Mesa Hills Bible Church

Pastor Tim Dane: We're in Daniel chapter 12, verses 5 to 13. I want to bring this up again. When we had a dinner up at my house about a month or so ago, somebody left a really nice down ski coat at my house. I have it sitting up here. If it's yours, it's up here on the front pew. It's a pretty nice one.

We're in Daniel chapter 12, the last message of Daniel. We'll be launching into some other studies here in the weeks to come. I'm going to do some Psalms after we finish Daniel. In this last message, I think it's a curious thing how easily we can be in our circle of existence and forget about the world around us.

I think it's easy, for example, for us to point a finger at Hollywood. Probably rightly so, they live in their little bubble. You look at some of the people and the things they think about life and you go, "These guys are so out of touch with reality." That's a fact. Some of these people are like that.

In reality, it also is true that we can make the same kind of mistake. In particular, what I'm talking about here in Daniel chapter 12 is the fact that we live in a very protected environment. It's isolated from other nations. In America, we live isolated from invasions, at least so far. We don't really see these things up front.

We may not really appreciate the horrors of war. Many of you understand the horrors of war because you've served our country by defending it in other war zones. I have not. Some of you have not. But the fact is that as a country, we're isolated from all this kind of stuff. I believe that it's easy to not connect with some of the stuff that the Bible says is going to happen because we haven't had to live through it.

When we look at what the Bible says about the future, it says that Israel is going to fall under horrific invasions. The whole world is going to break out in world war during that tribulation period. It is going to be the worst time. Jesus said this: it's going to be the worst time that has ever come upon the world as far as war is concerned.

But the Bible also says over and over again that God is going to use that tribulation period. Sometimes we call it the tribulation period. Sometimes we call it the Day of the Lord. Those are the same thing. Sometimes you see that God says it's going to be terrible times for Israel, but he is going to bring Israel through this time and bring them to faith in Jesus Christ. He is going to save them and restore them. This is his promise.

In Daniel chapter 12, what we see are three different ways that God unfolds this plan to restore Israel and bring in his kingdom. In verses 1 to 4, we saw the first of these ways that God unfolds his plan. This morning we're going to look at 5 to 13 and see two more ways that God unfolds what he's going to do.

Verses 5 to 7 is the process of how he's going to use these afflictions to bring Israel to himself. So, let's go ahead and read the rest of the chapter, and then we're going to pick it up at verse 5. Daniel 12, verse 5:

Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?" And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven.

He swore by him who lives forever and ever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. As soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. As for me, I heard but could not understand. So I said, "My Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?"

He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, purified, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly and none of the wicked will understand. But those who have insight will understand. From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

How blessed is the one who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days. But as for you, go your way to the end. Then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age."

Dear God, we thank you for giving us your word. We know that you've not shown us everything that the future holds, but you have shown us a lot of what the future holds. Through your prophetic word, we see that you are going to have the final victory. We can look around us right now and see terrible things happening: corruption, corrupt politics, wars, crime.

We see all of the tragedies that sin brings upon the human race, but your word tells us that you are going to have a final victory. You're going to purge this world of sin and curse and death. It's your truth that gives us hope. So use this message this morning to encourage us and give us hope. We thank you for your word in Christ's name, Amen.

In verses 5 to 7, we see this process that is going to have its outworking in the Day of the Lord. Again, the Day of the Lord, sometimes we would call it the tribulation period. If you want to think about the tribulation period as being that entire seven-year time period that starts with a peace covenant that the Antichrist makes and it goes through a seven-year time period.

Sometimes we will identify the last three and a half years as being the Great Tribulation. Jesus does actually say that in Matthew chapter 24. But that entire time period is the time when God's judgment is going to come crashing down on a Christ-hating world. That entire time period is called the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord is going to be horrific for the people of Israel, but in the end, God is going to use it to save his people Israel and to restore the nation to himself. Now we know, and have said this many times, that God is also going to be saving all kinds of non-Jews as well because salvation is not something simply for Jews.

It's for everybody who's willing to repent and believe. God says he's going to bring all kinds of people to faith in Jesus Christ during that seven-year tribulation period. That seven-year time period is immediately preceded by what the Bible calls the Rapture. That word is actually used.

The Rapture of the church is going to bring an instantaneous resurrection to every believer in the church, which is all believers who are united to Christ in the body of Christ. That Rapture is going to come to those that are living, but it's also going to come to all the church Christians, all the church saints who have been here since the day of Pentecost.

