The Final Focus | Sunday, August 27, 2023

Cross Connection Church, you can have a seat and take out your Bible this morning. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. We are in the Old Testament, which is the first two-thirds of your Bible, in the Book of Daniel. If you open to about the middle of your Bible and turn to the right, you'll find the Book of Daniel. We are in the very last chapter, Daniel chapter 12, this morning, and we are going to close out the book today.

As we've been going through this great book this summer, some see it as incredible. The traditional view of the Book of Daniel is that it was written by a Jewish exile to Babylon in the 6th century BC, after the nation of Israel was taken over by the Babylonian Empire under the rule and leadership of the great King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Over a period of about 20 years, the nation of Israel was under assault and involved in conflict with the Babylonians. Through a series of exile periods, the people of Israel were exiled to Babylon.

The first wave happened in about 605 BC, which is when it is believed that Daniel and three of his friends, who are named in the book—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—found their way to Babylon. The traditional view is that this book was written by Daniel. However, there are those who are skeptical of that because the visions, dreams, and interpretations in this book, which is referred to as apocalyptic literature, point to events that would take place after that time, after 605 BC, with such clarity.

These skeptics argue that the precision of the visions Daniel had about what would come to pass in the world suggests it could not have possibly been written by a Jewish exile in Babylon in the 6th century BC. They claim it was written much later than that. Nevertheless, what we have here is an awesome text that was given to provide encouragement to the people of God as they go through difficulties and hard times in this world. That is exactly what we have seen in this book as we have been following the story.

The first six chapters, which make up the first half of the book, really focus on some events that took place in Daniel's life and the lives of his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, as they were in Babylon.

When they were brought to Babylon as exiles, they were stripped of their culture and their language. They were put in Babylonian-type clothes and enrolled in what we might call Babylonian University, where they were trained in all the wisdom and knowledge of the people of Babylon. During that period of time, it is believed by many scholars that not only were these young men, who were probably about 15 years old when this happened, deprived of their culture and heritage, but they were also likely castrated as they were placed in the court of the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. They went through some pretty horrendous experiences.

Through all of the challenges we have seen while considering this book, one of the things we have come to discover so far in looking at the story of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah is this point: sometimes the people of God suffer. When you look at stories like Daniel or other narratives in the Bible, or even stories about the people of God beyond the Scriptures throughout the last 2,000 years of Christian history, you see that this is sadly more often the case than not. Sometimes the people of God suffer. They endure trials, difficulties, tribulations, and persecution—different kinds of suffering that are more the norm than the exception.

We are told in the New Testament by one of the followers of Jesus, Peter, not to think it strange when we experience trials. When we go through suffering, we should not count it as a unique or odd thing. However, the fact is that many times we do think it's strange when we face difficulties because we have been privileged to experience a great deal of ease in our day. We are blessed to have lived through what is truly an unprecedented time, where there has not been much suffering for the people of God.

Because we have lived in a time of unprecedented ease, we have enjoyed extraordinary religious liberty and freedom. As a people, we have never really experienced the kind of tribulation and persecution that many saints of God have faced throughout history and that some are even experiencing at this very moment. While we are seated here in an air-conditioned room in Southern California, where we can freely assemble and sing praises to God, there are other believers in different parts of the world who must gather together in secret. If they are to be baptized, they do so in hiding, not wanting anyone to know about it because they may suffer persecution.

Tribulation for the name and sake of Jesus has been much more the norm for the people of God throughout history. Suffering is the normal experience of a people living in a broken and fallen world. Suffering affects all people, whether they are followers of God or not. However, in addition to the suffering that all people experience, the follower of God faces another kind of suffering in the form of opposition against them for the work of Christ and the work of God. This opposition can manifest physically, but the Bible reveals, as we've seen in the Book of Daniel, that much of this opposition is also spiritual.

