The End Times - Part 3
Daniel - A Giant Amongst Giants • Sermon • Submitted
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We have been studying the final vision recorded in the book of Daniel depicting what will affect Daniel's people. (i.e., Israel)
Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
Its words were closed and sealed “till the time of the end” -
And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
And this is why these are called end-times visions, but as we discussed in previous visions and previous chapters, just because it says end times, doesn’t mean it means the end of all times. It meant the end of a specific time. In the case of the majority of the book of Daniel, it meant the end of the captivity of Israel and the coming of the Messiah. We looked at Daniel’s vision with the hindsight of history and found that his visions and interpretation of the visions have been shockingly accurate.
As we started looking at the vision we saw that its introductory remarks gave us a glimpse of spiritual warfare — of angelic forces withstanding each other.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.
We saw angelic forces helping one another
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.
“Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.)
Throughout we saw that these spiritual battles were directly affecting the nations of Persia and Greece. As we continued to study the vision, a series of future conflicts involving nations is described.
WE first saw the conflicts that happened between the Persians and the Greeks
And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
Between kings of the South (Egypt) and kings of the North (Syria). As we learned last week
In this conflict, Israel would be caught in the middle and suffer extreme blasphemies by one Syrian king (Antiochus Epiphanes). Remember, we heard the story of the Maccabees and how the Festival of Lights known as Chanukkah began.
That brings us to
“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
This passage isn’t as clear as the others because there is no clear correlation in history with which we can associate it, and amongst Biblical scholars there is a great deal of debate. Now, let me remind you, when we started, I told you that I wanted to come into this open minded, because I had learned to read Daniel a certain way. And when I actually started to look at these passages in the light of history, I was shocked to see that their fulfilment had already occured. These passages were not speaking of the end times as I understood them, or had been taught all these years. Now, as we go into this final section of scripture, there is no absolute and clear correlation as there was before. So I searched my commentaries to see what others had to say, and to be honest, some of them had some pretty good takes, but then I searched out different opinions and well, they had good takes too, all takes also had weaknesses though and so I was left not knowing which was correct. And therein lies the problem with Daniel. So rather than just tell you what I think, I’ll tell you what I think is a pretty plausible opinion, but remember, we aren’t being dogmatic and I may be wrong, as I sometimes have been known to be.
The King’s Identity
The King’s Identity
Three Different Views
Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria
The Emperors of Rome who persecuted the Christians in the early Church.
The Anti-Christ
So who is it? Well, I thought about it, and when Lizzie asked me yesterday afternoon if I knew what that last passage was about, I had to admit I didn’t. I am still not 100% sure, but I did remember what I was taught in my Bible Interpretation classes during my ministry apprenticeship, and that is the rule of consistency. Now, usually that involves not switching back and forth between something spiritual and something literal. For example lots of people try to make their preferred theology fit a certain passage of scripture by saying, there’s not contradiction here, the first half of this passage has a spiritual meaning and the last half is literal. And that’s just dumb because it implies that somehow God is schizophrenic! So with that in mind, how much sense does it make that God is speaking to Daniel about the times of the end, meaning the times right before the birth of Christ, and then suddenly He begins to refer to a future time out of the blue? That didn’t seem likely to me, so I would have to eliminate this passage as being about the Antichrist. It just doesn’t track.
Now listen very carefully to me. I’m not saying I don’t believe that there’s an Antichrist, I’m simply stating that I don’t believe this is who Daniel is speaking about. But remember, I could be wrong.
I also don’t think this is speaking of the Roman Emperors, which may be more believable because they come shortly after Antiochus Epiphanes, but the other times there was a change from one ruler to the next in Daniel’s vision, it was supported in the narrative, in this case there is no such indication. Notice how it’s said here.
“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.
It doesn’t give any indication of a change, and it does, in fact, seem to be a continuation of the previous narrative. This view is supported by the passage that follows as well. Look at it with me.
“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.
