Daniel 12:1-13

God's word says this at that time shall arise Michael the great prince who has charge of your people there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been seen since there was a nation until 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 end of until the time of many shall run to and fro in 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 Lenin 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 Lenin who was above the Waters of the stream he raised his hand 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 will be finished I heard but I did not understand

Then I said oh 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 that time that the regular burn to offering is taken away in the Abomination that's that makes desolate a setup there shall be 1 290 days blessed is he who Waits and arrives at the 1335 days but go your way till the end and you shall rest shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days and so Lord we do pray that you give us understanding of this mystery help us on to focus on the principles in your word here what your truth is what it says and Lord we just pray that you would grant us wisdom to understand and declare the goodness and the beauty of the Gospel in a world where the wicked are going to act wickedly help us to be wise in Jesus name amen well Michael we're going to go back a little bit because I didn't get a chance to really dive into these first few verses like I wanted to last week but we see Michael the Archangel we had seen him earlier in Daniel chapter 7. Speaking with Daniel we see him in two places in the New Testament and Jude verse 9 we actually see Michael the Archangel it says this you can follow along on your screen but when the Archangel Michael contending with the devil was disputing about the body of Moses he did not presume to pronounce a Blasphemous judgment but said the Lord rebuke you so

We see a little bit there of the function of what Michael does and that he is a defender of the people of God now we don't see this particular story in our Old Testament this was kind of a Jewish traditional story that would have been shared and here we see that Michael he didn't presume to have authority to rebuke the devil did you know that the holiest Angel Michael didn't have authority to rebuke the devil Michael he presumed upon the authority of the Lord to do that work overbuking the devil the Lord rebuked you and we see Michael defending the body of Moses we also see in Revelation chapter 12 verses 7 through 8. Now War arose in heaven Michael and his angels fighting against the Dragon the dragon is and his angels fought back and he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven and so you have Michael functioning as a kind of a general for the people and the host of Heaven against Satan and against demons and they were cast down to the earth now Michael in the Hebrew it means who is like God and what's the answer for that who is like God no one no one's like God right we could say Jesus but Jesus Is God right so who's like who is like God no one no one is like God he sent his Holy Spirit to indwell and Empower his peop his people and now because of what Christ did for us on the cross listen to me Christian he now indwells in you personally if you are in Christ you have the Holy Spirit that resides in your heart and it's not just God working in us to live with faith and conviction in a dark and broken evil world it's also God sending his ministering spirits to do work around us we'll talk about that nearly as often as

We ought to but we see that over and over again especially in the book of Hebrews in chapters one and two we see that and if you come on Sunday nights you know that's kind of what we're going through but God he sends his ministering spirits that we call angels to work and to do the war in the Unseen battle we don't see it we don't get to we don't know what's going on in the Unseen realm around us but yet the Bible is very clear that there is a war between the heavenly host and the foes of hell and even in times of suffering and trouble here's what happens is that if you become aware of this as a Christian that there is a spiritual war all of a sudden you think that if things start going poorly in your life that or in our world we suddenly start thinking that heaven is losing to hell and that's not the case at all has Jesus already won Jesus has already gained the victory he already has made atonement he's already written the end when he said to telesty it means it is finished it is done it is over with and not only that did he have power over salvation okay he also rose again on the third day and now he has the keys to death in Hell itself and so we don't have to fear who is like God the answer is no one but listen when things start going wrong we can rest in the fact that God he knows that those things are going to happen sent God's people into exile knew what he was doing in fact he prophesied it many years before they actually went and so the first promise for believers is for rescue if you're taking notes write that down the first promise is for Rescue that there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been

