Enduring the Refiner's Fire

Enduring the Refiner’s Fire Daniel 12:4-13 sermon notes I. Intro: Concluding Review This morning, we come to the end of the book of Daniel. As we’ve walked carefully through the book, we’ve summarized the message of each chapter in a way that reflects what we believe is the Spirit-inspired main point, main message God recorded these words to communicate to all of God’s people. We’ve provided each of those summary statements in your bulletins this morning, and I’d like to run through them, as a way to quickly review the book of Daniel. First, we noted that the purpose of the book of Daniel is to encourage God’s people to persevere in trusting our totally sovereign God in the face of the trials of life. That statement explains why the stories of the first half of the book were recorded and why the visions of the second half of the book were recorded. The message of chapter 1: God will enable his faithful people to endure, even in exile. The message of chapter 2: God alone has the wisdom and might to rule and explain history, and his eternal kingdom will finally replace all human kingdoms. The message of chapter 3: God alone is worthy of our worship and trust, as he is faithful to his faithful people. The message of chapter 4: God is the rightful ruler over all human kingdoms, and he decides which, when, and how long human rulers receive authority. The message of chapter 5: God executes judgment against those who exalt themselves and refuse to honor him. The message of chapter 6: God alone is able to deliver his people from death. The message of chapter 7: God rules over the beastly kingdoms of the world, and he will judge the wicked and establish his kingdom for his people through the Son of Man, even as persecution of God’s people increases. The message of chapter 8: God establishes decisive limits on the oppression of his people by wicked rulers. The message of chapter 9: In response to Daniel’s prayer, God revealed the time when he would rescue his people from the exile of sin—completely by grace—by sending the Messiah to die for them, establishing the New Covenant, and executing judgment against unbelieving Israel to fulfill the ultimate Jubilee. The message of chapters 10-12: God rules over the details of the future, even as that future consists of “wars and rumors of wars,” great tribulation for God’s people, and the increase of wickedness, all leading, however, to the grand climax of God’s judgment and the salvation of the remnant in the resurrection of the dead. Let me make three observations about the big picture, when we present it this way. First, every one of these statements should be fully embraced by every Christian on the planet. For all the debate and disagreements about how to understand the details of the book of Daniel and especially the details of the fulfillment of some of the prophetic portions of the book, every main point that we have drawn out in this series is agreed upon by genuine Christians. Some may not see certain details of these messages taught in these specific sections of Daniel, but everything that I just said is clearly taught in Scripture. Second, chapters 7, 9, and 10-12 are the most difficult and complex parts of the book. This, too, students of Scripture generally agree on. Third, summarizing the chapters this way helps us to see clearly that the book of Daniel is about God. God is the main actor, the main character, and the book has been written to teach us about God—his character, his ways, his plans, and his gospel. Sometimes, especially when we teach the stories of Daniel to our children, we know the stories, we can recall what happened to Daniel and his friends and how they responded to their circumstances, but it’s easy to miss the point of the stories, that they are really given to us to teach us about God. When we get the point—that it’s all about God—then we can receive the real benefit of these stories and these visions: they are intended to strengthen our faith so that we may endure the God-ordained hardships of life. Pastor Mitch Chase summarizes how Daniel himself might’ve processed it all, even as he didn’t understand it all; he writes, “Exiled as a teenager and now an old man purified by trial, Daniel knew firsthand the might and majesty of the world’s true Lord. His many visions proved that God’s wise timetable was the track of the trains of worldly kingdoms. Rulers rise and fall, nations come and go, but the course of history will unfold to its appointed goal: the display of God’s glory in salvation through judgment.” So, now, as we come to the end, what do we have left to see? We’ve made our way through Daniel’s record of his final visionary experience. We were mystified by an anonymous angel’s report of heavenly combat in chapter 10; we were made dizzy by that angel’s announcement of earthly conflicts between the north and the south and the glorious land in chapter 11; and we were filled with awe and hope with the angel’s announcement of the resurrection of the dead in the first three verses of chapter 12. Along the way, we considered the possible historical fulfillment of the angel’s prophetic sketch of the history of the future, from Daniel’s vantage