This morning we’re going to take a look at the twelfth chapter of Daniel, and I’d like to begin by reading a statement that was written well over 100 years ago from Letter 161, 1903 as the reason to take a close look at this chapter. “The people of God need to study what characters they must form in order to pass through the test and proving of the last days. Many are living in spiritual weakness and backsliding. They know not what they believe. (And I believe that’s more true today than it was in 1903) Let us read and study the twelfth chapter of Daniel. It is a warning that we shall all need to understand before the time of the end.” That is, before human probation closes, the plagues poured out, and Jesus descends the skies.

And so, it sounds to me like it’s important for us to know what Daniel 12 is all about, doesn’t it to you? As we read the very first verse in this chapter, and we’ll do that in just a minute, it becomes quite obvious that the main theme is the time of the end as we just read from the Spirit of Prophecy, or we could say the time in which we are living today. And really, it’s more important for us today than it was for those who lived many centuries ago. In fact, it’s even more important for us than it was for Daniel, who didn’t fully understand what he wrote himself, and he didn’t need to, because it wasn’t for his time.

We should know right from the start also that there are no chapter divisions in the Hebrew manuscripts. These are man-made. Daniel 11:45 flows right into Daniel 12:1 without any break in the thought pattern. In other words, as soon as the papacy “comes to his end and none to help him”, that’s when the little time of trouble is over and the big time of trouble begins. During the little time of trouble people still had an opportunity to repent and be saved, but now that opportunity is gone forever, because the Holy Spirit has finally been withdrawn from those who have rejected His pleadings to obey God’s Ten Commandment Law. And of course, the one command at issue during the time leading up to all this will be the fourth commandment.

You know, I’ve done a lot of thinking since COVID-19 came to our country, and nearly every other country in the world, that I can see how a Sunday law will come in. We’re told that it will come in stages, and at first it won’t be mandatory to keep Sunday as a holy day, but eventually it will, and not only that, but one will be forced to desecrate the true Sabbath or be killed. I remember a few months ago hearing on the news that wearing a face mask would only be voluntary, but now it is mandatory in many places, including my own State of Washington, and one can be fined $1000.00 dollars and spend up to one year in jail if they don’t comply, and many are now urging President Trump to make it mandatory nation-wide. Soon I expect the same will happen with a vaccine when one becomes available should the virus continue to spread. I look at all this as a conditioning process for bigger things to come, and I don’t think we’ll have to wait very long to find out where this is all leading.

But back to the Sabbath for a minute. It has always been astonishing to me that the one commandment people have forgotten, or think unimportant, is the only one of the ten that says, “remember.” This just goes to show you what the devil is capable of and that we are no match for him if we don’t have the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Without the aid of the Holy Spirit, Satan is able to make people think that white is black and black is white; that truth is error and error is truth; that sweet is bitter and bitter is sweet. And so, we need to study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, because without the help of the Holy Spirit we will come to wrong conclusions, no doubt about it.

Daniel 12:1 begins by saying, “And at that time shall Michael stand up.” At the time when the king of the north (papacy) is done for, “Michael (or Christ) stands up”, and He shall do according to His will now, whereas the king of the north has been doing according to his will, or having his way for hundreds of years. When Michael stands up, that’s the signal for the seven last plagues to begin, and the deliverance of God’s people will follow soon afterward. And so, since this is true and is soon to take place, it’s supremely important that we heed the warning we just read a few minutes ago about forming the right kind of character so Jesus can take us back to heaven with Him when He comes. You see, it’s possible to be excellent Bible students and know the various doctrines back and forth, but if our character is not formed in righteousness, our feet will not leave the ground when Jesus comes. We don’t want to know what the Bible and Spirit of prophecy teaches just to be able to win an argument and not actually follow what it says in our private lives. We must know it and allow it to change our heart so that loving obedience will follow.

