Finish up our study on the book of Daniel this evening. Though at times it seems that the world is out of control and we wonder what God is doing, God is still on the throne. To Daniel and to his fellow Israelites, to his fellow captives that were taken with him to Babylon, to those who remained in Jerusalem, to those who were left there to pick up the pieces of a destroyed city. It might have seemed to them that that God wasn't in control, that everything had just gone completely out of control. But that wasn't the case, was it?

No. God has a plan. Sometimes that plan includes chastening and judgement if necessary. But God did not strand Daniel in Babylon all by himself. No.

God was with him. And though Nebuchadnezzar at first thought that he was the one who was in control, he found out the hard way he wasn't. God was. It was God that had maneuvered him and allowed him to do the things that he did and when God wanted to change things, God did. When Nebuchadnezzar got the big head and after Daniel warned him not to, God put him in his place for seven years.

He crawled around on the ground like an animal. When Nebuchadnezzar tried to throw the Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego in the fire, it didn't work. God overruled. When Darius Persian king threw Daniel in the lion's den, once again, God overruled. The prophecies in the latter half of Daniel reveal to us the plan of almighty God and how God is on the throne and God is in control.

He has a plan and a will for us and for this world and nothing man can do is going to change that. So praise the Lord that God is on his throne. And he isn't finished with this world yet, he isn't finished with humanity, and he isn't finished with me. He's still working on me and he's there even when it feels like he's not. So we get to Daniel chapter 12 and verse four and it says this, but thou, O Daniel, shut up or seal up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end.

Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. We're going to stop there for a moment. We're going to read five through seven in just a second. But but thou, old Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book. Seal up the book.

In other words, this prophecy is what? This prophecy is done. It's finished. Now, there's been several prophecies and several visions and and one vision has led into another and another prophecy as we've gone through chapter seven through 12. But now, Daniel approaching the age of probably 90.

Now God says this is the last one, Daniel. This is it. So this is the conclusion. This wraps up the end of the prophecy in a tidy bow with the result being the millennial reign of Christ on earth. That's where Daniel leaves us and that is a good place indeed.

So the messenger concludes his message to Daniel about Antiochus in chapters eleven twelve and looking into the future further at the antichrist. The Antiochus Epiphanes who defiled the temple in the days preceding the birth of Christ before the Maccabees took it back was just a a type of the antichrist who was to come. And so in chapters eleven and twelve, we saw prophecy concerning the Antiochus which was still future to Daniel by by more than a couple hundred years, and then going future even more to the Antichrist. And he sums it up with this statement. This is the end of it.

Sealing also implies preservation for a later time, which is quickly coming upon us. So he doesn't tell him just, this is the end. He says, seal up the book and sealing preserves it. Why preserve it? Because is this prophecy just for Daniel?

What's the answer to that? No. Because we're reading it. Right? It's also for who?

It's also for us and it's also for people who are going to yet live maybe after us. It may be for some who will live during the time when these things are taking place. God will be working in this world even during the tribulation, particularly to turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to their God. So, this is also for them. This is also for them.

So seal it up, preserve it because much of this is not gonna happen in Daniel's time. Matter of fact, most of it. In the end times, as the angel indicated, knowledge will increase, also bringing greater light upon these prophecies. As the end approaches, more and more will be made clear. Some of these things Daniel was scratching his head.

Can you explain more? I don't I don't get it. Can can you explain this? And I'm explain that and I don't quite understand that. And Daniel asked for that several times throughout the latter half of Daniel.

And we'll see he's gonna ask it again because he's still not quite still not quite satisfied with his understanding of these events. But sometimes God gave the prophets prophecy that they didn't understand. They wanted to see it. They those who prophesied concerning the Messiah, they they really wanted to be there and see him. And one day they will.

And in a way right now they are for to be absent from the bodies to be present with the Lord. But they didn't understand it all then and certainly Daniel doesn't. But as time goes along, we we gain more understanding oftentimes of prophecy. As world events reveal to us the meaning of such prophecies in a way in which the original recipient could not have understood or foreseen. There's some of these things that we look at Daniel and go, oh, well, this creature is this, and this creature is that, and this creature is this, and all that that horn is this, and and and we have the privilege of looking back where Daniel was looking what?

