A Thirteen-Thirty-Five People

At the end of Daniel’s vision (which happens to be the end of the book of Daniel), we find Daniel and a couple of others seeking some answers.

You see, this is what had just been revealed to Daniel; Daniel had just been told:

Daniel 12:1–3 NIV

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. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 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.

This was a lot to hear. Think about it. Daniel is given this vision of the future (Daniel Chapters 10-12), a vision which includes the rise and fall of kings and their kingdoms; a vision of great distress, great tribulation for everyone, including the people of God; a vision which makes clear some will awake to everlasting life, others to everlasting shame and contempt.

This was a lot to hear. Daniel is given some instruction regarding what to do with all of this:

Daniel 12:4 NIV

4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

In those days, a document was sealed, not to hide it, but in order to preserve and authenticate it. Daniel was instructed that this vision was to be kept until the time of the end. It’s just as we sang: the future would be “Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”

But it’s precisely this—the Word of the Lord—revealed to Daniel, preserved for us, that’s teaching us. This—the Word of the Lord—has been preserved, kept safe for future generations of God’s people to read.

The wise know where to find wisdom and knowledge about such things: the wise look to God and His Word. The foolish go here and there, running to and fro seeking knowledge from various sources, but won’t find what they’re looking for.

God’s Word is the only source of true spiritual insight: the wise read it and understand who God is and what He is doing in this world.

Daniel, for instance, is repeatedly told to be wise and to understand the things revealed to him by God, and to teach these things to others. An understanding of these things will help both him and his hearers stand firm in the midst of the challenges and messiness of living in this broken world.

The fool searches here and there for wisdom and understanding, seeking experiences, trusting man, looking to temporary fads.

The wise know where to find true wisdom: in the objective standard of the revealed Word of God.

As the vision continues and concludes, there are a few questions asked by a few different people. We here today might be asking these very questions: “How long?”, “What will the outcome of this be?”

>If you have your Bible and I hope you do, please turn with me to Daniel 12. If you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word. Daniel 12, beginning with verse 5:

Daniel 12:5–13 NIV

5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 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. 11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “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.”

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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At the end of this vision, here stands Daniel with two others. These two others are likely two more angelic figures, one on each side of the River Tigris (10:4). A third—the one described at the outset of the vision, the unnamed angelic being—stands above the waters of the river.

One of the two angels standing on either side of the river asks the question we might be asking ourselves: “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

If you had just heard about the rise of an anti-god figure, about the great, unequaled distress that was to come, about the sorting out of people into two distinct and eternal groups, you’d probably be asking “How long until this happens?”, too.

In verse 7, the unnamed angelic figure from Ch. 10 gives his answer. His answer is sure and it is certain.

He raises both hands toward heaven—not just one hand, as one would raise when taking an oath. He raises both hands, swearing by Him who lives forever, and gives the answer.

This angelic messenger gives us the definitive answer, though that doesn’t mean it’s clear.

“It will be for a time, times, and half a time.”

Any time I read this phrase, I want to read it in a menacing, Andre-the-Giant-as-the-Dread-Pirate-Roberts kind of way: “It will be for a time, times, and half a time.” I’m weird, I know. But you have to admit, it’s a pretty cryptic phrase.

Some have translated this as “a year, two years, and half a year”—in other words, 3 1/2 years. And they take this very literally, as in “this is a three and a half year period, period. No question.”

I don’t think we have to take it quite so far; I don’ think we have to pin it down so precisely.

“It will be for a time, times, and half a time” is a way of saying: a restricted and limited period of time.

It’s in this restricted and limited period of time, the people of God will stand under the final enemy who will oppress and persecute them.

I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”

Stuart Olyott summarizes the scenario:

“We will come to the point where it appears that darkness has really won the day. It will seem as if the Antichrist is going to continue for ever. it will seem as if the church has been entirely obliterated, for there will no longer be any sign of it.”

Does this surprise you or shock you? To read that all these things will be completed when the power of the holy people has been finally broken kind of shocks me.

We expect the end to come when the power of the wicked people is finally broken, not the power of the holy people.

