On The Threshold of The Millennium
Daniel 12:5-13
Message #19
In our last message on Daniel, we looked at “The Last Days of the Last Days.” The message before that was “The Run Up To Armageddon.” We’ve just been over and over talking about the very last days of the Tribulation, until now today, we will be finishing looking at the prophecies of the book they call “The Revelation of the Old Testament.” Today, Daniel sees all the way to the “Threshold of the Millennium.”
Back in Chapter 10, Daniel was on the bank of the Tigris River, and he looked up and saw an Angelic Being, that he described very similar to other descriptions of Jesus Christ himself, like in Revelation Chapter 1. And so, some scholars think that Angelic Being was actually Jesus Christ. Well, that Angelic Being, and two others, I call them – the team- are back in this message to wrap up the prophecies of Daniel.
Then, in chapter 11, the Angelic Being began giving Daniel the final prophecies for the final days, ultimately leading up to where we are today, knocking on the door of the Millennium. In this message, we wrap up our prophetic study in Daniel.
Again, Daniel is still on the bank of the Tigris River since chapter 10. He is going to get his final “prophecy download.” We start in Daniel 12:5.
Daniel 12:5 (NLT)
5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others (meaning angels) standing on opposite banks of the river.
Now Daniel sees two angels, one on each side of the river. Maybe for emphasis, maybe for security, but it definitely increases the significance of this final prophecy. And then there is still the third Heavenly Being that Daniel first described in chapter 10. And we read in Daniel 12:6:
Daniel 12:6 (NLT)
6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”
This is that Angelic Being that was described in Daniel 10:5, and based on his description, some scholars believe this could be a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, meaning before Jesus came to this earth as a man. In any case, he is a glorious heavenly being.
And one of the other angels asked this One dressed in linen, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?” The shocking events of the Great Tribulation, which is the last three and a half years of the seven-year period. It’s also called Jacob’s trouble. It’s when it gets bad. He is not asking, how long from now? He is asking, how long will they last? And the answer is for Daniel’s benefit (and we’ll see in a minute, it kind of shakes him up.) Here’s the answer to the question, how long will these events last?
Daniel 12:7 (NLT)
7 The man dressed in linen (possibly Jesus), who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”
In the Old Testament, just like today, usually, to swear an oath, you raise one hand (for us, it’s the right.) And here this being raises both hands, takes a solemn oath by one who lives forever, and he tells Daniel (really, he is speaking to one of the angels on the side, but it’s for Daniel’s benefit), and he says these shocking events will go on for a time, times and half a time. Now, we’ve already established in Daniel and in Revelation that this is the Bible’s way of saying three and a half years.
Let me explain it to you. A time is one year. Times is two years. And half a time is a half a year. It’s set. We have this confidence from both Revelation and Daniel talking about three and a half years, talking about the last half of the Tribulation, called the Great Tribulation, when the horrors really are being poured out, because the wrath of God is coming and the wrath of hell. Both are let loose completely upon the earth because the second half, the three and a half years, is when the Antichrist is just “going for it.” He has been turned loose and he is especially attempting to destroy God’s people. I’ll tell you why, in just a second.
So, in the second half (the last sentence) of verse 7, this Angel also gives us insight into one of the primary “whys” of the Great Tribulation. Look closely; this is one of God’s primary purposes of the second half of the Tribulation. It’s at the end of Daniel 12:7.
Daniel 12:7 (NLT)
. . . When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened
That gives us critical insight into one of the primary “whys” of the end times. This Angelic Being standing over the river says, “It’s going to go on for three and a half years” and then he gives you a little hint, a little insight into what the goal is. The goal is the shattering of the holy people, the holy people being Israel. Remember, Daniel’s focus in his book is on Israel, God’s holy people. Well, it just so happens God’s primary focus in the end times (in the Tribulation) is also on Israel. Especially the second half, (Jacob’s Troubles) the second three and a half years, because the Antichrist is trying to destroy Israel to keep God’s promises from coming to pass. We’ll get to that in just a second.