Forward. And we can we can see how this this this one horn on this goat that represents the kingdom of Greece must be who? Alexander the the great and we can see that when the horn was broke, that's when he died and four horns came up on its place because the Greek empire was divided between four of his generals. And so all of this stuff, we look back in and and and we can more fully understand many of these things because we can put them together with with what happened. That informs us even maybe more into what's going to happen even in the future.

We could look back at the rise and fall of the kings and kingdoms of which Daniel foretold and marvel at the details which unfolded just as Daniel had seen. We can look back at history and see the works of Antiochus and the time of the Maccabees and apply it to the prophecy. We can we can look back at the coming of Christ and his ministry adding further understanding to this this prophecy in Daniel nine, the seventy weeks prophecy, the 70 sets of seven prophecy, four ninety years prophecy, which four eighty three years took us from the time that they were sent back to rebuild Jerusalem till the time that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that donkey and presented himself as the Messiah as Daniel foretold. Yet, being seven years left and what's that last seven years? The tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel.

We understand that better because we live between the sixty ninth week and the what? The seventieth week. We can look forward with an eye on current events and see how the world is gearing up. For many of the things foretold in Daniel and Revelation, we can we can see some of that coming together. A one world government and economy trying to mold itself.

The Lord is coming back. He is indeed. We have the knowledge and wisdom of many great students of the scripture in the past to add to our understanding today that Daniel and his contemporaries did not have. We have the ability to call them up over several mediums at the drop of a hat. I can look up a 100 commentaries right here with the touch of my finger on a phone.

Daniel didn't have that ability, and knowledge has increased. Now, sadly, a lot of that knowledge is is lies, But there's a there's some good knowledge out there too and wisdom. Theologians like to to go back to Augustine and Polycarp and Tertullian and quote them. In many cases, we have much better understanding of doctrine than they did. We have the completed scriptures.

They they were still finishing up the New Testament canon when some of them were still alive. We have the insight of nearly two thousand years of human history. You know, many of them thought the world was just going to get better and better and better and better and everybody was going to get saved and then Christ was going to return. Has it gotten better and better and better and no, it hasn't, hasn't. Now, actually, many ways, it's gotten worse.

We're more like Sodom and Gomorrah today than we would like to admit and so is much of the world around us. No. We have insight they didn't have or hindsight. We have insights of many students the scripture they didn't. In many cases, their doctrines were at best incomplete and sometimes they were way off base.

The dispensational approach to interpreting scripture, particularly as it relates to the end times, may be somewhat new. That, you know, it has to do, among other things, with pre trib rapture. So I believe the rapture's gonna happen before the what? Before the seventieth week of Daniel, before the the tribulation. That's dispensational theology.

That theology is based on what? An understanding of scripture. And an understanding that maybe is somewhat new, as in it's only really been well known for a couple hundred years. Does that make it less accurate? No.

It takes scripture more literally and fits with what we see around us far better. It just took longer to come to light because of the pervasiveness of misinterpretations. Like much of Catholic doctrine that ruled the roost in Christendom for over a thousand years because it was around for a long time. Does that make it right? What's right?

This is right because it's what? Because it's the word of God. And sometimes, we have to be willing to change our doctrine and our theology and our system to fit with this book because this book is what matters. Older is not always better. Now if you look in verses five through seven.

Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, there stood two. The one on this side of the bank of the river and the other on the side of the on that side of the bank of the river. That's just the River Tigris or that Daniel was seen in his vision. And one said to the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river. So there's two men, one on each side of the river and there's one that's above the waters in the middle and one said to the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river, how long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

And I heard the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river when he be when he held up his right hand and left hand unto heaven and swear by him that liveth forever that it shall be for a time, times, a half. And when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be what? Shall be finished. So, as Daniel's standing there and, doesn't give us the really a clear identity of these men. There's one on each side of the river in his vision and one in the middle.

That one is likely the messenger that has already been, speaking to him from heaven. And as he is standing there looking at this scene, one of the people standing on the side of the river says, how long till the end of all these wonders? Oh, What wonders is he talking about? Well, chapter seven, chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter 10, chapter 11, chapter 12. All of these wonders that Daniel has seen in these visions.

