The Grand Finale
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Introduction
Introduction
2018 was banner year for air travel
The US has 87,000 flights per day
O’Hare saw 83.4 million passengers travel through
A plane takes off every second
Totaling 8.8 billion passengers in a year
What do they have in common? They’re all going somewhere...
Every plane has a destination
Every car is going somewhere
Every boat has a heading
Some to work - vacation - school - war - home
Some want to go, some do not
Some will be thrilled, some disappointed
But everyone’s going somewhere
Even as you sit in your chair, you have a destination
Today we close out Daniel
Been a challenging series
In Daniel’s life he was an example of faith
He was bold and kind
He was strong and respectful
His legacy is one that glorifies God
In Daniel’s prophecy he was blessed
He saw kings and empires
He saw angels and demons
He knew more than any man to his time
He knew more about the future than we do
This is the last part of the book of Daniel
Next week we start a study called Gifted
We will study the spiritual gifts
YouVersion: The Grand Finale
Daniel 10:20-21, and ch. 11 and 12
20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.
Kings and empires are raised and fallen SPIRITUALLY!
Why did the United States become a great nation
What might be our downfall?
Now we need to cover 2+ chapters of a lot of stuff you’ve already heard!
So we are going to go quickly through a lot of this
If you want to go deeper, you’re going to have to study!
Let’s see if repetition has taught us...
What are the four kingdoms?
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome
Hell on Wheels:
Bohannon: “I never was one for tradition.”
Chang: “Such a Western notion that the past does not matter; that the past can be forgotten.”
It’s important to see the value in knowing history
For us, it’s not just to learn the lessons of the past
Also to learn about God and His character
In Daniel 11:1-4, the angel gives some detail
A wealthy Persian king Xerxes
Attack Greece (1.5 million troops) but LOSES
Then a powerful Greek king comes (Alexander)
Conquers and dies, four generals take over
4 of those generals have kingdoms - look at 2
Seleucus (Syria/Mesopotamia) in the north
Ptolemy (Egypt) in the south
In Daniel 11:5-6 they try to make an alliance
Egyptian king gives daughter to Syria
Syrian king divorces his wife to marry her
Ex-wife kills new wife, and he takes her back
Then she poisons him and puts her son on the throne
John Lydon (Lie-Dun): “Being born into the Royal Family is like being born into a mental asylum. Marrying into it is not something to be taken lightly.”
Then, in Daniel 11:7-13 the Egyptian brother of the murdered wife attacks
Steals their gold and idols and leaves them alone
Then there’s a bunch of back and forth fighting for YEARS
Then, in Daniel 11:14-20 we see another part of this fighting
The kings are north and south of where? What’s in the middle? ISRAEL
These armies go back and forth through Israel
Ungodly Israelites join in the fight, and something bad happens
Michael Rutger wrote this line in “The Anomaly” - “The side of not getting killed. For future reference, that's the side I'm always on.”
The Israelites didn’t have the same philosophy
A Seleucid king named Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Remember him? He calls himself Epiphanes (glorious one)
Everyone calls him Epimames (the crazy guy)
In Daniel 11:21-27, this nothern king attacks Egypt again
This time is special, it’s a naval attack...
Egypt wins because they have help
Want to guess who helps them? ROME!
Rome is growing, Greece is shrinking...
So Antiochus does this
Only read v. 28a
28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
He decides to go after Jerusalem in the Temple
Next 7 verses show why he’s the crazy guy:
Erected an altar to Jupiter (AKA Zeus)
Sacrificed a pig on the altar
Made the Jews eat it
Destroyed all copies of Scripture
Murdered 80,000 Jews, took 40,000 prisoners, sold 40,000 as slaves
Stole treasures from the temple
Worth about $1 billion today!
This is called the “Abomination of Desolation”
31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.
Started Maccabean (macka-be-in) revolt
Then Temple was restored and cleansed
They celebrate the Feast of Dedication
Also known as Chanukah
Ultimately, Antiochus would be defeated by Roman navy
Drew a circle in the dirt around him
Surrender and pay tribute, or die
He surrendered, and Rome became the head honcho
Let’s go back to verse 21:
V. 21 starts a DOUBLE-REFERENCE
The Law of Double Reference is the principle of associating similar related ideas which are usually separated from one another by long periods of time, and which are blended into a single picture.
These verses talk about 2 different people: Antiochus IV and the Antichrist
How do we know this is about 2 people?
The whole historical timeline points to Antiochus
BUT, Jesus says these words:
Read only to “Daniel”
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
Jesus came AFTER Antiochus IV!
