Understanding End Times

Our Theme for 2021 is “Redeeming the Time”

We are learning lessons from the book of Daniel in a series which I am calling Time & Providence.

Time: because God this book is not just about Daniel and what God did in his life or even in his lifetime.

In the book of Daniel, God reveals that he knows what is going to happen for the next five hundred years and even to the end of the age.

Providence: because God who created the world also sustains the world.

Sometimes it doesn’t look like God is sustaining the world; it looks pretty messed up!

But that too is part of God’s eternal plan, to let evil go for a time, so that people recognize evil as evil and turn to God.

Today we are going to wrap up the series by covering the last four chapters.

I know, that’s a lot to cover.

But by the time you leave here today. You will have a timeline for end time events and will know when they are going to happen and in what order.

You will hear about current events, where they fit on the timeline and what comes next.

And if you want to know more, you can buy my book, subscribe to my magazine, listen to all of my podcasts …

...and of course, give your regular donation to this ministry.

I’m kidding, of course. But there is a lot of money being made off of this subject.

Nobody really knows how all of this is going to play out.

Yes the Bible gives us clues, but the theories of what those clues mean are constantly changing.

And each time a popular Bible teacher changes their mind, they get to sell another book saying why they were wrong and why this time they are right.

There is a lot that we don’t understand about end time, but today I am going to focus on what we can understand.

It’s easy to believe God when times are good, but how do we find faith in difficult times?

We learn from what has happened before and we recognize that patterns as they happen again.

We put all of that into the perspective of the greater spiritual battle which has been from the beginning and will be won in the end.

More than that, we know God and His eternal purpose.

Time and Providence will purify us until we shine.

Understanding the Times

Daniel 9:1–5 ESV

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

Know when to fast and pray.

Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonian exile would last for 70 years.

Jeremiah 25:11–12 ESV

11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.

If that prophesy coincided with the first wave of exiles, the same one that took Daniel to Babylon as a teenager; we are now about 68 years later and Daniel is an old man in his mid-to-late 80”s.

Daniel has been counting down the years and he knows that it’s time for this prophecy to be fulfilled.

Not only are the exiles going to return to Israel, but Babylon is going to be punished.

Daniel is in Babylon, and not likely up to taking a long trip.

But is Israel even ready to return? Have they learned their lesson? Will things be any different than they were before the exile?

Daniel devotes himself to fasting and prayer.

We all know about prayer, but why fasting?

Fasting helps us to “tune in” spiritually to what God is saying.

You have heard me say it before; we are divided into flesh and spirit.

If you wan to increase the spirit, you deny the flesh.

There is nothing wrong with eating good food and enjoying life.

But pleasure has it’s own “high” that can also dull the spiritual senses.

I try to make a regular practice of fasting to seek the Lord for spiritual direction. I have fasted before making major life decisions. I fast each year before taking a spiritual retreat to seek the Lord for direction. We fast each year as a congregation at the beginning of the year to seek God’s blessing and guidance for that year. This year I have decided to fast one day each week on my sermon prep day.

Fasting is not so much focusing on not doing things, but focusing on the Lord and spiritual things to the point where we are not doing other things.

By fasting on my sermon prep days, I’m not thinking about how much longer until I eat, but I’m focusing on hearing God and I’m just not thinking about eating.

On longer fasts I have found that after a few days, I’m no longer hungry and I have more time and attention to devote to prayer.

But the real benefit of fasting is hearing God better, more clearly and understanding what we hear.

Recognize and acknowledge the truth.

Daniel 9:9–16 ESV

9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us.

Daniels prayer in chapter 9 is a model for intercession:

Adoration- he begins with remembering who God is and His attributes, especially His covenant faithfulness.

Confession - Daniel confesses the sin of Israel corporately. Even though it is not primarily him, he identifies a member of those who have sinned.

Petition- Only after making right relationship, you may make your requests. Daniel’s request is that Jerusalem and his homeland be restored.

Remember how Moses had the people choose between blessing and cursing?

Deuteronomy 11:26–28 ESV

26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.

Israel did exactly what God told them not to do.

The exile was not about God forsaking His people.

It is about God’s people forsaking their God.

Exile is a natural consequence of disobedience; the result of rebellion. It is the distance that comes from broken relationship.

Israel is God’s chosen people.

They are chosen to be a witness and a testimony to the world.

But they rebelled against God and God had to let them experience the result of that choice so that they would know where that path leads.

But so many times we get it backwards when we are feeling distant from God.