When are all of these going to come to an end? And the answer, a time, times, and a half time. Now this is a formula that's been used here and also in the book of Revelation, and it stands for one plus two plus a half, which makes three and a half or three and a half years. That's the last half of the what? The last half of the tribulation.

Three and a half years is the answer given. Once more referring to the time between what what Daniel and Christ in Matthew 24 titled the abomination of desolation. That's when the antichrist will go into the temple halfway through the tribulation. He will break his covenant with Israel. He will defile the temple, and he will set up his own image there to be worshiped halfway through.

From that time forward, three and a half years, and all of these prophecies will come to a what? Will come to a close when who returns from heaven? When Jesus comes back to take his rightful place, the return of the king. Once that event occurs, once the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, as Christ said, occurs, it will be three and a half years. That timing is sure.

Not too helpful at this time to Daniel, seeing that event had not yet occurred. Not real helpful to us as in nailing down a date. Why? Because that event still hasn't yet, what? Occurred.

When that event does occur, then you'll know it's what? Three and a half years. So what is God saying to Daniel? I'm not giving you a what? I'm not giving you a date, Daniel.

Just know from this point to that point, it's gonna be three and a half years and it'll all be done. For those people that are living in that day, they'll have but what did Jesus say? No man knows the what, the day or the hour, My father, which is in heaven. In this day, no date is given. God doesn't want us to focus on a date, does he?

He wants us to focus on him. He wants to focus on what we are to be doing when. Today, in light that he could be coming to take us home tomorrow. One day, this will mean something. It's very specific time wise to the people that live or living then.

They will come to an end these wonders will come to an end when the people of Israel will have been broken and scattered, resulting in a revival of a third of the nation of Israel who will come to their savior at his return. That's what he says here. He says, and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. Israel has been scattered and scattered and scattered, but God isn't done yet. Why isn't God done yet?

Well, I've been to Israel. Israel's a more secular society for the most part than The United States. Have they returned to their savior? The answer to that is no, they haven't. But one day, what's left, the remnant that remains will.

But first, they will be broken before they will repent and turn to Christ. It tells us in Zechariah twelve ten, concerning that day, Zechariah wrote, I will pour upon the house of David, upon the inhabitants, Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of supplications, they shall look upon me whom they have pierced. And they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son. And shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Right now, as a people, as a nation, Israel is rebelling and rejecting their Messiah.

He's saying he isn't our Messiah. We we do not accept him. We reject him. He came unto his own and his own what? Saved him not.

But one day, they will. And when he appears, they will be ready to receive him. Tells us of not only this in Zechariah, but of several devastating things that will happen to Israel leading up to that moment when they finally will accept their Messiah as Lord of their life. That day is coming and when when that day comes, then will he return and then will this vision be completed. Then if you look in verse eight, and I heard, but I understood not, then said I.

In other words, Daniel said, I heard it. I heard what he said, but I still don't what? I still don't understand. So if you read some of these prophecies and you say, I'm hearing it, but I don't quite get it, don't feel you're in terrible bad company because Daniel felt the same way. We do have, as I say, insight and hindsight we can look at today.

We have each one of us who lives inside of us. Holy Spirit. And he helps us to understand that some things still aren't easy for us to grapple with, prophecy being one of them. So Daniel here is saying, Lord, I hear it, but I don't get it. And he and he said to him, oh my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

And he said, go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified and made wide and tried or tested, but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. I'll stop there for a moment. So Daniel says, I don't get it. What shall be the end of these things?

He's basically sort of just saying the same thing he heard the guy beside the river say a moment ago. God's response to Daniel is to seal up the book and quit asking. All of this isn't for you to know and understand. Did did God explain much of these things to Daniel? Yes, he did.

Why didn't he explain everything? Because it wasn't for Daniel to what? Wasn't for Daniel to know. There are some things that sometimes that God hasn't revealed. They're not for us to know.

We have to learn to what? We have to learn to trust in the Lord our God. To believe what he says, to trust in his word, to trust in his care, to trust in his omniscience and his omnipotence, It will be revealed when the time is right. It's human nature to want to know the future and to understand the explanation in all its details, but sometimes, oftentimes, God doesn't work that way. It isn't his prerogative to satisfy my curiosity.