Since there was a nation until that time but at that time your people shall be delivered you and I because of what Christ did for us on the cross because of the faith that we proclaim the confession of faith we now have an eternal hope that we will be rescued those who do not believe the message of the Gospel in its simplest form are not guaranteed rescue but rescue is Promised for God's people if you're taking notes write that down rescue is Promised for God's people are you a part of God's people I sure do hope so and Captain Edward Smith he was the captain of the Titanic and you guys y'all seen the movie y'all heard the song you got the T-shirt saw the old lady dropped the jewel into the ocean like no Edward Smith he was the captain of the Titanic and he knew right away that they had hidden iceberg and he refused to believe that the Titanic would ever sink even after hitting the iceberg it wasn't until he was standing in the in the mail room and the water was ankle deep that he began to realize this ship is going down and so he put out an SOS hey we need someone someone special someone to save us but it was too late did you know that if he would have put out that SOS signal right away that they probably could have saved all 1500 people but because he delayed because he delayed rescue 1500 people died and perished in the North Atlantic many people they think well I'll just get saved later I'm gonna put it off until time you know at the time of the end I'm just gonna eat by there here's a problem you don't know when it's going you don't know how it's going to happen you can you can leave at any point in

Time and your life can be taken like that I've seen too many friends too many students to many adults to die that's the end for each and every one of us you cannot escape death none of us can but we can through Jesus Christ because he has the power and the authority to Grant everlasting life the Gospel is simply this that you have sinned against God by violating his law okay you've lied you've cheated you've stolen you've lusted you've blasphemed you've done something in your life right and even that little thing whatever it could be is enough to condemn us to an eternity in hell let me ask you might think well that's that's unjust that is wrong it is not good for God to do something like that I mean we're okay people shouldn't God just kind of Overlook that little thing that I did in the past listen Okay imagine for a moment that I baked a cake and I brought it to you it's your birthday and I said hey this is this is a cake and I made it for you I just put a little bit of arsenic in there all right are you going to eat that cake I hope that there's some of you that are like wise like you know no you are not going to take that cake okay what will that do if you eat the cake it will kill you will die the Arsenic will destroy you a little sin destroys just a little bit doesn't take anything and likewise we are Sinners by nature and by choice when we violate God's law we become that completely consumed with it but God wasn't satisfied to leave us in that state you know what he did he sent

His only son he sent his only son to come and to die on the cross he lived a perfect sinless life he didn't lie he didn't cheat he didn't steal he didn't lust he didn't do any of that type of stuff you know what he did he followed and obeyed God's law perfectly and completely he who knew no son became sin for us is what the Scriptures say and so when he died on the cross and he said it is finished you know what happened is that it was done the price had been paid and so now if you look upon Christ and you repent of those sins and you come to him he brings you to the father you don't need to go through a pastor you don't need to go through a priest you don't have to go through a church you don't have to go through anything you know what you do use you enter the narrow way through Christ because Christ is the one that saves and God promises rescue for his people alone and he also promises rescue from a time of trouble now I want to be careful here because every one of us knows that times of trouble are coming for each of us amen like you are going to get sick one day you are going to have Financial hardships your car is going to break down all that stuff that the prosperity preachers say that God will take care of it's still going to happen and God will help us in the midst of that look at what the passage says here's what here's what I simply mean is what the passage says but at that time your people shall be delivered in much the same way that Daniel and the Jewish people had to go through the exile the hard times to suffer the persecution and the severity of all of it in much the same way that God brought people through that exile he will bring you and I through times of

Trial and tribulation and hardships and God he will prove himself faithful to you over and over and over again and even if we are slain even if it does count cost us our lives even if the skies darken if famine spreads if there's some new disease in 2023 we know that God is good and he's always good and we know that God is still working for his glory and for our good the second promise is a reward if you're taking notes write that down a reward look at verses two and three and many of those who sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some die everlasting life some to shame and everlasting contempt 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 we talked about this very briefly last week but this is one of the very explicit teachings in the Old Testament of the physical literal Resurrection of everyone some to eternal life in heaven with Christ and others to Eternal condemnation and Hell apart from God The Book of Daniel we see all sorts of different dichotomies you have Daniel and his friends they were faithful in obeying God's law not partaking partaking in things that were unclean and you had a lot of other Exiles that were there that just chose to compromise so you have faithfulness contrasted with faithlessness you have those who relied on their wisdom to interpret dreams and they couldn't do it almost cost them their lives but then you had faithful Daniel the one who relied on the one true God Alone you had three friends among literally thousands and thousands of advisors and political allies and Military captains and governors and all these different leaders you got three people