We discussed this a couple of weeks ago when we talked about the reality of spiritual warfare. The Christian, the follower of God, is engaged in spiritual warfare. Therefore, we can experience suffering and difficulty that are physically manifested, as well as challenges that are spiritually manifested in the world. We will have suffering; we find that to be the case. Sometimes, the people of God suffer.

One of the other things we've discovered as we've gone through this book, which is the purpose of this genre of scripture, is that this book is referred to as an apocalyptic text. When we hear the word "apocalyptic," certain images come to mind, such as asteroids hitting the world, wars, explosions, and all sorts of chaos. However, books like Daniel, Ezekiel, and the Book of Revelation do not necessarily present all those apocalyptic things. Instead, they arise out of the midst of difficulty and suffering. These texts often emerge from trials, tribulations, and suffering, and they serve to encourage the people of God.

It is very clear when we look at the scriptures and the world around us that we will suffer and go through difficulty. However, what we learn when we open the pages of apocalyptic texts like Daniel is this key point: God is with us in suffering. That is what we have been seeing. Sometimes, the people of God suffer, but God is with us in suffering. This is the key underlying truth in passages like Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation. Apocalyptic literature acknowledges that we will suffer and experience persecution and tribulation, but God is with us in the midst of that.

That's what we have seen in the stories of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Not only is God with us in the midst of suffering, but another thing we've observed as we've been going through this book over the last twelve weeks is that God empowers and strengthens us during our trials. He wants to help us walk through those challenges.

The ultimate message we find in apocalyptic texts like Daniel is that God will ultimately deliver us from suffering. This is the hope that we, as followers of God, possess—a hope that the world does not have. If you are a follower of God today, like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were two thousand years ago, you have the assurance that in the end, God will deliver us from the suffering present in this world.

Ultimately, all suffering finds its root in the reality of death, and the statistics on death are not all that encouraging: ten out of ten people die. I don't want to discourage you from coming here to church on Sunday morning; I hope to be an encouragement from the text. However, that is the reality we all face: we will eventually suffer death. Suffering stems from this reality, as we are conscious of the fact that there is an endpoint to this life. People try to escape this truth, seeking ways to avoid worrying about it, but we have the promise in the Scriptures that ultimately, we will be delivered.

The root cause of suffering is the reality of death, and the root cause of death is sin. What has brought death into the world? The Scriptures make it very clear: through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin. Death has spread to all of creation; we all experience death because of sin. The promise of the Scriptures, especially in apocalyptic passages like Daniel, is that God will deliver us from sin, from death, and from suffering in the end. The Scriptures say He will wipe away every tear; there will be no more suffering, no more death, and no more war.

How many of you this morning would say that sounds really good? I like that as the ultimate end. Whether you are a believer in the Scriptures, a believer in God, a Christian, or not, every person you meet has that hope of a future where sin, death, suffering, and all these things are gone. We all share that longing.

I look forward to that. We might call it something different; some people might call it Paradise, others might call it Heaven, and some people might say Utopia. Everybody is yearning for that, even your coworker who is agnostic or atheistic and doesn't believe in God. They are hoping for that.

Do you realize there are people today who are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their remains cryogenically frozen? They hope that in the future, they could be thawed out when someone figures out the cure to reverse death. There are other people who are convinced that their hope is not in freezing their body and then thawing it out, but that maybe we can transfer our consciousness to the cloud. The idea is that you can take all of your consciousness and put it in the cloud. That sounds rather frightening. I mean, you would be trapped in the computer, as if we already aren't. But that is the hope of some people.

I know some individuals whose hope is that maybe we will find a cure for death. Perhaps we can deal with all of this suffering in the world, or maybe we can just upload our consciousness to the cloud or freeze our bodies. Then, when we find the cure for death, we can come back. If that sounds absurd to you, they think that we are weird because we believe that God is going to deal with this sort of stuff. They are just as weird, if not more so. Our worldview is not all that crazy.