Even if somebody has already died, they are going to be resurrected at the beginning of the tribulation period. The dead are going to rise, and the living are going to be caught up together with them. It says so in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. So all of the church saints are going to be brought into the presence of Christ.

We are not going to be here on earth during that tribulation period. I think the Bible speaks repeatedly on this with enough clarity where we should say yes, it is a pre-tribulation Rapture. Now you'll hear people say there's not even any such thing as a Rapture. The problem is that they've got a theological system that just ignores and denies a whole lot of Bible.

There is a Rapture and there is good biblical basis for saying it is a pre-tribulation Rapture. Then comes that tribulation period. That is going to be a horrible time period, but God is going to be saving people, a lot of people. He's going to be saving Jews and he's also going to be saving non-Jews.

In Revelation 7, verses 9 to 17, it says that John sees the ones that are getting saved, but there's a lot of them getting killed for their faith as well. It says, "I saw a great multitude from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation who were coming to faith in Christ, but a lot of these people are getting killed as well." It's going to be a very, very terrible time here on the earth.

Well, here in verses 5 to 7, we see two statements about the conflicts that are going to come upon the world, especially Israel. In verse 5 he says, "Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river, the other on that bank of the river." This is a vision that Daniel has and he sees two men on each side of the river.

These two men are angels. They're angelic beings. They have a human appearance, but they are two angels. But there's a third individual as well. In verse 6 it says one of those two men said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?"

If we say, "Who is this one that is hovering above the river?" This is Christ, the pre-incarnate Christ. If you go back to chapter 10, verse 6, we notice that he is seen in Daniel's vision where Daniel said that he saw Christ. Chapter 10, verse 5, "He had the appearance of a man dressed in linen whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold.

His body was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words were like the sound of a tumult." That is Christ before he ever took on human flesh. God understands something: the beginning of Christ was not when Mary had a baby and named him Jesus.

There is no beginning of Christ. He is eternal God. He's always existed. So as we look at the Trinity, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, which is true, you see that God exists eternally in a tri-unity, a Trinity, one God existing in three eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So Christ has always been here.

He is the one who is above the waters and what happens is the angel turned to Christ and said, "How long are all of these wars going to be coming upon our people Israel?" Jesus answers in verse 7. He says, "I heard the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven and he swore by him who lives forever and ever."

He swore by the Father in heaven that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. As soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. Time, times, and half a time: a year, two years, and a half a year. That's what "time, times, and half a time" represents right here.

This is something that we see repeated numerous places in the Bible. So let's just look at a couple of these. Be ready to turn in the book of Daniel right now to chapter 7 with me. But I also want you to open up to the New Testament to have your finger in the book of Revelation starting with chapter 8.

These are two main places that we're going to look. As you already know, the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation are like a hand and glove going in together. Revelation completes the message that we have so detailed in Daniel. Revelation makes it even more detailed. But notice here in Daniel chapter 7, Daniel is talking about this tribulation period.

If you notice down here in chapter 7, verse 25, it says that the Antichrist will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One. He, the Antichrist, will make alterations in times and in law and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. Three and a half years. Three and a half years.

In particular, the last three and a half years of that tribulation period. Now if you look with me at chapter 9, notice what it says over here in verse 27. It says that the Antichrist, he's called the coming prince in verse 26. Daniel 9:27 says the Antichrist will make a firm covenant with the many. This is having Israel as one party to this covenant agreement.

He will make a firm covenant with the many for how long? One week, which is the Hebrew word Shavuot. It simply means a seven-year time period. He's going to make a seven-year covenant, but in the middle of the seven, he will break the agreement. He'll put a stop to Israel's sacrificial system and he will come with all of his war powers that he has from those 10 nations under his control.

He will come to invade Israel to bring a complete destruction that has been decreed by God. So those last three and a half years are where the Antichrist turns his giant block of power, 10 nations that are under his control with all of their armies. He invades Israel at the three-and-a-half-year mark.

What I'm showing you here is that when we see this concept of three and a half years, it's expressed different ways. It's the last half of that seven-year time period, the last half of that week. Here in Daniel chapter 12, verse 7, we see this expression being used again where he says that, "How long until all of these wars are over?" He says, "A time, times, and half a time."

God is going to use that time period to not only judge sinners, but he's also going to use it to bring this purging and restoration of the people of Israel. Every place that we see these teachings about this future tribulation period and we look at what happens here at the end, different passages show us different truths.

