Indestructible Kingdom - Daniel 12

We are at the end of our 12th study in the book of Daniel...

I have to admit that when I entered into this study, I was a bit intimidated by it...

I knew there was some hard material in here… I knew it would take a lot of study and patience… I knew it was going to challenge us

But I really believed God was leading us to this… and on this side of it, I believe he’s given us more than we ever could have expected if we are willing to receive it!

I can’t think of any book of the Bible that helps us wrestle more with the realities of our times...

We’ve seen Daniel and his friends endure life in a secular society with secular political leaders that make life difficult for God’s people...

We’ve seen him seek the Lord when things didn’t go as he expected...

We’ve seen the need for God to purify his people through hard times so that their hearts will be set on him.

Our vision, since the beginning of June, has been that we would give our undivided allegiance to the indestructible kingdom of God.

I believe, with all my heart, that God is willing to take us through temporary trials in this world so that our hearts will be fully devoted to his indestructible kingdom.

I believe this season of Coronavirus and political turmoil and social unrest is all just God saying… “LOOK HERE… LOOK TO ME… GIVE ME your allegiance because my kingdom is going to outlast ALL of this!”

Election cycles come and go.

Political leaders come and go.

Viruses come and go.

Life itself comes and goes.

But GOD will remain forever… and the question is, “Will you devote your heart to him?”

God wants our undivided allegiance.

So at the end of this series, I want us each to do a little heart inventory (even if you’ve not been with us for the entire time, you can ask these questions too…):

Who or what has the allegiance of your heart? Here are some ways you can examine that:

What circumstances control your emotions?

Who or what delights your affections the most?

What kingdom fulfills your heart desires?

Who or what dictates your schedule?

What kingdom consumes your thoughts?

Who or what controls your finances?

Is it something of this world that will not last forever? Or are have you shifted your undivided allegiance to the indestructible kingdom of God?

You see, our goal isn’t just to talk about and know about God’s kingdom...

It isn’t just to have studied a book of the Bible so that we can check that off our list...

Our goal is to allow God to change us… and in Daniel, God is showing us why we SHOULD and why we MUST give our undivided allegiance to HIM!

As we come to the end of the book, we get a final glimpse as to why that is worth it...

In chapters 10-12, Daniel has been receiving a vision from an angel…

and in that vision he’s seeing all that must happen for God’s people, Israel, to be purified and restored to right relationship with God.

And as that vision concludes, we are going to see that God WILL purify the nation of Israel in the end… he will renew their allegiance to Jesus Christ, the true Savior King…

and he WILL his indestructible kingdom to earth.

And through this vision of Israel’s future, we too can find our hope… that...

Big Idea: Allegiance will be rewarded when temporary kingdoms are replaced with the indestructible kingdom of God.

I want you to go all-in on God’s kingdom… because it’s the only one that will outlast everything we see on the earth.

Allegiance will be rewarded when temporary kingdoms are replace with the indestructible kingdom of God.

We are going to see three rewards that we can look forward to when Jesus returns...

1) Temporary tribulation will be replaced with triumph. (v. 1-3)

Read Daniel 12:1-3.

Explain: Chapter 12 opens with the words “at that time”… which should make us ask, “At what time?”...

And this reminds us that we are in the middle of a vision being delivered by an angel outlining the times of the Gentile nations and their oppression of Israel.

Right now, Daniel is in the last years of his life… he’s living in exile in the Land of Persia where he has been since he was a teenager…

He’s sitting on the banks of the Tigris river and he sees this vision of the Son of God… and then he has a conversation with this angel

So far, the angel has given him a vision of the next Persian rulers to come after Daniel dies…

He’s foretold what would happen under Alexander the Great…

He’s covered what would happen to Israel under the four Greek dynasties that took over Alexander’s empire...

And most recently, the angel has described the Antichrist of the “appointed time” or “the time of the end.”

