Daniel Chapter 12
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“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Uncommon Suffering like Never Before
This is the Worst ever
Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
Ex
There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
MAtt 24:
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Matt 24:
Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house,
and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice.
The book of Revelation describes that final time of human history with terms that are beyond our imagination to even grasp. But let me run it by you very fast.
The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.
On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
Zech
Zech
From through , you have the details of that period of time, the last three and a half years of Daniel’s seventieth week … the great time of tribulation. And the writer, John, sees in the vision there the following elements to that time: war, famine, 25 percent of the world killed, the collapse of the heavenly bodies, one third of the earth destroyed, one third of the sea destroyed, the creatures in it and the ships on it, one third of the fresh water and many multitudes of people who drink it, one third of the sky lights—the stars—
the release of hell’s demons to overrun the earth, the slaughtering of the beast and the false prophet consummates their evil, vile ministry that goes on during that time, body sores all over men, everyone in the sea and all living creatures in the sea are killed. All fresh water will be polluted. Scorching sunlight will burn people to death. Darkness will cover the earth. Pain, sores, more demons, and it just goes like that from to 19.
These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
“Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
of terror, and no peace.
Ask now, and see,
can a man bear a child?
Why then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?
Why has every face turned pale?
There will come a slaughter, two out of every three Jews will die, the other third will be redeemed. They will be purged. They will believe. If the population of the world is 15 million Jews, that means 10 million will die were it to happen now.
An Uncommon Deliverance
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Alas! That day is so great
there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.
As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God.
For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
I will make a full end of all the nations
among whom I scattered you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
Eze 20:37
Passing under the rod seems to be a shepherd’s term. Each sheep would pass under the rod, he would drop the rod, stop the next sheep and examine it.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
For I will restore health to you,
and your wounds I will heal,
declares the Lord,
because they have called you an outcast:
‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’
Ez 20:38
Now listen, who is the all Israel that will be saved? Well, in the end time, first during the testing period, the apostates and the rebels will be purged out. Only the remaining ones will be protected
So, I really believe that when it says thy people shall be delivered, it does not make a blanket statement that every Jew alive on the earth is going to be saved at that time. What it is saying is that God is going to purge, He’s going to put them under the rod, He’s going to test them, two thirds of them will die, one third will be protected for they are the ones who obey the commandments of God and keep the testimony of Jesus Christ. They are the ones who are purged, they are the ones who are tested as in .… or 11:35, they are the ones made white.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
In the whole land, declares the Lord,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
and one third shall be left alive.
Zech
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Dan
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.
“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Uncommon Angel
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
Job
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Is
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matt
And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
We have here, secondly, the reward of the working saint. “They that are wise shall shine,” etc. Among the nations of the earth decorations and honours are given to those who have done the greatest work of destruction. But in the kingdom of Christ it is far otherwise. The places of pre-eminence under Him are assigned to those who have been likest Him in the holiness of their characters, in the self-sacrifice of their lives, and in the hallowing and ennobling influence which they have shed around them.
But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
Uncommon Preservation
Now what does he mean by this? Well, what he is saying is a reference, mark this, to the time of the Great Tribulation. It is best to interpret the phrase “the time of the end” as a reference to the Tribulation time. It is not a new term. It is a term used in 11:35. Over in verse 40 of 11 it says: “And at the time of the end, the king of the south shall push and the king of the north,” and there we’re into the battles of the Tribulation. So it is best to see “the time of the end” as a reference to the period of the Tribulation.
Now what is it saying? Mark this now. You preserve that book, seal it up until the time of the Great Tribulation. Now the sealing does not mean the message is hidden, it only means that it is safely preserved for those who come later, especially those in the Great Tribulation
It is not talking about the increase of scientific knowledge primarily, although that may be an allusion or an implication that could be drawn. What it is talking about is this, many people in the Tribulation, the time of the end, are going to run to and fro trying to find out answers to what’s going on. And they’re going to find the book of Daniel and at that point, their knowledge will be increased.
