Daniel Episode 14: The End of All Things

The Book of Daniel closes with some final predictions about the end of the world, with insights about the final battle on heaven and earth, and the resurrection of the elect.

- PODCAST TRANSCRIPT -

Wes 

This is Episode 14, the final episode in our Daniel Bible Study podcast. This episode is entitled The End of All Things, where we'll discuss Daniel 12:1-13. I'm Wes Treadway and I'm here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we're looking at today? 

Andy 

Well, Daniel 12 is a beautiful consummation of the Book of Daniel and has some mysterious elements. We also have the prophet Daniel inquiring, trying to understand the significance and the timing and being told that it was sealed up until the time of the end. But for me, the radiant center of this chapter is the promise of resurrection from the dead into eternal glory, which Jesus picks up on when he says in Matthew 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." That is clearly predicted in this chapter, but there's also a challenge to all of us who read the Book of Daniel to know is my name written in the Lamb's Book of Life so that I can share in that eternal inheritance? So that's what's before us in today's chapter. 

Wes 

Well, let me go ahead and read Daniel 12:1-13: 

At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 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." Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 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?" 

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. I heard, but I did not understand. 

Then I said, "O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?" He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 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. 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. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.

Andy, what does verse one teach us about Michael and what does the angel promise concerning Daniel's people in verse one? 

Andy 

Well, chapter 12 is a continuation of what we saw in chapter 11. The end of chapter 11 is the rise, we believe of the Antichrist, the beast from the sea, the man of sin who sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God, declaring himself as the focus of worldwide worship, who is also the focus of worldwide obedience. He is that one world ruler clearly predicted in Revelation 13, which also is predicted at the end of chapter 11. And so, chapter 12 begins at that time, etc. So, we need to just act as though there's no chapter division between 11 and 12. So it's a time of incredible distress, a time of terror, of running for your lives, of the Jews fleeing not just in Judea but really because the Antichrist reaches worldwide, of people fleeing from his terror all over the world. 

So, at that time it says, "Michael, the great prince who protects your people will arise." And the point is there's warfare on the earth, but there's also warfare in the heavenly realms. And so, Satan, the dragon, is behind the beast from the sea. Satan is perhaps even inhabiting this man, and there are demons that are involved certainly that are advancing the kingdom of darkness. And at the same time, God's elect are being converted. We believe that the final phase of Jewish history will be consummated as it says in Romans 11. And so, all Israel will be saved.  

And so, after the failure of the animal sacrificial system, after the covenant that the Antichrist has made is broken, the power of the holy people is broken as it says in verse seven. When all of that happens and the Jews finally realize the old covenant is never going to be reestablished, and they finally look to the One that they have pierced and mourn for him, as for an only son, as it says in Zechariah, they'll come to Christ and believe in him. At that time they will need tremendous spiritual protection. And Michael, who has been watching over the Jewish nation, even in their unbelief, even in their time of hardness and the darkness that's come over them for centuries, a veil covering their faces so they cannot see Christ in the prophecies, at that time, Michael will arise to protect them and make certain that there are still believers on earth when Christ returns. So, there's warfare in the heavens while there's also terrible danger on earth. 

Wes 

What's the significance of this promise of a great distress and what should we make of the phrase, "from the beginning of nations"? 

Andy 

Right. This is I think exactly what Jesus picks up on, which we generally know as the great Tribulation. "Then there'll be a time of distress unequal," Jesus said, "from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equal again." Well look at the language of Daniel 12, "There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." So, this is the time of the great Tribulation and it's consummated that final seven-year period we believe based on the 70 weeks of Daniel halfway through in which that covenant is broken, et cetera. A time of terror for the people of God in which the mark of the beast is being foisted on people, in which worship of this individual is forced on people, but if anyone receives the mark of the beast, they'll spend eternity in hell. So, it's a time of great peril and danger for the people of God. And so that is the time in which Michael has to arise and the sovereign power of God arises to protect the people of God. 

Wes 

Now along with this promised tribulation, there's also a promise of deliverance and a particular group of people that will be delivered. What more do we learn before we move on from verse one? 

Andy 

Okay, so the deliverance I think is in two senses. First, they are spiritually delivered by faith in Christ. So again, I think this is the time when the deliverer will come from Zion. He will turn godlessness away from Jacob, but that has to happen before the Second Coming or else they can't have believed in Jesus. And so he comes to them in the power of the Holy Spirit and takes away their unbelief, takes away the darkness, takes away the blindness from their hearts and the veil that's covering. And he will use human beings who do that evangelism, maybe even Jewish Christians or maybe non-Jewish Christians who are wise and who instruct the unconverted Jewish people in what's happening in the fulfillment of prophecy, even in the things in the Book of Daniel. And so there is an instruction as it says in verse three, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever." 