God is with us in suffering. He empowers and strengthens us in the midst of suffering, and God will ultimately deliver us from suffering. These are the promises that we discover in the Scriptures, especially in apocalyptic texts like this. These are the lessons that have been clearly presented in this book.

In the first six chapters, the first half of the book, we have the stories of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. God was with them in chapter one when they were carried away from their home and their culture, and everything that they knew was turned upside down in Babylon. The hopes and dreams they had for the future, or that other people had for them when they were younger, were completely shattered and gone. Now they find themselves in Babylon.

What did they discover when they were in Babylon? God was with them in the midst of Babylon. He empowered and strengthened them while they were there, and He ultimately promises to deliver them fully and completely from Babylon. We saw that picture again in chapter three when Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah found themselves suffering persecution and being thrown into a fiery furnace. What did they discover when they were in the fiery furnace? God was with them in the midst.

Of the fiery furnace, God empowered the three men, and they were delivered from that circumstance and situation. Then we got to chapter six, where we saw it again with Daniel, as he was thrown into the lion's den to be killed. Yet God was with him in the lion's den and ultimately protected him. The lions did not harm him, and God delivered him from that situation.

All of these stories drive home a theme found in this book and in other places of Scripture. Yes, we will suffer; we are not exempt from suffering. But God is with us in the midst of it. He empowers and strengthens us as we go through it, and He promises to deliver us in the end. That was the first half of the book.

The second half really drives this idea home through a series of visions and dreams that Daniel has, which are interpreted for him by angelic beings. The themes of these dreams are consistent: God's people are going to suffer. There will be more suffering in the future, particularly under the Greek Empire, then under the Roman Empire, and beyond that into the future. There is going to be more suffering for the people of God.

The Bible does not lie to us and say everything will be perfect and great. No, it tells us the honest truth: we will go through difficulty. However, though we experience trials, tribulations, and difficulties, we are promised in these dreams and visions of Daniel a future empowerment for the people of God. We saw it last week in Daniel 11:32: "The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits."

How will they carry out those great exploits? They are empowered and strengthened by God to do so in the midst of suffering. God is with His people; He empowers His people. We have seen Him dispatch and send angelic messengers numerous times in the text to support the people of God, to stand in the midst of difficulty, and to aid and empower them.

In the stories of the first half and the visions and dreams of the second half, we see this reality: there is future suffering, there is empowering and strengthening in the midst of it, and there is also, thirdly, deliverance. There is a future deliverance for the people of God.

The challenge with this is that the exact details of how this will all work out and when it will happen are not as clear as we would like them to be. There are times when we wish that God would just give us the entire story, point by point, telling us everything.

Everything that's going to come in the future is uncertain. If God were to give you a detailed account, you would most certainly argue with Him, wouldn't you? I know I would. I would point out, "Here in paragraph six, sentence four, I have a little problem with how you decided to do this. I think maybe it would be better if you did it this way." It's as if we want to edit the script.

The exact details of the visions and revelations of Daniel are not entirely clear; they can be a little fuzzy. However, the general truths are there, and these are the same things that I keep driving home. I keep bringing them up because they are very important. There will be suffering, but God will empower and strengthen His people, and He will deliver them.

In the world we live in, a broken world devastated by sin, everybody is assured of suffering. However, only the people of God have this hope. The general things that we've discovered in the Book of Daniel are given to us here: suffering is assured, and empowering and strengthening in the midst of it is what God will give to His people. Ultimately, He will deliver them.

I think it is critically important to emphasize these truths. In fact, the reason I felt impressed at the beginning of the year to go through the Book of Daniel this summer is to drive home these truths. They are very important for us to learn. It is so critical that we, the people of God, know these truths: suffering is a reality, God empowers those who suffer, strengthens them in the midst of suffering, and will ultimately deliver them. We need to keep these things centrally in our minds and in our hearts constantly.

Why? Because, as I said, we have lived in an extraordinary time of ease, a privileged time of religious liberty. However, if it is the reality, as it seems to be from history and from what we learn in the Scriptures, that this is not really the normal experience, then we should anticipate that this will probably not continue indefinitely.

