Purging, Wickedness, and Insight (Daniel 12:3-13)

Welcome to Kootenai Community Church Adult Sunday School. Well odds are, at least

I'm going to do my best, we're going to try to finish Daniel today. We've got more verses than we normally go through, but we'll see what happens.

How many of you remember when we started Daniel? More than that.

December 22, 2019. You didn't have as much gray hair.

What I was doing is I was trying to stretch it out so that we would live part of the book. You know, but it didn't work.

What's that? No, no. Okay, let's open in prayer.

Father, we thank you for your word. It is delightful and precious. And this morning as we look into it, we pray for your illumination.

Give us wisdom to apply the things we hear, to understand, to be those who will shine brightly like the stars of the firmament, who lead others to Christ.

Might it be so, and we'll thank you for all you're going to accomplish through this body. In Jesus Christ's name we pray, amen.

So yeah, we started Daniel in 2019, December of 2019. And there's, you know, because it's intermittent and because it gives way to other things that happen,

I haven't actually looked to see how many lessons there were. I'll do that just for giggles, because I'm a nerd and I want to know.

But, so this morning I'd like to start by reading the entire, not the entire book, but the entire chapter, chapter 12.

And we'll get some context. I'm going to start with verse 43, verse 44 of chapter 11, because the break there is an unfortunate one.

It actually is a carried through thought. So if you will with me, Daniel chapter 11, verse 44, when the

Antichrist is led away from where he was killing people. Verse 44, but rumors from the

East and from the North will disturb him and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.

And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful mountain, the beautiful holy mountain.

Yet he will come to his end and no one will help him. Now at that time, Michael, the great prince, chapter 12, verse one, who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise and there will be a time of distress as has never occurred since there was a nation until that time.

And at that time, your people, everyone who was found written in the book will be rescued. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time. Many will go back and forth and knowledge will be increased and knowledge will increase.

Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river.

And one said to the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river, how long will it be until the end of these wonders?

And I heard the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times and half a time.

And as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

As for me, I heard but could not understand. So I said, my Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?

And he said, go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1 ,290 days.

How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1 ,335 days. But as for you, go your way to the end and you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.

So Daniel's going to find out that for many people, their best life now will be to lead others to Christ and then be murdered.

And that's often what happens here on this desolate planet that abandoned

God some 4 ,000, 6 ,000 years ago. He has given us everything we need.

He will continue to give us everything we need. He has given us every grace. He has given us every blessing, but the blessings in our lives sometimes come in the form of difficulties that turn us to him.

And Daniel's going to find that out. What prophet wants to ask God a question? He has the messenger of God in front of him hovering over a river.

And he says, I'm not understanding. Can you give me more information? And the angel says, no, go your way.

What prophet wants to hear that? The prophecy's done. This is what you get to know. And Daniel does in fact go his way and sealed up the book and left it prepared for future generations from the time that he lived on down through today.

And we're reading it today. Think about the fact that a man inspired by the Holy Spirit spent time, put these words to paper.

God gave him the insight he needed to give us what we need if we are in the last time to have insight so we can lead others to Christ.

Because that's what the gospel is. And the gospel is the power of God. I don't want to get to rambling here.

Just it was exciting to me this morning as I thought about this. We're in the last chapter and if I don't shut up and get busy we're not going to finish it.

But we're in the last chapter and this whole book has been incredibly exciting. And God just ends it kind of on an even note.

You know there's no cavalry rides over the hill. No disarming of the bomb happens and millions are saved.

We have the information we need as Daniel had to go our way and be about the business of serving

Christ. So with that as we have started in chapter 12 we finished with verse 2 last week.

Two weeks ago. Wasn't that a good conference? I got to listen to some of it online. What a testimony.

Holy mackerel. You didn't know fishes were holy, did you? So let me grab the last slide.

I remember when it vibrates it's ready. So many of those it says in verse 2 who sleep in the ground will awake there to have these two everlasting life but others to grace and everlasting contempt.

And we discussed the fact that that is talking about an actual bodily resurrection. And that Daniel will be part of that in the end times.

We will be part of it if we if we die before the second coming of Christ.

There will be a resurrection a bodily resurrection in the end times. And this is one of the hopes that Daniel had.

