Word of Salvation – Vol. 51 No.9 – March 2006

 

Future Hope to Help Us Live With Unanswered Questions

 

A Sermon by Rev John De Hoog on Daniel 12

Scripture Reading:  Daniel 12

Suggested Hymns:  BoW 34a; 63; 517; 519

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We come now to the last chapter of the Book of Daniel. It is the climax of the book; it brings all the encouragement and all the warning contained in this book to a great high point.

Daniel 12 is divided into two sections. Verses 1-4 are a simple continuation of the prophecy that began in Chapter 10:20. We should not let the chapter divisions hide this fact. Then the second section of the chapter, verses 5-13, actually brings us back to the scene of this long vision, back to Chapter 10:4, and records Daniel’s own account of the final moments of his vision.

These two sections are distinct, and yet they belong very tightly together. Verses 1-4 outline huge promises and future hope, and verses 5-13 can teach us something about how to live with unanswered questions. Hence the title of this sermon, which is, “Future hope to help us live with unanswered questions.” Verses 1-4 outline the future hope, and verses 5-13 show us how to live in the light of that great future hope.

Let’s begin then by considering the future hope. The hope is for a great deliverance. But that great deliverance comes, as it always does in Scripture, in the context of great distress.

Verse 1. “At that time 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.”

First of all, understand that the time being prophesied here is the end of time, the time of the end of the universe as we know it. The great deliverance of God’s people written about here will be preceded by a time of enormous distress on the earth, unparalleled up to that point in history. We saw last time in Daniel 11 that the entire history of God’s people is punctuated with periods of struggle and stress and danger, like a series of tunnels of suffering that the church must travel through. But the Bible also indicates that at the end of time there will be a time of trouble worse and more fearsome than anyone has ever seen.

Jesus teaches this in Matthew 24:21-22, “For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” In Revelation 20 this period of terrible distress at the very end of time is shown to be a period during which Satan is released for a short period. Satan is right now being held back, he cannot deceive the nations as he once did, and even though he is still powerful he is not free to wreak any devastation he wishes. But at the end he will be set free for a short period; it will be the time of the great distress that Daniel speaks of here.

In the context of that great distress, Michael will arise and all of God’s people, those whose names are found written in the book, will be delivered. We have come across Michael before in Daniel. He is the great angel prince of Israel who becomes also the angel prince of the church. In the spiritual warfare in the heavenlies, Michael is the leader of God’s army and fights for God’s people. In Revelation 12 we read of Michael casting Satan down to the earth and achieving a great victory over him. The fact that Michael will once again arise at the end of time should be a great encouragement to us.

Of course, the greatest encouragement of all is that at that same time the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth and we will see him face to face. Those who have died before that time will come down with him, and will be made whole, body and soul, completely renewed. And those who are still alive at that time who belong to him will be instantly changed, in the twinkling of an eye, and will rise to meet with our returning Lord in the air. Then we will be together with the Lord and with all his people in the new heavens and the new earth forevermore; that is our great hope!

But now, why is it that the time of the end must be preceded by a time of terrible suffering for God’s people? Why is that the consistent picture of the Bible, that we must pass through many tunnels of suffering before we reach the end, and that right at the very end the distress will be like nothing that has ever before been experienced? Why can’t things just get better and better and better until Jesus returns? Daniel 12:1 says, “There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.” And verse 7 says, “When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” Why is this God’s way? Why will things come to a head like this?

It is important to remember that trouble has been the experience of the church throughout the ages. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In Acts 14:22 Paul and Barnabas are visiting the churches in Galatia, and it says they were “Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.” We could point to many other references. The great tribulation at the end of time is not a different kind of suffering; it is simply suffering of a more intense degree. Its purpose in God’s plan is the same as his purpose for all the suffering of God’s people. 1 Peter 1:6, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Why will the suffering be more intense at the very end? Perhaps because the lines will be being drawn more clearly between those who truly are God’s people and those who are not. Matthew 24 tells us that at that time, “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” At the end of time, the wickedness of God’s enemies will reach a climax, and so will the suffering of God’s people, as the lines are drawn ever clearer and sharper between God’s people and the rest. And as both Luke 17 and 2 Peter 2 tell us, just as in the days of Noah or in the days of Lot, people will be living their normal lives, only with increasing wickedness and perversion; and then suddenly the end will come.

