Ptolemy VI met together of their own free will. And they ate together, and they lied to each other! Each trying to get the best of the other. But the God of Gods rules over even the evil choices of evil men!
Of course, it still hurts when they run over you. But at least you know that it’s for a limited time and an ultimate good end.
If you like history, you might want to read the books of 1st and 2nd Maccabees written between the Old and New Testaments. This next part was predicted in 536 BC and happened just as predicted 370 years later in 167-164BC and was written about afterwards in 1st and 2nd Maccabees. Look at verse 28.
“The king of the North [almost certainly Antiochus IV Epiphanes] will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant [God’s law and promise to Israel]. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before.
Ships of the western coastlands [lit. ships of Kittim] will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant” (vv.28-30a).
Here’s what happened. Antiochus was humiliated.
He went up further north to fight and some Romans (that’s the next kingdom to come, right?, and some Romans) beat him. One of them named Gaius Papillius Laenes met with him after a battle and took a stick and drew this circle around him in the sand. And he said something like, “AntiFour, go back home to your circle or we’ll take it all away from you.”
And Antiochus hated that and went back and took it out on Israel. Do you remember what he did? How he was worse than anyone before him? He didn’t just conquer Israel and make them work for him or even drag them off into exile. He went against their God. He stopped them from worshipping their God. He stopped them from observing the Sabbath or circumcising their baby boys. And killing them if they did. And he forced them to worship Greek gods. And he rewarded those who stopped worshiping Yahweh and started worshiping these other gods. Verse 30.
“He will return [from losing this battle] and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation” (vv.30b-31).
And that’s exactly what happened. Antiochus told the Jews they could not sacrifice to the LORD in their own temple, and then Antiochus went into that temple, and sacrificed a pig on the altar. And he put some kind of Zeus statue in the Holy of Holies. And he killed thousands of Jews, as much as maybe 80,000.
A contemptible king indeed. Verse 32.
“With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time” (vv.32-35).
And that’s exactly what happened. What a terrible time that was. What a terrible king that was! What a terrible thing to have to live through. What a terrible thing to know was going to happen to your people some day!
I don’t know about you, though, but I would still want to know. I’d be glad to know that my God knows all of what is going to happen and has told me enough to know that all of these things that are happening to me have not slipped past Him somehow but are (even though they are evil) still a part of His perfect plan being worked out in His perfect timing. Even Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Knowing that and knowing the God of Gods would give me great comfort and hope. And it would make me wise. Verse 33 says that wise people (like Daniel) are always needed during times of trouble. And wise people make people wise.
“Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or killed.”
Just because you are wise doesn’t mean that you get to escape suffering. In fact, the wisest Man ever died of crucifixion. But the wise don’t give in when the hard times come. Verse 32 says that the people who know their God (who know the God of Gods) will not give into the temptation to worship other gods–even if it makes life much easier.
They will firmly resist it.
And that’s exactly what happened.
In this time period, 167-164 BC, the Jews revolted against Antiochus and the Greeks. Under the Maccabees, they pushed back and eventually won a modicum of freedom. They got to purify the temple once again and restore true worship in the land.
It was messy. Not everyone did things in a godly way. Verse 34 talks about those who were “not sincere.” Verse 35 says that some of them stumbled. But the LORD was at work. His people were (v.35), “refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end.”
The God of Gods knows the future, tells the future, and rules the future for the good and sanctification of His people.
Now, here’s point number two.
#2. THE GOD OF GODS WAS ATTACKED, IS ATTACKED, AND WILL BE ATTACKED AGAIN.
Yes, you heard me right. This God Who can tell the future and Who is directing the future, has often been opposed. He has enemies. Obviously, Antiochus thought that the LORD was no-one to worry about. In fact, Antiochus set out to snuff out His worship.
And so did this next king in verse 36.
Now, verses 36 through 45 are hotly disputed among interpreters. At first, it seems like it’s just the same sort of thing as verses 2 through 35, but at verse 36 we are actually right back to struggling over identification. Who is who and what is what.
A lot of people think that it’s still just Antiochus IV Epiphanes. And there is no hard break here.But the problem is that only parts of these verses sound like him. It’s not like, “And that’s exactly what happened.” It’s not. It’s not exactly what happened.
So some people who don’t believe the Bible think this is the point (at v.36) where whoever wrote “Daniel” must not have known was going to happen next and started to get it wrong.
But why would the Jews include it in their Bible if it was all wrong? If it was all bad history and fake prophecy? I don’t think they would.
