Sermon Tone Analysis

Wenstrom Bible Ministries

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday October 1, 2014

www.wenstrom.org

Daniel: Daniel 12:13-The Lord Promises Daniel He Will Be Raised from the Dead and Rewarded for His Faithful Service

Lesson # 386

Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 12:13.

Daniel 12:13 “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

(NASB95)

“But as for you, go your way to the end” refers to Daniel proceeding from this encounter with the preincarnate Christ and living his life until he dies.

“Then you will enter into rest” refers to the state of Daniel being at rest after his death.

“And rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age” is a promise to Daniel that he will be rewarded for his faithfulness.

“At the end of the age” is composed of the preposition lĕ (לְ) (leh) “at” and its object is the noun qēṣ (קֵץ) (kates), “the end of” which is modifying the noun yôm (יוֹם) (yome), “the age.”

The noun yôm is in the plural and means “days” referring to a unit of time reckoned from sunset to the next sunset, including two or more segments (morning and evening) about 24 hours.

The word’s articular construction is anaphoric meaning it is pointing back to the end of 1,335 days which is mentioned in Daniel 12:12.

These 1,335 days refers to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week which will last 1,260 days plus 30 days after the seventieth week after the Second Advent when the temple will be cleansed plus 45 days after this in which the Jews and Gentiles who survive the tribulation will be judged.

This judgment will be followed by the Lord rewarding Old Testament saints like Daniel for their faithfulness.

At that time the Lord will reward Daniel by giving him land in His millennial kingdom as well as a possession of authority in His millennial government.

The noun qēṣ means “end” since it pertains to a point of time marking the completion of a duration of time and here it is marking the end of the 1,335 days.

The noun yôm is also the object of the preposition lĕ which means “at” since it is used in a temporally terminative sense indicating that it is marking the end of the 1,335 days as the point in time in which Daniel will be rewarded by the Lord for his faithfulness.

Daniel 12:13 “Now, as for you, go live your life to the end.

Then, you will rest and then you will rise in order to receive your allotted inheritance at the end of these days.”

(My translation)

Daniel’s conversation with the man dressed in linen who we noted is the preincarnate Christ comes to an end and so does this book which bears his name.

The Lord ends the conversation with Daniel by commanding him to go live out the rest of his days.

In other words, he is directing Daniel to live his life until he dies.

Death is the sovereign decision of God based upon the love of God and omniscient knowledge of all the facts (Psalm 23:1-6; 116:15; Ecclesiastes 3:1-2; 7:1; Isaiah 25:8; John 5:24; 8:51).

The death of a member of the human race like Daniel’s death is not ruled by chance or fate but according to the providence of God.

The providence of God is the divine outworking of the divine decree, the object being the final manifestation of God’s glory.

The doctrine of providence expresses the fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God Who reveals the purpose of providence through the death, resurrection and session of Christ.

Prior to the resurrection, ascension and session of Jesus Christ, when Old Testament saints like Daniel died, they went to a compartment of Hades called “Paradise” (Lk.

23:39-43; Eph.

4:8-9).

Following Christ’s resurrection and ascension they were all transferred to heaven (Eph.

4:10).

When a church age believer dies, he goes directly into the presence of the Lord (2 Cor.

5:8).

Non-believers in the Old Testament went to “Torments” after their death.

This is true today of non-Christians in the church age.

This place was the temporary fire for the souls of unbelievers from all dispensations (Lk.

16:19-31).

At the end of human history, all of them will be transferred to the Great White Throne Judgment that concludes human history and from there will be cast in the Lake of Fire forever (Rev.

20:11-15).

Then, in Daniel 12:13, the Lord informs Daniel that he will rest.

This is a reference to Daniel’s intermediate state after his physical death which is prior to his receiving his resurrection body.

This state is called a rest since Daniel will no longer have a sin nature which resided in the genetic structure of his body.

He will thus no longer be subjected to the temptation of his old Adamic sin nature.

He will also no longer be subjected to the temptations of Satan and his cosmic system and nor will he ever again face the attacks of Satan and his angels.

The Lord then tells Daniel that he will be raised from the dead in order to receive his allotted inheritance at the end of the 1,335 days.

The resurrection of Old Testament saints is mentioned in Daniel 12:2.

Daniel 12:2 “Then, many from those sleeping in the dusty ground will be awakened-some for the purpose of experiencing everlasting life but others for the purpose of experiencing disgrace, for the purpose of experiencing everlasting contempt.”

(Author’s translation)

A comparison of Daniel 12:1 with the first prophetic statement in Daniel 12:2 indicates that the resurrection of the dead saints in Israel who lived during the Old Testament dispensations will be raised after the deliverance of the regenerate Jews from the tribulation period of the seventieth week.

Thus, the angelic being is informing Daniel and the reader that chronologically, the resurrection of Old Testament saints in Israel will take place at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ when He delivers regenerate Jews from the Antichrist and Satan during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

The chronological order of events in God’s resurrection program: (1) Jesus Christ (Matthew 28; Mark 16:1-14; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-9).

(2) The Church at the rapture, which takes place prior to Daniel’s seventieth week (1 Cor.

15:51-58; 1 Thess.

4:13-18; Philippians 3:21).

(3) Old Testament believers and Tribulation martyrs at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which ends Daniels’ seventieth week (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4).

(4) Every non-believer in human history will be raised from the dead at the Great White Throne Judgment of unbelievers at the end of human history (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:11-15).

Now, we must note that there will be two judgments conducted by the Lord Jesus Christ immediately after His Second Advent and just prior to His millennial reign.

In fact, only believers will be living at the start of the millennial reign of our Lord as a result of these judgments.

Those Israelites and Gentiles who reject Jesus Christ as Savior are removed from the earth whereas those who trust in Him as Savior will enter the millennium.

The judgment of those Israelites who survive the Tribulation is referred to in Ezekiel 20:33-37 and Malachi 3:2-6 whereas Matthew 25:31-46 speaks of the judgment of those Gentiles who survive the Tribulation.

The chronology of prophesied events by our Lord in Matthew 24 and 25 indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge Israel immediately upon returning at His Second Advent and then after this He will judge the Gentiles.

The chronology of events listed in Matthew 24 and 25: (1) First three and a half years of Daniel’s seventieth week (Matthew 24:4-6) (2) Last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Matthew 24:7-28) (3) The Second Advent of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:29-30) (4) The elect angels will regather Israel (Matthew 24:31).

(5) The Lord Jesus Christ will judge Israel (Matthew 25:1-30) (6) The Lord Jesus Christ will judge the Gentiles (Matthew 25:31-46).

(7) Millennium.

Daniel’s “allotted inheritance” refers to the Lord rewarding Daniel by giving him land in the millennial kingdom and bestowing upon him a position of authority in the Lord’s millennial government.