Daniel 12: Where Is Your Place?
Notes
Transcript
When Mom and I moved her to Nigeria, one of the things we learned is that you say things differently than we say in America. You have different words than we do. We can look at the same thing, but we called it two different things. (ex: Machet, boots).
Another thing I learned was this. In America, if I was trying to get to know someone and have conversation with them, I would ask, “where are you from?” Where are you from? Now when I ask that what I am wanting to know, is where in America were they born? Where did they grow up? What city of state? Where are you from? But here, I have learned that they way you say it, they way to ask it, is “Where is your place?” Where is your place? Today, we come to the end of our study on the Book of Daniel. For the last few chapters we have gone away from the stories we hear about in Sunday School. The fiery furnace, the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. We have moved from the narrative writings (those that tell a story, and in this case, a story from history) to apocalyptic writings which point to the last days when Jesus will come again and God’s redemptive plan will be complete.
This morning we will take the last chapter from the Book of Daniel, along with the vision John was given in Revelation and asked ourselves, when all of this is complete, and the days of the seven year tribulation is finished, where will you be? Where is your place, after this place is gone?
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Open your Bibles to Daniel 12.
When we came to the end of Daniel 11 there is a war. As the angel was telling Daniel of this war, we see that this war was the future for him, but the past for us. The king is this war was this man. But this man, Antichus, was also the type of man than would come later. Later for Daniel, and even later for us. What is his type. It is a picture of Satan’s man …the anti Christ who will come in the last days to try to deceive people to turn away from God. And he will have success in deceiving people, but Jesus will still come back, he will still redeem, and he will still reign forever. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
40 “Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood.
41 He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape.
42 He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape.
43 He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants.
44 “But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many.
170 years before Jesus this guy did all of that. He was 400 years after Daniel, so at the time this was a prophecy of something to come. But because we know of the style of writing in this portion of Daniel, we know that this passage together with the vision given to John in Revelation points to what Satan’s man, the anti-Christ will also do. And that is still coming in our future.
We can jump to the Book of Revelation and see how it begins: Revelation 19:19
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.
This is how the final battle begins. But the fight will be small, because Jesus and his angel army will defeat Satan and his demons fast fast. It will be like the players of Chelsea coming to A Place of Hope and playing our primary boys in a football match. Satan will not have a chance. He will be defeated quickly.
So as we open up now to Chapter 12, we see the arch angel Michael. Who is Michael? Remember when God’s messenger was coming to tell Daniel about his vision in Chapter 10. He was delayed for three weeks because he was fighting with the God’s army against the army of Satan. Remember there is an invisible war that is going on. Look what the angel said in Daniel 10:13
Daniel 10:13 (NLT)
13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.
Michael, the arch angel came to help him fight so he could finally come to Daniel to tell hi of the vision. Micheal is one of God’s highest angels and one of the leaders in God’s army. He fights for his commander…his Lord…God Almighty.
And now, we see him again, and it another time for battle.
Look at verse 1. Daniel 12:1
1 “At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.
War is about to begin. The final war. At this point, we are not told of the details of this war in the Book of Daniel, but John the Apostle is given a glimpse into what it will look like. Revelation 19:11-21
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.
15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.
16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.
18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.
20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.
This is the battle that will be coming when Jesus, with the help of his army and Michael as his lead commander will defeat Satan, the antiChrist and the false prophet. But before we move to verse 2 of Daniel 12, look at the last words of verse 1.
Daniel 12:1 (NLT)
1 “At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.
What is this book? Look, at Luke 10:20
20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
Names are registered in heaven. Where? Look at Revelation 20:15
Revelation 20:15 (NLT)
15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
There is a book that God has in heaven. And in this book are names. These names are not for the people how do good, or who are nice. These names are for those who follow Christ as their Lord and Savior. These are the true believers. And on the last judgement we will all stand before the Lord, the Book of Life will be opened, and it will be seen who is his, and who are those with the devil. A name in the Book of Life shows salvation by grace on someone life, and they will enter into heaven forever with the Lord. For those whose name is not their, what does it say, they will be thrown into the lake of fire. That is hell, that is seperation from Jesus forever.