We think that God did this to us.

When we are in our suffering, crying out “How long?!” We think God doesn't hear.

Then after a while, we are tempted to think that God doesn’t care.

We ask, why doesn’t God do anything? But God is doing something. He’s honoring your choices.

When we reap the consequences of our actions we think God is punishing us.

We think God must be angry.

God is angry, but not at us. He’s angry at the destructiveness of sin.

But He also knows that if he rescues us too soon, we will probably just go back to the same patterns that got us in trouble in the first place.

Sometimes God has to put us in “timeout,” not so that we know we are bad, but so that we calm down, reflect and remember how to be good.

God is not new at this.

He’s been dealing with rebellion since the beginning.

And He has a plan to bring it all back together in the end.

Be aware of the bigger picture.

Daniel 9:22–24 ESV

22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. 24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.

So Jeremiah’s prophecy said that Israel’s “timeout” would last for seventy years.

But Daniel now had a much bigger perspective.

Israel has learned a lesson, but they are not yet where they should be.

And the problem of human sin is only getting worse.

What is God going to do about that?

There’s another exile: the exile of humanity from the presence of God.

This one is not just seventy years.

Seven is the number of completion - God completed creation in a week; seven days.

Seventy should be like “ultimate completion” ten times seven.

But what we think is enough is never enough.

God says there are going to be “seventy times seven” or “seven weeks” until all that needs to happen has happened.

Admittedly, this is probably one of the most difficult passages in the Bible.

Daniel’s seventy weeks are commonly understood to refer to a period of 490 years.

Some say the number of years is not important; it just means “a long time.”

Some say it began with Daniel’s vision and ended with the death of Antiochus IV whom we talked about last time.

He was the “little horn with the big mouth” in Daniel’s vision and also the prototype for “antichrist.”

But the number is also broken down in to distinct parts and defined.

Seven sevens (49 years) is roughly the time it took to restore Jerusalem’s fortification and to rebuild the temple.

Sixty-two sevens (434 years) takes us up to Jesus baptism, his ministry and his death on the cross.

That’s the real temple, God’s presence on earth being built again in Jesus Christ.

That leaves one more seven.

That’s where the text goes back to talking about disaster, apocalypse and end times.

Many people believe that the last seven hasn’t happened yet, but that it describes a time which God is saving for the end, just before Christ’s return.

Some people think it describes the destruction of the temple in 70 AD and the persecutions that happened at that time.

John picks up the them of “sevens” in the book of Revelation.

That is why there are seven seals, seven trumpets, seven plagues and seven bowls.

John was writing about persecution that was happening in his day, but many see that he was also describing events to come.

It doesn’t have to be an “either or” it can be and I believe it is both.

Remember last week we said that history repeats itself.

Just because you can point to something and say it has already happened doesn’t mean it won’t happen again.

I can’t tell you how all of this is going to play out.

I personally don’t think anything “must “ happen before Jesus returns, because most of it has already happened, multiple times over.

And much of what has been predicted about the tribulation of future is currently happening to believers somewhere in the world today.

We need to understand that we are living in the end times and have been for a while.

We are not looking for a battle that is to come; it is already here!

Understanding the Battle

Fear God more than the enemy.

Daniel 10:4–9 ESV

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

Who or what did Daniel see?

I think he saw a vision of Jesus Christ as victorious.

Why? Because it sounds just like other New Testament visions of Jesus.

Acts 9:1–9 (ESV)

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus...3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

That was Saul became Paul

He saw the vision but just like Daniel the others with him didn’t see it but they felt it.

The vision left him physically incapacitated.

This is not Baby Jesus or the Gentle Shepherd; this is the Conquering King.

Revelation 1:12–17 (ESV)

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not...

Fear not? That’s easy for Him, but not for us.

Just like in Daniels vision, John sees a glowing figure with eyes of fire.

His voice is like many sounds at once.

The descriptions are similar but not exactly the same.

That’s actually a good sign that they were all seeing the same thing and not just repeating what the other said.

The whole idea of end times can be scary, but get a vision of who Jesus is!

Daniel , Paul, and John all needed these visions to get perspective on who who Jesus is.

If you fear God, you don’t have to be afraid of anyone or anything else!

The enemy will resist, by he can only delay.

Daniel 10:12–14 ESV

12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

This is probably Gabriel talking here. He showed up along with the vision of Jesus.

But there was a fight to get to that revelation.

There was a demon (the Prince of Persia) standing in the way.