“Many shall run to and fro in their desire for knowledge of the last things and finding it in Daniel’s book because it will have been preserved to this end, their knowledge shall be increased.” In other words, Daniel has to preserve his book so that people of all time, from his day until the end, may have knowledge of these events. And the most clear understanding will come to those who are living through it.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.
Now, in this final section, the Lord deals with Daniel and also with a couple of angels who express some questions about the details of what is coming to pass. Even after all of the information of the book, there is still much mystery.
But all of this revelation has managed to peak their interest and they want more. And so, in the closing section from verse 4 to 13, the Lord clarifies some final features. And even after the clarification, leaves an abundant mystery for the future.
Now that is a very specific period of time. Let me just work up to that. The verse begins “Shut up the words, close up the words.” And what really is being said here is the idea of preservation, don’t let this thing get away, shut it up, preserve it, seal it, make it secure. And it could even apply with an authenticating stamp so people treat it with seriousness. Seal it up so that it is secure and preserve it.
And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
An Uncommon Chronology
Three and a half years
Now this is fascinating. Whenever a Jew wanted to make an oath, he raised his right hand. And we do that, don’t we? Go to court to testify, you raise your right hand, promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You raise your right hand. That’s a sign of a swearing. When you raise both hands, that’s about as far as you can go. And that’s an utter absolute binding affirmation. And here the Lord puts up both hands and swears by Him who lives forever. Who’s that? That’s God. God who alone has immortality, . God alone lives forever. And He swears by the everlasting God.
And what does He swear? “That it shall be for a time,” that’s one, a time, “times,” that’s two, plural, “and a half,” that’s one plus two plus a half, three and a half. Three and a half years. How long is the Antichrist reign of terror? How long is it going to be that the end of these wonders will exist? Three and a half years.
That’s very explicit, people. Very, very explicit. It’s exactly what was said in 7:25, three and a half years. And then the Lord gives a purpose for the activity of Antichrist in verses 7, look at it. “And when he shall have accomplished,” what? What are those three and a half years to accomplish? “The breaking up of the power of the holy people, all these things shall be ended.” Do you know what the Tribulation is to do? It’s to utterly devastate the holy people. Who are they? Who were the nations set apart unto God? Israel. The Antichrist is going to come and he is going to come, it says literally, to break up the power, or literally to shatter or dash to pieces the power of the Jews.
I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”
I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”
An Uncommon Confusion
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Matt
He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
So, we see the content sealed in verse 4. In verses 5–7, the chronology is set. Now in verses 8 and 9, the confusion is stated.
“For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” He says to him again, “I can’t help you, Daniel, because you can’t understand them until you see the things begin to come to pass.” In fact, in effect He said, Stop asking questions … you got all the information you’re going to get. The information is preserved. It’s sealed. It will be made clear in the future to those who live in the time in the end.
Now, those are words of rebuke in a way. But they’re also words of comfort. The comfort consists in the fact that Daniel doesn’t need to worry because God’s in control. And the events are way far in the future. And the truth that he has been used by God to pen will be preserved for that future and become a source of knowledge and a source of salvation and comfort. In other words, there’s a great principle here, beloved. He’s saying be content with what God has revealed, rest content in that and stay away from meaningless speculation.
Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.
Uncommon Cleansing
And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.
Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.
But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
He doesn’t want to leave him on a negative note. He doesn’t want to say -Go away, Daniel, that’s the end. That would be a terrible ending, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it be awful if it ended in verse 9? Go away, Daniel? Poor fellow, all I put into this deal. I mean, do you know what I’ve been through for 90 years? Go away? No, He doesn’t leave him there, He’s got something to add. And there’s a cleansing secured. Verse 10, “Just know this, Daniel,” you don’t need the details, “but many shall be purified and made white and tested.”
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
To Authenticate His Word
To Reveal His Sovereignty
To Motivate and Comfort His People
To Admonish the wicked and sinful