point. While pretty much everyone agrees on what that looked like in Daniel 11:2-35, students of Scripture divide at verse 36 on whether or not there is a gap of time between verses 35 and 36 and how big that gap should be assumed. I presented my own argument for viewing the end of chapter 11 as finding its historical fulfillment in the historical Roman Empire, focusing on the events of the Jewish Revolt leading to the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Then, from chapter 12, verses 1-3, I tried to describe the connection between Michael’s rise and Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension, which also biblically connects with the destruction of the temple, and how those primary events set the stage for “the time of trouble,” all while keeping our attention fixed on the hope of the resurrection of the dead when Jesus returns. We’re about to find out what Daniel made of this. But first, in verse 4, the angel gives Daniel a command regarding what he’s just heard. It’s time for Daniel to wrap it all up. Look at Daniel 12:4. II. Wrap It Up! (Dan. 12:4) “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.” It’s time for Daniel to stop writing. This is the final revelation the prophet Daniel will receive that is to be recorded and preserved as Scripture for God’s people. The angel instructs the prophet to “seal the book,” or more precisely “seal the scroll.” We saw a similar command back in chapter 8, verse 26, where the angel Gabriel had told Daniel, after seeing and recording the vision featuring the ram and the goat, “The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” Daniel had received that vision about 15 years earlier, and when we looked at that passage, I suggested that Gabriel intended for Daniel to roll up the record of that vision and lock it away until Daniel would later pull it out and compile it together with the records of Daniel’s experiences in Babylon and his other visionary experiences, into what we now refer to as “the book of Daniel.” Here, at the very end of chapter 12, after Daniel has had his final visionary experience, the command is doubly emphatic from this angel and it seems to communicate the finality of this last visionary experience. The prophet is in his eighties; he surely hasn’t much longer to live. But he must roll up and seal the record of this final visionary experience as well, to preserve it for safekeeping. This angel specifies that the record should be left sealed and stored “until the time of the end.” I’ve cautioned us to always ask “the end of what” when we see the phrase “the end” in Daniel. Even this exact phrase, “the time of the end,” was used earlier, in Daniel 8:17c, Gabriel’s first words to Daniel regarding that vision of the ram and the goat: “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” As we unpacked the fulfillment of that prophetic vision in chapter 8, we saw how it focused on the rise of the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, depicted as a bizarre little horn on the Greek goat in the vision. Thus, there, the phrase “the time of the end” referred to the time near the end of the Greek Empire, not long before Rome conquered Greece. And most students of Scripture agree about that understanding of the fulfillment. Then, we find the phrase again, in Daniel 11:40. What “end” is referred to here is debated, but I argued for a reference to the end of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. What students of Scripture do agree on, however, is that “the end” in 8:17 does not refer to the same time period as “the end” in 11:40. Thus, when we come into chapter 12, and we see the exact phrase again, “the time of the end,” we shouldn’t leap unnecessarily to the conclusion that this angel means the time near the very end of human history. Rather, as we’ll see clearly in verse 13, we should view this as a reference to the end of Daniel’s life. So, the angel commands Daniel to finish up his record of this final visionary experience, seal it to keep it safe, so that, just before he dies, he can unroll the scroll and combine it with his other records into what we now have as “the book of Daniel.” But then, at the end of verse 4, the angel makes one final mysterious comment. Look at it again: “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The word translated “run to and fro” does not, by itself, mean searching for someone or something; it simply means to scatter or roam about. In verse 10, we’ll see “the many” specified as those who are experiencing God’s purification through suffering. Here, all the angel is likely indicating is that God’s faithful people are going to be forced to scatter, to roam around; because of the persecution that will come in the time periods detailed in chapter 11 and the “time of trouble” of chapter 12, verse 2, God’s people will not be able to stay put in one place; they will be dispersed all over the place. But their knowledge shall multiply or increase. The angel may be implying— and this is not stated explicitly—that the publication of Daniel’s book will help the faithful remnant of God’s people increase their knowledge of God, even as they are scattered and persecuted in the future, after Daniel’s death. The visionary experience continues for Daniel here; he witnesses a conversation between angels, and the question on the table is a question we’ve heard asked before in this book: How long? Look at verses 5-8: III. How Long? (Dan. 12:5-8a) 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 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. 