In the book of Hebrews 1:3; 10:12 it says that when Jesus ascended to heaven, He sat down on the right hand of God. Sitting down indicates that He is our mediator in heaven, our great High Priest who offers His shed blood in our behalf, but when He stands up, it’s all over! Divine mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. By then everyone living will have had an opportunity to accept or reject Jesus as their Lord and Master. That’s when the solemn words in Revelation 22:11 are pronounced, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” All the decisions that have been made will be cast in cement as it were, and there will be no chance for a change in character ever again, and that’s why it’s so important to study what characters we must form in order to pass through the test and proving of the last days.

And so the standing up of Michael means that Jesus is about ready to come back to deliver His people from those who have been hell bent on destroying them, and that is good news! At least for those who are “found written in the Lamb’s book of life.” And there’s only one way to have your name written there, and that’s by believing that Jesus shed His blood for you, and that by believing you receive the forgiveness of sins that are past, that’s what Paul said in Romans 3:25. This is being justified by faith, and it’s a beautiful truth! However, being forgiven of our past sins is not enough to have our names retained in “the book of life” once they’re registered there, we must also be sanctified, which is coming to the place in our lives where we would rather die than perform a wrong act. Those are the only ones who will be found faithful. You can read that in Testimonies for the Church, volume 5, page 53.

In other words, we must have complete victory over all sin, which means we must stop yielding to it, and that can only be accomplished as we constantly submit ourselves to the will of God as expressed in His ten commandment law through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so you see, Jesus is going to stand up soon, and when He does it’s too late for repentance, confession, forgiveness and holiness. And I think that’s the main point as to why we’re told that Daniel 12 contains “a warning that we shall all need to understand before the time of the end.” It’s all about having real victory over all sin while there’s still opportunity to take advantage of what heaven has to offer.

Remember what Jesus said to Mary Magdalene after her accusers slinked away? He said, “Go and (do what?) go and sin no more.” Those five little words are proof that Jesus didn’t ask her to do something that was impossible for her to do, and if she could do it, so can we. When God says do something, the power through faith is there to do it. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate our faith by Bible study, by prayer, and by obeying what the Holy Spirit teaches us, and as we do those things every day, loving obedience will become something we want to do and not something we have to do or else, and as a result our character will be formed in the right way.

In Signs of the Times, April 11, 1906 it says “The creative energy that called the world into existence is in the Word of God. This Word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and recreates the soul in the image of God.”  That’s what happened to Mary, and it can happen to us.

Have you ever noticed that it’s much easier to do something you want to do than to do something you don’t want to do? God never uses force, that’s Satan’s method. As we understand what sin did to Jesus, and this is something Mary understood, we will want to willingly obey Him, that’s just the way it works. That’s why love for God is so important. That’s why we’re told in The Desire of Ages, page 83 that, “it would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.” As we do that, how can we not fall madly in love with Jesus. And if we fall madly in love with Him, why would we not want to do everything we can to please Him? Love is so important, and that’s why the apostle Paul emphasizes it so strongly in 1 Corinthians 13. Love grows as we spend time with someone, and when we make that someone Jesus, our love for Him will grow, and as it grows, obeying Him will become the dominating force in our lives instead of self-pleasing, does that make sense? Sanctification is holiness, and The Desire of Ageas, page 555 says, “holiness is wholeness for God.” A divided heart can never attain unto holiness, that’s why James 4:8 says, “purify your hearts you double minded.”