Remember, this vision skips over the time of Jesus… skips over the present age… until a time still in our future…

This is a time the Bible calls the Tribulation… it’s a period of 7 years that is also described in chapter 9 as the last of Daniel’s 70 weeks…

And at this point in the vision, the Antichrist has annihilated anyone who would try to stand in his way... he is going to obtain absolute world dominion...

But chapter 11 ends with this little glimmer of hope… “but he shall come to his end with none to help him.”

So when 12:1 says, “At that time,” it’s referring to this final stage of world history where the Antichrist tries to show his strength, but God ultimately destroys him.

We will learn a little later that this is specifically the final 3.5 years of the Tribulation known as “The GREAT Tribulation.”

It’s described in verse 1 as a time of suffering like no other...

You think 2020 is bad, it ain’t got nothing on the last 3.5 years of the tribulation before Jesus returns…

There may be some here who actually SEE that… if you don’t know Jesus right now, you might actually EXPERIENCE that last 3.5 years of tribulation...

And it’s in that time of ULTIMATE tribulation that God begins to triumph in his the hearts of Israel.

At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people (that is Israel)… at that time Michael shall arise.

Remember Michael… he was the one who started fighting with the demon prince of Persia so that this angel could go tell Daniel the vision that he’s delivering right now…

Michael is the archangel who fights for Israel…

And he’s going to rise up and do it in the end...

His fighting will lead to the spiritual deliverance of Israel… not a political victory yet… they need a SPIRITUAL deliverance.

You see, right now, the eyes of the Jews are blind to seeing God.

God had given them all of the law and all of the sacrifices to point their hearts to him...

So that they would love HIM with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength...

And they TURNED THEIR BACKS on him...

That’s why Daniel and his people are going to suffer all these things.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4, ESV)

They don’t believe that the Christ… the Messiah... has already come and that his name is Jesus.

You want to know the biggest difference between Christianity and Judaism, it’s this: Jews don’t believe Jesus is the Promised Savior King.

It’s so tragic because he came to THEM and he fulfilled THEIR scriptures… but they missed him.

And their current loss is our gain as we, as non-Jews, get to hear the good news that Jesus is Savior and Lord...

But their time is coming. God is going to open their eyes just like he needs to open our eyes… and they will SEE Jesus!

Right now, orthodox Jews believe that the Messiah is still coming and that he’s going to 1) be a great political ruler, 2)that he’s going to bring peace between them and other nations, especially religious peace… and 3) that he’s going to restore the temple worship...

Which is exactly the definition of the Antichrist, by the way… You see how they fall for the him in the end, don’t you?

But in the Tribulation… 3.5 years in, the Antichrist is going to turn on them... and takes away their sacrifices and he demands they worship him instead…

And it’s at that time that Michael is going to start fighting for them like he’s never fought before..

He will do battle with Satan who has been blinding their eyes...

And they are going to see that JESUS was the Messiah all along!

Look at the second part of verse 1 - 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.

Israel is going to be delivered the same way we need to be delivered… they are going to put their faith in Jesus as their Messiah… as their Savior King. Here’s what that means…

They are going to see that he REALLY WAS the Promised Savior King when he came 2000 years ago...

They are going to see that his death on the cross REALLY WAS the Sacrifice that paid for all their sins and gave them access to God...

They are going to see that he HIS RESURRECTION AND EMPTY TOMB REALLY IS the door to EVERLASTING LIFE.

All of the things that we need to see for our own salvation...

are the same things that True Israel will come to understand at the end of this age.

And it’s going to be GREAT tribulation that brings them to that point.

God is willing to to take us through REALLY HARD things that are temporary so that we will see the glory of Jesus that is eternal.

Israel is going to experience shame… personal harm… even death in that time…

But they shall be delivered… but then there’s this little qualifier: everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

That’s a reference to the book of Life…

They aren’t saved MERELY because they are Israelites… they are saved because God chose them… and wrote their name in his book before the foundation of the world.

They are saved because Jesus died and rose again as their Savior King.

And the Life they experience through faith in him will make all the Tribulation worth it...