So in Daniel 12:1, the war is about to begin, but as we move to Daniel 12 verse 2, there is no mention of the war. But now it is 1000 years later. There is 1000 years between verse 1 and verse 2. What has gone on in these 1000 years?
Again we turn to John as he writes about the vision in Revelation 20:4-6
4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
Satan and his people will be locked away for 1000 years, and during that time, those who continued to follow Christ during the tribulation and were killed, will be brought back to life, and they will reign with him for 1000 years.
But look at verse 5. “the rest of the dead did not come back to life until the 1000 years had ended). So who are the rest of the dead? Those who died, but died without belief in God and his son Jesus Christ.
So when the 1000 years begins after the devil and his people are thrown into the fire, the believers that have died during the tribulation will rise and reign with Jesus for 1000 years. Then at the end of that, those who are dead and died during the tribulation will be raised, not to reign, but for judgement, as they stand before the Lord.
Lets continue to look at Daniel 12:3-13 and look how he talks about those who have put their lives and trust in him as Lord:
3 Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
Is that you? Are you one of his? If so you will be a light right now. You will be different from the world. And when you are different and others see that, you have a chance to tell others why you are different. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:16
Matthew 5:16 (NLT)
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
If you follow Jesus as your Savior, you are called to be light. A light shines in the darkness. At night, the last thing we do before we go to bed is walk outside, feed the rabbit, let Nala piss, and close our windows. And when there is no NEPA, it is dark. Very dark. I look across to the Children’s Home and it is dark. But when I turn some of my lights on around my house, then light breaks the darkness. I can see around my house. That is what God wants of us to be, a light. A light that breaks the darkness of the world and will lead many to righteousness.
Daniel 12:4–13 (NLT)
4 But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river.
6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”
7 The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”
8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”
4 But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river.
6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”
7 The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”
8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”
9 But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.
10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
11 “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days.
12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
9 But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.
10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
11 “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days.
12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
Lets look at the last three things in this chapter.
First, Daniel is told to seal up what he has been given. Keep it a secret. Well Daniel wrote it down, and over two thousand five hundred years later, we are reading it. Does this mean that Daniel disobeyed God? No. The Lord’s command was simply for Daniel to protect it until the time it could be understood. The Book of Revelation helps us understand. The Book of Revelation fills in many places that we cant fully understand from looking at Daniel alone. What is Daniel told, close it up until the time that KNOWLEDGE WILL INCREASE. I believe that knowledge came in almost 60 years after Jesus ascended into heaven, and the Apostle John was told to write down the events that will happen in the last days. So he said seal it up, for now.
Second, Daniel asks, How long? How will all of this end? The angel gives a time, which we have already talked about, but the angel also decribes what will happen in that time: Daniel 12:10
10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
“Many” points to those who stay faithful in the tribulation (purified, cleansed and refined). This is a good thing, but a painful thing. Its good, because they were faithful to the end, but it will be a painful thing, because those words: purified, cleansed and refined point to persecution and death in this world.
So first his says close it up, he tell how long it will be and how it will end, and then
Third, he gives Daniel instruction and what to do next. Daniel 12:13
13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
What is he telling Daniel? He is telling Daniel that all these things are in the future. So for now, “go your way.” Continue to be faithful, continue to be a light, continue to serve God. Because there is a day coming when you will be raised to receive yoru reward.
I want to show you something in that last verse. So I have to go back to a different translation. This is what it says in Daniel 12:13 in the ESV, the English Standard Version.
English Standard Version (Chapter 12)
13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
What does that mean?
Allotted means your destiny.
Now I must tell you, I think this word destiny has been used wrong from those preachers who tell people that their destiny for this year is to gain wealth, ort their destiny is to never have sickness fall on them and their family. That’s wrong, thats a lie, because God does not care if you are rich or poor, sick or well, he cares where your heart is and if your heart has been turned to him. The only destiny that God cares for, is your destination. He wants your allotted place, your destiny, to be with him, forever.
So this morning as I ask you,” where’s your place?” I’m not asking where your were born by your mother. I am not asking what state are you from? What I am asking is, that when this life is over, what is your allotted place? Where will your destiny find you. With God, or separated from him?