Remember from “The Unseen Realm” that heavenly beings were given the opportunity to rule, but they became corrupt.

Some of them are still trying to interfere with God’s people and God’s plan.

They can’t stop God’s plan from unfolding any more than the “Grinch” can steal Christmas.

So what does that have to do with us?

You can either contend with God, or against God.

Daniel 10:18–21 ESV

18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 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.

In Daniel, God’s plan is referred to as the Book of Truth.

God is writing history.

History is His Story.

It is a story of truth.

Truth is truth; you can change it; you can only distort it with lies.

But lies are only as powerful as the little bit of truth that they contain.

Eventually, they are seen for what they are, because they fall apart.

Truth sorts itself out over time.

So where does that leave us?

You have to decide which side of this battle you are on.

God is God. You are either on His side or not.

You don’t get to make you own truth or reality; that’s what lies are.

You don’t get to pick and choose what parts of the Bible you like or don’t like.

This is war! You are either under orders or you are subordinate.

Are you going to contend by Jesus’ side or are you going to face Him in battle?

I don’t think there is anymore middle ground.

Certainly not, as these end times unfold.

Understanding God’s Eternal Purpose

God is writing history.

Daniel 11:2–4 ESV

2 “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

These next verses (through verse 35) are absolutely astonishing!

This revelation given to Daniel goes through every kingdom and every ruler to govern the Holy Land, right through to Antiochus IV and the Maccabbean revolt.

The verses we just read are about Alexander the Great who conquered vast amounts of territory but it was then divided among his general, not his heirs.

Israel sits as a land bridge between Egypt and Syria and they volley back and forth for control of this prime real estate.

Eventually Rome comes in an dominates.

Israel is plundered to pay tribute to Rome.

Antiochus is betrayed by his daughter (Cleopatra), he looses the battle that ensued and he takes it out on the Jews.

He was a bad man; the first manifestation of antichrist.

Many of the Jews at the time were actually helping him fight Egypt until he turned on them.

History sorts people out.

Daniel 11:32–36 ESV

32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. 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.

After such a prolonged history of belonging either to Egypt or to Syria, that became the question, “which of these two should we side with?”

The answer would of course be whichever was perceived to be stronger.

With the marriage of Antiochus’ daughter to an Egyptian prince, it seemed like they would finally not have to take sides.

But that didn’t last and Antiochus became bitter and did what bitter people do, start hurting people.

And when that doesn’t go well you act like you are god and are entitled to hurt people.

But some people knew that they didn’t belong to Syria, not did they belong to Egypt.

They are God’s people.

And nobody should get away with hurting God’s people.

Daniel 11:32 NLT

32 He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.

Who do you belong to?

It’s either God or “take your pick!”

Each choice has it’s destiny.

Daniel 12:1–4 ESV

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. 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. 4 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.”

From verse 36 on to the end of chapter 11 and into chapter 12 the description continues of one who is like Antiochus, but it doesn’t seem to be about him anymore.

Everything up to that point is remarkably accurate to the historical record. But it stops there.

This has led many scholars to conclude that the remaining prophecy is about a figure yet to come.

Just as the last “sevens” might be a sort of “reprise” at the end.

That’s possible, but I’m not certain.

What I do know is this: God had Daniel write all of these things so that Jews living in the second century BC and Jews and Christians living in the first century AD would read them and know that God revealed all of these things long ago when the kingdoms of this world first began to unravel.

God essentially told us, “It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

It’s a spiritual battle and you need to decide which side you are on.

Each choice has a destiny.

The people who decide that it’s expedient to follow this ruler or that ruler will share the fate of their person of choice.

You can die with the king of the North or you can die with the king of the south.

It kinda like the “red pill’ or the “blue pill” in The Matrix, they both lead to the same fate.

Or you can say, “ I belong to God!”

Then even if you die, you live.

You will be back for the curtain call at the end of the show.

Then we get to shine like the stars, mirroring the glowing figure with the eyes of fire, forever and ever!

Questions for Reflection:

When is the last time you fasted and prayed? Are you hearing God’s voice and discerning the times? Are you praying like Daniel for our nation and for God’s people?

Have you had an encounter with Jesus that transformed you? Is your Jesus mild or have you looked into those eyes of fire? How does your image of Christ prepare you for battle?

What about end time events can you be sure of? Are you trying to figure out which side God is on? Or is it only important that your attention is fixed on Him? Are you among the wise who purify themselves and shine?