That refused to bow never think that just because you're in the minority means that God is Not on your side God is for us who can be against us you got people that were conniving and deceiving King Darius and you have faithful Daniel who still every single day three times a day praying and interceding for the people of God and he would not stop because there is no Middle Road there is no alternate path to Eternity there's not some secret back door that you might eek in maybe you're so great you're not compared to God he is ordained that mankind can only be saved by receiving Christ as Lord and Savior Jesus is the only one who can redeem us and if we reject that gift that reward that we received as Everlasting judgment God sent his only son to die a brutal death that you and I deserve to die to provide a way for you and I to have a saving relationship with the father how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation in fact Jesus he told this parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew chapter 21 verses 37-41 I don't have this up on the screen but it says finally he sent his son to them saying they will respect my but when the tenants saw the son they said to himself this is the air come let us kill him and have his inheritance they took him and they threw him out of the vineyard and killed them when therefore the owner of the Vineyard comes what will he do to those tenants they said to him he will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their Seasons a lot of different applications for that but the whole

Point is this don't reject Jesus so what do Christians do in the meantime what is our duty if you're taking notes write that down what is our duty well if we look at verse three it says that we are to live wise lives and turn many to righteousness we live according to God's word we share the Gospel it's what we're called to do God he promises his peace and His blessings on us because we are in a covenant with him by faith but what is our duty as a result of that and I love what C.S Lewis writes in this book the weight of Glory he says this if we consider the Staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak we are half-hearted creatures like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea we are far too easily pleased well what does the Lord offer to you as his child he offers the joy and the Peace of His blessings he offers hope and purpose offers truth and everlasting life and what do we do as Christians we oftentimes think man if this economy would turn around then I'll be happy maybe maybe then I'll have peace maybe that sin will bring blessings and so we make mud pies and we call them blessings and the Lord he offers the richest blessings through Christ but we think that we can match them by manufacturing so we must confess that and repent and say God help me to discover the joy of you a reward it's it's eternal life in Christ Jesus our duty as a result of that is to live for the glory of God and if you're unconcerned about living for the glory of God let me tell you Christian you really need to examine whether or not you're saved

If you're totally unconcerned about God's glory you may be lost the third promise here is records now the phrase here that is used is that these words are to be shut up and that there is a seal that is placed on the books this doesn't mean that Daniel was commanded to hide these words of the prophecy okay that wouldn't make any sense at all that seal is kind of a an official documentation the stamp of approval right you ever had to go to a notary and get the seal put on there it's kind of like that this is an official thing to be shut up it literally means protect us for future generations to study and to look at you know when we look at the future you know we've all kind of maybe looked at the Book of Daniel and have studied it I hope that you have at least for the last 30 weeks and there's some pretty confusing Parts in there there's some tough things and the reason why we're able to do that is because it has been sealed and it has been shut up so that way we can study it you know the Scripture it says here kind of this weird little tag at the end many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase you know what that means is that you know we are going to be frantically studying this trying to figure out when is Christ going to return doesn't mean that you know just because we see more knowledge increasing and people running around frantically that Christ is like you know about to come in an hour or so but it does mean that we are to study this not neglecting prophecy not neglecting his word but studying it rightfully applying it to our lives and then that's kind of the