It's kinda nice when he does, but he doesn't have to. It is his prerogative to give us what we need to know and when we need to know it. While prophecy has a purpose and is quite interesting, we cannot lose sight of what we are to be doing and focused on in the here and now. I love prophecy. I really enjoy going through the book of Daniel.

I really enjoyed the the book by David Jeremiah that I read as I as I went through it and brought out some points of his. But prophecy isn't all in all. We need to be focusing on what we're to do today in light of what's coming what when? Tomorrow. There's a purpose in that.

Sometimes preachers take advantage of our curiosity to make a name for themselves when they should be focusing more on winning people to Christ and training saints to serve him in the here and now because the day is the day is drawing to a what? A close. You need to work while it's day before night because night is coming. This is our day, our opportunity. Just know the time is swiftly coming, and we need to work while it's day.

We need to be the light, the salt and light that God has called us to be. Yet God does add something here once again as he tells Daniel, many in verse 10, shall be purified and made wide and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. During this time, many will be purified by the Lord and join the ranks of the redeemed, but the wicked will remain in their rebellion and fail to turn from their ways despite all of this. You would think that when the rapture happens and all of these things begin to particularly in Revelation to come to pass, you would think the whole world would would go, wow. Look, the Bible is true.

Christ has come. Christ is coming. We better get ready. We better get ready. We better repent.

But is that is what what's going to happen? No. Most of the world when Christ returns is going to have their their fist in the air. Not welcoming him but fighting him. Praise the Lord.

There will be those that will be purified made white robed in the righteousness of Christ as we redeemed a third of Israel, a multitude of the Gentiles who will be saved during the tribulation but they will not be the majority. The Bible tells us in first Corinthians two fourteen, it says, but the natural man receiveth not the things of God the spirit of God for they are what? Bullishness unto him. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. What do you need to have a better understanding of the you need the help of the Holy Spirit.

You need to be opened up to the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit. And the world around us can read these words and still not see Christ them. The Bible says in second Thessalonians two that God will send them a strong delusion and they will believe a what? Believe a lie.

That they might be doomed who, when they have the opportunity, rejected and opposed him. That will happen to many and they will believe the lie. But praise the Lord, some will be what? Some will be saved as some are safe today. Praise the Lord.

And then if you look in verse eleven and twelve, and from that time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, that's the abomination of desolation, The abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to a thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. To this, the messenger adds that there will be twelve hundred and ninety days. Now three and a half years is twelve hundred and sixty days by prophetic reasoning because prophetically, there's three hundred sixty days in a year. You times that by three and a half years, you come up with twelve hundred and sixty days.

That's actually mentioned earlier by that number, twelve hundred and sixty days, the last three half years of the tribulation. But here, there's thirty days extra. You know why that is? If you can, please tell me. I'm not absolutely sure.

And guess what? Neither was David Jeremiah, neither is any commentary I've read. Not quite sure, but here, thirty days, one month is added to twelve hundred and sixty. And then in the next verse, he says, blessed are those that cometh to the thirteen hundred and thirty five days. Well, that's forty five days more.

So, my best guess is that after Christ returns, which is at the twelve hundred and sixty day mark, at the end of the three and a half years from the midpoint to the end of tribulation, there's going to be thirty days and then there's gonna be forty five days before Christ is basically coronated and the millennium what? The millennium begins. Remember, the blood is going to flow to the horse's bridle in Israel during the battle of Armageddon. There are going to be scavenger birds that come from all over, it says, because of the terrible carnage that will be. In Matthew 25, we read about the sheep and the goat nations, and Christ divides the sheep from the what?

The goats. And the sheep enter into the what? The millennial reign of Christ, but the goats are cast into outer darkness and eventually into the lake of fire. All of this must take place between the end of the tribulation and beginning of millennium. So it sort of makes sense that there might be a thirty day and a forty five, seventy five days before that takes place.

But you know something? I think maybe there's a little bit that God has left for us to figure out yet later, you know, and that's okay. But then we get to verse 13. But go thou thy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of day. So messenger concludes with these words to Daniel, and the book is what?