This is one of the hopes as we looked at many scriptures that all the Old Testament saints and everyone later from that which would be from the beginning have the same hope bodily resurrection to live in eternity with Christ with the

Father with the Holy Spirit. And then we look at verse 3 and it tells us some of the infrastructure of that happening of that making.

It says those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever.

So the same form this same form of those who have insight appeared in Daniel 11 verse 33 and verse 35 and refers there to people who helped others wise up in opposition to the persecution levied against Israel by Antiochus Epiphanes.

Every tyrant will try to tell you what you want to hear for a while until they develop enough power to just take you take you over.

So in this case though this verse it's referring to those who will do the same thing they will help people in the end times wise up and understand the wiles and the lies of the

Antichrist because Mark it he's going to look authentic it is going to be difficult to discern and only the people of God who have spent time in the word and who have the

Holy Spirit will understand and be able to discern and they will be the ones who will shine brightly who will lead others to righteousness.

In the last chapter the result of those imparting their insight was understanding to the many on the one hand but it will also as it did then result in some being killed which will result in the purification of the remnant.

There's nothing like purifying a group of people than having some of them who thought they were that group of people being killed.

I don't know if I'm really signed on for this a lot will say and they will go out from us because they were not of us.

This is what it's talking about. Many Jews the thought here is that the wise will shine brightly causing many to come to righteousness.

Many Jews will be persuaded by their wisdom this group of people by their wisdom to turn to their

Messiah to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. This will also result in the death of many but the faithful will always do what

God intended and designed them to do which is to preach the gospel no matter the cost. These are the people who will be able to see through the convincing signs that the

Antichrist demonstrates. They will be able to discern through scriptural truth the difference between the

Antichrist and the Lord Jesus Christ even though one the former closely mimics the

Lord the latter. Note also that in keeping with the fact that the righteous are resurrected at a different time than the unrighteous this verse only speaks of the righteous resurrection.

There are several resurrections I think we looked at that last time but one other thing this entire, if you want it, this entire

PowerPoint is available online and it's like 225 slides or something like that.

So when you download it it will take about three weeks. The verse marks the end of the angel's soliloquy.

So the angel's done. He's done giving Daniel information about the last days which started in chapter 10.

What is to come is a response to specific questions from another messenger and from Daniel.

Another messenger asked the question. Daniel asked the question. Verse 4, but as for you

Daniel conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time. Many will go back and forth and knowledge will increase.

So Daniel was instructed here to protect the information he was given. When a functionary of the government was done with a particular document they would roll it up, they would seal it with wax.

Doesn't mean you don't get to read it, you can't open it. Doesn't mean it's going to be hidden, it means it's protected. That you can't violate this now.

So Daniel's writing will be available throughout time. Protected. Who protects it? God protects it.

Boy did he do a great job. What would we expect? So he was not instructed to hide the words.

The idea behind conceal was to protect for further use at the end of a writing project as I mentioned especially one that had legal import a scribe would place his cylinder seal on the bottom of the document and run it over the document guaranteeing its authenticity.

God, Yahweh, wanted these words to be protected and guarded throughout time. This could have referred to the message just completed by the angel or it could have been for all four of the revelations or even the entire book of Daniel.

That's my belief, that it covered the entire book. In any event, it was to protect the information given and God indeed did that for our benefit, for the benefit of all believers throughout history.

The statement phrase, many will go back and forth, quote unquote, is uniformly believed to correspond with the statement made by the prophet

Amos in Amos chapter 8 verse 12. Contextually in Amos it is a declaration regarding those seeking knowledge who are unable to find it properly because a lack of understanding of God's words.

So the information could have been right in front of them but because they didn't understand scripture they couldn't understand what was given to them.

Amos 8, 11 and 12 says Behold the days are coming, no excuse me Behold days are coming, declares the

Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water but rather for hearing the words of the

Lord. Hearing not finding, not seeing not having it available, rather for hearing the words of the

Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and from north even to the east they will go to and fro to seek the word of the

Lord but they will not find it. The idea is that as time flows on more and more information becomes available, especially historical information.

A time would come when the preserved words of the book of Daniel would begin to make more sense. And history revealed what had happened and does a number of things.

It stamps approval, the approval of time if you will on the word of God. God said this would happen and look it happened.

We know it's true because it's God's word but isn't it comforting to see that all the things that he predicted up through chapter 11 verse 35 happened the way he predicted them exactly?