End of the vision right it's kind of a strange way to kind of wrap it all up now Daniel he still sees two guys here talking and Daniel's left with a lot of unanswered questions how many of y'all have questions that just have never been answered in God's word you're just like all right I just you know when are you coming back God what is the name of the Antichrist you know is it my political adversary it's the other guy isn't it's not Nikolai Carpathia I can guarantee you that glad a couple of you got that I'm so dating myself with that one but this is such a strange way to end it yet how will the dead be raised what does that even mean it's such a new thing for Daniel to look at what are the things that we should look for listen to me church God never promises to answer all of our questions he doesn't give us complete knowledge of everything but he does give us enough knowledge to save us completely and that's what matters that's enough Daniel he asks he overhears this one question how long shall it be till the end of these wonders and so this heavenly being he raises both hands to the sky he's dressed in linen which of course is that sign of a priest Priestly person at times time or time times and half a Time which we've talked about has so many different views and interpretations and if y'all remember in Daniel chapters 7 verse 25 we talked about that little horn that was cut off that was Antiochus epiphanies what happened as was that he grew in his influence and he really caused trouble and then it all just stopped and it seems to be the same thing that

When the Antichrist comes that would be a time look at the passage that when the shattering of the power of the Holy people comes to an end all these things will be finished in other words it will seem like evil wins it will be a hard time there will be a lot of success as it pertains to evil not that not that Christians forsake the truth not that the elect are found faithless but evil will grow and abound and God will return and we see times like this even in our own world and we could go down that Rabbit Trail but we won't Daniel he asks another question though what shall be the outcome of these things this is really his question and that first question is kind of answered in an abstract way the time times and half a Time the second question that Daniel asks is answered like this it's not for you to know it's not for you to know Daniel and sometimes that's God's response sometimes I respond to my children in that way they'll ask me a question I say it's not for you to know right now God responds to us in that way sometimes too because we're we're children too it's not for us to know so trust him the Heavenly being does get a little bit more specific though with this promise of refining look at verses 10 11. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined but the wicked shall act wickedly we've said it before Sinner's going to sin right 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 in the Abomination that makes desolate a set up there shall be 1 290 days listen Christian you are going to be tested in this life

You were going Bible Bible talks about those hardships that we endure listen to some of the just the words that the Bible uses trials trouble Affliction distress grief woes difficulties and tribulation and for Millennia Christians have endured not because of our fortitude or our toughness but because of God's faithfulness to his people that's why we've endured in the time of suffering it is not going to last God he has set limits on our trials and on our difficulties and they will come but their function is to refine us and there's this process of refining and you know what it starts out with is it starts with breaking if you're taking notes and think that we've got these up there are you following along buddy okay there we go breaking awesome when surveyors find and they dig out metal they are broken into all these little pieces and that first step is Brokenness we even sang about it today we didn't coordinate any of those songs but you know the Lord knows what he's doing but there was that Brokenness there we have if you were in Christ you know what that Brokenness is you know what it's like to be distraught over your lostness to have no feeling of Hope whatsoever except for the Gospel that first step is Brokenness that has God broken your heart over your sin Brokenness is the means through which God rescues the soul it's what prompts our surrender to the Lord and Jeremiah 23 29 it says is not my word like fire declares the Lord and like a hammer that breaks the Rock in pieces as a Believer you might be sitting there one Sunday or you know throughout the week I don't know wherever you read your Bible okay might be your couch might be your bed might be your dining table or whatever have you ever been sitting there reading

