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| > Sermon Archive > Sermons by Author > Rev. Rodney den Boer > Daniel's vision means we can go forward in confidence and patience | Previous Next Print |
| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) Daniel 12 sermon Read: Daniel 11:36-12:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Ps 139:1, 3, 9; Ps 1:1, 2, 3; Ps 35:1, 2; Hy 64:1, 2; Hy 68:1, 5, 8 Questions:
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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
I wonder how you think about the future? Some people are naturally optimistic, they’re always positive, things are sure to get better. Others are more pessimistic. What are your thoughts and feelings as you look ahead? How do you think about the future? And how should we think about the future as Christians?
That’s a question we’ve been thinking about as we’ve been studying together the book of Daniel. It is a book that looks into the future. The first six chapters of this book tell us the story of Daniel and his friends. They were Jews, taken from Jerusalem as exiles and brought to Babylon. And they were exiles there for 70 years. Daniel writes about some of the challenges in ch1-6.
And in the second half of the book, God gave Daniel visions of the future. These visions came at the end of the exile, when Babylon was destroyed by the next great kingdom, the Persians, and Cyrus the Persian sent many of those Jews back home to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and to rebuild the temple. In that time, God gave Daniel visions about the future. What could these Jews expect as they looked ahead?
These visions show that these Jews could expect suffering and persecution. They would live in a world dominated by great kingdoms like the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. And among these kingdoms, there would be certain rulers who would especially attack and oppress them. They could expect to suffer in the future.
We’ve also seen from this book that we can expect the same as we live in the last days. Those who follow Jesus Christ are called to take up our cross as we follow him. The world hated him and hates us who love him. We see evidence of that already in a culture that seems to ignore God. We can see ungodly forces at play in our society, we know of ungodly legislation that has passed parliament this year. As parents, you may wonder, what sort of world are our children going to grow up in?
Daniel 12 speaks to us as we look ahead. The Holy Spirit shapes our perspective on the future that we can go forward in confidence and patience. That’s a Christian perspective on the future.
Daniel’s vision means we can go forward to the time of the end:
- Assured of final victory
- Patient through tribulation
1. Daniel’s vision means we can go forward to the time of the end assured of final victory
Daniel’s final vision in this book started in ch11, and spoke about the future from that time when the Jews had just returned to Jerusalem, up until roughly the time when Jesus Christ was born – in between the OT and NT. This vision has a lot of detail about future rulers, including one evil ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruler of the Seleucid kingdom in Syria. He is called the king of the north in v25-35, which we saw last time.
And then the description in v36-45 becomes more general. Many think that this section speaks about the antichrist, an evil ruler at the end of times who will oppose God’s people more violently than any before him. This is also referred to in 12:1 which speaks about a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Daniel’s vision prophesies about a great trouble that would come with an evil ruler.
And the Bible later uses Daniel’s description of an evil ruler to describe the antichrist, or as Paul calls him in 2 Thessalonians 2, the man of sin/lawlessness. There, Paul says that Jesus Christ will not come “unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed.” And this man, says Paul, “opposes himself and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” Paul is using language from Daniel 11 to describe this man of lawlessness. Daniel is clearly talking about someone more than Antiochus.
We learn more about this man of lawlessness from Revelation 13. There, the apostle John writes about a beast who is given authority, and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, and “it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” And Revelation 13:8 says “all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb.” There is going to be a great deception, and many who were thought to be Christians will be shown to hypocrites, and will worship the beast.
So, while some of Daniel’s prophecies have been fulfilled, there are sections of his prophecy that the NT writers, esp. Paul, applied to someone who is still coming today, the antichrist.
Now it is helpful to understand that characteristics of evil are the same throughout every age. John in 1 John 2 speaks about the antichrist and many antichrists. They show the same characteristics of denying Jesus as the Christ. There are antichrists working throughout history. We ought to be aware that the church has been attacked and will be attacked in every age. We must be vigilant in every age.
And at the same time, we can expect an intensification of evil in the very last days, just before the return of Christ. That’s what Daniel calls here a time of trouble. Christ speaks of a time of great tribulation in Matthew 24 and says in v22, “Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved.” While the characteristics of evil are present throughout time, evil will be intensified in the time just before Christ returns. Dark days! What’s coming in the future? A time of trouble.
But it doesn’t end there. The vision finishes in 12:4, and gives assurance of the final victory for God’s people.