For example from our perspective we have a far better understanding of the book of Daniel than people from the 4th and 5th centuries

B .C. A parallel understanding would be something like this when

Jeremiah gave the prophecy of the 70 year exile, about 70 years before the exile ended, so for the next 69 years people would look at Jeremiah's prophecy with hope.

One year later they would look at it as history. It happened as he said.

So for 69 years it was a prophecy that they would hang on to they would cling to and then when it happened they look back and it was a confirmation that their

God was true and righteous in everything he said. So we have many of the occurrences of history that are fulfilled through verse 35 of chapter 11.

From chapter 11 36 believers today wait with bated breath to see how history will record those later prophecies of Daniel.

We know they will be accurate we don't know exactly how they will play out. From this verse it appears that as the final days approach more and more understanding will result from the study of God's word and application of that to the historical happenings so that those who occupy that time in history will have enough of an understanding to be able to resist the machinations of the antichrist as verse 3 so eloquently describes.

So Leon Wood paraphrases this way in his commentary. He says many shall run to and fro in their desire for knowledge of the last things and finding in Daniel's book because it will have been preserved to this end their knowledge shall be increased.

And that's how this works and we don't want to run ahead of it and we don't want to run behind it. Don't chase after these fanciful science fiction interpretations of the book of Daniel.

Stick to what the text says. We know that one of the things we know is it's going to be a time like no other.

It's going to be unbelievable persecution and destruction. And all the other things that were revealed in the previous sections of this book.

And then when you're reading other scripture let scripture comment upon scripture. It's fine to go to trusted commentators but first let the scripture comment on scripture.

When you're reading Revelation work it through your mind studying, thinking through Daniel and Amos and Zechariah and Hosea and Joel and the other prophets of the

Old Testament and of the New Testament. Paul talks about Israel especially in the book of Romans.

So scripture will comment on scripture and those who live in those times will with the aid of the

Holy Spirit in scripture understand what is going on. And they will shine like stars in the darkness leading others to righteousness, preaching the gospel.

This is not to imply that the search for knowledge is relegated exclusively to the last days for of course that is untrue.

There will be a great increase in seeking the knowledge of the end times as the end times draw close.

Daniel's record would serve others at a later time in history. And this is what he's going to be told.

We'll see that. Any questions about those first two verses? I got carried away. Okay, verse 5.

Now he ends this. Now the angel's soliloquy has ended and he says, Then I, Daniel, looked and behold two others were standing on two others were standing.

One on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. With the revelatory dissertation by the angel over,

Daniel begins his narration again. He sees two more angelic beings. One is standing on the far side of the river and one is standing closer to him.

There is some speculation that these two might have been there all along, even conversing while the main angel was giving

Daniel the revelation. In any event, Daniel now has two more onlookers that he is aware of or that he comments on at least by now.

It may be as simple as the fact that Peter revealed in the New Testament that angels are curious about the events on earth and the happenings among humans.

They were probably, they could have just been there listening, excited about what God was revealing to this prophet about what was to come because they don't know the future either.

They serve God in the same, well, in many of the same ways we serve. As time unfolds, they do what they are told by God.

Peter revealed in the New Testament that angels are curious about the events on earth and the happenings among humans. The questions demonstrate that they heard what was being told to Daniel by the main angel, by the great angel.

In 1 Peter 1, 10 -12 we read, As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the

Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the

Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. So this may very well have been some of what this is referring to.

These angels, Lord, this is interesting to them and they're looking into it.

They're the spirits that serve the people that God has created and so it's interesting to them.

It could very well have been that or it also could have been, well, I better not steal my own thunder.

We'll get to that. So two angels and a third, the main angel and two other angels that were probably there listening for a while and I don't know if Daniel was aware of them or not.

It's not material to the discussion here but it's just interesting. Any questions or comments? Yes. So he asked if he wondered why they revealed themselves to Daniel if they were just standing there listening.

We don't know if that's what happened. We don't know if they revealed themselves or if they were there the whole time and then Daniel just addressed them or if they actually became apparent at some point.

But one of those things happened. So it doesn't say in the text. Go your way,

Rick. Seal up the book and do what you're told. You're heading for the river.

So and one said to the man dressed, verse 6, and one said to the man dressed in linen, the other angel said to the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river, how long will it be until the end of these wonders?