But here's what they tell us. The end of that seven-year time period is when you have the literal physical return of Jesus Christ in glory. Jesus has not returned since he went back to the Father back in Acts chapter 1. He's going to return in glory. That glory in Matthew chapter 17, when Jesus appeared to his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, you remember that it says that he shined like the sun.

Should I say shone? A little grammar Nazi here. Shined? He shined like the sun. I think shined is okay, isn't it? Anyhow, you get the point. He looked like the sun shining in its fullness. That's what's going to happen when he returns. You get some people say well the second coming of Jesus happened in the first century when the Roman armies crushed Jerusalem.

That's not the second coming of Christ. That is really, really poor theology. Not at all true. He's going to come back in glory and it says that when he returns, he's going to return with all of his angels. It says so in Matthew 25:31. It also says that the resurrected church that was taken into heaven at the beginning of the tribulation period and brought into resurrection, it says that the resurrected church returns with Christ when he returns to this world to fight these battles of Armageddon that we see in Revelation 16.

You are going to be returning with Christ and you won't be hobbling along like you are right now. I know the feeling as well. I mean, I've got my issues in terms of aches and pains and we all have these things. But the Bible says that God is going to bring us instantaneously into glorified resurrection bodies that will never grow old, never get sick, never decay.

No aches, no pains, nothing but perfected, perfected redemption. Revelation 19, verse 14 says that the armies in heaven who are clothed in fine linen, bright and clean, our resurrection glory, return with Christ when he returns. So that's going to happen at the end of those time periods.

We don't have Christ here. We don't have resurrected saints walking around and we don't yet have the kingdom because he establishes his kingdom when he returns. Now look over here at Daniel chapter 12. We've read this verse. Let's just glance at it. Here's another statement that talks about those last three and a half years.

He says in verse 11, "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished," Antichrist stops their sacrificial system. He says there's going to be 1,290 days. Then he says in verse 12, "How blessed is the one who attains to the 1,335." Now if you look at the way that Jewish time chronology works, from the time of the middle of the tribulation period until the return of Christ, it's 1,260 days.

That's three and a half years on a 30-day calendar, which is what they used, a lunar calendar. So if you've got 1,260 days Christ returns, why is there an additional 30 days here because it says it's 1,290 days? What's that all about? Well, this is the wars that Christ is going to be involved with with an unsaved world.

Those battles are still raging when Christ returns and there's going to be 30 days of warfare, but then it adds an additional 45 days on top of that and it says, "Man, how blessed is the one who survives to see the 1,335 days." In all likelihood, and there's very logical reason for this, what's going to happen when all of these wars are ended?

It is going to be a disaster on the earth. You don't have to think very hard to understand that in all likelihood you're going to have nuclear warfare going on during that tribulation period and all kinds of other stuff. So this is probably a time period when it's going to be a cleanup of this big mess that we have here on this earth.

As one commentator explains it, a mop-up period. That's a good way of putting it. Now look with me and keep your spot here. We're going to come right back, but I just want to show you in the New Testament how you see this same chronology. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 8.

Chapter 8 takes us to the beginning of what's called the trumpet judgments that start at the midpoint of the tribulation period. Chapter 8 does not give us a time statement in terms of three and a half years. But chapter 8 is where he breaks the seventh seal and then in verse 2, you have the seven trumpets that start to sound.

You have the seal judgments in Revelation chapter 6 and that's the first three and a half years. Then you have the trumpet judgments happening from the midpoint of the tribulation period forward. Then when you come to the seventh trumpet, the seventh trumpet blast contains the seven bowl judgments.

So you've got the seals first half, the trumpets, and then the bowls. We don't know the exact time chronology of the trumpets and the bowls, but that's what happens. Now look with me at Revelation chapter 11. We see some more time statements that remind us about what's going on here.

In Revelation chapter 11, verse 1, "There was given to me a measuring rod like a staff and it said rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it and leave out the outer court which is outside the temple and do not measure it for the outer court and the rest of the city has been given to the nations and the nations will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months."

Forty-two months once again, three and a half years. What also happens, verse 3, God says, "I will grant power or authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1,260 days." So we have multiple references Old Testament, New Testament, telling us about things that are going to happen in that last three-and-a-half-year time period.

These are literal numbers. They should be taken literally. Look at Revelation chapter 12. You see Satan coming after Israel in that last three and a half years to wipe out Israel. The way that he's working is through the unsaved people that he controls: the Antichrist and the nations that submit to him.