“They’re the one’s that have it coming! They deserve persecution, they deserve to be shattered and broken, not us!”

God’s Word is clear: if the Lord tarries and we remain here until the very end, we—the holy people of God—will be shattered. We will be refined and purified; we will be put through the refining, purifying fire of trials and testing.

The question, “How long?” is answered, maybe not how we’d prefer it to be, but it’s answered.

“How long?” “For a restricted period of time filled with suffering for the holy people.”

At this point, we are almost comforted to hear Daniel say:

Daniel 12:8a NIV

8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”

Daniel is perplexed, confused. And us right along with him.

Daniel was concerned, first and foremost, with the ultimate state of God’s people. Would the people of God survive after their power was broken?

Daniel asks: “What will the outcome of all this be?”

The answer given to Daniel shows that there will be ongoing division. There will be a clear distinction between the many and the wicked.

The many—those who are God’s faithful people—are purified, made spotless, and refined. Mind you, they still suffer; to be purified and refined is a painful process. God’s people, though they suffer for His namesake, still they belong to Him; and He’s working on them and in them to make them into what He wants them to be.

Have you experienced this? Have you experienced the beautiful pain of being purified and refined by the Lord?

Some of the most painful years of my relatively young life were, I believe, when the Lord was working on me, refining me in His fire. I needed to be knocked-down a peg or two or 50. My pride, my extreme ego needed a good beating. At the time, I blamed the people around me (Elvin, Dennis, Sean) for what I was experiencing, but I now realize that it was the Lord working in my life, conforming me to His image.

As I was writing this sermon, the lyrics of a 90’s classic popped into my head. And I stopped and prayed these lyrics:

Lord, come with Your fire burn my desires; refine me Lord, my will has deceived me Please come and free me Come rescue this child For I long to be reconciled to You

Refine me, refine me Refine me, refine me

How I want to be numbered among the many! I want to be purified, refined by the Lord however He sees fit—no matter how painful it might be.

There are the many and the wicked, the two parts of the separation, the two parts of the ongoing division.

The angel tells Daniel that the wicked will continue to be wicked. If you’re wicked, you’re going to behave wickedly. If you’re a scumbag, you think scummy thoughts.

It always strikes me as odd and a little bit funny whenever I hear people say, “I can’t believe he/she would do such a thing!” Or when someone exclaims, “What kind of person does that?” or “I can’t believe the things people do”—I find it odd and funny because the answer seems so clear:

“Why would he/she do such a terrible thing?”

Because wicked people behave wickedly. Don’t expect good behavior from fundamentally bad people. Well, I guess you’re free to expect good behavior from bad people, but you’re going to be disappointed.

Don’t expect Christian behavior from non-Christian people with non-Christian values. It’s just silly. The wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand.

The wicked will remain in their darkness. None of the wicked will understand. Despite their worldly wisdom, they will not understand God’s ways.

On the other hand, the many (who are also called “the wise”)—those who know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom—will understand.

The wise know that if God is for them, nothing can ultimately be against them.

He works everything—good, bad, and in between—together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Sinclair Ferguson writes: “The assurance that God has a purpose, that He uses the sufferings of His people to fulfill His purpose, is all we need to know in order to trust Him fully.”

>It’s clear from Daniel 12 that the future is headed toward a separation. There are the wicked and the wise.

The wise understand that a persistent endurance is necessary:

Daniel 12:11–12 NIV

11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

Verse 11 speaks of the elimination of true worship (daily sacrifice abolished) and the establishment of false worship (the abomination set up).

We know (from Daniel 8) that this is something Antiochus Epiphanes did. But we also know (from Daniel 11) that there will be another near the end who will look and behave like Antiochus, though, in reality, will be much worse. The evil ruler who is to come will “out-Antiochus Antiochus.”

Patient, persistent endurance is necessary, considering the time frame given to us.

Verse 11 gives us the figure of 1,290 days. Verse 12 gives us the figure of 1,335 days.

What do these numbers mean? That’s a good question. I’ve got an answer for you: *shrugs shoulders*

Some people are very certain, and very dogmatic. “Well, obviously 1,290 days means 1,290 days. It’s the same as a time, times, and half a time or a year, two years, and half a year. It’s three and a half years, Barrett. Come on, man! Do the math!”