Likely the angel on the same side of the river as Daniel asked this question. He addressed the man dressed in linen who was probably the same angel referred to in chapter 10, verse 5, where it says,

I lifted my eyes and looked and behold there was a certain man dressed in linen whose waist was girded with a belt of the pure gold of Uphaz.

The angel was above the waters. Possibly he was there the entire time. He was speaking to Daniel but we do not know.

We do know that at some point he had been on the bank of the river because he was touching Daniel and strengthening him. But at this point he's above the waters.

And I don't like doing symbolism but if any symbolism can be taken from this, it might be that the angel hovering over the water was higher in heavenly hierarchy than the two that had just been described by Daniel.

But it may or may not mean that. And this is where we get into trouble, building doctrines on what may or may have happened.

So just, the angel was above the water and he was above probably the others. Probably it also might have just been that he got up higher so more people could, the others could hear him.

Who knows. At any rate, he's above. It is noteworthy that the word used for river here, interestingly, is not the standard

Hebrew word for river which is Nehar. But rather it is Yeor which is usually only used to describe the

Nile River. We should not overstate that significance but it may be that since the ancients recognized the

Nile as a mighty river this would stress the authority of the grand angel standing in control over the tigress and thus was representative of Yahweh's sovereignty and control.

The answer the angel gives in verse 7, which we will look at next, creates a context for the question which is not the history recently related by the angel but rather the end of time.

The time of the end. That is the tribulation. This is what we're focusing on here. This is what the angels are focusing on and this is what

Daniel is not really understanding but kind of understanding, you'll see. Further context is given that the end in Daniel regularly refers to the tribulation week.

So the angel is asking the great angel how long will the antichrist be permitted to oppress Israel?

That's essentially the content of that question. How long will Israel be oppressed by the antichrist?

So verse 7 answers that question. I heard the man dressed in linen,

Daniel says this, I heard the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times and half a time and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people all of these ends will be completed.

Do you get that? As soon as those who are in control or seeming control in the end times finish shattering the power of Israel those ends will be completed, the time will be completed, the events will be completed

I should say. So Israel is going to be shattered. Going to be shattered. Not completely annihilated but destroyed, killed, damaged, hurt.

This is going to be as it says in Matthew 24 an unprecedented tribulation. Tribulation at such a time as never.

It's just more stress on that fact. It's kind of like we need to be reminded of that sometimes. No, it's going to be really bad.

Really bad. I said really bad. He's leaning over the angel, well

I would have but God didn't put me there because he knows nerds are not good angels. This angel was trying to stress to Daniel that the holy people had to be shattered.

It's hard for a prophet of Israel to hear that his people are going to be shattered. Really hard.

Daniel spent who knows how many days, years in prayer for his people.

Only to be told that there was going to have to come a time when in order for them to come to their Messiah much of the holy people would have to be destroyed.

So it was common in ancient times for one speaking something very important to raise a hand to heaven as one was speaking.

The angel here raises both hands stressing the importance of the statements to come. He also utters an oath invoking

Yahweh as he says, him who lives forever. We see that in Deuteronomy 32 chapter 32 verse 40 as well.

The answer he gives further substantiates that the question and the answer are referring to the tribulation period.

The angel confirms that it will be the last half of the tribulation period, the tribulation week.

A period of three and a half years. A time, times, and half a time. He is speaking of the

Jews and of the fact that all of their power will be destroyed as the Antichrist persecutes them to break their power.

The Jews must come to this point so that they will have nowhere to go but to turn to Christ and to trust

Him and to repent and to receive Him as their rightful King. It will take the Antichrist three and a half years to be used by God to be used by God to bring the

Jews to this point. Daniel first made this point in chapter 7 verse 25. He said he will speak out against the most high and wear down the saints of the highest one and he will intend to make alterations in times and law and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

It will be a continuation of him wearing down the Jews, destroying their traditions and them being completely under his control.

The second angel that Daniel saw does not seem to participate in the conversation so he was likely sent, this is some view,

I like this view as a second witness to confirm what the grand angel was saying. And here's a set of scriptures that you can look into later on if you want to but it talks about the three and a half years and then, okay so can you back me up because I don't seem to be, there we go, back to the three and a half years.

So there is some information on the three and a half years, the different perspectives you gain from it by looking at the different scriptures,

Daniel 12, Revelation 11, and Revelation 12. All of this corresponds,

Daniel comments on Revelation, Revelation is given to John, the information given to John corresponds to the information given to Daniel.