It is the tendency of things to return to the mean, to return to the average, to go back to what is normal. What you've experienced, what I've experienced in our lifetimes—this great religious liberty and ease, this privileged existence—is abnormal compared to most of human history and what we see in other parts of the world. Therefore, it is probably not going to continue like this constantly and indefinitely as we look forward to the future. In fact, what we discover in the Scriptures and what we learn from Christ is that there might be, and there probably is, going to be difficulty ahead.

The future is something Jesus spoke about very explicitly in the Gospel of John, chapter 16. He said, "In the world, you will have tribulation." Perhaps you've seen those calendars with a promise for every single day from God, or maybe you bought one of those books, or someone gave it to you as a gift years ago, like "The 7,000 Promises of the Bible." In those promises, among the 7,000, you probably didn't find this one on page 172: "In the world, you will suffer tribulation." But that is an emphatic declaration from Jesus.

The real challenge with that word is found in John chapter 16. When Jesus says, "In me, you might have peace; in the world, you will suffer tribulation," how many of you wish He had said, "In me, you will have peace; in the world, you might suffer tribulation"? I wish it said that, but it doesn't. Instead, it states clearly that in the world, you will suffer tribulation.

He also promised in Matthew chapter 24 that those who are opposed to God and His workers will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. If you look at Christian history, church history, that has been the experience of many Christians—most Christians throughout church history—and many people in various places today.

In John chapter 15, as Jesus is preparing His disciples for His death on the cross, He says, "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you." The world will hate you. John chapter 15, verse 20, states, "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you."

Why is it important for us to understand that the people of God suffer? God empowers and strengthens His people in suffering and will ultimately deliver them from suffering. There is a likelihood that you will suffer, experiencing the normal difficulties of living in a broken and fallen world. You may also experience persecution in your life. While it is possible that we might live our entire lives under religious liberty without facing persecution, many Christians have not had that experience, and many people are suffering in other parts of the world.

It very well could come to you and me. In some ways, we might be seeing the seeds of this even in Western culture. There are certain places in Western culture where we are beginning to notice these changes.

Liberal in our views, we should all embrace the principle of "Live and Let Live." However, people are being told that they cannot say or teach the things presented in the Scriptures. This could lead to difficulties in keeping a license from the College of Psychologists in Canada, as seen in Jordan Peterson's experience, where he is facing removal for speaking truths from the Scriptures about identity and the creation of men and women. Speaking out against certain lifestyles may also get you into trouble in some places, and this trend seems to be increasing. It is possible that, in our lifetime and in our own nation, articulating what is said in the Scriptures could affect your social credit score, limiting your ability to buy, sell, and move about freely.

We need to recognize these truths. It is important for us to understand this reality. I don't want to be a downer today, but I do want to speak the honest truth as we find it in the Scriptures. None of us here today, myself included, like to suffer. I am not inviting suffering; I certainly do not look forward to it. However, the Scriptures are clear. In Paul's last letter, his final word before he was martyred for his faith and witness, he wrote to Timothy, stating that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. He also warned that evil imposters will grow worse and worse.

Why do I want to remind you of these truths from the Scriptures? Because I don't want us to be ignorant. It is crucial for us to be aware that suffering is a reality that the people of God endure and experience. Another reason it is critically important for us to understand this truth, as revealed in passages like Daniel and others throughout the Scriptures, is that we are living in a day when the chief export of American Christianity for the last half-century or more has been a doctrine called Prosperity Theology, which is completely false. This doctrine sets people up for a fall.

What is the underlying basis or fundamental tenet of Prosperity Theology? It suggests that if you are truly a person of faith and faithful to God, then you will experience health.