Now back to Daniel 12:1. Daniel says, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”

Here we see that when Jesus stands up, there will be a time of trouble unlike anything we have ever seen before. It’s going to make the Coronavirus look small by comparison, and all the rioting and looting and killing taking place in our large cities today will look like child’s play, and the only way we are going to survive this coming time of trouble is “to be found written in the book.” That’s the all-important point here. Just because we have accepted Christ at some point in our past lives does not mean that our names can’t be blotted out. Moses understood this. In Exodus 32:32, 33, when Israel sinned he told God, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”

That’s why Moses is a type of Christ. He was willing to have his name removed from the book of life if it could mean the salvation of his people. Moses put up with a lot, didn’t he? and similarly so did Jesus, in fact much more, and He still puts up with a lot from people today, doesn’t He? Why? Because He’s not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. He wants His sacrifice to count for every individual. However, there comes a time when God’s longsuffering comes to an end. It finally came to an end with the Nation of Israel when they crucified Jesus, and it will also come to an end for the whole world someday soon, and when it does, Michael stands up and a terrible time of trouble begins like no one has ever seen before. And so, we need to be aware that we are not once saved always saved, or that we are in a saved condition while we are living in sin, which is very much the same error. We are safe and secure only as long as we choose not to yield to temptation. Remember singing the old hymn that says, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin, each victory will help you some other to win?” It’s so true, and for the most part I think Seventh-day Adventists have forgotten this truth. This is the error, dear friends, that will cause multitudes to be lost. For us it is the omega apostasy, Satan’s special deception for each one of us, and if we don’t disappoint him, our names will be blotted out of the book of life.

In Steps to Christ, page 34 it says, “Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel.” This is talking about the unpardonable sin. If the gospel is neutralized, that means we will be led by the nose in whatever direction the devil wants to take us. The reason they put nose rings in bulls’ noses is to lead these big strong creatures against their will. When you put a car in neutral you can rev the engine until it blows up, but that car is going nowhere. And so, when Satan is successful in neutralizing the gospel in our lives, we’re done, there’s nothing more that God can do.

Daniel 12:2, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” A lot of things happen after Jesus stands up, and a lot of errors are exposed at the same time. For instance, why would those who have been sleeping in the dust of the earth have to wake up if they went to heaven or hell when they died? Why would the saved receive everlasting life at that time if they received it when they died? And why, if the soul is immortal, as is the popular teaching today, would they have to wake up at all?

The truth is, we don’t have an immortal soul, and we don’t receive immortality until Jesus returns, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:53, and everyone who has died in the past, except for Enoch, Moses, Elijah and those who were raised at the time Jesus came forth from the tomb, have been asleep in the grave awaiting the call of the Life Giver. It will seem to those who died in faith that they go immediately to heaven, because there is no passing of time for those who sleep. Whether they die a week before Jesus comes or died 6,000 years ago, the next thing they know is the resurrection of the just, and that’s the way it should be, don’t you think? Read Hebrews 11; it’s quite clear that the faithful do not receive the promise of life after death until we all receive it together at the Lord’s return. That’s the blessed hope for the Christian, and I’m so looking forward to that day, aren’t you?

The resurrection spoken of in Daniel 12:2 is not the general resurrection that takes place at the second coming of Christ as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, but a special resurrection of those who were instrumental in putting Jesus to death, according to Matthew 26:64 and Revelation 1:7, and secondly “those who had died in faith under the third angel’s message, keeping the Sabbath.” You can read that in Early Writings, page 285. And so, that’s why Daniel 12:2 says, some will be raised to everlasting life a little while before Jesus appears, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” One group will call for the mountains and rocks to hide them and the other will say, “this is our God, we have waited for Him and He will save us.” And the good news is, we still have the opportunity to choose which group we’ll be in. But that opportunity is fast fleeting, and besides, none of us knows whether or not we’ll be here tomorrow, do we? Even if you are a young person and think you have your whole life ahead of you, you don’t know but what you will meet with a fatal accident within the next few minutes. So time is of the essence to make our calling and election sure.