So that leading and that wisdom happens before the Second Coming. But at the time of the Second Coming, there will be the general resurrection that Daniel talks about here in these verses. I also want to pick up on what's stated at the end of verse one, "At that time, your people, everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered." And so that deals with election. God has chosen those who will be saved from before the foundation of the world. Election is clearly taught. And so, this book I think as it says in Revelation 20:12, is the book of life. And so, these are individuals whose names were written in God's book and who were as yet unconverted, but now they cross over from death to life and so they will be delivered. 

Wes 

Verse two is one of the most significant verses in the Old Testament on the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. What does this verse teach about that, and what insights does this verse give about judgment day and the eternal nature of heaven and hell? 

Andy 

This is a tremendously significant passage on the general resurrection. "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake," so they're coming up out of the graves. It just as Jesus taught in John 5:28-29, "The time is coming when everyone who is in their graves will hear his," namely Jesus', "voice and come out. Those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. Those who have done good will rise to live." And so that's what we call the general resurrection. And so, they're going to come out of the graves, some will come out to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt which is hell. And then he describes the resurrection glory, those who are wise because they came to faith in Christ will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. So, this again links up to the glory that will happen in our resurrection bodies. The body that is sown, it's sown in contempt, it's sown in dishonor, but it's raised in glory. And so that's the radiant glory of the resurrection body. 

"That's what we call the general resurrection. And so, they're going to come out of the graves, some will come out to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt which is hell."

Wes 

What should we make of that statement in verse three that the wise lead many to righteousness? 

Andy 

Yeah, the wisdom is tied directly to the gospel. It says that "the scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Or again in 1 Corinthians 1, "Christ has become for us wisdom from God." And so, this is the wisdom which is to be a Christian. And so those who are wise because they believed in Christ and trusted in Him will shine like the brightness of the heavens or as Jesus said in Matthew 13:43, "They will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." So also the statement, "those who lead many to righteousness," again, that's that evangelistic work. They're sharing the gospel and then they're training in the gospel and they're getting these individuals ready for the second coming of Christ. 

Wes 

Now, why does the angel tell Daniel to close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end? And what does he mean by, "Many will go here and there to increase knowledge"? 

Andy 

Okay, so we get this repeated statement, we're going to see it again in verse eight and nine as he asks there as well. And so, the concept is when it comes to end time teaching or eschatology, the scriptures are unchanging, the words are not going to change, but they're not clear, they're not understandable. And so there is always a combination of current events with the unchanging words of scripture. As Jesus said, "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand then..." Run for your lives. So, the concept is you have to see a combination of current events with the timeless scripture. Until that combination happens, the words are going to be obscure, there are going to be things here we don't understand. And so, the sealing up of the prophecy implies a mystery and the breaking of the seal as in the breaking of the seven seals in Revelation and all that means that the mystery is over. Now I understand. I can see what these words were all about. 

And so, the scripture is given for this present evil age. I think we will study the words of scripture and how they were fulfilled when we get to heaven. But the usefulness and the impact has to be for us now in this present evil age, but we do not fully understand what the words mean until the time comes. So, we've said this time and time again, especially based on the teaching of this chapter. The full understanding of the words of eschatology written in these prophetical passages is on a need-to-know basis. If you need to know, you'll know. And concerning this statement, "Many will go here and there to increase knowledge," I'll say in general, there is a paying out of knowledge and unfolding of knowledge as redemptive history unfolds. So now that Christ has come and lived and died and risen again and ascended to heaven, and then additional prophecies are made and clarity given by epistles and gospels that have been written in the Book of Revelation, we have a lot more knowledge than Daniel had at the time. 

And then as history itself unfolds, extra biblical history but still in fulfillment of scripture such as "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." And we see the progress of the gospel from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. And we can check that box increasingly. It's not finished yet, but we can see progress. And then when we learn the lesson of the fig tree, we see actual eschatological events happening, we will increase knowledge. We'll say, "Ah, I get it now." That's what that meant. So, when we look at the seven trumpet judgments and the seven bowls in the book of Revelation, and we can read and we can imagine what those ecological disasters will be like, we can imagine what that demonic infestation will be like. It's not until we live through it that we will actually have this increased knowledge that verse four talks about. 

Wes 

Verses five through seven give us some fascinating insights into the angelic world and angelic knowledge. What do we learn from these verses? 

Andy 

Okay, so it's quite a scene. He's there at a river, and he's not alone. He's got angels with him. So, it's not just one angel, the warrior angel from chapter 10 that gives him the clear predictions of chapter 11 and then continues on with his narrative now into chapter 12. So, this angelic messenger, well, he's not the only one, there are two others (5) standing there, and it's definitely got to be angels. Two other angels there on the river, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. So, this is a wide river or stream, something like that. And it's got angels on either side. And then there's another one who's above the waters of the river in verse six, so floating halfway there. So, the angels are just interesting beings, aren't they? And not only the interesting, they are interested, they want to know. 