So, again what

I was saying was there are numerous scriptures that talk about the fact that important things have to be verified by witnesses.

You couldn't bring accusations against people without a witness or two. And so, important declarations, it may very well be that the second angel and the third angel were sent by Yahweh to give

Daniel the sense that this is confirmed by two or three witnesses. So now Daniel utters that cry that we often,

I myself have uttered as I've read certain scriptures. I don't understand.

As for me, I heard but could not understand. So I said, my Lord, what will be the event, what will be the outcome of these events?

Verse 8, the construction of this section in Hebrew indicates that Daniel was trying to understand but was unable to.

I've put my mind to this, I'm not getting it, he said, not getting all of it. Literally, it is rendered as I was not understanding.

He addresses the angel respectfully by using the term, my Lord, what does this mean? Is the sense of what he is saying here, that's what the sense is.

I want to, I want to understand, because sometimes when you're getting something from someone, have you been talking with someone and you weren't understanding what they were saying and you were kind of embarrassed that you didn't understand and you hated to say again, pardon me, what did you mean by that?

And the person, now this angel didn't do that, fortunately, although he does put Daniel properly in his place, but you want to say to the person, you're not getting this?

What is wrong with you? How many different ways do I have to say it? The angel didn't do that, the angel was gracious, he says in verse 9, he says

I need to finish what I was saying about verse 8, getting ahead of myself. Yeah, he is also very likely understood that Israel had to be broken to come to her

Messiah, but most likely he was not understanding the severity of the persecution. Now that's my view, that's not what scripture says, that's my view.

I think one of the things he was not understanding was the severity of the persecution that would come, especially since he had been shown somewhat how it would happen.

This is a persecution that Jesus said was unheard of, that would be hard to understand, hard to perceive.

And so Daniel needs to be forgiven for being unable to understand the severity of the persecution that's coming.

It's going to be a terrible time. So if we think we're living in the tribulation times now, as the angel said in the vernacular of the

Appalachians, he ain't seen nothing yet. And here's what he said to Daniel.

Daniel says, I'm not understanding, what do these things mean? And he says, Daniel, go your way. Go your way,

Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Now, the angel declines to give

Daniel an answer to this specific question. The idea that the words were concealed and sealed up until the end of time refers to preservation and safety of the record for history and for the future.

Again, when the cylinder of the functionary was rolled over the bottom of the document, it doesn't mean people couldn't read it, look at it, understand it.

It just meant that that had the official seal on it. Don't change what's in there. And so it's a finalized report.

That's what Daniel is. It's a finalized report from Yahweh, if you will. I hate to put it in those human terms, but I'm not very good at metaphors or similes.

So, finalized report and it would be protected for all time for us to read. Isn't God good?

All the time. Yes, sir. So, the angel declines. At the time that it is necessary, more revelation would come and understanding would be granted to those who needed the information because they lived in the time that the information was needed, that the information impacted.

Daniel would have to rest content with the information he was given and for that which he could truly understand. And Daniel did that.

He didn't slam down his stylus, close his roll or whatever you did back then and walk away and refuse, took his toys from the sandbox.

I'm not writing anymore, Yahweh. He finished the recording for us. He was serving us those 2 ,600 years ago.

And then verse 10. Many will be purged, purified, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly.

Go figure. And none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

Did you get that? When we try to understand why some of the wicked people of this world are not getting it, there it is.

They're not given the insight. That doesn't mean we should stand, you know, I know more than you do.

Why did God, you know, why did He confer that knowledge to us? We should be humble about that and thankful and do our best to spread the gospel, but the wicked will act wickedly, because that's what wicked people do.

In a different order, this verse restates what Daniel was given in verse 35 of chapter 11. It says there, some of those who have insight will fall in order to refine, purge, and make them pure.

Here we have purge, refine, purge, purified, and refine. Refine, purge, and make them pure, verse 35 says, until the end time, because it is still to come at the appointed time.

Again, sovereignty. Sovereignty of Jehovah, of Yahweh. This parallels what occurred during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, in that the righteous remnant was gathered, purified, purged, and refined.

This parallels the prophecy of Zechariah as well, in Zechariah 13, 8 and 9, it says, it will come about in the land, in all the land, declares the

Lord, that two parts in it will be cut off and perish, but the third will be left in it, and I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested, and they will call on my name, and I will answer them,

I will say, they are my people, and they will say, the Lord is my God. So they're going to be refined as silver is refined.