The general resurrection of the righteous and the wicked are spoken of in Revelation 20:4-6 as being separated by 1000 years. And so, those who have been faithful through past generations, prior to the proclamation of the third angel’s message, will be in the general resurrection at the beginning of the 1000 years not long after that special resurrection takes place, but those who rejected the truth will come up at the end of the 1000 years along with those who “pierced Him.” In other words, some will have to die three times. Those who were responsible for crucifying Jesus died long ago, then they’ll die again after they come up in that special resurrection, and then a third time at the end of the thousand years. What a dreadful thought to think of coming up at the end of the thousand years, because all those who come up at the end will have to pay for their own sins by being burned up since they refused to allow Jesus to pay that penalty for them. Not a good choice! You see, one way or the other the penalty for sin will be paid, so why not allow the sacrifice of Jesus to do that for you and inherit the earth made new rather than be burned up? And after the wicked are all burned up, according to Obadiah 1:16, they will be as though they had never been. Such is the fate of all who choose to walk after the flesh and not after the Spirit.

Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Whenever I read this verse it makes me think of two different kinds of wisdom. There are many people today who are street wise, or worldly wise, and I’m sure it’s not this kind of wisdom Daniel speaks of, but those who are truly wise shall turn many to righteousness, it says. Regardless of what we do to make a living, we can all be soul winners. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise.”

If we want to shine like the stars forever and ever, we must be soul winners, and that can be done in a variety of ways. Not everyone can be a preacher in the normal sense of the word, but the way we live preaches a sermon every day. We can be a sermon in shoes, can’t we? We can distribute truth filled literature, and for the most part we probably won’t know the effects of that till we get to heaven, but it will do its work, nonetheless. Isaiah 55:11 says God’s word will not return unto Him void. We’re told that many of those who make it to heaven will trace their first convictions to the reading of truth filled literature. If you can’t distribute literature perhaps you can support someone who does. Robin in the Philippines is a good example of someone who’s doing that, and I thank those of you who have been doing that, and whatever are the results of his work, those who support that project will share in the results. Also if you want to see truth filled literature distributed in your home area, you can contact His Marvelous Light Ministries, as one example, and they will send literature out to whatever zip code you chose, but we all should be doing something to hasten the day of Jesus’ return, otherwise we won’t be a part of the wise Daniel speaks of in verse 3, and if we’re not wise, what are we? We are stupid for not putting forth some time and effort to win souls, because the result will be the loss of our own soul. If you want an interesting study sometime, look up the word “stupid” in the Spirit of Prophecy, it’ll be an eye opener to you.

Daniel 12:4, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Now, many people who read this verse think it’s talking about the technological advances that have been made over the past two hundred years or so, but really, in its true context, it refers to the increased knowledge of the prophecies since the time of the end began in 1798. It’s talking about men and women who would search back and forth through the prophecies to know their true meaning. There was a great religious awakening between 1798 and 1844. Men all over the world, unbeknownst to each other were for the first time beginning to understand the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. William Miller in America, Joseph Wolf in Europe, A Jesuit priest named Lacunza in South America, and in Scandinavia there were even little children that preached about the soon return of Jesus when adults were forbidden to do so. This increase of knowledge at that time was ordained of God and all the demons of hell couldn’t stop it.

You know, I’ve often thought it would have been really exciting to be alive back then, and I’m sure it would have been, but you know, there’s an even more exciting time just ahead as the great controversy between Christ and Satan comes to a head. During that time, the Holy Spirit will be poured out in a greater measure than ever before, even more abundant than on the day of Pentecost, and personally I believe many of us living today will be alive to see it happen. I don’t know how it can be otherwise, because I believe we are now witnessing events in this world today that forces us to that conclusion. This world is not going to continue on much longer in its present shape, and we should be preparing ourselves now to receive a large supply of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit so we will be prepared for the closing scenes of this earth’s history. These are the kinds of reasons we need to study Daniel 12 as the prophet said. We are living in the last remnants of time, and we must know what this chapter is talking about if we’re going to develop a character that Jesus can take to heaven.

Daniel 12:5-7, “Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two (or two others, angels I presume), the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he (the antichrist) shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people (or when the suffering of God’s people comes to a specified end according to this time prophecy), all these things shall be finished.”