The Bible calls the time we are in now, the “Time of the Gentiles.” A gentile, by the way, (you might say “goyim”) is everyone else but the Jews. It means literally “The Nation.” We like to call the time we are in right now “The Church Age.” Because we see it as the Church Age, God sees it as the time of the gentiles. Here’s what it is. It’s a time that has been set by God that Israel has rejected the Messiah, and so has (in a sense) been set aside for a time. Why? For you, that’s why. Because God loves you as well. He loves you as much. Though the holy people are the chosen people, they always will be (we’ll see that continued here), but God has actually set them aside, even blinded their eyes, so that the gospel could go to the gentiles, so you and I could go to heaven.
Listen to me please; God has not rejected Israel. It is heresy, I consider it on the verge of blasphemy, and I will not tolerate it. Personally. Don’t tell me God has replaced Israel with you. Some people say God has replaced Israel with the Church, and I say no, not as far as the Bible says. God’s not rejected them, he has not replaced them, and he has not forgotten them. He has allowed them to be set aside, but he is supernaturally protecting them, and in the last days – what will happen – he will shatter them. He will break their rejecting and hardened hearts. Jeremiah says he will give them a new heart, a heart of flesh, and he will write his laws on their hearts, and his Spirit will guide them just like he guides us.
So, we’re in the time of Jacob’s Trouble; the focus is on Israel – both God’s focus and the Antichrist’s focus. Jacob, just so you know, was the patriarch whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob means “heel catcher” or “conniver.” Israel means “Governed or ruled by God.” And so, Jacob, his name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons, and they are the twelve tribes of Israel. In the last three and a half years of the Tribulation, they will be shattered. It means that the rebellion and the hardness of their hearts will be broken.
However, it is this shattering of the holy people that cause them to turn to God, which causes them to be saved. That is actually what brings a remnant of the holy people into the Millennium, which is necessary and mandatory and will happen. A remnant of the people of Israel will believe, will be rescued from the Tribulation and will be brought into the Millennium. How cool is that, right?
Now follow me so I can blow your mind. Maybe you would ask, “WHY do we have the Millennium? Why do we stay here on this earth for 1,000 years before we go to our permanent home in heaven? That’s a great question… are you ready for the answer? Because there are still covenant promises that God has made to Israel that have not yet come to pass. Is there a promise that God can go back on? No. That is called immutability; God is unchangeable. And in the Millennium, on this earth, every promise God has made, especially to Israel, will come to pass. Jesus Christ will reign as King from Jerusalem, and he will rule over a united Israel (along with the gentile nations) just as God promised in his covenants with Israel.
We can’t get too deep into God’s covenants with Israel here. But just know one of the primary reasons we are going to spend 1,000 years in perfect peace on this earth with Jesus ruling is so that every word of God and every promise he has ever made, especially to Israel, will absolutely come to pass. And please hear me when I tell you, God will go to the same extent to make sure that every one of his promises to you will also come to pass. Is that awesome, or what?
So, the Angelic Being has taken a solemn oath in verse 7 as to how long the final half of the Tribulation will last, and in the process, he has given us one of the primary reasons for the final Tribulation (to bring Israel to salvation.) Then, in verse 8, Daniel says to this great Angel something that I find myself saying to people all the time. Here’s what I say to people “I heard what you said, but I don’t understand what you mean.” And this is just what Daniel says.
Daniel 12:8 (NLT)
8 (Daniel says) I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”
The angel had asked how long will it last. Now Daniel asks how it will all finally end. And at first it seems like the Angel kind of “blows him off.” But then the Angel is going to give Daniel as much of the answer as Daniel can take. First, we read:
Daniel 12:9 (NLT)
9 But he (the Angel) said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.
We’ve heard the Angel say that before, just in verse 4 last week. The phrase “kept secret” refers to how the Bible uses the word “mystery.” In the Bible, a mystery is something that God has not yet chosen to reveal the meaning of, and many of these prophecies could not be understood until we got closer to the end times. But we understand them more and more now, don’t we?