That means there is ANOTHER
Antiochus IV is called a “TYPE”
Applies to “Biblical Typology”
Might read in commentary a “TYPE” of Christ, or “TYPE” of Antichrist
Typology: “A person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament.”
20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The ark is a “TYPE” of Baptism
Peter says it “corresponds” to this...
There are many “TYPES” in the OT
The Passover is a “TYPE” of the crucifixion
A lamb being slaughtered whose blood saves God’s people from death...
King David is a “TYPE” of Christ
A king from humble roots that was long unrecognized by his own people...
Elijiah was a “TYPE” of John the Baptist
A wild man living in the wilderness, prophesying about returning to God
I have to say this: typology can be DANGEROUS!!
Some people make all new religions out of typology
If you look for connections, you can make up whatever you want
Isaiah went around naked for two years straight!
That’s a type that the church should be running around naked!
We’ll start the church of the nude testament!
We can’t do that, we have to be careful
Antiochus is BOTH a double-reference AND a type of Antichrist
You could say that Antiochus was the trailer for the Antichrist movie...
Let’s see what happens with the Antichrist then...
21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.
This guy is an expert negotiator!
He won’t be a leader from birth
But takes a small group and is political until he becomes one
Maybe rags to riches or something
He will make a deal, I explained before
Probably secure peace between Muslims and Jews
Both want Jerusalem...
Restore temple sacrifices
People will LOVE him!
Let’s jump to v. 36 - this REALLY starts to focus on the Antichrist
36 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.
This is the REAL abomination of desolation...
Paul speaks of this moment too
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Whoa! That’s a big deal!
He’s going to negotiate peace
Get the temple built
Get sacrifices going
And then throne himself in God’s temple
Claiming to be God Himself...
And nobody is going to stop him, he will prosper
For a while anyway...
37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.
Many take this to mean the antichrist will be 2 things
Jewish, although he won’t worship God
Homosexual, not desiring women
This could be true, but maybe not
Some think it means he’ll try to pretend to be Jesus
Jesus didn’t have a wife, so he may not either
40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
Countries are always changing...
At the end, the south shall attack the Antichrist
(Egypt? Arabs? Someone new?)
The fighting will spill into Israel
Then news in the east and north alarms him
(North could be Russia? Britain? Someone new?)
(East could be China, N. Korea? Someone new?)
It’s foggy, but something is certain
There’s going to be a lot of fighting!
In the end, HE WILL LOSE!
Let’s jump to chapter 12
We get a broad overview of the tribulation
1 “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. 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.
Michael the archangel will come to fight with Satan
Then Israel will be delivered, if their name is written in the book
That means followers of Jesus
Rom. 11 teaches that Israel will return to alignment with God and His Christ
We see it’s during the tribulation
Then the dead will rise to be judged
There are actually different resurrections
Jesus Christ
Rapture (not really a resurrection)
Tribulation saints/martyrs
Everyone else
Christians who died before, the unrighteous, OT saints
Too much for now
Study in Revelation 20:4-15, 1 Corinthians 15:20, 51-58, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Acts 26:23
Zooms out to 3 guys...
This is why I think we have been hearing from Michael, Jesus, and perhaps another angel...
One asks this:
6 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?” 7 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.
Let’s do some math here
Time, times, half a time
Let’s sub time for year...
Year, years (plural means 2), and half a year
1+2+1/2=3 1/2
3 1/3 half years is the midpoint of the tribulation
(3.5 is half of 7)
V.11 tells us
11 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.
1,290 days is also 3 1/2 years to stop the burnt offering
Another 30 days to set himself on the throne claiming to be God
That means the antichrist will come in and do great stuff the first half...
And then the abomination of desolation and fighting is the second half
That leaves us with one final question:
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”
He says, “Wait! I don’t get it!”
Many of us probably don’t get it either
I have to admit, I don’t really get it!
There is a little bit of a disappointing response
9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
I think you’ve seen enough...
When it comes to this book, I think we’ve seen enough as well
There is so much imagery, so many predictions, so much repetition...
It can be VERY challenging to put it all together
Daniel has seen THOUSANDS of years all at once! MORE EVEN!
Essentially we have seen from 597BC through eternity and everything in between
In the YouVersion app and handout, you can see a timeline...
Even if you didn’t catch everything, you can see that Daniel tells all
We’ll close out in reading this last verse
The angels instructions for Daniel:
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.”
This is our wonderful instruction as well:
Go your way till the end
Don’t stock up on water
Don’t buy ammunition in bulk
Don’t build a doomsday bunker
Go your way
Live your life following Christ
If you do, you will find this final promise:
You will rest and find your place
Your place in heaven’s throne room, worshipping our God forever
Prayer
Prayer