Look at Revelation chapter 12 in verse 6: the woman who is symbolizing Israel fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that there she would be nourished for, there we are again, 1,260 days, the last half. So Satan is working through these nations to annihilate Israel.

He hates Jews because Jesus is a Jew and he wants to annihilate and exterminate the entire nation. But God says, "I'm not going to let you do it." He gives protection to Israel during that last three and a half years. If you look over here at Revelation chapter 12 and verse 14, it says that two wings of a great eagle, same kind of language that was used at the Exodus when he saved Israel out of Egypt, he says, "I brought you out of Egypt on eagles' wings."

He's going to do it again, verse 14, "Two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman so that she might fly into the wilderness to a place where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time," same three and a half years. Look at Revelation chapter 13. We see this coming up again.

The Antichrist gets killed, chapter 13, verse 3. "I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, but the fatal wound was healed and the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast." So Antichrist gets killed but God allows him to come back to life. In verse 5 it says, "There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies and authority to act for how long? 42 months," another very, very direct time statement.

The point that I'm simply trying to really impress upon you is that when we look at what the Bible says about the future, take it at face value. It's real, it's literal, it's going to happen. Now there is symbolic imagery used to communicate some of these things. For example, here in Revelation chapter 12, Israel the nation is symbolized as a woman.

We are on very, very good ground by identifying this imagery as coming from the Old Testament to symbolize Israel. So yes, symbolism is used in Revelation, but it's talking about literal concrete future events. Coming back here to Daniel chapter 12, what we see is that God is going to use these terrible time periods, these afflictions.

He says it's going to last for three and a half years, those last three and a half years, and it says, "As soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed." You know what's going to happen to Israel during those days? They're going to be hanging by a thread. Now, I'm not a military authority, but everybody knows Israel is tough.

They're very strong and they're very good, but they're small and they're not deep because it's a small country. They rely upon the assistance that they get from us. That's huge. But they're going to get so pounded down with these invasions they're going to be hanging by a thread.

This is exactly what it means when God says here in verse 7 that he's going to shatter the power of the holy people. God's going to save his people and bring them to faith in Jesus Christ, but not until they're desperate at the end of their rope. This is when Christ, it says in Zechariah chapter 12, verse 10, he pours out upon his people the spirit of grace and supplication.

They turn to me, the one that they pierced, and they will be broken and they will mourn with the kind of mourning when you lost an only son. Just bitter, bitter mourning because they realize this one that we hated so badly, he is the promised one. This is his promise. He's going to do it, but it's going to be an ugly, ugly time.

In Jeremiah chapter 30, verse 7, it says, "Oh, that day is great. There's none like it. It's the time of Jacob's trouble, but he will be saved from it." Then a few verses later in Jeremiah 30, verse 11, God says to Israel, "I am with you, declares the Lord, to save you. I'll destroy completely the nations where I've scattered you, only I will not destroy you completely, but I will chasten you justly and by no means leave you unpunished."

Basically, God says, "I'm going to take you out in the woodshed and I'm going to spank you. I'm going to give you such a spanking, but in the end you're going to realize you're a sinner. You're going to realize that I gave you the Son of God to take your sin and you're going to turn to him."

How do we know this is actually going to happen? God says so. God says, "Here is what I am going to do," and God does not lie. This is absolute certain promise of restoration to his chosen nation. So when people say, "Well, God's done with Israel," that's not true. He's going to restore them. This is his promise.

Verses 8 to 13, we come to this final section right here. In this final section right here, what it deals with is the purging that takes place during this process because not all Jews are going to get saved. Now again, when we come to the Gentile world during that tribulation period, we don't know what portion of non-Jews are going to die in disbelief.

Probably the majority, if I were just going to make a good biblical guess on that. But God's going to save a whole lot of non-Jews and they're going to enter into the kingdom when Christ returns. But more of this biblical prophecy talks about how he's going to work with Israel because much of the storyline revolves around Israel because God chose Israel to bring the savior into the world.

But remember something: the Bible is not about the Jews. When you read the Bible, you say, "Oh man, these guys were a bunch of scoundrels." Yes they were. But guess what? So am I. And so are you. We're all a bunch of scoundrels. I like the expression, "a blood-bought child of God." We didn't achieve forgiveness. We didn't earn it or merit it. We can't merit it.