And the book is closed. The vision is sealed, preserved for us, much of which we can understand in a light that Daniel couldn't in his day and yet look forward to what is yet to come. But he says to Daniel, go thy way. Go your way till the end. Go your way, continue to fill fulfill the days of your life.

Live them. Live them for who? Live them for God. Continue to be the salt and light that you have been, Daniel, around the age of 90. For thou shalt what?

For thou shalt rest. Rest is often a euphemism in scripture for what? For death because the child of God, we know that that that's that's not final. For to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and this body is going to go in the ground and one day, this body is going to be what? Resurrected and I'm going to be reunited with a with a new body that's a whole lot better than this one.

I'm hoping I won't be bald, we'll see. Maybe I'm better bald, maybe you're missing out. Maybe I'll still be bald, I don't know. But I have to deal with this sin nature anymore and that's gonna be wonderful. I won't have to deal with pain and suffering and sadness and that's gonna be wonderful.

And I'm gonna see my savior just as he is. And that's gonna be what? That's gonna be wonderful. So he says to Daniel, you will rest, but that's not the end of the verse. And what?

Thou shalt rest and, next word, stand. Now that that sounds contradictory. You're gonna rest and stand. Well, that's because death for the Christian is not at all final or the end because we will stand one day before Christ. We will see him face to face.

He said, stand, thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. So is all this going to take place before Daniel dies? No. It's not. His the end of his life on earth is coming quick, but is he still going to see this?

And the answer is, yes, he will. He will be there when Christ returns because he's going to likely return with him. There's going to be a resurrection at the end at the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ. And if the Old Testament saints aren't resurrected at the rapture, they're going to be resurrected at the beginning of the millennial kingdom. And Daniel will rule and reign with Christ for how long?

For a thousand years. And then we'll all enjoy eternity to come. Revelation fourteen thirteen, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Lord, that they may rest from their labors and their works do what? Follow them.

They follow them. They say, you can't take it with you. Yeah, you can if you send it ahead to where? Lay up for yourselves treasures where? In heaven.

You can can take your reward with you if you're sending it ahead to heaven. Revelation 20 verse six, blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such, the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. I think that means me and I'm quite sure that means Daniel. Oldest book of the Bible, probably written before any of the other books, probably written before Moses, the book of Job.

Some interesting passages in the book of Job. Yeah, he didn't have the books of Moses to read, did he? He didn't have any of these books to read. He didn't know about Christ in the way that we do. Christ hadn't come yet.

But listen to what Job had to say. For I know that my redeemer liveth. Now who is that? That's Jesus Christ. And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.

That's coming. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh, I shall see God. This body may be destroyed, but we learn, as Paul tells us, I'm getting a new incorruptible body, an immortal one, and I will see him face to what? Face to face. Yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not another.

You know, we talked in Sunday school this morning about Peter and how Peter wrote that he was an eyewitness. Now, I can't see Christ with my eyes but Peter did. I can't see Christ with my physical eyes, but I can see him with eyes of faith. But one day, I will see him with my physical eyes and all his glory is Job. Though my reigns be consumed within me.

Job was consumed of his trouble at the time, and we all know about his trouble. But he knew that a better day was coming. God assured Daniel that day was coming. Daniel may not understand it all and it didn't have to. He just needed to understand.

The Lord is on his throne. The Lord reveals what he wishes to and he explains what he wishes to. And we just need to trust him and we need to go about the business that God has called us to in light of the fact that one day, one day, we will see him. One day, we will go to our reward, which is really his reward that we get to take part in because of his sacrifice on the cross in our behalf and his resurrection from the grave and his grace whereby we have been accepted in the what? In the beloved.

Let's pray. Dear God, thank you, Lord, for your word this evening. Thank you for Daniel, the prophet, and all we've learned from him. We pray, Lord, that you would help us, Lord, to remember each day that there is a reward coming in heaven. We thank you, Lord, that this life is not all there is.

We thank you, Lord, for all the many prophecies we've seen fulfilled that assures us that every last one will be fulfilled according to your plan. Lord, help us to trust you more and help us, Lord, to live for you each day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.