Daniel part 2 8/17/2016. Kilgore Bible Church

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Andrea Cain
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1 Daniel part 2 8/17/2016 Kilgore Bible Church

3 The End? Dan. 8:17 the vision is for the time of the end o Dan. 8:19a I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, that is, the period of God s wrath poured out on his people during the Greek Empire, climaxing with the awful persecution of Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes o Dan. 8:19b for it refers to the appointed time of the end, that is, the time appointed by God for the conclusion of this period of time when he was pouring out his wrath on his people during the Greek Empire, concluding in 163 BC, when the temple was cleansed and rededicated Dan. 9:26c Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. o The end of the city and the temple at the conclusion of the Jewish War of AD Dan. 11:27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. o Antiochus IV and Ptolemy VI join forces in order to depose Ptolemy VII, but both kings were vying for power, ready to double-cross each other at the first opportunity. This, however, would not be the means God would use to eliminate the vile persecutor of the Jews, Antiochus IV, but the end of his tyrannical reign would come at the exact moment that God had set Dan. 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. o A remnant of faithful Jews would endure the persecution of Antiochus IV; their stumbling endurance would be the means God uses to purify their faith, and here is another reminder that God had set a specific time for the end of Antiochus reign Dan. 11:40a At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind. o Could be a reference to the end of the wars between the north and the south, which Pompey the Roman general accomplished about 63 BC. The king of the south would be Ptolemy XII, the him is a reference to Antiochus XIII, one of Antiochus IV s distant successors, and the king of the north is a reference to Pompey, the Roman conqueror o OR, if verses refer to the Jewish self-appointed king John of Gischala, then this could be a reference to the end of the period when God was pouring out his wrath on his people during the Roman Empire, with the climactic act of judgment being the destruction of the temple in AD 70; thus, the king of the south would be Tiberius Julius Alexander, Rome-appointed Prefect of Egypt, and the king of the north would be the Roman emperor Vespasian, who would now be the ruler of Syria, king of the north, after he eliminated the Seleucid line of kings; Tiberius Julius Alexander and Vespasian (mostly through his general Titus) worked together to bring final devastation to Jerusalem o OR, this could refer to the very end of history, so that one of these figures ( king of the south, king of the north, or him ) refers to the final Antichrist 1

4 Dan. 11:45b Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. o This could equally be translated: Yet it shall come to its end, with none to help it, referring back to the glorious holy mountain, a reference to Jerusalem and/or the temple; thus, its end refers to the end of the temple in AD 70 Dan. 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. o The destruction of the temple on earth will be matched in heaven by Michael rising. Though it is not stated what Michael will do, perhaps it is implied that he will be involved in providing protection for God s people during the time of trouble. o This time of trouble or time of tribulation will be extreme and will begin with the Jewish War and the destruction of the temple. Historically, the suffering that resulted from this conflict also significantly impacted Christians living in Jerusalem. o Your people Daniel s people would be understood by Daniel as a reference to the Jews, but the last phrase of this verse specifies that this is not simply talking about those ethnically related to Daniel; rather, it is everyone whose name shall be found written in the book, which, thinking biblically would include all of God s people, Jew and Gentile together. Thus, Michael the archangel has charge over God s people, which was constituted as the political entity known as Israel in the Old Testament period, and after the Messiah s death and resurrection God s people constituted as the international entity known as the church. o The deliverance referred to is not specified; the people will suffer but will be delivered. Verse 2 points to the resurrection of the dead, so that deliverance could refer to vindication after suffering and death. Thus, hope is held out not that God s people will escape the tribulation, but that they will be vindicated and delivered through that very tribulation. The specification of those whose names are in God s book indicate that salvation is in view. Dan. 12:4a But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. o Daniel is instructed to seal, preserve, and keep secret the message he has recorded from this final vision. But, when is the time of the end when Daniel could unseal the scroll? Or would someone else unseal it? Could this be a reference to the time of the end of Daniel s life, when he would compile and put together the whole book of Daniel for publication amongst the Jews still in exile in Babylon as well as those who had returned to Jerusalem? See below on verses 9 and 13. Dan. 12:6b How long shall it be till the end of these wonders? o Dan. 12:7c 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. o An angel wants to know when the time of trouble would end; that is, he wants to know how long it will last. The cryptic answer? A time, times, and half a time. Should we then correlate this reference with the equivalent phrase in Dan. 7:25, which specified the length of time that the saints shall be given into the 2

5 hand of the little horn of the fourth kingdom, which we argued was a reference to the Antichrist? Perhaps. o We argued that the phrase in Dan. 7:25 means a period of time that will seem long to God s people, but which will be suddenly stopped at God s appointed time ; it should mean the same thing here, but it might not refer to the exact same time period. Thus, if the time of trouble discussed in these verses in Dan. 12 begins with the Jewish War in AD 67, and the final hope mentioned by the angel is the resurrection of the dead, then we have a period of tribulation for God s people that lasts from AD 67 until Jesus returns and raises the dead. But, if Dan. 7:25 focuses on the tribulation that the final Antichrist figure will perpetrate against God s people, then this period highlights a shorter period within the larger period in view in Dan. 12. Thus, perhaps these time periods begin at different points but overlap and can both be summarized by the phrase a time, times, and half a time. o OR, the reference to the saints being given over to the Antichrist in Dan. 7:25 not only refers to the final specific Antichrist at the end of history, but also includes all of the antichrists and anti-god figures who rise throughout history, from Daniel s day all the way to Jesus return and the resurrection of the dead. OR, Dan. 12 specifies the beginning point more clearly as the abomination of desolation that will occur in AD 67-70, so that this period a time, times, and half a time refers in both passages to the many tribulations through which God s people must enter the kingdom of God (see Acts 14:22). Dan. 12:9, 13 Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.but go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days. o The instruction, But go your way till the end, followed immediately by the angel telling Daniel, And you shall rest, suggests that the end referred to here is Daniel s death. But, the angel goes on to promise him that he will be among those who will be raised from the dead for everlasting life. After all, Daniel is the premier wise man, who shall shine like the brightness of the sky above and who shall turn many to righteousness. 3

Daniel part 1 8/10/2016. Kilgore Bible Church

Daniel part 1 8/10/2016. Kilgore Bible Church Daniel 10-12 part 1 8/10/2016 Kilgore Bible Church The Message of Daniel 10-12: God rules over the details of the future, even as that future consists of wars and rumors of wars, great tribulation for