Look at v. 2 - “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.” (Daniel 12:2, ESV)

Temporary tribulation will be replaced with triumph.

Specifically the triumph of eternal life.

Here, the angel describes two resurrections… those who have died believing in Jesus who are raised to everlasting life...

According to the book of Revelation, that happens at the end of the Tribulation...

And then those who have not believed in Jesus as the Savior King will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt.

According to the book of Revelation, that happens at the end of the 1000 Year reign of Christ that we call “The Millenial Kingdom.”

But the angel puts those two resurrections together here to make a point:

For those who believe, there will be tribulation in this life, but triumph in the resurrection for all eternity.

For those who do not believe, there may be triumph now... but there will be tribulation in the resurrection for all eternity.

Earthly Tribulation now, Triumph then (if we put our faith in Jesus).

Earthly Triumph now, tribulation then (if you do not put you faith in Jesus alone for salvation).

How you embrace Jesus in the temporary tribulation of this life will determine what your experience of eternity will be like.

For the Jews, their time of awakening will come in the last 3.5 years before Jesus returns. For us, it comes today.

Today is our time of trial and refining and awakening.

God is using all that is happening in this world to say, “Will you turn to me? Will you put your faith in ME and follow ME?”

“Will you seek the triumph of earthly kingdoms now, or will you seek the triumph of my indestructible kingdom?”

For those who embrace Jesus in this age, this will be the experience (verse 3): “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.” (Daniel 12:3, ESV)

What type of wisdom is rewarded in eternity? What makes someone righteous?

1 Corinthians says, “Jesus has become to us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (see 1 Cor 1:30)

To be wise is to follow Jesus in all of life. To be his disciple.

To turn many to righteousness is to turn people’s eyes to Jesus… to make disciples.

That’s what it means to believe in Jesus...

Not just to know ABOUT Jesus…

But to put your faith in him so that you actively FOLLOW him… so that you grow in dependence on and devotion to Jesus in all things...

He becomes your source of wisdom and righteousness...

And then that you point others to him as well.

It won’t look glamorous in this life… it will likely bring shame and suffering and you will experience injustice… that was the path that Jesus took.

But it will be worth it in eternity.

You will be made to shine for all eternity because the glory of Jesus will mark your life.

Apply: What is your response to tribulation in this world? Do you turn to Jesus as your source of wisdom and righteousness? Do you point others to him as well, no matter the cost?

Temporary tribulation will be replaced with triumph.

Now… this was the vision was for the time of the end, but Daniel is still living in Persia… thousands of years before that time… hundreds of years before the FIRST TIME Jesus came to earth… going through his own set of trials...

All of the events that we studied last week in chapter 11 still had to take place…

2000+ years of church history had to be accomplished… before this time when Israel will receive their resurrected bodies and reign with Christ in his indestructible kingdom...

And so there was a lot that we understand today that Daniel DIDN’T understand when he was receiving it...

He was confused about a lot of it…

Like it’s hard enough to understand for us today… imagine if you were receiving chapters 11-12 for the first time, and NONE of the history was there to explain it to you!!!

THAT’S where Daniel found himself. Look at verses 4-9 [Read Daniel 12:4-9]

What we learn here is that in the indestructible Kingdom...

2) Temporary confusion will be replaced with clarity. (v. 4-9)

Explain: In verse 4, the angel tells Daniel to shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.

He’s saying, “All of it is true… but it’s for a later time. It’s not for you to understand now… it’s for another people to understand then.”

At THAT time, many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.

The closer we get to the end of the age, the more it will make sense how these things are playing out.

And it will become EVEN MORE clear when Jesus finally comes and ushers in his earthly kingdom.

When the tribulation is over and Jesus brings to light the things that are hidden and he annihilates the kingdoms of this world, all of what is confusing will be made clear.

But not until that time. For Daniel, it’s going to lack clarity. And not only for Daniel… even for the Angels there will be some confusion.

Daniel sees these two angels on the banks of the stream… the Tigris River where he said he was sitting i chapter 10… and these two angels are going to act like witnesses to the truth of this vision...