Couple days ago I was in Starbucks meeting with somebody and there was a man right behind me. So I just kind of turned around, looked at him, and he was, you could tell he was a friendly person. He goes, "Oh, do we know each other?" I said, "I don't know, what's your name?" Said I don't think we've ever met.

So he looked at me, I had a jacket on, he goes, "Oh, what are you, an attorney?" I said, "If I told you what I do, I'd have to kill you." And I said, "No, I'm a pastor." He goes, "Oh!" He goes, "I'm a Catholic." He goes, "I'm a member of the Knights of Columbus," and he was telling me about some of the things that he's done in his Catholic service and he was a really, really friendly nice guy.

But I just asked him a question. I just said, "Hey David, let me ask you a question. If you died right now and God said, 'Why should I let you into heaven?' how would you answer him?" He says, "Well, you know, I try to be good and tell the truth." I said, "Have you ever told a lie?" He goes, "Oh yeah."

I go, "Well that's just only one commandment and you're already a guilty sinner. So how can people who are guilty sinners, like me, like you, how can sinners ever hope to be in heaven?" And he says, "Well I do believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross." Now I don't know if the guy's saved or not.

If a person's saved, they shouldn't stay in Catholicism. But he says, "I believe that Jesus died on the cross." And I said, "He died? Where's he buried?" He thought, he goes, "Oh he's not buried, he rose again on the third day." I said, "Do you believe that, David?" and he goes, "Yeah." I go, "Well that's what God says. He saves people when they believe in what Christ did on the cross."

Then I quoted a verse and I just said, "It's not about the good works that we do, not about being good. That's the free gift, right? What a beautiful message that God freely forgives people who can't wash themselves of guilt." If you've never trusted in Jesus Christ personally, you need to do that right now. Right now. Ask him to forgive your sins. Trust him with your heart.

Well, where was I? I got off track. God is going to bring a great purging that comes about in the tribulation period by pouring his spirit out upon the world and upon the people of Israel, but it's also going to be a time period with a lot of purging and pruning and cleansing.

So in verse 8, Daniel says, "I heard but I could not understand. So I said, 'My Lord, what will be the outcome of all of these things?'" Interesting. Here's Daniel the prophet and Daniel even has an angel and even Christ there in his presence to give him explanation and he says, "I'm still not quite understanding how it all fits together."

So if you ever feel like that, don't feel bad. Daniel the prophet was saying that. Now he knew these were things about end times, but he's saying, "How does it all fit together?" Verse 9, Christ replies to him, "Daniel, go your way for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end of time."

This expression here "concealed and sealed," we saw these words used back in chapter 12, verse 4. The idea there is this: "Daniel, that's all the prophecy I'm going to give you right now. We're putting a stop to prophetic revelation right now. So these things are going to stop, you're going to preserve it, and it's time for you to die. You're an old guy, Daniel. You've been serving me faithful. So Daniel, this is all for you now."

Now if you come down here to verse 10, notice what it says. "Many will be purged, purified, and refined." We saw these same ideas expressed back in chapter 11. The idea here is this: cleansing, made pure, made white. So he's saying there's going to be a whole lot of people in that tribulation period, in particular the people of Israel, where they're going to be brought through a process and God says, "I am going to save them and bring them back to myself. I am going to restore my chosen people Israel. I've sworn I'm going to do it."

And he's sworn it over and over and over. In Jeremiah chapter 31, we see an expression where he says, "Behold the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. But you guys are never going to break it like you did before." God says, "I am going to bring you back. It's not just that individual Jews are going to get saved, but he's going to restore the nation in a proper covenant relationship."

But it's going to be a really, really terrible time to bring them to that point of repentance. Look with me at Zechariah. Keep your spot right here, but go to Zechariah and look with me at chapter 13, but also we're going to look at the next book, Malachi, as well. This is right before the New Testament starts. Zechariah chapter 13 and in verses 8 and 9 it says,

"It will come about in all the land," declares the Lord, "that two parts in it," talking about Israel, "two parts in it will be cut off and perish, but the third part will be left in it. And I will bring that third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say they are my people and they will say, 'Yahweh, the Lord is my God.'"

They're going to turn to Christ and say, "You are my God." They're going to believe and get saved. So two-thirds of the nation though are going to die in that tribulation period. We were talking about this a few minutes ago in Sunday School. You know, roughly there's 18 million Jews in the world and roughly about 45 percent of them live in the United States and roughly 45 percent of them live in the land of Israel right now.