8a I heard, but I did not understand. We’ll stop there for now. “The man clothed in linen” is the way Daniel had described the primary angelic figure who spoke all the way through chapter 11 and into chapter 12. Thus, two more angelic figures appear, and one of them will ask the pivotal question: “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” Now, it’s important to slow down and make sure we understand what the angel is asking about. What does “the end of these wonders” refer to? The word “wonders” has been used in Daniel twice before, though it is not translated the same in any of our English Bibles. It appeared in Daniel 8:24, referring to the “fearful destruction” caused by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Then, we see it again in Daniel 11:36, referring to “the king” who “shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods.” As I mentioned two weeks ago, many students of Scripture view this king in 11:36 as Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and they would see the use of this repeated word as evidence for that. However, I see the use of this word translated “fearful” or “astonishing” or “wondrous” or “awful” or “wonderful” as indicating a comparison between the two. As I indicated, I believe the king of 11:36 is the Jewish zealot John of Gischala, who did indeed have much in common with the pagan Antiochus IV Epiphanes. When we see this word reappear here in this angel’s question as a description of “these wonders,” I assume he refers to the events most recently described. Thus, I think he’s asking, “How long will it be until the rebuilt temple will be destroyed?” Remember, from Daniel’s vantage point, the temple hasn’t even been rebuilt yet! He has learned from his final three visionary experiences what he already knew from earlier biblical prophecy: the temple destroyed by the Babylonians would be rebuilt in Jerusalem, but these visions indicate that, after it’s rebuilt, it will be destroyed again! According to the last words of “the man clothed in linen,” in Daniel 12:1-3, that destruction will happen before the final hope of the resurrection of the dead will bring vindication for both God and his people. So, it might be helpful if Daniel could record for his readers when they should anticipate these events to unfold. After all, as we pointed out in chapter 11, the gaps and time periods were not specified by the angelic “man clothed in linen.” This “man clothed in linen” provides a serious but cryptic answer. He raises both his hands as a gesture accompanying an oath, swearing to the truthfulness of what he is about to say. How long? “A time, times, and half a time.” There’s a phrase we’ve heard before in the book of Daniel as well, back in chapter 7, verse 25. There, the phrase indicated the time that the saints would be given over to be oppressed by the figure represented by the little horn of the horrific monster, representing the fourth human empire, what we’ve identified as the historical Roman Empire. The angel in chapter 7 didn’t define this phrase in terms of years or decades or centuries. He didn’t define it all. It remains cryptic. When we looked at Daniel 7:25, I examined this phrase, and I stand by my conclusion: the word translated “time” never means “year” anywhere else, and I still see no reason for it to mean “year” here. This unique phraseology, “time, times and a half,” is some kind of figure of speech. It doesn’t communicate any literal span of time, and I think that is the point. It’s not supposed to specify the time period in terms of days, weeks, months, or years. It’s not intended to give calendar-information; it’s intended to bring comfort and assurance. I won’t repeat my full explanation from the sermon from chapter 7, but my conclusion there fits here as well: this phrase refers to a period of time that will seem long to God’s people, as they go through it, but which will be definitively stopped at God’s appointed time. Thus, the answer the angelic figure gives to the question, “How long till the end of these wonders?” is, essentially: it will last as long as it lasts. But, as in Daniel 7:25, the time period in view is associated with the historical Roman Empire and may be expected to stretch on until Jesus returns. I like the way John Calvin summarized the point: “Its meaning is very simple, time means a long period, times, a longer period, and a half means the end or closing period….We see then that a time does not mean precisely one year, nor do times signify two years, but an indefinite period. With respect to the half of a time, this is added for the comfort of the pious, to prevent their sinking under the delay, because God does not accomplish their desire. Thus they rest patiently until this ‘time’ as well as ‘the times’ pass away. Besides, the issue is set before them by the words half a time, to prevent them