Wealth and prosperity are often presented as guarantees if you trust in Jesus. That sounds appealing, and it sells well. You can actually find some passages in the Bible that, when taken out of context, seem to support these ideas. This has been the chief export of American Christianity for nearly the last half-century. The teaching suggests that if you have faith and are truly faithful, then you will not suffer. Conversely, if you are suffering, it indicates that you must not have enough faith.

If this form of teaching were true, then the church, over the last 2,000 years and even beyond, would appear pitiful in terms of faith and faithfulness. They must have suffered simply because they didn't have enough faith or weren't faithful enough. This perspective always places the burden back on you and me. It implies that if we want to experience life as it could and ought to be, we just need to have more faith. We are often encouraged to give 99.95 to a specific phone number or scan a QR code, promising that we will be prayed for and receive a little bit of oil, a prayer rag, or some other item.

This is a false teaching, and it sets people up for a fall. Considering apocalyptic texts like Daniel is important because the Bible clearly states that just before Jesus returns, there will be a time of apostasia, or falling away. I believe one of the factors that leads to this falling away is when difficulties arise for the people of God. When suffering occurs, some people may abandon their faith. You might know individuals who, when faced with suffering, gave up on Christianity because they thought it would be much easier and better.

Jesus spoke about this in one of His most well-known parables, the Parable of the Sower. He described those who spring up quickly when the word of God is sown. However, because they have no depth of earth and no roots, when the sun comes, they are burnt out. Jesus explains that the sun represents trials and afflictions. Many put their faith in Jesus because they were told that if they did, everything would be great. Unfortunately, when everything was not great, their faith faltered.

They got burnt out. Maybe you know some people like that; I certainly do. I had a conversation about seven years ago while I was running on a treadmill next to another guy. We started to talk about spiritual things. He said, "Well, you know, I don't believe in God." I said, "Yeah, I heard." So we began to discuss this, and I asked him some questions. It came out that the reason he didn't believe in God was because his dad got lung cancer and died from it. He prayed, but he wasn't healed. So, clearly, God either isn't there or doesn't care. He said, "I just gave up on that because of suffering." There are a lot of people who have that testimony.

So far, we have seen that suffering is the expected experience of the people of God. We are not immune to it; we are not free from it. However, we can be assured of God's presence, God's strengthening and empowering, and ultimately His deliverance. These are the primary general truths we learn when we open the Book of Daniel.

The challenge is that as we look through the Book of Daniel, we see many other things that seem to have so much more coded within the language. We start to wonder, what does it have to say about the future? When are these things going to happen? We begin to see references to a future Antichrist who persecutes the people of God, a future abomination of desolation, a time of great trouble, or a time of Great Tribulation. The question that arises for you and me is, when is it going to happen?

I want to encourage you that this is the question Daniel had as well. He was receiving visions, dreams, and interpretations from angelic witnesses, and he wanted to know when these events would occur. He set himself to pray for three weeks to try to understand it. We saw this back in chapter 10; he wanted the details of the times of the visions. This is also what Jesus's earliest followers, His disciples, experienced. When Jesus talked about the future destruction of Jerusalem, they asked, "When is this going to be?"

Here is the challenge that frustrates us: anytime we set ourselves to try to comprehend or know or understand all of the details of when these events are going to come to pass, we are always frustrated. It is not for us to know.

When Jesus was asked by his disciples about the timing of when these things would take place, He said in Acts 1:7, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put under His own authority." In the Olivet Discourse in Matthew chapter 24, He states, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but My Father only." We do not know what hour our Lord is coming.

We often feel frustrated when we try to figure out all the details of the timing of these events because it is not for us to know. This is frustrating because we want to know, but God says, "This is not for you to know. I am holding on to this." All we need to understand is that we are going to go through difficulty, tribulation, trial, and suffering, and that He will be with us. He will empower us, and ultimately, He will deliver us.

Our frustration grows when we attempt to deduce the timing from the text. Throughout Christian history, countless people have tried to set dates for these events. They are often referred to as "date setters." Notable names have emerged over the years. Perhaps you remember Harold Camping, who claimed that the end would come on a specific date. When that date passed without incident, he changed it repeatedly until 2012, when nothing happened again.