First, the ruler at the end of ch11 will be destroyed. 11:45 says he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. He’ll be all on his own and will perish. This is how the NT writers also speak about the antichrist. Paul says that when the lawless one is revealed, “The Lord will consume him with the breath of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of his coming.” Jesus comes in his brightness, his glory, and the lawless man is just destroyed. Revelation 19:19ff also shows the beast captured and thrown into the lake of fire. The antichrist will be very powerful, but nothing compared to the great power of Jesus Christ. Our Lord and Saviour will destroy him.
And further, the angel who is speaking to Daniel in the vision gives the assurance of divine protection. In 12:1, Michael, the great prince who stands watch over God’s people, would rise up. Extraordinary trouble would bring extraordinary protection. We’ve met this Michael before. In 10:13, he was called one of the chief princes, and he helped the other angel fight the prince of Persia. And in 12:1 we learn that he stands watch. Do you ever wonder about angels? Michael and his armies are helping us in ways we would never dream of. They’re standing watch. Hebrews 1:14 says they are ministering spirits sent forth to serve those who will inherit salvation – that’s us. They’re helping us, and at a certain point when the trouble is so intense for God’s people, Michael will stand up.
Imagine a child who is walking close to the fire, and his dad is watching, watching, and when his son just starts getting burned, he stands up and whisks his son away from the fire. Michael will stand up. Did you know that this mighty warrior angel is on our side? Isn’t that great, boys and girls? Extraordinary trouble will bring extraordinary protection.
And there is the assurance at the end of v1 that “your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.” The book is God’s book of life. The book of Revelation also speaks about this book and says that everyone whose names are not written in this book will worship the beast. But those whose names are written in the book of the life will be guaranteed access to the new Jerusalem, to God’s dwelling place in the new creation. Those whose names are written will be delivered, Michael will help them.
That’s an incredible assurance. Their names are written in the book. No one can erase the writing of God. If your name is written in his book, no one can ultimately harm you. They might be able to kill you, and some Jews would be killed for their faith in the LORD God. But their names are written in the book. So what is God going to do? He’ll raise them to eternal life. Those who are in his book of life will be raised to live with him eternally.
The text looks further into the future and says that many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. The vision looks right to the end of time. These words were surely in the mind of our Lord Jesus when he said in John 5:28 that 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. There is future life coming, after death. There is a resurrection of the dead, a resurrection for believers and unbelievers. Those who believe in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal life, and those who reject the gospel will be raised to eternal death.
Dear brothers and sisters, what a great comfort for Daniel and his people as they looked forward to great suffering. They could look ahead and see the final victory. True believers could know that their names were written in God’s book and they would be raised to eternal life. This vision gave assurance to Daniel and all God’s people that they have the final victory. They knew how the story ended: in life. No one could snatch that away from them.
And that’s true for us, too. We know how the story ends: in our victory. And notice how we can receive comfort from the truth of election. God has already chosen all his children. He has written their names in his book. True believers can be certain that they are chosen by God. And if you are chosen by God, then Jesus is your Saviour, he has died for your sins, he has defeated the devil, and nothing at all can separate you from the love of God in Christ. He will give extraordinary protection in extraordinary danger. And even if you die for your faith, God will raise you to eternal life. We know how the story ends. We have assurance of final victory.
How does that change things for you? Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that gives you deep assurance. No matter what the next months or years bring, we know how the story ends, we can be sure of our final victory.
And I hope it also gives you courage, courage to stand up for Christ, courage to speak about the hope of eternal life, courage to be witnesses of our love for him. Take courage, dear brothers and sisters, by the final victory that is yours in Jesus Christ. And this is a courage that we need also as we face great tribulation.
2. Daniel’s vision also means we can go forward, patient through tribulation
Right at the end of the vision, the angelic messenger tells Daniel, in 12:4, to shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Nowadays, we might put a letter in an envelope and in a filing cabinet to preserve it. In those days, scrolls could be enclosed in an envelope of clay to preserve them. The purpose of shutting up the words and sealing them was to preserve the words for when they were needed. Daniel wouldn’t be able to understand it all right away, but over time it would be increasingly relevant for God’s people, and the words would be needed.
Later, in v9, the man in linen tells Daniel that the words are closed up and sealed. In other words, they are preserved. They are kept safe. This is a great encouragement, because it shows that the words of God are unbroken, they are kept sealed, they will be preserved. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Just as God is faithful and unchanging, his word is also faithful and unchanging; it has been sealed up. The words of God are always trustworthy.
They’re still true for us, today. These words have been sealed and preserved. The whole Bible has been preserved for us. And these words are given to us to help us endure through hardship. These words teach us about God and his sufficient grace for every day. These words teach us about God’s plan to save us. These words teach us about the final victory given to all those whose names are written in the book of life. These words are the words of Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
So, let’s value and treasure them. Let’s store them up in our hearts and minds. That’s a good way to prepare for future suffering. Get to know God from his Word. Memorise his word. Meditate on his word. That will prepare you for future suffering.