from despairing through excessive weariness.” Nevertheless, the angel does describe the ending of this period a bit more. At the end of verse 7, he elaborates, “when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.” Rather than give a specific time period, the angel points again to the sovereign plan of God in all these events. The word translated “shattering” is a word that is very often used to describe God’s judgment. The prophet Jeremiah uses it frequently. In Jeremiah 51:20-23, the Lord prophetically addresses the future Medo-Persian Empire, or perhaps King Cyrus himself. Listen to the references to God “breaking” something “in pieces”: 20 You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms; 21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer; 22 with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman; 23 with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces governors and commanders. Thus, here in Daniel 12:7, I think Daniel would’ve understood the angelic “man clothed in linen” to be saying that “the time of trouble” from verse 2 would come to an end when God finishes exercising his historical judgment against “the power of the holy people.” I see here the same thing the apostle Paul says in Romans 11:25b: “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” What the angel did not reveal about this judicial hardening, this shattering of the power of the holy people—which would include not only persecution against the Jewish people, but also the majority of Jewish people rejecting their Messiah after he had come—what the angel did not reveal that Paul makes clear is that there is a good and glorious purpose for this ongoing judgment against the Jewish people. Earlier, in Romans 11:15, Paul had said, “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” Thus, the prolonged rebellion of the Jews against the one true God has a divinely glorious purpose; God planned and is using their fall, their rejection of their Messiah, in order to bring “the reconciliation of the world,” salvation for the Gentiles! The blessing for all nations, promised to Abraham and his offspring, comes ironically, mysteriously, through the ethnic offspring of Abraham’s rejection of God! What then of the promise of resurrection for the wise? What then of the future of the Jewish people? What happens when “the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end”? What will it mean for “all these things” to “be finished”? Paul elaborates in Romans 11:26, “And in this way all Israel will be saved.” John MacArthur recognizes the connection between this passage in Daniel 12, indicating the salvation of the remnant, and Paul’s words in Romans 11:25-26, and MacArthur says, “[T]he many of Daniel becomes the all of Paul in Romans 11:26.” Before Jesus returns, the Lord will remove this “partial hardening” that remains to this day over the hearts of the majority of Jewish people in the world, and they will embrace their Savior, their Messiah, Jesus, just as we Gentiles have. The book of Daniel is all about God. The salvation of Gentiles is all about God. The salvation of Jews is all about God. This is Paul’s point in explaining these things the way he does. He adds, in Romans 11:32, “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” Why would God do this? Why does he bring salvation this way? To combine Romans 3:19b with Romans 11:33 and 36: “so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Back in Daniel 12, the prophet responds in verse 8, “I heard, but I did not understand.” Yup, that sounds about right. The angel had asked “how long,” but the answer that came did not provide a time period in response. It will last as long as it lasts; it will last until God accomplishes his glorious purposes. So, Daniel asks a follow-up question: “What’s the outcome?” We pick up in the middle of verse 8, and we’ll read through verse 10. IV. What’s the Outcome? (Dan. 12:8b-10) Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 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.” So, Daniel didn’t understand the timeframe response of the angelic “man clothed in linen,” so, as a follow-up, he asks about the outcome. He seems to accept that he’s not supposed to know the timeframe of the events, but he wants to know what purpose God has for these horrific things that have been revealed. The angel’s response is not to be taken as a rebuke for Daniel’s question, I don’t think. Rather, he’s simply encouraging Daniel to be content with what has been revealed and to get on with the normal business of living whatever is left of the life God has called him to live. He basically repeats the words of verse 4 to indicate that Daniel has received all he’s going to receive. The question for us today, then, from the angel’s words to Daniel, is: Are we content with the revelation God has provided for us? Do we really believe the Bible is sufficient for both doctrine and for life? Is the Bible enough to provide guidance for what we need to believe and for how we need to live in this world? God still speaks today to his people; he speaks through the words printed on these pages. He speaks to me every time I open this book. God is speaking; are you listening? In