But then the Angel does give Daniel insight into the most important part of the prophecies of the last days. Speaking of the trials of the final tribulation days, Daniel 12:10 says:
Daniel 12:10 (NLT)
10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
First, Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. Let me ask how many of you have come to Christ as a result of a trial in your life? Trials often bring us to the end of ourselves, don’t they, and leave us with nowhere else to look but up. Our trials are actually used by God for our good if we love God.
Romans 8:28 (correctly understood)
“For God WORKS – IN all things – For the GOOD of those who LOVE Him”
And so in that trial, when you say “God, I need you. I need you more than I need this fixed. I need to know you, I need to meet you, and I need to experience your power, your presence, and your peace in this trial.” That’s when you’re showing the signs of loving God and being called according to his purpose, and that’s when God is at work in your trial. And that’s what is happening at the end of the Tribulation. The trials will be unmatched. But God will be at work for the good (especially Israel), and Israel takes a little bit more trials to get to the shattering point to where they are broken and reaching out to God, because they are a tough people.
Listen, you try to have all the demons in hell trying to destroy you for a few thousand years, you get tough. As soon as God made the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, Satan listened up and said, okay, I’m destroying them. And if you just look at Israel and the nations around Israel, God’s protecting one nation and the other nations are being used for something else.
God will use these trials to break Israel. They’ve gotten very tough through the centuries and thousands of years, but God will break them in the Tribulation. And many of them will be purified, cleansed, and refined (the beginning of verse 12). That’s what we’re talking about. God will use the Tribulation to bring a remnant of Israel to salvation. That’s so important.
But then the second half of Daniel 12:10 says:
Daniel 12:10 (NLT)
. . . But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means
Do you see how the Bible really gets clear? You’re either purified and saved, or you remain in your wickedness. The Bible doesn’t grade on a curve – neither does God. You’re either purified by God, or you remain wicked, which you were born into in your sin. So, this second group in the Tribulation, they curse God. And we see that in Revelation. They curse God. They reject God. Their hearts get harder and harder and more rebellious and more rebellious until they are part of the armies that fight Christ when he returns. How hard does your heart have to be to pull out your little sword with Jesus coming? It’s because they remain in their wickedness, and their hearts are hard. Only the wise, meaning only the saved, will know what it means.
Here’s what’s happening. This is really cool. And you might have an “Aha!” moment right now; I hope that you do. What’s happening here in Daniel 12 is the separating of those who are still alive at the end of the Tribulation. Hear that, because I’m going to reveal something to you in the Gospels (Matthew 25 specifically.) God is separating the believers from the unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation. That’s what Daniel 12:10 is about.
Turn to Matthew 25, let’s see Jesus address this same moment. In a text that has been used so wrong, for so long, in so many ways, you need to be able to say, “Do you want me to show you what that’s actually referring to?” So, Daniel 12 (yes, I am repeating myself – it’s a gift) says at the end of the Tribulation, God will separate the saved from the unsaved, the purified from the wicked. Did you get that part? Here’s what Jesus says in Matthew 25.
Matthew 25:31–46 (NLT)
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. (the end of the Tribulation – the 2nd coming)
32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, (those still alive at the end of the Tribulation) and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. (enter the Millennium, then eternity)
35 . . . (Jesus explains how their faith in him was displayed in their actions)
. . .
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. (these are those who continue in their wickedness - refusing to believe)
42 . . . (Jesus explains how their LACK of Faith was displayed in their actions)
. . .
46 “And they (the unsaved) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Listen, Jesus is talking about the nations on the earth. People who are alive. Well, the only time he is going to sit on the throne and separate the people is at the end of the Tribulation at the threshold of the Millennium. Some go into the Millennium alive. Especially Israel, so that God can complete his covenant promises to them. Very cool, right?
Back in Daniel 12, what are we talking about? We are talking about the moment between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. We are at the threshold of the Millennium. So, the Tribulation has ended, the Millennium is about to start, we are about to step into it. To wrap up his answer to Daniel, the Angel gives two “sets of days” and a final command.