God's word all of a sudden God just smacks you in the face with something that you had no clue that you were struggling against I mean and it can be a distressing hard time but it's part of God's grace towards you don't hate it don't despise it don't stop it secondly that broken ore goes into what's called a crucible a crucible is like a it's like a fireproof Melting Pot okay and for us you know you know what our Crucible is our Crucible is Jesus okay we are in there we are safe yes the effects of that heat can still transform us but we are safe from the Flames like Shadrach Meshach and Abednego they were in the flames and who is in there with them Christ was in the midst of the Flames Lord he protects us either way God he tests the heart what happens is that as that ore is exposed to heat it forms a dross a dross is all the imperfections of the metal that rise up to the surface and they're either skimmed away or scorched away and this can happen in the midst of trials for a Believer like you might realize man I am lacking Faith to believe God right now that's Dross maybe I don't act like a redeemed person when I'm angry maybe I'm living like I don't have a future hope but that my hope is in this world that the draws it rises up and all those imperfections are made clear but thank God he is patient with you and I even in the midst of those things and he exposes them in Proverbs chapter 17 verse 3 it says that The Crucible is for silver the furnace is for gold and the Lord tests the heart God he tests the heart and we see that all over Scripture and he tests it not to see what we're made of because God

Knows what it is he knows the dark corners but he tests the heart so that we might become more aware of his grace his mercy and conform more into the likeness of his son Jesus Christ like a friend that lovingly points out a flaw the Lord does so through trials in First Peter chapter 1 verse 7 it says that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ that's the goal to the praise of God's glory and grace thirdly Heat God he continues to apply the heat see God he doesn't just take care of the big dross that just Rises up you know he does it gets a lot hotter and we see that as we grow and mature in Christ you know as they're smelting gold that temperature will get up to 1948 degrees Fahrenheit and it brings more and more imperfections to the surface the fifth step is purification purification is continuing to take care of that sin you see sometimes we can categorize sin into big sins and little God isn't satisfied with you being partially Sanctified he wants all of you and so you'll be going along into Christian walking the Lord will point out something in your life and you will realize that you've been walking in rebellion and for me one of the areas that the Lord's been working in me in has been in friendships and Community right Amber friendships and Community which we talk a lot about but for me you know I've been saved since in since 2000 and I've been in Baptist Churches ever since and was never really a part of a Sunday school class either I you know I didn't get much out of the Sunday school or I was teaching Sunday school I was teaching Sunday school for the past 14

Years of 15 years really and it wasn't until you know we started really getting a class together for people in my age group and really when Brett started teaching that class you know that I started to discover the joy of friendship the joy of community the necessity of it and it was breaking my heart I'm going God for 22 years of my walk I've just been kind of going about my own business doing my own thing you know what the Lord was teaching me was that it's not you know about walking alone it's about my own self-sufficiency that I was relying on and so you know here I am 22 years later God's still working on me and you might be here you've been walking with the Lord for 40 years 50 years two years it's a process and God will continue to work because he's refining us and he's not okay with us just being partially sanctified finally refining does end eventually and we become a reflection of what it is that God wants job he was refined like few ever are and his friend was accusing him of sin actually lfs said this is not your sin abundant there's no end to your iniquities job and what did job say in chapter 23 verse 10 God knows the way that I take when he has tried me I shall come out as gold job wasn't perfect he was still in the refining process in that refining process was hitting him hard but he knew that the end was worth it as CT stud said at the end of his famous poem Only One Life yes only one now let me say thy will be done and when at last I'll hear the call I know I'll say it was worth it all only one life will soon

Be passed only What's Done For Christ shall last the time of the end it will function as a Refinery for Christians and in many ways we've already seen that in our world today I mean think about the last couple of years and how many so-called Christians now affirm different sins those fiery trials that we've endured by no means have they been very hot but they've already exposed many people who are not Brothers and Sisters in Christ there are apostates who give approval to people who sin and transgress God's law how many so-called Christians are now spouting heresies and they're promulgating things like universalism fiery trials have revealed that they aren't actually saved their Heretics who don't know the Gospel and they demand Conformity to wrongful interpretation of the Bible the final promise and then we'll wrap it up is this resolution look at verses 12 and 13. Blessed is he who Waits and arrives at the 1335 days but go your way till the end and you shall rest shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days no a lot of you guys are like what is the 1290 mean what is the 1 335 mean let's stick with what we know here what are we to do we are to go our way until the end we are to wait until we arrive at that destination that the Lord has for us see the safe believer is resolved to stand upon the word of God that's where we're content to stand and Daniel he's encouraged to wait not in you know like hey you just sit here Daniel and you just wait until I come back no he says you wait and you go your own way in much the same way God he has told us to await his arrival but he's also given us something to do in the meantime which is to go therefore and Make Disciples of all the nations teaching them to observe