Do you know something about how silver is refined? Do they put it in a refrigerator? Fire. Silver is refined by fire.

Take that, Joel Osteen. Sometimes.

Okay, I'm not going to get off on it. There's no soap boxes up here, so you're safe. So it's noteworthy here that the

Hebrew construction is in what is called the reflexive, passive -reflexive. Yahweh will sovereignly effect this in the lives of the

Israelites, and in so doing, it will be seen that they will cleanse, make white, and refine themselves in preparation for the coming of Messiah.

Jehovah God will do this to the Israelites. But as He is doing this to them, it will be seen that they are refining themselves.

They are being refined and purged and purified as God's people in the church do, and they will go out.

Those who are not refined and purified will be purged. They will go out, so that only the remnant who will lift up Jesus Christ as Messiah will remain.

Throughout time, this is God's program, whether it was Israel then or the church now. God the

Father continues His program of discipline, which includes teaching, reproof, correction, and training, and pain, so that the people of God will become righteous, live righteous, and prove that righteousness is

God's only plan, is God's plan, as it says in Romans 12. He must purify

His church for His own glory. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training, and righteousness, 2

Timothy 3 .16. But He knows the way I take, when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold,

Job 23 .10. I'm not going to read all of these, they're just wonderful though. 1 Peter 1 .7. So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12 .10. For they disciplined us for a short time, as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share

His holiness. That's God's plan. He was using it then, and He will continue to use it.

So the wicked who are referred to, hereto, are those Jews who do not turn to Messiah.

They will continue in their wickedness, even as the 144 ,000 that Revelation speaks of are sealed by God at this time.

There is a difference of opinion as to whether the 144 ,000 is an actual number, or simply a large number representative of the group of Israelites who will exercise true faith in God.

I believe it's a number, and I believe there's 12 ,000 from each tribe, because that's what it says. And they're going to be incredible evangelists who will lead many of the other

Jews to righteousness in that time. Zechariah speaks of one -third of the

Jews I had this Okay Back in the earlier part of this

PowerPoint, there was a slide I did that showed the population of Israel currently and what that meant, and I don't remember the exact numbers, but it left millions and millions will die of pious

Jews will die in this time. It's going to be an unprecedented time. And because Israel is in the middle of where many warring factions will happen, lots of others will die as well.

Rick, you had a question? Two -thirds. Two -thirds of the population. So if you just look at the population of Israel today, what a sad thing.

Two -thirds. One -third will remain. Using those figures

Oh, I did have it in my notes here. Using the figures on the chart we looked at earlier, upward of 1 .5

million Jews would be the remnant that Zechariah spoke of. It also may refer to the number of Israelites who turned to Christ in the week of tribulation.

In any event, Daniel is instructed that many will be saved, and that the wicked will continue to do the wicked things that wicked people have always done.

While the remnant will be given insight, and none of them will understand. And they will either survive at worshiping

Messiah, or they will be ushered into His presence worshiping Messiah. One of the two. They will have enough understanding by God's design to turn to Christ and repent.

In keeping with the theme of the book of Daniel regarding the sovereignty of Yahweh, note carefully that none of the wicked will understand.

None. This is by God's design. Also note that those who have insight will understand.

This too is by God's design. Those who are saved are saved by God.

Those who have been chosen not to be saved have been chosen not to be saved by God. Ouch.

No. He is sovereign. Probably one of the last things a follower of Yahweh, and especially a prophet of God, would like to hear is that he will not understand what he was just told, but those living in the times described would be given insight and understanding.

We talked about that earlier. Daniel would take comfort in the fact that the God he knew was good, as I heard it shouted out or mentioned earlier, and would always do that which would glorify

Himself, and that would be what was best for Israel. And for the church, I should say.

Any questions about verse 10? Verse 11. From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days.

I'll keep pressing until you tell me that the 1290s are again. Here we go.

Verse 7 of this chapter speaks of a time, times and half a time, or 1260 days, using the standard 30 -day reckoning that Israel has used for a month.

This verse speaks of 1290 days, and as we will see, verse 12 speaks of 1335 days.

What is the significance of these three time periods? The 1290 days spoken of here applies to the time forward from when the regular ceremonies are done away with, and the abomination of desolation is set up in the temple.