Most of these Jews in the world are not saved. There's a small portion of them that do believe in Christ, but most of them are not saved. But if you were just looking and we were going to throw some kind of conjectural number on this, if there are 18 million Jews right now and in the tribulation period 12 million of them, two-thirds are going to die, it's going to be a bloodbath for Israel.

We have this peace agreement that Trump is orchestrating and I hope it comes true. But you've seen some expressions being floated around where they said, "An everlasting peace." That's a joke. It is not going to be an everlasting peace. There's not going to be any everlasting peace until the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, comes to this world.

Then the Bible says there will be an end of war. But man, that'd be great if they can put an end to the immediate hostilities for sure. But this end of all these hostilities at the end of that seven-year time period, this is not going to happen until it says that two-thirds of the people of Israel are going to die in disbelief.

This is a purging that God is going to accomplish. Look at Malachi, just turn over to the next page. Look at how Malachi describes this. He says here in chapter 3, verse 2, "Who can endure the day of the Messiah's coming?" It calls him the messenger of the covenant. "Who can endure that day, the day of his coming and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver to this purpose: that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as it had been in days of old and as in former years."

Unsaved Jews, an unsaved Jew right now has absolutely no spiritual privilege, no spiritual priority, no relationship to the living God. They are as lost and unsaved as anybody. Being a Jew means nothing unless you have trusted in Jesus Christ. But what God is going to do, by his word, by his promise, he says there is going to be a huge work of purification and I am going to save my people.

And like I told this guy the other day, I quoted Ephesians 2:8. By grace we're saved through faith and that's not from ourselves. It's the gift of God and not by our good efforts, our works, so that nobody would ever boast before God. If we could get saved by being good, then the cross of Jesus Christ is a complete waste. But we can get saved by being good. We can't.

Now, he's going to save his people. Back to Daniel chapter 12. He's going to save his people who believe, but what about the people who say, "I will not believe in that man"? Look over here at chapter 12 and come down to verse 10. Notice what he says about this. "Many will be purged, purified, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly and none of the wicked will understand."

If you have shared your faith with people, especially if you've done it with a lot of people, you know that there are going to be people who just say, "Get out of here. Don't talk to me about that. I hate God. I hate the name of Jesus Christ. Don't bother me," right? What do you do with people who harden themselves? God calls them here the wicked. They reject it.

1 Corinthians chapter 16, verse 22, the Apostle Paul writing by the Holy Spirit says this: "If anyone does not love our Lord Jesus, let him be accursed." That's in the form of a command. If somebody rejects Christ, if anyone does not love our Lord Jesus, let him go to hell. You say, "Well that's kind of startling. Aren't we supposed to love people and care for people?"

The answer is yes. That's why we preach the gospel and that's why we share the gospel and that's why we show kindness to people who don't like us. We show kindness, but you've got to understand something. When people say, "I will not bow the knee to this guy that you say is the savior of the world," Paul says, "Let them go to hell. Let them be anathema," is the word.

That's strong language, but it's biblical language and this is not unloving. It is the recognition that when somebody says, "I don't want anything to do with it," then they're making their choice and that is going to be a terrible, terrible consequence. The Bible says that God demonstrated his love to the world when he sent his son. John 3:16, "For God loved the world in this manner.

God so loved the world he gave his only son so that whoever would believe in him would not perish." So God demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Romans chapter 5, verse 8 says that. How did he demonstrate his love? He gave Christ. But when you look at unsaved people who stiffen their neck and reject Christ, they're going to bear the full consequence of their sin.

So it's not unconditional love. There's a condition to receiving the benefit of saving grace: you have to be willing to repent and believe. Daniel says here you're going to get people that harden their hearts and they will not believe. Revelation closes with this statement in Revelation chapter 22, verse 10. John says he said to me,

"Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is near." And then in 22:11, "Let the one who does wrong keep doing wrong. Let the one who is filthy stay filthy." Do you choose to remain on your path of sin? Do you want to stay filthy? It's your choice. Every individual has to make the choice of trusting, right? Bible says that clear enough.

So this is what Daniel is telling us. Now in verse 11 to 13, we come to this final element of truth that he tells us about the future. First, at the end of verse 10, he goes back and he says, "Those who have insight will understand." So in other words, those that turn to faith, they understand and they believe.

