Daniel 12:8-13; Blessed is He Who Waits~ 20230305 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

03/05_Daniel 12:8-13; Blessed is He Who Waits; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20230305_dan12_8-13.mp3


Daniel 12 begins ‘At that time;’ at the time of the end predicted at the end of Daniel 11; the time of the Man of Lawlesseness who takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God (2Thess.2:3-4).

Daniel 12:1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 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. 3 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. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Question 1; How Long?

This vision began in chapter 10, revealing the spiritual warfare behind the scene of this vision; the vision itself stretches from chapter 11 through the beginning of chapter 12. Then a heavenly messenger asks a question, then Daniel himself asks a question.

We’ve seen this format before in chapters 7 and 8; Daniel is given a vision; a sweeping overview of history; and then he or an angel asks a question about some of the details for clarification. A broad answer is given, but he is still troubled; he asks a further clarifying question. That happens here again in chapter 12.

Daniel 12:5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.

How long shall it be till the end of these wonders? The answer is important; two hands raised in oath before God. Three and a half years; forty-two months, 1,260 days, to shatter the power of the holy people. A sobering message about the humbling of God’s people Israel. This time will be a time of trouble such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But there is a limit set by God. And it is for a good purpose.

Question 2; What Will Be the Outcome?

Now it is Daniel’s turn to ask a question.

Daniel 12:8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”

At the beginning of the vision, in chapter 10, we are told that Daniel ‘understood the word and had understanding of the vision’ (10:1); and in 10:14 the messenger said that he ‘came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come’.

But now Daniel is troubled. He heard the answer, this word about the shattering of the power of the holy people, but he did not understand. Even his question is a bit fuzzy; it seems he is not entirely sure what even to ask; what the end, what the outcome? His question is likely addressed to the man clothed in linen, above the waters. O my lord, what will be the outcome? What will be the latter end, the consequence, what will issue from this?

Go Your Way

Daniel 12:9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 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.

Daniel is commanded to ‘go your way’; go about your business, go back to work, go about your daily life. You don’t get an answer to everything. This word was revealed to Daniel, and he wrote it down, but it was not for Daniel. These words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. God will preserve his word for future generations. Daniel, you don’t understand, and the wicked will not understand, but the wise at the time of the end will understand. It is good to be familiar with these words even if we don’t fully understand, so that if we are that generation who see these things unfold, we will be wise and be able to connect what is happening with what God promised that he would bring to pass.

Many Purified

Many will be purified and made clean and be refined. Back in chapter 11 we saw that

Daniel 11:35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.

How does stumbling or falling bring about refining? If we were counting on our own performance, our own righteousness, then our stumbling would defile us, not purify us. But if our stumbling serves to remind us that we have no righteousness of our own; that even our righteous deeds are as filthly rags in his sight, that we are wholly dependent on the righteousness of another, then our stumbling can drive us to cast ourselves more fully on his abundant mercy. ‘Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it?’ (Rom.6:1-2). ‘But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ (1Jn.2:1)

We see this startling imagery in Revelation

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ...13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Robes washed in blood? Blood stains things, it doesn’t get out stains! This is graphic and unexpected imagery that something washed in blood comes out white. We are told in 1 John 1:7 that ‘the blood of Jesus... cleanses us from all sin.’ Jesus’ blood, the blood of the Lamb purifies, cleanses, removes the stain of our sin and guilt. Jesus ‘has freed us from our sins by his blood’ (Rev.1:5).

Daniel 12:9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 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.

30 or 75 Day Extension

And just when we think it’s over, the heavenly messenger throws in this teaser.

Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”

What is this? We’ve seen the half of a week or time, times and half a time in Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7 and Revelation 12:14. We’ve seen the 1,260 days or 42 months in Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6 and 13:5. Three and a half years is 42 months or 1,260 days if a month is 30 days (which Revelation 11 and 12 seem to make clear). Now this messenger mentions 1,290 days and 1,335 days; 30 and then 75 days longer than the 1,260 days. What is this about?

It seems the starting point is the same; here we are told that these time periods start counting ‘from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up’. In Daniel 9:27 ‘for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.’ In Daniel 7:25 this is the time ‘the saints are given into his hand,’ the hand of the arrogant little horn, or the beast of Revelation 13. According to Revelation 11, this is the time that the holy city is trampled by the nations; in Revelation 12, this is the time the woman Israel is nourished in the wilderness. It seems the 1,260 days begins with the ceasing of sacrifices and offerings and the Man of Lawlesseness taking his seat in the temple, proclaiming himself to be God. It seems the 1,260 days ends when the Lord Jesus kills him with the breath of his mouth and brings him to nothing with the appearance of his coming (2Thess.2:8).

If the 1,290 days and the 1,335 start at the same point, then these periods extend an extra 30 and then an additional 45 days beyond the second coming of Jesus in power and glory. What might be the purpose of the additonal month and then month and a half?

Judgment of Sheep and Goats

This text does not tell us, but Jesus does tell us more about his coming in Matthew 24 and 25. He says in Matthew 24:

Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

...29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Revelation 19 describes it this way:

Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

... 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

And then in Matthew 25:

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ... 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ... 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We don’t know for sure, but it is possible that this judgment of the sheep and the goats accounts for the period of 30 days after the coming of Jesus.

Establishment of Millennial Reign

Revelation 20 continues the story:

Revelation 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. 4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The saints come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus gives the parable of the talents. In Luke’s version of the parable, Jesus says:

Luke 19:12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ ... 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Again, we don’t know for sure, but it is possible that this delegation of authority for the thousand year reign of Christ on earth accounts for the next 45 days of Daniel’s vision. This would explain the blessing on those who wait to attain the 1,335 days. We don’t fully understand this. Daniel didn’t understand. But those who are wise shall understand.

Peter tells us:

1 Peter 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Daniel didn’t understand everything he wrote. He was serving not himself but us.

Daniel 12:13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”

Daniel was to be content with what he did know; he would not know everything. Now an old man, he would soon lay down to rest in the grave. But that would not be the end of Daniel. He will one day stand in his allotted place at the end of the days.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

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2023.03.05 Sermon Notes

Daniel 12:8-13; Blessed is He Who Waits

The angel’s question: how long?

Daniel 12:5-7

Daniel’s question: What will be the outcome?

Daniel 10:1, 14; 12:8

Many will be purified and made clean and refined

Daniel 11:35; 12:10; Romans 6:1-2; 1 John 2:1;

Revelation 7:9-14; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5

Numbered days of greatest trouble

Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:14 - time, times half a time

Daniel 9:27 - half of the week

Revelation 11:2; 13:5 - 42 months

Revelation 11:3; 12:6 - 1,260 days

1,290 days (1,260+30)

Matthew 24:27-31; Revelation 19:11-21; Matthew 25:31-46

1,335 days (1,260+75)

Revelation 20:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-19;

Daniel was serving not himself but us

1 Peter 1:10-12

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org