Daniel 12:11-12 (NLT)
11 “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days.
12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
The event that starts the second half of the Tribulation is called the Abomination of Desolation. This is when the Antichrist stops the daily sacrifice in the temple and installs an image of himself to be worshipped as God. Jesus named this moment as the beginning of the Great Tribulation (second half) in Matthew 24:15. And prophecy is clear; the worst of the Tribulation lasts three and a half years from that day. So generally, when we are counting days in prophecy, we use a simple 360-day calendar (because that is what Israel used in the time of Daniel.) But three and a half years of 360 days is 1,260 days – not 1,290 days as the Lord tells us here. And then he stretches it out even more and says blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days! And so we have a total of 75 extra days above what we would normally count as three and a half years.
But, just consider some of the events that are going to happen right at the end of the Tribulation.
The Return of Jesus Christ with the Saints to earth
The Battle of Armageddon
The Demise of the Antichrist and Chaining up of Satan
The Judgment of the Living – The Sheep and the Goats
The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints and the Old Testament Saints
The Setting up of the New Government under Jesus Christ that will oversee the world during the Millennium
Yes, Jesus could do all that in one day, but he is still working with humans here, and that is a lot to do between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. And so, the best scholars speculate that these extra 75 days are used for
#1) Mopping up the destruction of the Tribulation
#2) Preparing all the saved of the world to enter the Millennium.
All of which is so, so cool!
Finally, Daniel is given his final instructions from God.
Daniel 12:13 (NLT)
13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
The phrase “go your way” means just continue living your life. You will “rest,” meaning “die,” and then at the end of the days (these days), you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you. And the Lord tells every believer listening to my voice, the very same thing. 1 Peter 1:4 says each of us who have put our faith in Christ:
1 Peter 1:4 (ESV) ...have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading - that is being kept in heaven for us
And the Bible is also clear about rewards given in heaven to those who have served God with the right heart and motivation. We saw one of these rewards last message when we talked about the teachers and evangelists during the Tribulation that will shine like the sky and the stars forever as a reward for their faithful service during the Tribulation.
(And by the way, I told our son David that I used him as an example in those verses because of his desire to stay here and teach God’s Word during the horrors of the Tribulation and he thanked me for doing that. Because he said now any of you who heard that – but have not truly put your faith in Jesus Christ – will know to look him up if you’re still here after the rapture.)
So, what an incredible book Daniel has been. The first six chapters are some of the best biographical teachings in the Old Testament. The second six chapters are some of the best prophetic teachings in the Old Testament. We have seen so many prophecies that have been perfectly fulfilled, and the exactness of the prophecies that have been fulfilled are to give you and I great confidence that the prophecies yet to be fulfilled – will be fulfilled – with the same exactness as the ones that have already been fulfilled.
The Roman Empire will be revived as a ten-nation Federation (which is already happening in the E.U.)
The Antichrist will come out of that European Federation and become the absolute dictator of the world (on behalf of Satan.)
The seven-year Tribulation IS COMING
During the last half of the Tribulation, Israel (and the world) will experience suffering, unlike anything that has ever occurred on this earth.
At the appointed moment, Jesus Christ will return to decimate the Antichrist and the armies of the world
A remnant of Israel will be rescued from the Tribulation and will repent and believe in Jesus Christ at his second coming
The Kingdom of God will be established on earth for the Millennium
All believers of Israel and the gentile nations will live with Christ on this earth in perfect peace for 1,000 years
God will “make good” on every single one of his promises in his Word
So, what do you think of God now?
The only question left is, “How should we respond?” First, if you’re not fully surrendered to God’s plan for your life, you have got to do that now. There is a day of judgment coming. But God has made a way for you to escape that judgment, be forgiven of your sin, and live for eternity with him. It’s by you putting your full faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord and looking forward to his soon return to this earth.
If you have already put your full faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then it is critically important that you strengthen your faith in him, grow your maturity in him and stand up for him in this world that is growing more and more against him.