And yet there is still this question about the end time of suffering. How long will it be? When will it be? After Daniel’s vision finished, someone asked the man in linen, the messenger from God, “how long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” And the man in linen, notice what he does, he swears with both hands lifted to heaven. At other places in Bible, people who swear lift up only one hand. This man lifts up two hands, it is a very solemn oath. You can be sure it is true what he says. And he says that this season of suffering would be for a time, times, and half a time. Three and a half times.
Daniel didn’t understand and so he asked. He was told in v11, from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. And blessed is the one who waits and comes to 1,335 days. There has, understandably, been a lot of speculation about these numbers. What we can say is that they are just over 3.5 years. If we remember that 7 years is a full amount of time, it shows that the future suffering of God’s people would be just over half of a full time. The days of intense suffering would be cut short.
It matches what Jesus said in Matthew 24 about the great tribulation, “unless those days were cut short for the sake of the elect, no one would be saved. But for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).
And further, notice that these numbers are given in days. Not months, not years, not decades, but days. A limited amount of time. Only days.
When you go on a holiday, maybe you’re camping, and you have a few bad sleeps because your mattress isn’t quite as good as usual, you know it’s limited, you know you’ll be going home soon, so you endure it. It’s limited, you can hang in there for a bit. And so, knowing that the time of suffering is limited helps us to endure. Our suffering here is but for a moment. It is, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4, a light momentary affliction, compared to the eternal weight of glory that is coming. So, we can endure, knowing that suffering is limited to days. And the man in linen swore this to be true, he swore a solemn oath. You can be sure. Our suffering here is soon endured.
And further, the man in linen said in v10 that many shall be purified, made white, and refined. We already saw this in 11:35, that there is a purpose to this end-time suffering. It would separate the wicked from the righteous, the hypocrites from true believers. I wonder if you noticed the contrast between the wicked and the righteous throughout this chapter. In v2, some awake to everlasting life, but some to shame and everlasting contempt. And in v10, while many are purified and refined, the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. There is a separation of the wicked and the righteous. True believers would be purified, refined. God would use the intense suffering like a fire, to burn away impurity. It had a good purpose.
It’s what NT believers can also expect in the final days. James 1: count it all joy when you endure various trials, knowing, he says, that the testing of your faith produces patience. If your faith is tested, it is refined, purified, made white. Peter writes to Christians who were suffering for their faith in Asia Minor and says that in this you rejoice, though you have been grieved by various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces patience.
This knowledge helps believers to endure, to be patient. How long? For a limited time and for a valuable purpose. And with that, Daniel was told to continue, in v13. “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of days.” Keep faithfully serving your God, Daniel. You’ve been shown wonderful things. Your God has all this in his hands. He’ll take care of every one of his children. And you, Daniel, you can be personally sure that you will receive your inheritance, you will receive your place among the wise, you will rise and shine like the bright sky, you are one of those who has turned many to righteousness and you will shine like the stars forever. Your name is written in God’s book. You will rise to eternal life. Go your way, keep being faithful, trust in your God.
Dear congregation, where does this leave us? We need to be reminded and assured of God’s power to preserve us, of his control over suffering, of his purpose through it. Notice in v7 that the time would finish “when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered.” That is, when God’s people have completely run out of strength. We are incredibly weak and needy in ourselves. Our strength is limited and it will run out. There will be times when we feel exhausted. Some of you feel that even right now.
But we can be sure of the final victory. We belong to Jesus Christ, who has destroyed the power of the devil, and who has bought us to belong to him in body and soul, and who will one day raise us with him with glorified bodies, to eternal life. This is true for all those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This gives us the confidence we need to face the future. It gives us the confidence to have children and to raise them in a crazy world like this. It gives us the confidence to do mission and to spread the gospel and to be witnesses of that gospel wherever and however we can. We can look to the future, assured of final victory, and patient through tribulation. We know that the one who endures to the end will be saved.
And so, dear church family, the book of Daniel teaches us about suffering for the gospel, about persecution for God’s people, and the intense evil which is at times directed against the church. We shouldn’t be surprised when fiery trials come. But the book of Daniel shows us our great and awesome God who rules over every earthly kingdom. It shows us the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken. It shows us the power of God to preserve his loyal and faithful servants in his kingdom. God has given authority to his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is King. Jesus rules all the kingdoms of this world and will decisively destroy evil at the end of time. So, will you trust in the rule of Jesus Christ? Amen.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Rodney den Boer, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2025, Rev. Rodney den Boer
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