Daniel 12:10, the angel answers Daniel’s question, however. Daniel wanted to know the outcome of these things. The conflicts announced in chapter 11, with the Jewish people caught in the crossfire and then in the crosshairs, the destruction of the temple, the time of trouble—what’s it all for? The angel refers back to his words in 11:35. There, he was explaining how the stumbling of the wise among God’s people would result in their being refined, purified, and whitened by God, all focused on the heinous atrocities committed by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his Greek armies. Here, the angel probably indicates that that same purpose is in view for the rest of the time of trouble, the time of suffering for God’s people that would begin in the Roman Empire, in the aftermath of the death of the Messiah and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The ESV is the odd translation out in verse 10; most English translations have passive verbs all the way through: “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined,” with the implication being that God is purifying, whitening, and refining the many referred to here, and that is surely what the angel intends. All the while, the angel announces, wicked people will continue in their wickedness, but they will not gain understanding, understanding of God’s ways, but the promise is that the wise will gain understanding. This lines up with verse 4, where the angel promised that “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” As one writer says of this promise, “They understand because they will have turned in faith to Christ, been born again, received the Holy Spirit, and gained spiritual insight from the Word of God.” Now we have to deal with verses 11-12, the most difficult, most debated, most absolutely unclear statements we read about in the whole book of Daniel. Maybe. In verses 11-12, we read about days to endure and days to wait. Take a look: V. Days to Endure, Days to Wait (Dan. 12:11-12) 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. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 11 Nowhere else in all of Scripture are these precise time frames repeated. Students of Scripture of all theological persuasions have speculated what period of time the angel is referring to and what events might happen during and between these two time periods. No one should be dogmatic. Thus far, my understanding of this passage, from chapter 11, verse 36 up to this point, has focused on events during the historical Roman Empire, surrounding the death of Jesus and the destruction of the temple. Thus, my basic assumption would be that the angel continues that discussion here. However, two details draw my attention to a different time period. First, the angel is answering a different question than before. One of the other two angels asked about the timeframe of the ending of the events just described, which I take to be the end of the Jewish temple in AD 70. The angel didn’t answer that question with a specific timeframe. Daniel then asks what’s the point of all that had been revealed; what will be the outcome? And the angel indicates that God’s purpose in these things is the refining of his faithful people. So, that’s the first thing that I notice; the angel has already essentially answered Daniel’s question. So, verses 11-12, which highlight time sequences, may have to do with something else. The second thing I notice is the reference to “the regular burnt offering” being “taken away.” When did Daniel hear about that event with those very words? Daniel had first heard about this event in the vision of chapter 8, in verses 1112, depicted as the hostility of the Greek goat and its little horn, which would be fulfilled in the person of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his desecration of the Jewish temple, which caused all the sacrifices in the temple to be ceased for about three years. But, most recently, he heard about it again in 11:31, which everyone agrees is referring to the abominable acts of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 BC. Look there again: “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.” Now, there is one more passage in Daniel that associates desolation with some kind of abomination: Daniel 9:27. When we looked at that passage, the conclusion of the Seventy Weeks prophecy, I argued that its fulfillment had to do with the destruction of the temple at the conclusion of the Jewish Revolt in AD 70. The key sentence is the final one: “And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” So, with the language of abomination and desolation combined, from the context of the book of Daniel, we could think of events associated either with Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 160s BC or with the Jewish Revolt against the Romans in AD 70. So, what is the angel referring to in Daniel 12:11? Because of the specific reference to the removal of the regular burnt offering and that exact language being used in Daniel 8 and 11, but not in Daniel 9:27, I believe the angel is drawing our attention back to the period of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. If you’ll recall, when we looked at the details of chapter 11, I suggested that the angel draws our attention to verses 21-35, spending 16 verses describing events that would cover a historical period of only about 12 years. This is clearly the emphasis point of the vision for Daniel and his first readers. Thus, it doesn’t surprise me that, at the conclusion, he would draw our attention back there once again. But, in this final visionary experience, if this angel revisits the time period of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, he introduces two more time periods that don’t line up precisely with what we know of from the well-documented history of that period. For just a moment, I’d like to raise the possibility that these time periods are intended to be viewed symbolically or theologically. 