The final battle line is already drawn up. It will be Antichrist versus Jesus Christ. You and I will be on one side or the other. There is no middle ground, no gray area. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30:
Matthew 12:30 (ESV)
30 Whoever is not with me is against me . . .
And God is giving you an opportunity today to choose sides.
Back in Chapter 10, Daniel was on the bank of the Tigris River, and he looked up and saw an Angelic Being, that he described very similar to other descriptions of Jesus Christ himself, like in Revelation Chapter 1. And so, some scholars think that Angelic Being was actually Jesus Christ. Well, that Angelic Being, and two others, I call them – the team- are back in this message to wrap up the prophecies of Daniel.
Then, in chapter 11, the Angelic Being began giving Daniel the final prophecies for the final days, ultimately leading up to where we are today, knocking on the door of the Millennium. In this message, we wrap up our prophetic study in Daniel.
Again, Daniel is still on the bank of the Tigris River since chapter 10. He is going to get his final “prophecy download.” We start in Daniel 12:5.
Daniel 12:5 (NLT)
5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others (meaning angels) standing on opposite banks of the river.
Now Daniel sees two angels, one on each side of the river. Maybe for emphasis, maybe for security, but it definitely increases the significance of this final prophecy. And then there is still the third Heavenly Being that Daniel first described in chapter 10. And we read in Daniel 12:6:
Daniel 12:6 (NLT)
6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”
This is that Angelic Being that was described in Daniel 10:5, and based on his description, some scholars believe this could be a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, meaning before Jesus came to this earth as a man. In any case, he is a glorious heavenly being.
And one of the other angels asked this One dressed in linen, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?” The shocking events of the Great Tribulation, which is the last three and a half years of the seven-year period. It’s also called Jacob’s trouble. It’s when it gets bad. He is not asking, how long from now? He is asking, how long will they last? And the answer is for Daniel’s benefit (and we’ll see in a minute, it kind of shakes him up.) Here’s the answer to the question, how long will these events last?
Daniel 12:7 (NLT)
7 The man dressed in linen (possibly Jesus), who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”
In the Old Testament, just like today, usually, to swear an oath, you raise one hand (for us, it’s the right.) And here this being raises both hands, takes a solemn oath by one who lives forever, and he tells Daniel (really, he is speaking to one of the angels on the side, but it’s for Daniel’s benefit), and he says these shocking events will go on for a time, times and half a time. Now, we’ve already established in Daniel and in Revelation that this is the Bible’s way of saying three and a half years.
Let me explain it to you. A time is one year. Times is two years. And half a time is a half a year. It’s set. We have this confidence from both Revelation and Daniel talking about three and a half years, talking about the last half of the Tribulation, called the Great Tribulation, when the horrors really are being poured out, because the wrath of God is coming and the wrath of hell. Both are let loose completely upon the earth because the second half, the three and a half years, is when the Antichrist is just “going for it.” He has been turned loose and he is especially attempting to destroy God’s people. I’ll tell you why, in just a second.
So, in the second half (the last sentence) of verse 7, this Angel also gives us insight into one of the primary “whys” of the Great Tribulation. Look closely; this is one of God’s primary purposes of the second half of the Tribulation. It’s at the end of Daniel 12:7.
Daniel 12:7 (NLT)
. . . When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened
That gives us critical insight into one of the primary “whys” of the end times. This Angelic Being standing over the river says, “It’s going to go on for three and a half years” and then he gives you a little hint, a little insight into what the goal is. The goal is the shattering of the holy people, the holy people being Israel. Remember, Daniel’s focus in his book is on Israel, God’s holy people. Well, it just so happens God’s primary focus in the end times (in the Tribulation) is also on Israel. Especially the second half, (Jacob’s Troubles) the second three and a half years, because the Antichrist is trying to destroy Israel to keep God’s promises from coming to pass. We’ll get to that in just a second.