In the middle of the tribulation week, per verse 27 of chapter 9, the abomination of desolation will be set up.

The period spoken of here has no specific termination indicated. It is 30 days too many to be the same as the three and a half years, which is the second half of the tribulation.

1290 is. Revelation gives us some context for Daniel, setting the time of months as 30 days.

When you take all of these various scriptures in context, you realize that the Israelites were using a 30 -day month, a 30 -day period, for months or times.

For months, excuse me, for months. What are these 30 additional days? Anybody ever wonder that?

I'm not going to tell you. Some commentators take them as symbolic, but they are close enough to induration that this is unlikely.

Other numbers in the book of Daniel have been exact rather than symbolic. They must be literal days and are referencing the tribulation week.

The most likely answer to this question of different days specified is this. In this case, the 1290 days is most likely found in Matthew 25, 31 -46.

After Christ comes to power at the close of this period of time, a judgment occurs.

And Leomwood explains it this way. He says, a clue as to how they fit this week is found in Matthew 25, 31 -46, which describes a time of judgment by Christ immediately after he comes in power at the close of this period.

The purpose of the judgment is to determine those who will be permitted to enter in and enjoy the blessedness of the millennial period.

The passage shows that those so honored will be only the people who have treated the Jews properly and have thus demonstrated a true relation to Christ through personal salvation.

But such an active judgment will take a period of time for its accomplishment. The added 30 days in question would seem appropriate.

We are still living in time here. The cessation point in view then for the 1290 days may be the completion of this time of judgment.

Maybe. This is speculation, but it's good speculation. Judging will begin apparently soon after the defeat of the

Antichrist and could indeed continue for those 30 days. And so if you read Matthew 25, 31 through 46, you'll see it talking about that time and judgment.

And there it is. And you can look that up if we're going to make it through this book on your own time.

So that would explain those 30 days. Could explain those 30 days. The operations that occur after the end of those situations.

Verse 12. How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1335 days. Oh, there's 45 more days.

Why did he do that? The word for waiting describes one who waits earnestly. This is spoken of in the

New Testament many times as those who are looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Titus 2 .13.

Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. 1

Corinthians 1 .7. Philippians 3 .20. 2 Timothy 4 .8. 2 Peter 3 .11.

3 .12. And 3 .13. So this is describing a blessing to those who will be in the time of history just preceding the 1335 days.

This is 45 days longer than the 1290 days in the preceding verse and 75 days more in the last half of the tribulation week.

Whatever happens at the end of this time described in this verse is clearly a great blessing. How blessed is he, it says.

This may be the beginning, the true beginning point of the millennium. What a blessing that will be for those who live in that time.

What incredible sights they will have seen. What incredible things they will have come through. It is at this point that the final border of Israel from the river of Egypt to the

Euphrates will have to be established. Appointments will be made for those who will aid in the governing during this and latter times.

And as it appears that this extra 45 days would be an appropriate amount of time to accomplish all of these specified official acts.

Notably, these periods given excessive 1260 days are likely for the establishment of the infrastructure before the millennium.

None of those line up with the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and even liberal scholars admit this.

This did not happen in 166 BC. This is coming. This is coming in the future.

This is certainly speaking of the end time. One can see in studying this section of scripture why this information would not have been very helpful to Daniel but in subsequent eras as more and more of these things come to pass the picture begins to clear up.

So today we have an excellent understanding of this section because we have seen so much of it come to pass from the time of Daniel through Antiochus Epiphanes.

And now just as we can see that the section to come, that section to be true now as we can see that section was true before those events came to pass they were predicted.

We can trust in this portion of scripture as well. What God has said will come to pass. What he has predicted will come to pass.

And so finishing verse 13 it says, but as for you go your way to the end.

Then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.

So that which was necessary for Daniel to understand he now understands.

That's what the angel is saying. You have enough. Much is still unclear but Daniel has enough to comprehensively record it for future generations and millennia to use to understand when placed alongside the other portions of God's word of what will come, what will happen in the end, what will be happening in the end.

And so as we study scripture with scripture the picture begins to emerge more and more.

When we compare it to history it becomes even clearer. Daniel has been counseled to go his way until he passes from this earth.

He would have been in his late 80s right now, mid 80s so he would understand that time was coming soon. He will rise again as promised in Daniel 12 too and will likely, now this is something

I'm, this is my speculation and will likely because of his great faithfulness be a main character in the ruling of the universe at the coming of the

Lord Jesus Christ. He's demonstrated his capability and his devotion to Jehovah, to Yahweh.