1,290 days is a little more than three and a half years. Three-and-a-half-year periods catch the attention of theologians looking to sketch out future end-times events. I just realized something odd about this last week. Not once, in all of Scripture, does the phrase “three and a half years” actually occur. Two New Testament verses refer to “three years and six months” as the time period of the famine in Elijah’s days. Then, I considered how the Bible usually refers to periods of time longer than a year, and, consistently, it refers to time periods the normal way we do; it’ll say, “a year and four months,” or “seven years and six months.” The Bible never speaks of “a half year.” I’ve always had the question, both in Daniel 12 and in the book of Revelation: why the abnormal references to time, counting a period of time that equals several years by reference to numbers of days or numbers of months? That’s not a normal way of reckoning time. Couldn’t that, in and of itself, suggest that these time references are intended to be taken as symbolic in some way? Bible interpreters who insist that we should interpret Scripture literally, unless the text gives us reason to seek a symbolic meaning—wouldn’t this break from normal communication be a good reason to at least consider the possibility? When we look at the details of Daniel 12:11-12, another difficulty presents itself. The angel doesn’t specify what event is supposed to conclude the period of time, which may indicate that this information is not intended for our calendars. Perhaps the angel is simply saying once Antiochus IV Epiphanes does his worst in the temple, the suffering that will follow will be definitively ended in a relatively short period of time, a time that can be counted in terms of days. Then, perhaps, the angel goes further in verse 13 and extends a blessing, an offer of congratulations to anyone who patiently waits yet longer, past the apparent end of the suffering Antiochus IV Epiphanes will cause the Jewish people. Forty-five more days are added to the previous time period. The angel, again, doesn’t specify an event to come at that point. Perhaps the point in all of this is, again, much simpler, and, again, not for our calendars. The angel indicates that God’s people must endure suffering for a period of time that can be counted in days, and those days are precisely numbered by God. As God’s people endure suffering and tribulation, there will always be a need to endure, and it may seem like it’s going on longer than we’d like, longer than we’d expect. The angel’s message here is for God’s people to keep trusting, to keep waiting, and to have confidence that there’s blessing on the other side of the suffering. Thus, rather than emphasizing details for Daniel’s calendar, the angel gives him one final command and two promises as well. For Daniel, and for us, there’s responsibility, rest, resurrection, and reward. I’m borrowing these Rs essentially from John MacArthur’s preaching of this verse. Look at verse 13. VI. Responsibility, Rest, Resurrection, and Reward (Dan. 12:13) “But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” The angel repeats the command from verse 9: Go, Daniel. Not, “Go away!” But, “Go; keep living your life; remain faithful in how God has called you to live.” MacArthur says, “What is your response to the fact that all this is coming to pass? You get your pajamas on and sit on the roof and wait for it? Do you panic? No, you just go your way. You just live the life so that when He comes you’ll not be ashamed at His appearing.” And, I agree with MacArthur here, that “the end” is the end of Daniel’s life. The responsibility here is essentially, “Keep calm and carry on.” The promise that follows will come true after Daniel’s lived his life. You shall rest; that is, you’ll die. Now, for us, that may not come true. We may not die. For Daniel, the Messiah had not come and would not come until well beyond Daniel’s lifetime. He learned that from his encounter with Gabriel in chapter 9. But, for us, the Messiah has come and accomplished his glorious work of redemption, living a perfect human life, dying a sacrificial death to pay for our failures to live a perfect human life, rising from the dead as the firstfruits of those who have died, and ascending to heaven, claiming all authority in heaven and on earth to sit on the throne at the right hand of God, as Son of Man and Lord of all. Thus, for