Camping is not the only one. Some of you may know the book written by Edgar C. Whisenant, titled "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Happen in 1988." Well, it is now 2023, and that book is probably only good for starting fires at this point. Others, like Hal Lindsey, made it clear that he believed the Rapture and the Second Coming would occur before the turn of the millennium. Here we are, 23 years later, still waiting.

You might also recall the name John Hagee, or even Chuck Smith, who was connected to Calvary Chapel. On New Year's Eve in 1980, he stood before a packed room at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and proclaimed that the Lord would return in 1981. Why did he say that? Because he read "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Happen in 1988" and backed up seven years from there.

Clearly, it has to happen in 1981. However, before him, there was a man in the 19th century named William Miller. He had a group of followers that came to be known as the Millerites. His teaching is referred to today as the Great Disappointment because, in 1844, he said that the Second Coming was going to happen, and it did not happen.

Date-setting predictions are not new; they always lead to frustration and often result in the loss of faith and faithfulness. When we try to figure out all the timing of these events, we are often left frustrated. However, there are some amazing details that God does leave with Daniel in the closing chapter, Daniel chapter 12.

Look at this: chapter 12, verse 1. "At that time"—what time? This is the time leading up to the coming of the Kingdom of God and all the things associated with that time. Michael, this angelic being that we were introduced to several weeks ago, shall stand up. He is the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people, Daniel was told.

There shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. At that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some will awake to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament of the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

As Daniel's apocalyptic revelation is wrapping up here in this passage, he is given more information about the future. He has been setting himself to understand when and how these things will come to pass. In these opening three verses, we are given five very important insights. The first is this: this time is a very clear and specific time in the future. As we went through those verses, verses 1 through 3, you may have noticed the word "time" came up four times: "at that time," "there shall be a time," "even to that time," "at that time." What we find in this text is that there is a...

In the future, God is predicting that certain events will come to pass before He establishes His kingdom. Many within the church believe that this time has already passed, suggesting it occurred during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes under the Greek Empire. Others argue that it was fulfilled during the time of Titus in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed, as this passage discusses the destruction of the temple. However, there are those who believe that there is still a future time in which these events will fully be completed.

I want to emphasize that I believe each of these historical periods is important. The time of Antiochus Epiphanes is indeed referenced in this text, as is the time of Titus and the destruction of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, there are aspects mentioned in the text of Daniel that I do not believe have yet come to pass. Therefore, I affirm that there is a future time we must consider.

The second point we see in this passage is that this future time will be marked by a period of intense and severe trouble. Daniel is informed, likely by Gabriel, that a time of trouble such as has never been seen will come. This period will precede the establishment of God's kingdom forever. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew chapter 24, describing it as a Great Tribulation that has not been seen since the beginning of the world and will never be equaled again. This language is very similar to what Gabriel told Daniel in chapter 12.

The third insight we gain from this passage about the time filled with intense trouble is that there will be angelic involvement and divine protection. Notice the opening words of chapter 12, verse 1: "At that time, Michael shall stand up to defend and strengthen God's people." This indicates that during this future time of great trouble, God will provide strength to His people through angelic help.

Finally, it appears that this future time of great trouble, where God strengthens His people, is connected to the descendants of Abraham. In this text, the "sons of your people" are mentioned to Daniel, referring to the people who are the descendants of Daniel's lineage.

The Jewish people he speaks of, the nation, shall be delivered. In the New Testament, Jesus, when talking about this time of Great Tribulation, says that when it begins, the starting point is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet. When that happens, this Great Tribulation will come. He says, "Those who are in Judea, let them flee," and pray that it doesn't happen on the Sabbath day.