One of them asks a third person… the man clothed in linen who stands above the waters... “How long shall it be until the end of these things?”

Now who is this man clothed in linen? Well, we met him before back in chapter 10… two weeks ago I said that I believe he is the Son of God himself before he took on human flesh…

So one of the two angelic witnesses asks the Son of God, “How long until the end of these things?”

And the Son of God raises his right hand...

If I raise my right hand in a court of law, what am I doing? I’m swearing an oath.

And then he raises his left hand...

This is getting SERIOUS… What is he doing? He’s emphasizing that he’s telling the truth.

So he has TWO hands raised… and THEN he swears by him who reigns forever and ever… that is by God the Father...

This is a SERIOUS oath…

WHAT IS HE GOING TO SAY???

After all that build-up, this is what we get: That it would be for a time, times, and half-a-time... from when the holy people are shattered by the Antichrist... to when the end of all things is finished.

That is a REALLY big build-up to a REALLY CONFUSING statement.

I’m sure the angel was like, “Thank you Lord, I’m sorry I asked.”

So now Daniel is thoroughly confused… verse 8 says, “I heard, but did not understand. Your mouth is moving, Lord, but no comprende...”

So he asks a slightly different way… what is the outcome of these things?

I love that… when we don’t understand, we can ask the Lord…

It doesn’t mean we will get clarity, but we are always free to ask.

And the Son of God answers, “Go your way Daniel.”

In other words, that’s not for you to know now.

The words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.

Illustration: So now that we’ve hired David, he and I are learning to work as a team.

And it’s really fun and it’s going great, but he’s quickly noticing that if he wants to know what to choose as a closing song...

And he asks me on a Tuesday or a Wednesday or even a Thursday what direction my sermon is going to go, he MIGHT get some vague ideas… but not much.

Now if he asks me on a Friday afternoon once my sermon is mostly written, he can get a lot more clarity.

Any earlier in the week than Friday and we basically end those conversations with, “Go your way David, the words are sealed up until the time of my preaching.”

And if he REALLY wants to know how my sermon is going to end, he will understand it FULLY when he waits and listens on a Sunday morning :).

Sometimes God’s explanation of the hard things in our lives can be vague and confusing because it’s not time for us to know yet.

We can lack a point of reference for what God is doing. We can find it difficult to see how our trials and tribulations are going to work out in the end.

But the more we listen to him… the more we learn to trust him… the more we spend time with him and see how he has already worked out so much in the past like we see in the fulfilled prophecy of the book of Daniel...

The more we begin to simply TRUST that he is going to work it out in the end.

I love the hymn, “Be Still My Soul”... and I love the second verse that says, “Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake To guide the future as He has the past, Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake All now mysterious shall be bright at last.”

What was mysterious in Daniel’s vision… is made more clear as we look back through the lens of history… and therefore we can trust that what is STILL mysterious in our lives today… will be made clear when he comes again.

So if you haven’t understood ANYTHING from Daniel 10-12, you can understand THIS: that there will be a season of purifying for God’s people… and then it will be finished.

All of human history… all of the corrupt rulers that God told Daniel about in chapter 11… every trial and tribulation his people will go through… ALL OF IT is working toward this ONE THING:

that God would FINISH his work of setting apart a holy people for himself.

That’s God’s ultimate goal… no matter what is confusing in life, be clear on this ONE THING: that God wants you to be part of his holy people through faith in Jesus Christ.

We may experience a LOT of confusion… and we may only get little glimpses of what God is doing here and there… but in the future kingdom, we will be able to look back with CLARITY and see how God was working out THAT plan.

Apply: What is your typical response when life gets confusing? Do you doubt God’s plan? Do you get frustrated with him? Or do you TRUST him, that even though you don’t understand all the details, you know he will bring clarity in the end?

All of the tribulation… all of the confusion… is working out a restoration with a definite end...