us, we await his return, and we may not rest in death! I hope he returns before we die! But the promise for Daniel, and also for us, is that even if we die, we will stand with Daniel. That is to say: we will rise from the dead! The glorious resurrection to come is promised to the wise, those who trust him and believe his word, those whom God purifies and preserves through tribulation in this life. We will rise! Finally, there is a promise of reward for Daniel, and for us, too. The promise that Daniel will “stand in your allotted place” borrows language from the book of Joshua. The land of Israel was parceled out to the tribes by casting lots, and this word came to be used to refer to the land that was divvied out by lot as the promised inheritance for God’s people. This, then, speaks of an earthly future, an earthly inheritance, Daniel will receive after God raises him from the dead. This points to the New Creation, the New Earth, where Daniel and all of us who trust Jesus the Messiah will live together in our “allotted place.” After the apostle John describes how he saw in his final vision a new heaven and a new earth, and the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, as the final culmination of all of God’s plans, promises, and purposes, he quotes the Lord as saying, in Revelation 21:7 (NIV 2011), “Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” However long we have to wait for that, it will be worth it! VII. Conclusion: Refiner’s Fire Now, Precious Gold Later As we close out our series through the book of Daniel, let’s consider how we experience the Refiner’s fire now in order to see the product of precious gold later. We stand with Daniel, seeking to be faithful to the Lord who has rescued us and who is with us, even in the fires of tribulation. We remember, again, Peter’s words, who speaks of his Christian readers’ faithful response in their sufferings in 1 Peter 1:6-7: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” To mix metaphors, God uses the vice of tribulation to squeeze out the impurities of our faith, so that when we stand before God on the last day, in our resurrected glory, our faith will produce praise, glory, and honor for our great Savior. Don’t you want that? Don’t you long for that day? Perhaps it’s fitting to end our study of Daniel with a brief glance at another prophet’s words, one who came after Daniel but before Peter. God sent the prophet Zechariah, along with Haggai, to motivate the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to get back to work on rebuilding the temple, which was a necessary stepping-stone for God to send his Messiah to accomplish his purposes for restoration and salvation. After a series of visionary experiences of his own, largely focused on those days of temple-rebuilding, the prophet Zechariah receives a brief oracle from the Lord about the future Messiah. In Zechariah 13:7-9, we read: 7 8 9 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares Yahweh of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. In the whole land, declares Yahweh, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’ ” Yahweh here poetically describes the establishment of the New Covenant, which would involve God’s good shepherd being executed, which would result in the sheep being scattered and then refined through trials that would clarify the identity of the redeemed remnant. Matthew and Mark quote the last part of verse 7, recognizing Jesus as the stricken shepherd and his eleven disciples as the scattered sheep, even as Jesus is being arrested, prior to his actual execution. Then, Peter picks up on the refining of the remnant the Lord announced here in Zechariah, as we saw in 1 Peter 1:6-7. Thus, the eleven apostles and also all followers of Jesus today are recognized as the remnant of God’s faithful people. The question, as it has been in these final sections of Daniel’s book, is: Are you included among this remnant? Are you a follower of Jesus? Are you one of his sheep? Jesus is the good shepherd, the stricken shepherd, the pierced shepherd, the suffering servant, the one who has given his life for the sheep. Is he calling you today? His sheep hear his voice, follow him, know him, and come when he calls. He is gathering his sheep from among the nations, gathering Jews and Gentiles together into the one flock of God. He has taken up his life again, in resurrection, and he promises, guarantees, resurrection life with him in the New Creation for all who receive his gift of eternal life now, in this age. Jesus is the resurrected king, the exalted Son of Man, the executed Messiah, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which shall not pass away, shall not be destroyed, and shall outlast and swallow up all fallen earthly kingdoms, as he rescues sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation. The book of Daniel pushes us to look to him now, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, so that we might endure whatever tribulation may come our way with faith and obedience. The gospel is all about God’s sovereignty, as we proclaim the Lord’s death and the Lord’s reign. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Christ is Lord; Caesar is not.