Nowhere else in prophetic scripture do we see a sudden transition in the narrative of a passage. The words “At that time also support this passage as being immediately sequential with the previous passage as opposed to being supported by hundreds of years. When the actions are reasonably believed to be sequential, then the most obvious answer would be the correct one. Nothing at all supports there being any kind of separation between Daniel 11:35 and Daniel 11:36. It is very similar to the sequential nature of
“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
But pastor, this could still be the Antichrist right? I mean, aren’t you making assumptions like everybody else? Well I suppose I am, but there is this one other nugget I have. Nowhere in Scripture is the Antichrist ever referred to as a king. But pastor, the stuff that the guy in Daniel’s vision sure does sound like the Antichrist. Well sure, but is the Antichrist even a singular person? Look at what these passages of scripture about the Antichrist have to say.
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
The Antichrist is coming.. a singular person, but then he says even know many antichrists have come. So the answer is the Antichrist is a very real person, but so also are various others whom the Bible points out.
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
Tell me no one else in history could fit that description. What about Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini? They weren’t antichrists?
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
Every unsaved person out there, according to this, is antichrist!
For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
See there, there are many deceivers and they are all an antichrist.
What other evidence is there that he’s still referring to Antiochus?
Indications that this is Antiochus
Indications that this is Antiochus
His Blasphemy
His Blasphemy
“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.
We know that Antiochus was blasphemous because of his behavior toward the Jews, his desecration of the Temple and his setting up false Gods. Next, we see how he prospered right up until judgment came? But why would God have permitted that? Well, remember saints, during the captivity God was punishing Israel for her unfaithfulness.
And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.
So far, we’re good right? Not too many difficulties here, I think we could all agree that this looks like Antiochus Epiphanes. So let’s keep going.
But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
It is widely believed that the god he set up in the temple and to whom he sacrificed swine was Zeus, the chief amongst the gods, so for sure a god of fortress. So advancing its glory, ruling over many and dividing the land for gain, and according to Doran Mendels from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the king did, in fact, make a military expedition to the east to appropriate the property and money of the temple of Artemis. so this seems to fit him as well, though though admittedly, I am kind of reaching here. Like I said, this isn’t as cut and dry as some of the previous fulfilment of prophesy and so I really can’t make such authoritative declarations about this one.
His Fall
His Fall
“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.
“At the time of the end” is when this next part happens. The question is the end of what? Some people believe it’s the end of the captivity, while others believe it’s the end of time. Maybe the time of the end is there to help us understand what is meant by the “latter days” mentioned in
Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
So then, we’ve determined that this speaks of the time of the end of the captivity of Israel? Again, we’re not very clear about what this means. But it’s possible that this is just a retelling of what we spoke about last week based on the fact that Antiochus Epiphanes did, in fact enter the Glorious Land. Though it does speak of many escaping, except for of course the Egyptians (and the Libyans and Ethiopians) which eventually do submit. But here again, we don’t see where history speaks of these other nations directly, though it’s quite possible that these other nations did engage Epiphanes directly in defense of Egypt. See now why this passage is so hard? With everything else we’ve been able to line things up very neatly, but this last part of the passage has either been lost to the fog of history, or as some suggest, hasn’t happened yet. But let’s continue.
But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
So, it’s news from the east and the north (likely Persia, which was to the northeast) that troubles him, so while the apocryphal book of Maccabees is not considered scripture, it is, nevertheless historical, so let’s take a look at this.
King Antiochus was going through the upper provinces when he heard that Elymais in Persia was a city famed for its wealth in silver and gold. Its temple was very rich, containing golden shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned over the Greeks. So he came and tried to take the city and plunder it, but he could not because his plan had become known to the citizens and they withstood him in battle. So he fled and in great disappointment left there to return to Babylon.
Then someone came to him in Persia and reported that the armies that had gone into the land of Judah had been routed; that Lysias had gone first with a strong force, but had turned and fled before the Jews; that the Jews had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils that they had taken from the armies they had cut down; that they had torn down the abomination that he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also Beth-zur, his town.