The Bible calls the time we are in now, the “Time of the Gentiles.” A gentile, by the way, (you might say “goyim”) is everyone else but the Jews. It means literally “The Nation.” We like to call the time we are in right now “The Church Age.” Because we see it as the Church Age, God sees it as the time of the gentiles. Here’s what it is. It’s a time that has been set by God that Israel has rejected the Messiah, and so has (in a sense) been set aside for a time. Why? For you, that’s why. Because God loves you as well. He loves you as much. Though the holy people are the chosen people, they always will be (we’ll see that continued here), but God has actually set them aside, even blinded their eyes, so that the gospel could go to the gentiles, so you and I could go to heaven.
Listen to me please; God has not rejected Israel. It is heresy, I consider it on the verge of blasphemy, and I will not tolerate it. Personally. Don’t tell me God has replaced Israel with you. Some people say God has replaced Israel with the Church, and I say no, not as far as the Bible says. God’s not rejected them, he has not replaced them, and he has not forgotten them. He has allowed them to be set aside, but he is supernaturally protecting them, and in the last days – what will happen – he will shatter them. He will break their rejecting and hardened hearts. Jeremiah says he will give them a new heart, a heart of flesh, and he will write his laws on their hearts, and his Spirit will guide them just like he guides us.
So, we’re in the time of Jacob’s Trouble; the focus is on Israel – both God’s focus and the Antichrist’s focus. Jacob, just so you know, was the patriarch whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob means “heel catcher” or “conniver.” Israel means “Governed or ruled by God.” And so, Jacob, his name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons, and they are the twelve tribes of Israel. In the last three and a half years of the Tribulation, they will be shattered. It means that the rebellion and the hardness of their hearts will be broken.
However, it is this shattering of the holy people that cause them to turn to God, which causes them to be saved. That is actually what brings a remnant of the holy people into the Millennium, which is necessary and mandatory and will happen. A remnant of the people of Israel will believe, will be rescued from the Tribulation and will be brought into the Millennium. How cool is that, right?
Now follow me so I can blow your mind. Maybe you would ask, “WHY do we have the Millennium? Why do we stay here on this earth for 1,000 years before we go to our permanent home in heaven? That’s a great question… are you ready for the answer? Because there are still covenant promises that God has made to Israel that have not yet come to pass. Is there a promise that God can go back on? No. That is called immutability; God is unchangeable. And in the Millennium, on this earth, every promise God has made, especially to Israel, will come to pass. Jesus Christ will reign as King from Jerusalem, and he will rule over a united Israel (along with the gentile nations) just as God promised in his covenants with Israel.
We can’t get too deep into God’s covenants with Israel here. But just know one of the primary reasons we are going to spend 1,000 years in perfect peace on this earth with Jesus ruling is so that every word of God and every promise he has ever made, especially to Israel, will absolutely come to pass. And please hear me when I tell you, God will go to the same extent to make sure that every one of his promises to you will also come to pass. Is that awesome, or what?
So, the Angelic Being has taken a solemn oath in verse 7 as to how long the final half of the Tribulation will last, and in the process, he has given us one of the primary reasons for the final Tribulation (to bring Israel to salvation.) Then, in verse 8, Daniel says to this great Angel something that I find myself saying to people all the time. Here’s what I say to people “I heard what you said, but I don’t understand what you mean.” And this is just what Daniel says.
Daniel 12:8 (NLT)
8 (Daniel says) I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”
The angel had asked how long will it last. Now Daniel asks how it will all finally end. And at first it seems like the Angel kind of “blows him off.” But then the Angel is going to give Daniel as much of the answer as Daniel can take. First, we read:
Daniel 12:9 (NLT)
9 But he (the Angel) said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.
We’ve heard the Angel say that before, just in verse 4 last week. The phrase “kept secret” refers to how the Bible uses the word “mystery.” In the Bible, a mystery is something that God has not yet chosen to reveal the meaning of, and many of these prophecies could not be understood until we got closer to the end times. But we understand them more and more now, don’t we?
But then the Angel does give Daniel insight into the most important part of the prophecies of the last days. Speaking of the trials of the final tribulation days, Daniel 12:10 says:
Daniel 12:10 (NLT)
10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
First, Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. Let me ask how many of you have come to Christ as a result of a trial in your life? Trials often bring us to the end of ourselves, don’t they, and leave us with nowhere else to look but up. Our trials are actually used by God for our good if we love God.