God will continue to use him. Anybody who loves the Lord and loves being used by him wants to continue to be used by him.

And so Daniel will. This is my speculation. I want to make sure everybody understands that. This was most certainly a great comfort to Daniel knowing that he would rest and then rise again.

He would rise to enjoy his inheritance in Christ at the end of the age and on into eternity as will all the saints who have repented and placed their trust in the

Lord Jesus Christ. And so we come to the end of this marvelous section of scripture that begins 600 years before Christ and chronicles history before it happened to the end of time.

This is something of an anticlimactic if you were a book writer into a vibrant, exciting section of scripture.

Israel has regathered. She is still apostate and she still needs to turn to her Messiah. When the indignation ends that we talked about many months ago or probably years this is when

Israel ceases rebellion against Yahweh. Eternity in all its wonder will be launched on earth.

So I want to read you John Walvert's conclusion. It was especially helpful to me and encouraging. Not so much helpful but encouraging.

And then we'll close off Daniel and see if there are any other questions. He says this This concluding revelation of Daniel's prophecy acting as a capstone to all the tremendous preceding revelations establish the book of Daniel as the greatest and most comprehensive prophetic revelation of the

Old Testament. Its counterpart in the New Testament in the book of Revelation provides the final word of God concerning the prophetic program of the ages.

In the light of world conditions today, now this was written a couple decades ago, in the light of world conditions today which would seem to anticipate the fulfillment of Daniel's time of the end, it is possible to understand

Daniel today as never before in history. The hour may not be far distant when faithful tribulation saints will turn to these pages of scripture and find in them the strength and courage to remain true even though it may be a martyr's death.

For Christians living in the age of grace and searching for understanding of these difficult days that may be bringing to a close

God's purposes in his church, the book of Daniel casts a broad light on contemporary events foreshadowing the consummation.

If God is reviving his people Israel politically allowing the church to drift into indifference, you don't say, and apostasy and permitting the nations to move toward centralization of power, political power, it may not be long before the time of the end will overtake the world.

Many who look for the coming of the Lord anticipate their removal from the earth's scene before the final days of the times of the

Gentiles are fulfilled. When the plan of God has run its full course, it will be evident then with even more clarity than at present that God has not allowed a word to go unfulfilled, not a jot, not a tittle.

As Christ said, for truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

What then can we learn from this marvelous book? Beyond the obvious themes of the future, destruction, remnants, tyrants, and the like, martyrs, deaths, and the like, looking beyond this we can see that the picture painted here is one of the complete sovereignty of Yahweh over everything, over time, everyone, every happening.

God is a God who can be trusted. He can be relied upon and He can be sought out for help, illumination, comfort, and more, everything that is needed.

He has provided us with everything necessary for life and godliness and even much more. He has not promised us lives of ease, free from trouble and difficulty, but He has promised us that by trusting in Christ we have everything and that truly means everything.

There will always be a remnant. Daniel was part of the remnant of Babylonian Israel.

He did not get all the answers he wished for but he was given enough. Do not go beyond it and with that I should say he glorified

God. This is one of the things that we can find in the book of Daniel. Do not go beyond it. Do not go short of it.

Recognize that as events unfold more understanding will come as Daniel was told by the angel. Meanwhile, let us be about the business of occupying until He comes.

Let us not be among those who we are accused of being or sitting on a rooftop in our pajamas waiting for Christ to return.

Especially today's pajamas. Stay busy. Preach the gospel.

Love your families. Turn people to Christ. Be used of God every day. Whatever area of Christ, whatever area of life

God has brought you to serve in, continue serving with all of your heart. Serve hard. Serve heartily. Serve every day.

Trust God. It is a time where it is just difficult for some to go on but the remnant will go on.

Be part of the remnant. Let's pray. What a wonderful book,

Lord. I'm kind of sad that we're done. Why didn't you write chapter 13?

Because you told Daniel, go your way. You have enough. And we will go our way. We have enough. We will continue to love you.

We will continue to serve you. Indeed, we will find new ways to serve and to love you. This book has been a comfort, a blessing, and a stark reminder that everything you have said is going to come to pass.

Some of those will be difficult things but you will take your people through them and they will return, they will emerge,