The problem is: I’ve done the math, and it doesn’t work out as nicely as they claim.

If we look at a 360-day year (the supposed length of a year when Daniel was writing), then a 3.5-year period equals 1,260 days, not 1,290 days.

If you take a 365-day year, a 3.5-year period equals 1,277.5 days, not 1,290 days.

Granted, both are close, but why push it; why force it? Why insist that this is a 3.5-year period? There’s no good reason to do so that I can see.

No need to make it more difficult than it is: this number—1,290—used in apocalyptic literature is a symbol of an incomplete yet definite period of time.

It’s a long time, but not a forever time. It’s a difficult period of time, but the Lord—gracious and good as He is—has put a limit on it. This time will last for 1,290 “days” (however long that it), and no longer.

According to verse 11:

Daniel 12:11 NIV

11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

According to verse 11, the 1,290 days are a time in which true worship is repressed and believers will be under pressure to engage in perverted, false worship.

This is a time of great distress, of intense suffering for the people of God; a time when faithfulness will come at immense cost.

Verse 12 gives us another number:

Daniel 12:12 NIV

12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

Okay, now. I need you to focus, here. The main thing we need to understand about the 1,335 days is that the numeral 1,335 is larger than 1,290.

1,335 > 1,290

Can we agree on that?

Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

If one makes it to the 1,335 days, that means he or she has outlasted the 1,290 days. Those people have endured.

They outlast the pressure, the persecution, the pain—they have gone through and beyond the trouble, faithfully.

The numbers—1,290 and 1,335—might baffle us, but the way they are used here simply teaches: the Lord has a people who will make it in spite of everything thrown at them.

Have you heard the story of the dog named Quentin, the one-year-old Basenji mix from St. Louis?

One weekend in 2003, Quentin the Dog, along with his fellow unwanted, unclaimed canine friends were ushered into the city gas chamber to be euthanized via carbon monoxide gas.

On Monday morning, the death chamber’s doors were thrown open, and among all the dead, there stood—with tail and tongue wagging—Quentin.

The animal control supervisor said she had never seen such a survivor and didn’t have the heart to slam the door shut. In her view, the thirty-pound Quentin had earned the right to live.

He’s known, even today, as Quentin the Miracle Dog.

This is a true story, and a bit of a parable for us.

If you belong to Jesus, if you are Jesus’ disciple, you are simply called to keep on going, to keep slogging-on in worship of Christ, to keep on refusing to bow to the latest idol.

Who knows what may happen to you? Who knows what hatred and persecution may come your way?

But Our God is going to have A Thirteen-Thirty-Five People—a people who wait for and reach the end, for the glory of God and the sake of His name.

“After evil does its worst, Christ’s Church will be there, Quentin-like, standing on their feet.” -Dale Ralph Davis

>In light of the preview Daniel has been given of God’s future purposes, his primary task is to live now for God’s glory:

Daniel 12:13 NIV

13 “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.”

Daniel’s task is to live now for God’s glory; he was simply to go his way until the end.

“Get back to your desk and filing cabinet, Daniel, and finish your day’s work; plod along in living quietly and working with your own hands, being faithful. You’ll die here—no, you’ll rest, and then, at the right time, you will be raised and stand in your allotted place.”

This is the constant application of end-times teaching.

In one form or another, every New Testament passage that points to God’s future plans carries with it the application:

2 Peter 3:11–12 NIV

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

The Biblical response to the promises of God’s coming kingdom is always “Live for that kingdom now. Recognize His reign now. Be obedient now. Fulfill your present responsibilities now.”

Then you will one day hear your Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things…enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Because the people of God will be different then, they are different now. That is the challenge of the book of Daniel: no matter what the world throws at us, we belong to God and He will take care of us. And as His people we will worship only Him; we will be obedient to Him alone; we will faithfully do what He has called us to do.

The charge to us, church, is to go on living faithfully in this corrupt world as “a thirteen-thirty-five people”, confident of the inheritance that is stored up for us at the end of the days.