Romans 8:28 (correctly understood)
“For God WORKS – IN all things – For the GOOD of those who LOVE Him”
And so in that trial, when you say “God, I need you. I need you more than I need this fixed. I need to know you, I need to meet you, and I need to experience your power, your presence, and your peace in this trial.” That’s when you’re showing the signs of loving God and being called according to his purpose, and that’s when God is at work in your trial. And that’s what is happening at the end of the Tribulation. The trials will be unmatched. But God will be at work for the good (especially Israel), and Israel takes a little bit more trials to get to the shattering point to where they are broken and reaching out to God, because they are a tough people.
Listen, you try to have all the demons in hell trying to destroy you for a few thousand years, you get tough. As soon as God made the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, Satan listened up and said, okay, I’m destroying them. And if you just look at Israel and the nations around Israel, God’s protecting one nation and the other nations are being used for something else.
God will use these trials to break Israel. They’ve gotten very tough through the centuries and thousands of years, but God will break them in the Tribulation. And many of them will be purified, cleansed, and refined (the beginning of verse 12). That’s what we’re talking about. God will use the Tribulation to bring a remnant of Israel to salvation. That’s so important.
But then the second half of Daniel 12:10 says:
Daniel 12:10 (NLT)
. . . But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means
Do you see how the Bible really gets clear? You’re either purified and saved, or you remain in your wickedness. The Bible doesn’t grade on a curve – neither does God. You’re either purified by God, or you remain wicked, which you were born into in your sin. So, this second group in the Tribulation, they curse God. And we see that in Revelation. They curse God. They reject God. Their hearts get harder and harder and more rebellious and more rebellious until they are part of the armies that fight Christ when he returns. How hard does your heart have to be to pull out your little sword with Jesus coming? It’s because they remain in their wickedness, and their hearts are hard. Only the wise, meaning only the saved, will know what it means.
Here’s what’s happening. This is really cool. And you might have an “Aha!” moment right now; I hope that you do. What’s happening here in Daniel 12 is the separating of those who are still alive at the end of the Tribulation. Hear that, because I’m going to reveal something to you in the Gospels (Matthew 25 specifically.) God is separating the believers from the unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation. That’s what Daniel 12:10 is about.
Turn to Matthew 25, let’s see Jesus address this same moment. In a text that has been used so wrong, for so long, in so many ways, you need to be able to say, “Do you want me to show you what that’s actually referring to?” So, Daniel 12 (yes, I am repeating myself – it’s a gift) says at the end of the Tribulation, God will separate the saved from the unsaved, the purified from the wicked. Did you get that part? Here’s what Jesus says in Matthew 25.
Matthew 25:31–46 (NLT)
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. (the end of the Tribulation – the 2nd coming)
32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, (those still alive at the end of the Tribulation) and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. (enter the Millennium, then eternity)
35 . . . (Jesus explains how their faith in him was displayed in their actions)
. . .
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. (these are those who continue in their wickedness - refusing to believe)
42 . . . (Jesus explains how their LACK of Faith was displayed in their actions)
. . .
46 “And they (the unsaved) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Listen, Jesus is talking about the nations on the earth. People who are alive. Well, the only time he is going to sit on the throne and separate the people is at the end of the Tribulation at the threshold of the Millennium. Some go into the Millennium alive. Especially Israel, so that God can complete his covenant promises to them. Very cool, right?
Back in Daniel 12, what are we talking about? We are talking about the moment between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. We are at the threshold of the Millennium. So, the Tribulation has ended, the Millennium is about to start, we are about to step into it. To wrap up his answer to Daniel, the Angel gives two “sets of days” and a final command.
Daniel 12:11-12 (NLT)
11 “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days.