Now some people who do believe in the Bible still think this is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. But they don’t think that it’s in chronological order. They think that it’s like a jump back and looking at his life again from a different angle. And I think that’s possible. Good, faithful Christians see it that way.
But most Christians throughout church history think that there is a change of subject between verse 35 and verse 36, a line drawn, and another jump–this time even further into the future. And most think that it’s still in the future-future, the time of the end. As in, not just the time of Antiochus’ end, but of history’s end. The end-end.
That we’re not just reading about a Greek King of the North but about a wicked king still to come. Notice it doesn’t say, “The King of the North” in verse 36, but just “The king will do as he pleases.”
Many many Christians throughout church history have thought that this person in verses 36 through 45 is the same person as the little big mouth horn from chapter 7 or the Man of Lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians 2 or the Beast of Revelation 13, someone we often call “The Antichrist.”
Now, I’m not sure, and that’s okay, but I think that’s highly likely. There’s a vibe shift here. It begins to feel different. And it grows to epic proportions, and then the end of time is indicated, which we will see next week (see 12:1-3).
What I want to point out right here is how this wicked king attacks not just the people of God but the God of Gods. Look at verse 36.
“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.”
Now, that could be Antiochus. He called himself “Epiphanes” which means “The Manifestation.” He definitely thought he was all that.
But I tend to think, as terrible as he was, Antiochus was just an Antichrist wannabe. This person really thinks that he is god.
It’s scary to think what he might be saying in verse 36. “...unheard-of things against the God of gods.” Just that preposition with that name. “Against the God of gods.” I kept thinking about that phrase this week again and again. “Against the God of gods.”
God has been attacked. And it has seemed to be successful. For a time it is. Look at verse 36 again. “He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.”
Notice that it’s still limited. This wicked king wins and wins and does whatever he wants, but only until the time of wrath of completed, only until what has been determined (by God!) has taken place. Even these attacks against God are not outside of God’s plan! Verse 37.
“He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.”
Now, that doesn’t feel like Antiochus to me. He did show regard for Zeus and Adonis (if that’s the god desired by women). But this person doesn’t regard the god of his fathers. Perhaps he’s a rebellious Jew! And maybe the “one desired by women” is the Messiah, the one that every Jewish woman wished she could carry in her womb. This wicked person exalts himself above them all. V.38
“Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. [You can bribe him, and every single dollar he has will go into making war and trying to take over the world (see Revelation 13:4). V.40] At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.
He will also invade the Beautiful Land [Israel]. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him” (vv.38-45).
Now, I’m not sure (and that’s okay) about a lot of the details here. They are disputed. Some people think that there are 3 kings here. The king of the North, the king of the South, and the wicked king who does what he pleases. He’s fighting both of them in the future. Others think that the King of the North of that era is the king who does everything he pleases. I’m not sure and that’s okay.
What I am sure of is that one day we will be able to look back over history and say with absolute certainty, “And that’s exactly what happened.” Whether it was actually in the second century BC or at the future battle of Armageddon.
And what I’m also sure about is that the God of Gods has been attacked, is being attacked (as His church is attacked around the world in persecution), and will be attacked once again.
But not forever.
In verse 45, it says that this wicked king who has been so successful at attacking the God of Gods will pitch his royal tents between the seas (Dead Sea and Mediterranean) at the beautiful holy mountain (on which Jerusalem sits). And YET!
“And YET he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”
The beast will go down. The fourth beast of chapter 7 will be slain and be thrown into the blazing fire that comes out from the throne of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:11). The “Lord Jesus will overthrow [the lawless one] with the breath of his mouth and destroy [him] by the splendor of his coming.” (See 2 Thess. 2:8.)
And all of God’s people will be saved forever!
That’s point number three and last:
#3. THE GOD OF GODS WILL FOREVER SAVE HIS PEOPLE.
Look at the first verse of chapter 12 and then we’ll go to the Table.
“‘At that time [the time of 11:36-45, the time of the end] Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people–everyone whose name is found written in the book–will be delivered.”
The God of Gods will forever save His people. He has always has, and He always will.
I think that verse 1 is talking about the Great Tribulation. During that time there will be great spiritual warfare (the archangel Michael is fighting once again for Daniel’s people) and there will be great distress like never before.
But there will also be a great deliverance. A great salvation.
For all of God’s people. For everyone (v.1) “whose name is found written in the book.”
How can you be sure that your name is written in that book? Repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the King of Kingdoms. Put your faith and trust in what He did for you at the Cross and the Empty Tomb. And you will find at the end of time that your name was there. And you will be saved forevermore.
That’s exactly what will happen because of the God of Gods.