Well, who lives in Judea and who observes the Sabbath day? The descendants of Abraham. From this passage, we learn several important points. First, there is a set time in the future. Second, it will be a time of intense trouble in which God will protect or help His people through angelic assistance. Third, the descendants of Abraham will have something to do with that time.

Fifth, and most importantly, this passage indicates that the time of trouble ends with a future resurrection. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake; they shall arise. However, it is worthy of note that there is a resurrection here in this passage unto life, but there is also another resurrection unto death. They shall awake, some to everlasting life, but some to shame and everlasting contempt.

What is mentioned here is that there is a twofold resurrection. One is a resurrection unto eternal life to be with God in His kingdom forever and ever. The other is a resurrection of all who have lived and will ever live unto judgment. This is confirmed in the Gospels and in the Book of Revelation as well. There is a time in the future where there will be a resurrection unto judgment for the unrighteous, but for the people of God, point number three, if you're taking notes, is that whatever troubles are suffered in this life are incomparably light in light of the glory that shall be revealed.

Paul, in the New Testament, says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." This hope is always the ultimate focus for the people of God in apocalyptic passages. Yes, we will suffer. God will empower and strengthen His people in the midst of suffering, and He will deliver His people from suffering at the end.

This is the hope that has caused me, for a very long time, to teach here at this church and everywhere I can. As followers of God, we should have an optimistic vision of the future. Everything we do should be done with joy because we have an optimistic vision of the glory that shall be revealed in the future. We see it in Matthew 25 and in Revelation 20.

Let me read to you from Revelation 20. John says, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the Earth and Heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged according to their works by the things that were written in the books. They were judged, each according to his own works. Death and Hades were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire."

There is a time in the future, a time of great trouble, through which God will strengthen and empower His people as they go through that trouble. The people and descendants of Abraham will have something to do during that period of time. However, in the end, God will bring a great deliverance. That's what we learn from this text.

But the question still lingers: When will these things be? When is it going to happen? Look at verse four: "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 wanted to know when this would be, and now he is told by Gabriel, the messenger, to shut up the book. He has recorded it and taken it down, but it is for the future. There will be greater understanding; knowledge will increase as this time approaches, and they will understand this better then.

Then I, Daniel, said, "I looked, and there stood two others, one on the riverbank on this side and one on the other side of the riverbank." One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" That is Daniel's question, and it is your question and my question: How long? When is this all going to wrap up?

Now imagine the picture. We saw this a few weeks ago in chapter 10, and we have seen it again in chapter 11. Here again, in chapter 12, Daniel has set himself for three weeks to seek God in continuous prayer to understand when these things would be. He is on a kind of camping trip by the Tigris River.

Today, we find ourselves in Iraq, near ancient Babylon, by the Tigris River. Daniel has this vision, and he sees an awesome being clothed in linen with a gold sash or belt around his waist. He describes this being back in chapter 10. This being is in the sky, or in the clouds, hovering above the Tigris River. Daniel is joined on one side by an angelic messenger, whom I believe is Gabriel.

Now, he gives us a vivid picture. He says there was the river, and he was there. There was one being on one side and another being on the other, which is probably Michael the Archangel, who was helping Gabriel. There, in the clouds, is the Son of Man, whom I think is Jesus. Gabriel asks Jesus the question that is on Daniel's mind and on yours as well: How long shall the fulfillment of these things be?

In verse 7, we find the answer. Daniel writes, "Then I heard the man clothed in linen, the Son of Man who was in the clouds above the waters of the river." He held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven. Jesus does this, and he swore a declaration by Him who lives forever, by God, that it shall be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people is completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

There it is: it is going to be for a time, and times, and half a time. Look at verse 8. Although I heard, I did not understand. Daniel says, "I heard him speak; he held up his hands to the sky and swore by Him who lives forever." It's going to be for a time, and times, and half a time. Daniel goes, "Wait, wait, what? I heard it; I wrote it down, but I didn't get it." Can anybody identify with Daniel today?