Then in verse 11, notice what it says: "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished." How does that happen? Antichrist makes a seven-year treaty giving Israel permission to start a sacrificial system. It says so in Daniel 9:27. He gives them permission to put a sacrificial system that will be located on the Temple Mount where we have at this moment this Islamic mosque called the Dome of the Rock.

I don't know what's going to lead up to that happening, but it's going to happen. Guarantee you it's going to happen. Israel is going to start a sacrificial system in that peace covenant, that treaty. But the Antichrist breaks it at the midpoint. So that means that from the midpoint until the end, it's 1,260 days. So we already looked at this.

But verse 11, "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation," that sounds really strange. It means a detestable idol that causes defilement, desecration upon Israel's temple. The abomination that causes desolation. It's spoken of right here in 12:11 and it's also spoken of in Daniel chapter 9, verse 27.

The Antichrist, it says in Revelation, he's going to put an idol into this rebuilt temple and tell people worship this idol that represents the Antichrist. And it says that the Antichrist himself goes in and defiles the temple. From the time that that happens, when he breaks the covenant, it says there's going to be 1,290 days. The 1,260 is the return of Christ and then 30 days of additional war when Christ returns.

It's going to happen. These are the battles that we call Armageddon usually. Keep your place right here. Look with me at Revelation chapter 16 for just a moment. Revelation chapter 16. So if you go down here to the bowl judgments, you're coming right toward the end of the tribulation period. So in Revelation, pick it up at verse 16:12.

"The sixth angel poured out his sixth bowl upon the great river Euphrates and its water was dried up so that the way might be prepared for the kings who are coming from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, Satan, and out of the mouth of the beast, the Antichrist, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

For they're spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty." They're stirring up the armies of the world to invade Israel at this war that we call Armageddon usually. So demons are stirring up the nations of the world to invade.

Why? Because God's going to use their wicked plan to annihilate Israel and say, "I'm going to get you. You're not going to destroy my chosen people." So the demons are gathering them together and then in verse 16 it says they gather them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

Har is Hebrew, it means mountain, and Megiddo is the place in the southwest corner of the Jezreel Valley. It's an ancient place, Megiddo, and there's a mountain range right on the edge of it. This is where the armies of the world are going to gather together. Megiddo, the whole valley of Jezreel, round numbers is about like 15 to 20 miles in diameter.

Something around like 15 to 20 miles and it says that this is where the armies of the world are going to gather together. Then in verse 17 it says the seventh angel, so here's the final bowl, the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, "It's done."

God's wrath has now come to its final conclusion with these battles at Armageddon. It's done. And there were flashes of lightning, sounds, and peals of thunder, and there was a great earthquake such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty.

We've had some pretty significant earthquakes in recorded history, Alaska back in the '60s and different places. But the Bible says this is what Californians call "the big one." And verse 19: Jerusalem, the great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God to give her the cup of wine and his wrath.

Every island fled away, the mountains were not found, huge hailstones, about 100 pounds each came down from heaven on men and men blasphemed God because the plague of hail was extremely severe. So this is what you see in Revelation right here. This is the stuff that Daniel is talking about, same context, same events.

And what Daniel closes, if you go back here to verse 13, the last verse. Daniel says, "Okay, how blessed is the one verse 12 who makes it to the 1,335 days." For those that have gone through the horrors of World War III, Armageddon, and you've seen all these things happen and you've come to faith in Christ and you survive to the end of all that and then you see the restoration that he starts bringing to this broken world and he unveils his kingdom, Daniel says, "Man, how blessed will be that one that sees this."

Now we don't have to be there in mortal bodies to see that. We are going to be there to see it in our resurrection bodies. We are going to be there. But whether these things come tomorrow, three months from now, 10 years from now, or 100 years from now, when we leave this world and we're all going to leave it sooner or later, right?

When you see Jesus Christ face to face in glory, there's a song, an old hymn: it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Daniel closes this, God closes it for Daniel. "Daniel," verse 13, "that's all, no more prophecy for you. As for you, go your way to the end. Then at the end, you'll enter into your rest and you're going to rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age. You are going to have a great reward, Daniel, because you have loved me and you've served me."

This is the promise that he gives to every believer. For those that love me and serve me, well done, good and faithful servant. Amen? May God help us. Oh, today's communion. Thank you, Lord, for this time together and thank you for giving us this opportunity of opening your word to understand your saving grace.

We thank you especially now for this opportunity of remembering the death of God's Son, your son Jesus Christ, who gave himself to save us. So thank you for this time in Christ's name, Amen.