When the king heard this news, he was astounded and badly shaken. He took to his bed and became sick from disappointment, because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. He lay there for many days, because deep disappointment continually gripped him, and he realized that he was dying. So he called all his Friends and said to them, “Sleep has departed from my eyes and I am downhearted with worry. I said to myself, ‘To what distress I have come! And into what a great flood I now am plunged! For I was kind and beloved in my power.’ But now I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem. I seized all its vessels of silver and gold, and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good reason. I know that it is because of this that these misfortunes have come upon me; here I am, perishing of bitter disappointment in a strange land.”
Then he called for Philip, one of his Friends, and made him ruler over all his kingdom. He gave him the crown and his robe and the signet, so that he might guide his son Antiochus and bring him up to be king. Thus King Antiochus died there in the one hundred forty-ninth year. When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus the king’s son to reign. Lysias had brought him up from boyhood; he named him Eupator.
This would certainly seem to fit the description we have here right? It seems that according to Maccabees, the prophesy was, in fact, fulfilled. But the fulfillment doesn’t end there.
“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
This could very well speak of the deliverance of God’s people from Antiochus Epiphanes, but look at this next part.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
and now compare it to
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
and then go back here.
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.
Wait, what? See that crazy twist right there? This is the part that really throws me! What happens there at the end? Does Daniel suddenly take all of this very careful scholarship and throw a monkey wrench into it? I think he does, but then there’s this.
“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.”
now compare it to
So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”
Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright. And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.
and
“And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”
Both that vision, and this one, the one we’ve been looking at for the past three weeks were to be sealed up and most of it took place around 200-400 years in the future. but what does that mean, since the book of Daniel was widely available? It wasn’t sealed up as in hidden. Or was it? Now contrast this with this.
And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
At hand? At hand, and we are now 2000 years later and… what?
So here’s the part that really makes me doubt everything I just told you about this being Antiochus Epiphanes. And I know it’s not fair to leave you like this, but here it goes.
Two final questions are answered, one of them is overheard by Daniel
Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”
Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
Time, times and half a time. A time (a year) times (two years) and half a time (half a year) so 3 and a half years which translates to 42 months or 1260 days. Now if you know your eschatology, we know that this is known as the definite, marked period of tribulation.
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.
But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
and then there’s this
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
and this
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
and finally this
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
and in each case, when the persecution has accomplished its purpose, then the things described will take place. So are you now thoroughly confused? Yeah, so was Daniel.
Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
“But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.
And right there is why I don’t preach a lot of end times stuff Church. God hints at what is to come. He reveals what he needs to reveal for our sakes, but he closes up the rest till the time of the end for some very specific purposes. And here is where this whole series comes together to give you and me comfort and some very clear instruction.
Times of persecution come to all of God’s people to accomplish some very specific things.
That many shall be purified and the wise shall understand
And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.
To what end? To permit the wicked to do what they’ll do. In other words, for their wicked deeds to be exposed, while the people of God stand strong.
Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
Church, this is the part that excites me. That in the end it really doesn’t matter if Daniel is about the ultimate end of days or it’s just about the end of the captivity of Israel, it instructs us as to how God operates, and it shows us that right when wickedness seems to be ultimately winning and the people of God are facing their worst persecution, God has a purpose, and it usually means that the wicked are about to meet a sudden and very fierce judgement.
The book of Daniel ends with him being given some very specific time frames for the “end of these things” meaning the captivity of Israel.
And this is his final instruction.
“But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.
Notice how there is a difference here? Not the time of the end as has been spoken throughout the book of Daniel. Here the angel is speaking of the end of the days. Meaning the final judgement, the final resurrection!
Putting it All Together
Putting it All Together
We have seen that the book of Daniel isn’t really a book about the end times as many Christians think it does. The problem is that as Christians we forget that it was a book written to the Jews for the Jews. But, being scripture it is beneficial for instruction. In this case we learned a few things.
It strengthens our faith in God and his word by demonstrating some amazing fulfilled prophecies.
It inspires us to faithfulness to God in spite of opposition by giving us examples of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.
While this series may have challenged our understanding of what we believed, prior we need to mine the spiritual treasures that are here.
And I will end with this
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.