Then I said, "My Lord, what shall be the end of these things?" Can you almost sense Daniel's exasperation? All he has been asking for three weeks is, "When is it going to be?" And now he hears, "A time, times, and half a time." The people are going to be completely decimated, and then the end will come. How does that help me?

He said in verse 9, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be purified and made white and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand."

Understand, but the wise shall understand. Note this: from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who awaits and comes to the 1,335 days. But you go your way until the end, for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of days.

Daniel says, "I just want to know the answer to my question: When will it be?" Jesus responds, "A time, times, and half a time." He says, "Come on, give me something more, please." Jesus replies, "Okay, when you see the abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, "let him who hears understand. Then flee, because great tribulation is coming."

How long will it be? Many Bible teachers read this and they read the 1,290 days. When you take that and divide it by the Jewish people’s 360-day year, it comes out to about three and a half years. This is one view: a time is one year, times is two years, and half a time is three years, totaling 1,260 days. He says here, "When you see the abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, "then it ignites; it starts something."

You could go home and clip out little pieces of paper to make a 1,290-link chain, cutting one day off every single day for the next 1,290 days. Many people see this as a countdown, and maybe that's what it means. It seems like a logical conclusion.

But he says, "Blessed is he who endures to the end. Blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1,335 days," who makes it through that period of great trouble, through which God will strengthen and empower His people.

When speaking about the same period of time in Matthew 24, Jesus says, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved, and this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness, and then the end will come."

Point number four, if you're taking notes: endurance through suffering is rewarded in eternity. We see that in every apocalyptic text. Endurance through suffering is essential.

Rewarded in eternity, God will empower His people. Finally, Daniel is encouraged with this very last word at the end of chapter 12, the very last verse, verse 13. God says to Daniel, this wonderful man of God and prophet, an old man at this time, probably 85 years old: "But you, Daniel, go your way till the end, for you are going to rest." What does that mean? Daniel, you are going to die. You are not going to see these things firsthand; you are going to die. That would seem like the end of the story, but He says, "And you will arise to your inheritance at the end of days."

Point number five, and I'll close: the final focus is resurrection and inheritance. There is a lot we don't understand or know when we read the book of Daniel. The same is true when we read the book of Revelation or the book of Ezekiel. When we read about the dry bones in Ezekiel 36, or we read about a rebuilt temple in chapter 37, or we read about a Gog and Magog war in chapters 38-39, we find those same things spoken of in Revelation. Jeremiah speaks of it, Isaiah speaks of it, and Daniel is about it. As we go through the prophetic scripture, there are so many things that are obscure to us, but this is utterly perfectly clear: the people of God will suffer. God will empower and strengthen them in the midst of suffering, and He will return to deliver His people that they might be with Him forever and ever. Amen.

What does that do for us? It inspires hope and joy—a hope and joy that the world does not have. A hope and a joy which is good news! Is anybody ready for some good news? You and I know a lot of people who are ready for some good news, and we have the best news. Yes, there is suffering, but God is with His people and empowers them in the midst of it, and will deliver them. That is our hope, Church. Our hope is not in the political efforts of 2024. Thank you, Jesus! If that's where your hope is...

Will be utterly hopeless, and it's going to get worse with every passing day. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father God, I thank you for your Word. It is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is so encouraging when we open the text of Scripture and learn these truths. Lord, we may go through difficult times in this world. We're not assured of being rescued from or taken out of difficulties, trials, and hardships, but we are promised that you'll be with us in the midst of it and empower us. We are promised that we will be with you on that day in your kingdom, and in your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand, pleasure forevermore.

Lord Jesus, come quickly. The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Even so, Lord Jesus, come. But until you do, strengthen us to be about your work, committed to your mission, fulfilling it every single day in our lives. So that when you come, you find us so doing. Help us to be wise servants who use the talents, the gifts, the abilities, the time, the treasure—everything that we have that you've given to us—for your name's sake and for your kingdom, no matter what may come. For we ask it in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."