All that he has commanded us making disciples of the making disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the father and the son the Holy Spirit we're called to fulfill the Great Commission we're called to stand in the truth by teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and that's not just the red letters okay all of God's word is God's word William Wilberforce he was a slavery abolitionist back in the late 1700s in England and what this is a really cool story William Wilberforce he had been fighting the English slave trade for over a decade and he had been met with yet another Stern opposition from political adversaries he had received death threats he had received so many different things and he was just discouraged and he was sitting down and he was reading his Bible he was thumbing through it and all of a sudden a little letter fell out it was a letter from John Wesley who had died several years before then and John Wesley wrote this he said unless the divine power has raised you up I see not how you can go through your glorious Enterprise in opposing that abominable practice of slavery it's the scandal of religion of England and of human nature unless God has raised you up for this very thing you will be worn out by the opposition of men and Devils but if God before you who can be against you are all of them together stronger than God I would be not weary of well-doing go on in the name of God and the power of his mind and so I tell you that story in the same way to go and make disciples in the power of God to make disciples to share the Gospel because it's what God has placed you and I on her on Earth here to do because

We're called to rescue those who are on their way to hell not that we have the power to save anyone but we do have the Gospel which saves people we have a reward a reward is not in this world it's in the next one and it's better much more better more infinitely better than anything and everything that this world has to offer Jim Elliott he famously said he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose until the end we are refined the process is hard so get in a community have people support you be resolved to do what you're called to do for the glory of God head I want you to know that God does not promise to answer all of our questions we do know that the chicken came before the egg yep but we don't have all the answers to all the questions you can think of but we do have all the answers for matters pertaining to Salvation God he has spoken authoritatively indefinitely for matters pertaining to life and godliness he's given us his word to live by hand I want you to draw close to the Lord when you're going through that refining process God's word says in Isaiah 32 2 each will be like a hiding place from the wind Shelter From The Storm like streams of water in a dry place like the shade of a great rock in a weary land God he invites you and I to rest in him when the fires get hot and heart I want you to believe that rescue it is coming for the people of God let's pray and so Lord we do thank you for your mercy your grace and as we've clearly seen

Here rescue is coming it's coming for us and so as your people we look forward to that but Lord our hearts are also brief for those who don't know that rescuing and so I asked God that you would continue to work in US and if there's anyone here that maybe they know that they need to be rescued that they would just grab me and say hey Cody can we talk about this because I'm just kind of concerned so Lord we give this over to you and we ask that you would bless us encourage us Empower us strengthen us help us to make disciples God because it's what we're called to do we love you so much we thank you for your mercy in Jesus name amen let's stand and let's worship together [Music] my eyes are dry my face faith is old my heart is heart heart my prayers are cold and I know how ought to be alive to you and did to me foreign [Music] for The Souls of lost men what a challenge for us today sing that little course with me one more time my eyes my eyes are dry my face is old my heart is hard my prayers are cold and I know how I ought to be alive to you and dare oh what can be done for an old Heart Like Mine soften it up cleanse me I Cry let my heart break let tears once again flow down my face for The Souls of lost men [Music] before I pray I'd like to take this

Opportunity to thank you for praying for my wife Arla and the many cards she's received the doctors removed a portion of her left lung several weeks ago but she's recovering nicely and here with us today [Applause] thank you Lord for the way you love us each one of us so much thank you for the Holy Spirit that you give us and help us to remember Lord that each day every day every minute that you're with us and the things we do the things we say the way we react is thank you Lord for the victories we will have because you're with us as we walk with you this week we ask these things in your name amen [Music]