As you think about this, remember that this is the way it had to be for Jesus himself. It was out of the greatest distress imaginable, far greater than any end-time distress, that the great victory of the cross was born. The new life that comes in Jesus Christ emerged out of the greatest suffering and tribulation any human being has ever borne as Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary and died to pay the penalty for all the sins of all of his people. Many people, Jews and Gentiles, have called this foolishness. But it is the foolishness of the cross, which, says Paul, is for those who are being saved, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

What is it for you? Is it foolishness, a horrid prospect that you see no reason for? Or is it for you part of God’s perfect and amazing plan to finally renew the whole universe? Daniel asks us that question today. 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.” There are two kinds of people says Daniel – the wicked and the wise. A characteristic of the wise is that they understand. This doesn’t mean that the wise can explain all the details as to why there has to be suffering in a Christian’s life or why this is always God’s way in the life of his people. But the wise are willing to accept God’s ways and to submit to them and to look forward to the great hope that helps us to deal with all such unanswered questions. In other words, a huge part of understanding in the Biblical sense is simply being willing to stand under God’s purposes and plans. To understand, stand under.

Pause…

Now let’s go further and think about the actual content of the great hope that we have.

Verse 2, “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.”

When Jesus Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and to finally destroy all his enemies, there will be a general resurrection of all who have ever lived. Not just God’s people, but everyone who has ever lived will rise. They will rise to face the great Day of Judgment. Vs 2, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Jesus speaks of the same event in John 5:28-29. “Do not be amazed, for 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.”

It is good for us to be confronted with this truth. Most of us probably don’t think about it much. But if there is one theme that runs through the whole Bible, it is this one of final judgment. You find it in the Old Testament prophets and all the way through the New Testament. Many people are surprised when they understand what a prominent theme this is in the teaching of Jesus Christ. Jesus told many of his parables in this way. Think only of the separation of the sheep from the goats, the wise virgins from the foolish, the good fish from the bad, the weeds from the grain and the faithful servants from the unfaithful.

Who will be saved? The angel tells Daniel in 12:1. “Everyone whose name is found written in the book.” This is the citizen list of the true Jerusalem; it is the Lamb’s book of life. In Daniel, these people escape from death not by avoiding martyrdom, but by breaking out of the realm of death in the final resurrection.

The Bible teaches that there are two deaths and two resurrections. Those who experience only one resurrection die twice. But those who experience two resurrections die only once.

Let me show you where these are mentioned in Scripture and then explain what it means. Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them.” Then Revelation 20:14 says, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Now let me explain what this means. The first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection. It is experienced by all who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. All who are in Christ have been raised to a new life in him, they have been born again. Their names have been written into the Lamb’s book of life. They have experienced the first resurrection. Now they will die physically; they will experience the first death. But the second death has no power over them, and when they rise a second time in the general resurrection at the end of time, they will rise to eternal life. They experience two resurrections but only one death.

On the other hand, those who reject Jesus Christ in their earthly life do not experience the first resurrection, their names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. When they die physically, they experience the first death. And then, at the end of the age, they will be raised back to life along with everyone else. But they will be raised only to eternal punishment, which is the second death. If you experience only one resurrection, that is, at the end of time, you will suffer two deaths – physical death, and eternal death. You will rise to be condemned, as John 5:29 puts it. You will rise to shame and everlasting contempt, as Daniel 12:2 puts it.

So you can see that having your name in the Lamb’s book of life is the most crucial question of all.

There was once a time when Jesus gave 72 of his followers a commission to go ahead of him and preach and heal the sick and drive out demons. The disciples came back rejoicing over what they had been able to do. Luke 10:17, “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ He replied… ‘Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven’.” You see, here is the crucial issue. Not that you are able to do wonderful and marvellous things for the Lord, driving out demons and healing the sick. Here is the crucial question: Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? It is a question that none of us will be able to avoid, because on the last day we will all be raised for the judgment, and the books will be opened.

Consider now the meaning of verse 3. “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.” The wise are mentioned in Chapter 11. Verse 33, “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.” And also verse 35, “Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end.”

Who are these wise ones? They are those who, during the period of persecution, during the tunnels of life, have not stopped teaching the truth and not stopped pointing people to the way of righteousness. As Chapter 11 makes clear, these teachers and leaders are often the special target of the persecutors. During their earthly lives they may lose their lives, but their position will be reversed in the general resurrection. They will receive the place of honour. It won’t be the earthly king of the North, who sought the place of honour by his own evil design. No, it will be the lowly, humble teachers of righteousness, who have suffered but who have persevered, who will be pre-eminent.