12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
The event that starts the second half of the Tribulation is called the Abomination of Desolation. This is when the Antichrist stops the daily sacrifice in the temple and installs an image of himself to be worshipped as God. Jesus named this moment as the beginning of the Great Tribulation (second half) in Matthew 24:15. And prophecy is clear; the worst of the Tribulation lasts three and a half years from that day. So generally, when we are counting days in prophecy, we use a simple 360-day calendar (because that is what Israel used in the time of Daniel.) But three and a half years of 360 days is 1,260 days – not 1,290 days as the Lord tells us here. And then he stretches it out even more and says blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days! And so we have a total of 75 extra days above what we would normally count as three and a half years.
But, just consider some of the events that are going to happen right at the end of the Tribulation.
The Return of Jesus Christ with the Saints to earth
The Battle of Armageddon
The Demise of the Antichrist and Chaining up of Satan
The Judgment of the Living – The Sheep and the Goats
The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints and the Old Testament Saints
The Setting up of the New Government under Jesus Christ that will oversee the world during the Millennium
Yes, Jesus could do all that in one day, but he is still working with humans here, and that is a lot to do between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. And so, the best scholars speculate that these extra 75 days are used for
#1) Mopping up the destruction of the Tribulation
#2) Preparing all the saved of the world to enter the Millennium.
All of which is so, so cool!
Finally, Daniel is given his final instructions from God.
Daniel 12:13 (NLT)
13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
The phrase “go your way” means just continue living your life. You will “rest,” meaning “die,” and then at the end of the days (these days), you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you. And the Lord tells every believer listening to my voice, the very same thing. 1 Peter 1:4 says each of us who have put our faith in Christ:
1 Peter 1:4 (ESV) ...have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading - that is being kept in heaven for us
And the Bible is also clear about rewards given in heaven to those who have served God with the right heart and motivation. We saw one of these rewards last message when we talked about the teachers and evangelists during the Tribulation that will shine like the sky and the stars forever as a reward for their faithful service during the Tribulation.
(And by the way, I told our son David that I used him as an example in those verses because of his desire to stay here and teach God’s Word during the horrors of the Tribulation and he thanked me for doing that. Because he said now any of you who heard that – but have not truly put your faith in Jesus Christ – will know to look him up if you’re still here after the rapture.)
So, what an incredible book Daniel has been. The first six chapters are some of the best biographical teachings in the Old Testament. The second six chapters are some of the best prophetic teachings in the Old Testament. We have seen so many prophecies that have been perfectly fulfilled, and the exactness of the prophecies that have been fulfilled are to give you and I great confidence that the prophecies yet to be fulfilled – will be fulfilled – with the same exactness as the ones that have already been fulfilled.
The Roman Empire will be revived as a ten-nation Federation (which is already happening in the E.U.)
The Antichrist will come out of that European Federation and become the absolute dictator of the world (on behalf of Satan.)
The seven-year Tribulation IS COMING
During the last half of the Tribulation, Israel (and the world) will experience suffering, unlike anything that has ever occurred on this earth.
At the appointed moment, Jesus Christ will return to decimate the Antichrist and the armies of the world
A remnant of Israel will be rescued from the Tribulation and will repent and believe in Jesus Christ at his second coming
The Kingdom of God will be established on earth for the Millennium
All believers of Israel and the gentile nations will live with Christ on this earth in perfect peace for 1,000 years
God will “make good” on every single one of his promises in his Word
So, what do you think of God now?
The only question left is, “How should we respond?” First, if you’re not fully surrendered to God’s plan for your life, you have got to do that now. There is a day of judgment coming. But God has made a way for you to escape that judgment, be forgiven of your sin, and live for eternity with him. It’s by you putting your full faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord and looking forward to his soon return to this earth.
If you have already put your full faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then it is critically important that you strengthen your faith in him, grow your maturity in him and stand up for him in this world that is growing more and more against him.
The final battle line is already drawn up. It will be Antichrist versus Jesus Christ. You and I will be on one side or the other. There is no middle ground, no gray area. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30:
Matthew 12:30 (ESV)
30 Whoever is not with me is against me . . .
And God is giving you an opportunity today to choose sides.