And so, one of the angels says to the other angel, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" And he's called a man clothed in linen. So, we get the same thing at the resurrection of Jesus. We get two young men dressed in white, dressed in white linen, et cetera. So, angels don't have bodies, but they're presenting like that they're young men, and they're dressed in this linen robe. So, it's a picture of purity and of holiness. At any rate, they're interested. And the one angel seems to have more information than the other angel does, and he says, "Okay, this is how it's going to be." And he gets himself into an oath stance. He stands into a kind of, "I swear," or he lifts up his hands, his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and he swears by him who lives forever, by God, and then gives this familiar timeframe: "It will be for a time, times, and a half a time," which is three and a half years. And then he makes this statement, "When the power of the holy people has finally been broken, all these things will be completed." I think this implies the war against the Jews and the conquest by the Antichrist military power over the Jews, breaking them, causing them to run for their lives, slaughtering many of them, no doubt. When that power has finally been broken, and they have no way to turn, that I think will elicit the second coming of Christ. That is the deliverance. So, they're going to be delivered first and foremost by faith in Christ and then delivered a second time by the Second Coming of Christ. But before that happens, they're going to be dominated by the Antichrist. The saints, as we're told in Daniel Seven, will be delivered over into his hand, the little horn, for a time times and half a time he's going to dominate them and frankly, kill many of them. 

Wes 

It's amazing the posture that this one messenger takes in making this declaration. We've talked about the sovereignty of God over the rise and fall of nations. It's almost as if he's testifying to the surety of this thing taking place. This isn't a question or his own interpretation of events, but a true relaying of how things will come to a conclusion. 

Andy 

Right. And I also want to go back a very important passage that I think is openly being... It's discussed here in Daniel 12 and that's 1 Peter 1. And there it says that, "Concerning this salvation given to us in Christ, the prophets who spoke of the grace that was to come to you searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, subsequent generations, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, even angels long to look into these things." If that's not Daniel 12, I don't know what is. Here's a prophet who doesn't get it, scratching his head trying to understand more, and he's told, "It's not for you, it's for later generations." And the angels are inquiring about it too and try to find some things out. I think that's pretty cool. 

Wes 

I love Daniel's reaction. It's that very thing that you just mentioned in verse eight, it says, "I heard but I did not understand. Then I said, 'Oh my Lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?'" Why do you think the angel shuts Daniel's inquiry down at this point, and what does this teach us about prophecies of the end time? 

Andy 

Well, we are asking questions and we are inquiring, but we see the same thing in Acts 1, when after the resurrection of Christ and toward the very, very end of his 40-day seminary with his apostles, getting them ready to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, saturating their minds in Old Testament prophecies and themes that they'd never seen before, what a rich time that must have been. Then they say, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" And Jesus said, "It is not for you to know the times and dates the Father's set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth." Well, we get a lesser version of that here. 

Daniel says, "What would the outcome of all this? Where are we heading with all this?" He's basically saying, "I don't get it. And where is all this heading?" Now we know the answer. All this is heading toward the new heaven, new earth, the new Jerusalem and all of us in resurrection bodies in glory worshiping God for what he did in saving a multitude greater than anyone could count from every tribe, language people and nation. That's where we're heading. But he's saying, "Where will all this go?" And he's told, it's basically none of your business. You have a job to do, so "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." So, we've got work to do. You have some work to do, it's not for you. And then when your job is done, then you're going to die and you're going to be gathered with your people and then you're going to rise along with everyone else to your allotted inheritance. We'll get to the very end of the chapter. 

But he's saying, "Look, go your way because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end," the very thing we said, "You won't understand." And then in verse 10, "Many will be purified, made, spotless and refined by the gospel." 

It's the only way they're made purified and spotless and refined. But also, we could say by the refiner's fire, by going through this horrible time. You really think what will it be like to be alive on planet earth at the Second Coming? What will you have lived through? And I think the meticulous counting of the days which we're about to discuss and the fact that it says in verse one, "There will be a time of distress such as it has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." You don't want to be living through that. But those people had no choice. So, they're going to be refined by the refiner's fire. They're going to be made spotless by faith in Christ and refined. Unfortunately, however, the wicked are going to continue to be wicked. They're not going to come over. The wicked will not understand what's going on. They won't understand the word of God, they won't understand the gospel, but those who are wise, the elect, will understand. 

Wes 

It's amazing. So, there's really a twofold work happening here through this suffering. There's the purification and clarification of the vision of the righteous, but then for the wicked, there's almost an increased hardening and blindness that comes over them as a result. 