Brothers and sisters, hear the encouragement! God is not only encouraging us to be steadfast in our faithfulness. He is also urging us to seek to convince others to join us in trusting the Lord. As you do the work of witnessing and evangelism, you are standing with those whom Daniel calls the wise, who lead many to righteousness and who will shine like the stars for ever and ever. You are building up treasure in heaven, treasure that will last, fruit that will go with you into eternity. Nothing else from this world will go with you, but your work of faithful perseverance and showing others the way of righteousness will earn a great reward. Is there a better work to be doing!?

But now we must hurry on to the last section of the chapter. In verse 5 the revelation comes to an end, and the vision begins to fade, but there is one more word for Daniel, and it contains some instruction for us about how to live with unanswered questions.

In verse 5 the scene returns to Chapter 10:2, but this time there are two other angelic figures, one on each bank of the river. And one of these figures asks the messenger angel the question that is on all our lips, “How long?” “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

These words up the classic lament of Israel: “How long, O Lord?” Even though they are words of distress, they are also words of faith, for they recognise that one day God will act, he will keep his promises. How long, O Lord?

The answer is given in a very solemn way, but it is not at all clear. A time, times and half a time? Even Daniel does not understand. Verse 8, “I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, ‘My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?’ He replied, ‘Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 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’.”

The question that we all want to know the answer to, “How long?” is not answered. Jesus said that no one knows the hour or the day, not even the Son of Man, not even the angels in heaven, but only the Father.

Imagine if we knew the hour and the day! It would be knowledge impossible to live with. We would become like some of the Thessalonian Christians who gave up their work and all their responsibilities and spent their days scanning the heavens expecting Jesus to appear at any moment. Why would you bother mowing the lawn or painting the house or balancing your chequebook or even paying your bills if you knew Jesus was returning tomorrow? There would be only two things to do – try to convince others, and then just sit tight and wait. Some Christians were actually sucked into that kind of passivity around the time of the millennium bug in the year 2000. Yes, we have to live in expectation of Christ’s return, longing for it, but that means in part to continue being faithful to all that the Lord has called us to do right to the end. It means continuing to give our bosses a fair day’s work, continuing to do our part for the maintenance of our street as a safe and pleasant place to live, continuing to help our neighbours pack their boxes when they have to move interstate, and so on and so on.

Pause…

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the “How long?” question does in fact seem to receive a very specific answer in verses 11-12. “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.” What do these specific numbers mean?

Of course there has been a huge number of interpretations offered throughout history, with many ingenious schemes of interpretation that make these days fit exactly into various time frames. I’m not qualified to make a decision about which, if any, of these schemes are correct. The general point seems to be this. The persecution will seem at the time, unlimited. But it is limited, God has already decided about its extent, and it won’t go a day over what he has planned. Knowing this, a wise person will endure for that extra bit of time represented by the 1,335 days. The end will come.

What is important is not trying to work out the details of what the numbers mean. What is important is living according to what has been clearly revealed. What is revealed is what is important.

Daniel is clearly told that wickedness will continue to be a part of the world in which he lives, and it will continue to the end of time. Suffering will continue to be used by God as a part of the purifying process through which his people must pass. The wise, who fear God and try to persuade others, will understand this, but the wicked will not, and they will continue to be wicked.

Twice Daniel is told, “Go your way,” in verse 9 and verse 13. The final words are important. “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.” These are great words of comfort and assurance for Daniel. “Go on as you are going to the end of your life. Your salvation is sure; you will be one of the wise who rises to everlasting righteousness. You will be one of those ones who have turned many to righteousness, and so you will shine like the stars in the heavens.”

Imagine hearing such a word from God today! Go your way; go on as you have been going right to the end of your life. Persevere, for your reward is rich and is stored up for you. Here is an encouragement to be Daniel-like in your life now. The inconvenience and suffering in this life is not worth comparing to the glory that will follow.

Will you reach the end of your days with this kind of assurance and great hope? We have come to the end of the book of Daniel, and this is how it ends – it challenges us to think about where our true hope lies. It offers us great encouragement and great challenge. I pray that the words of verse 13 might apply to every single person here today: “As for you, go your way till the end. Live as you have been living; go on as you have been going up till now, for you are highly esteemed, O man, O woman of God. And you will rest, and then at the end, when Jesus returns, you will rise to your allotted inheritance.”

Amen.