In the indestructible Kingdom,

3) Temporary restoration will be replaced with rest. (v. 10-13)

Read 12:10-13

Explain: Understand, all that God has been doing from the time Daniel was taken into Exile…

to the time of this vision he’s receiving in his late 80s…

to the time of the rulers that he saw in the vision…

to the time of the Antichrist in the end…

ALL of it is one big restoration project for his people Israel.

Illustration: Katy and I were watching Fixer-Upper this week… and if you know the show, they take old, outdated houses and restore them into something REALLY beautiful...

And if you’ve seen any episode, you know that Chip Gaines’ favorite part of any project is “demo day.”

Mostly that’s because Chip Gaines is like a little kid who likes to break things...

But it’s also because he gets to take out what’s ugly in this old house so that it can be replaced with something beautiful.

That’s what God is doing through this restoration of his people.

He’s knocking down walls… tearing out idols… so that they can be made pure… made white… be refined.

But there are some who will not be… the wicked will continue to act wickedly… they will never understand...

But those who see that God’s way is best… those who come to know God’s wisdom in Jesus Christ… they will GROW in understanding… they will be restored and purified.

For Israel in the last days, it’s going to take 3.5 years…

In verse 7, he said it would be for a time (1 year), times (2 more years) and half-a time (another half year)… 3.5 years for that final demo and restoration project to take place.

In verses 11-12, he puts it in terms of days...

From the time of the abomination that makes desolate (which is when the Antichrist turns on the Jewish people and demands that they worship him)… to the time of his judgment will be 1290 days.

That’s 1 month longer than 3.5 years… during that month, we believe Jesus is judging between the sheep and the goats of Israel.

And then from that point, in another 45 days later (1335 days from the abomination of desolation), there will be final blessing.

During that 45 days, Jesus is setting up his millennial reign on earth.

And it says, “BLESSED” (Happy in the Lord) is the one who endures until that time.

Blessed is he who endures the temporary tribulation and receives ultimate triumph.

Blessed is he who endures temporary confusion and receives ultimate clarity.

Blessed is he who endures temporary restoration and receives ultimate REST.

That’s true for the final saints of the tribulation… and it’s true for Daniel...

Verse 13 says that Daniel will go his way until the end. He will endure the kingdom of Persia until he dies... and then he shall rest… standing in his alloted place at the end of days.

His death will result in eternal life because he endured the tribulation of HIS time… of Babylon and Persia… with allegiance to God’s kingdom...

He will rest in death and then enter into ULTIMATE rest in the indestructible kingdom.

In every age, God’s people are restored through the trials and tribulations that they face… and the question we each face through those tribulations is this...

Apply: Will you restore your allegiance to Christ to experience ultimate rest in his kingdom?

That’s the work of restoration that God wants to do in Israel’s hearts in the final days… and it’s the work that he wants to do right now.

It may take some demo work. There are things in my heart that try to get my eyes off of Jesus.

There are constantly things that I find in my heart that I need to rip out and replace with allegiance to Christ.

How about for you? Is there anything drawing your heart away from Christ? Is there anyone or anything that is keeping you from following him with full devotion?

Maybe it’s a PERSON… and you are afraid to offend them if you really follow Jesus the way you know he is calling you to.

Maybe it’s a public image that you’ve tried to maintain… you’re known as the tough guy… or the life of the party… or the one who has it all together… and if you follow Jesus, you know that it’s going to hurt that public image...

Maybe it’s a political allegiance that has your heart more than Jesus… and you give all of your attention there… your identity and beliefs are guided by that political party… your fears are controlled by it...

Maybe it’s a financial kingdom you’ve set up for yourself… the investments and bank accounts and all the work you have to do to maintain it… and that’s your kingdom… and it has your heart.

Whatever has your heart… whatever has your allegiance… those things need to be demolished… and a devotion to his kingdom needs to be constructed in their place.

Don’t let this time in the book of Daniel pass by and not allow God to do that work of renovation in your life.

Today… resolve in your heart… I’m giving my undivided allegiance to the indestructible kingdom of God.

That work starts in prayer...