Andy 

Absolutely. And so, there's not going to be any change. Once the eternal state has been established, those who are in heaven will be in heaven forever, and they will continue to be righteous and pure forever. And those who are wicked will continue to be wicked forever and there will be no crossing over, like in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. There's a chasm between the two and it is impossible for one to cross to the other, the other to cross back. And so those who are wise will shine forever and ever, but the wicked will continue to be wicked forever. 

"Once the eternal state has been established, those who are in heaven will be in heaven forever, and they will continue to be righteous and pure forever. And those who are wicked will continue to be wicked forever and there will be no crossing over."

So, there's no repentance in hell. It's not like you're going to learn your lesson. Sometime ago a man named Rob Bell wrote a book called Love Wins, and he basically had almost a purgatorial view of hell. And it's like, "Yeah, people in there are going to be given opportunities to repent and believe." I'm like, "I'd do that after two seconds." If I'm in the lake of fire for two seconds and I can get out, I'm out. No, there's no possibility of crossing over. So, the wicked will continue to be wicked, and they'll continue to think wicked thoughts for all eternity. 

Wes 

What timetable do verses 11 and 12 give and to what do these verses refer? 

Andy 

Okay, so he's looking for a timing. The angels asked about timing. Daniel's interested in timing. And so, we already have the statement, "A time, times, and half a time." Now, if we know anything about that, a time is one year, times is two years, half a time is half a year, all together, three and a half years. We know that the Jews tended to go on a twelve-month, thirty-day-a-month cycle, 360 days. That was their prophetic year. So, therefore, when you see 1,260 days, that's three and a half years. So also 42 months in the Book of Revelation is the exact same timeframe. So you have three different ways of saying three and a half years. But now at the end of Daniel, we have something else, something that's not 1,260 days, it's 1,290 days. So, you got an extra 30 days, don't know what that's all about. 

And so, he's told from the day, the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished, and here's that phrase again, "the abomination of desolation is established," there will be 1,290 days. So, there's a counting of days, but it's not that 1,260 days. So, this tells me that this is a specific piece of information for people who are going through this. When they see this, when the man of sin is ruling over the entire earth having fulfilled the words of Revelation 13 and 2 Thessalonians 2, and indeed of Daniel 11:36-45, that king that does as he pleases and exalts himself. When all of that's fulfilled, you can start the timing. Once he establishes that abomination of desolation in the holy place, in the temple until the end, you've got 1,290 days. So, I picture the time will be so distressing and so terrifying that I can picture people counting days until the end. 

And then you got a second extent or a second timeframe in verse 12, "Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days." That's another 45 days beyond. So, it's plus 75 days beyond 1,260, the usual count. What does that mean? If we needed to, know, we'd know. It's on a need-to-know basis. But there it is. So, here as of this podcast I'm setting before you a challenge. These are mysterious counts, 1,290 days, 1,335 days. And it may well be that that final generation will know exactly when the Lord will return and rescue them. 

Wes 

What final word does the angel give Daniel in verse 13? And what final thoughts do you have on this chapter and indeed on the Book of Daniel as a whole? 

Andy 

Well, he's told just like the apostles who are gazing upward into the clouds after Jesus left, and they're just standing there and the angels have to be sent down to say, "Okay, no more of this. Go back in and wait for the Holy Spirit to come," et cetera. So, Daniel is told, "As for you, go your way until the end. So go about your life, you've got work to do. You'll rest, namely die, and then at the end of the days, you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." And so that's a beautiful promise and all of us who are in Christ will receive part of that inheritance. Jesus said, "The meek will inherit the earth." So, we're going to inherit, along with as children of Abraham, we're going to inherit the earth. We're going to inherit the new heaven, new earth, and a place in the kingdom. 

And so, as it says in Hebrews 11:16, we're looking forward to a city and a country, a city with foundations and a country, a beautiful, perfect country. And so, we can look ahead to that. That's our inheritance. Now this is the end of the Book of Daniel. And as we've studied this book, we've seen its purpose. And its purpose is to show the absolute sovereignty of our holy God over all human governments and over the rise and fall of empires, over every nation, from the beginning of time until the end for his own glory and for the benefit of his chosen people. So, fear not, no matter what the government is doing. There is suffering involved. There is a crushing by those beasts that come up out of the sea. There are martyrs that die. But in the end, the saints will inherit the kingdom and will reign under the King of kings, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man in Daniel 7 for the glory of God for all eternity. That's what we look forward to. So, fear not. No matter what is happening with government, God is sovereign. 

Wes 

Well, this has been Episode 14 in our Daniel Bible study podcast. We hope that you have been encouraged by this journey through the Book of Daniel, and we're excited to announce that the next book in our Bible study podcast series will be the Book of Revelation. We want to invite you to join us as we continue to study God's word together. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.