First of all, who is the man clothed in linen?  It’s Jesus, of course. Our High Priest. In the Old Testament it was the priests that were clothed in linen garments. Review and Herald, February 8, 1881 says, “No less a personage than the Son of God appeared to Daniel. This description is similar to that given by John when Christ was revealed to him upon the Isle of Patmos. Our Lord now comes with another heavenly messenger to teach Daniel what would take place in the latter days. This knowledge was given to Daniel and recorded by inspiration for us upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

And so, you see, Daniel 12 wasn’t written for Daniel’s benefit, it was written for us! And it was written specifically as “a warning that we shall all need to understand before the time of the end” as we read in our opening statement, and that would be the time just before human probation closes. We also read that “The people of God need to study what characters they must form in order to pass through the test and proving of the last days.” And so, it’s very important that we understand this so we can be ready for what’s coming just around the corner.

Now we don’t need to spend a lot of time on this, but the “time, times, and a half” is the same as the 1260 days mentioned elsewhere, or 1260 years when applying the day for a year principle, and also the 42 months spoken of in both Daniel and Revelation, which is a prophecy of the length of time the papacy would persecute God’s people, which took place between 538 to 1798. A “time” in Hebrew represents a year of 360 days according to the Hebrew calendar back then, and “times” plural, represents two years of 360 days, or 720 years, and a “half” represents half a year, or 180 years, and when you add it all up you have 1260 years of papal persecution. This time prophecy is mentioned over and over again in different forms, seven times I believe, and when things are mentioned over and over again in the Bible, that means it’s important. Now when it comes to character development and a warning we need to understand, this time prophecy is given so we can know where we are in the stream of time and that we don’t have a lot of time left to dilly dally around as if this current world is going to go on forever. We only have a few short years, or perhaps months at best to form our characters for heaven, and we really don’t have a moment to lose, and I think that’s the point we need to understand about this prophecy, and it’s also given to us so we can have confidence that the Bible is true, that we can depend on things happening just as it says.

Daniel 12:8-11, “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till (when?) the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Again, who are the wise? Those who win souls and turn many to righteousness, or to the keeping of all ten of the commandments. These are the ones who will understand this prophecy) And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, (the word “sacrifice” is a supplied word by the translators and doesn’t belong to the text we’re told, and I’ll read that to you in a minute) And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”

Using the day for a year principle found in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 when dealing with time prophecy, that would be 1290 years. So when did this time prophecy start and end? We’ll look at that in just a minute, but before we do I want to read something from Early Writings that I think is important at this point and speaks of the “daily”, because there has been some confusion about what the “Daily” represents. This is from page 74, “Then I saw in relation to the ‘daily’ that the word ‘sacrifice’ was supplied by man’s wisdom, and does not belong to the text, and that the Lord gave the correct view of it to those who gave the judgment hour cry. When union existed, before 1844, nearly all were united on the correct view of the ‘daily’; but in the confusion since 1844, other views have been embraced, and darkness and confusion have followed. Time has not been a test since 1844, and it will never again be a test.” We don’t have time to study deeply into what the “daily” represents, but prior to 1844 there was unity of understanding that it represented paganism, and I’ll mention more about that in a minute.

Now back to the 1290-year time prophecy. In the book titled History of the Popes, vol 1, p. 295, by Archibald Bower it says, “On Christmas day, 496, Clovis, king of the Franks, was converted to Catholicism and baptized on the very day in which the pope was ordained.  At this time, he was the only Catholic prince in the world.  He was the first king that ever embraced the Catholic religion. He was called ‘the eldest son of the church.’”

Now, what’s the significance of this as it relates to the 1290 days? Well, 12 years after 496, after Clovis’ conversion to Catholicism, 12 years later in 508 he stepped into the strategic position of the first civil power to join up with the church of Rome, and together they went to war with two of the last Arian nations that were hostile to Catholicism. And so, 508 becomes the beginning point of the 1290-year time prophecy, because that’s when the “daily”, or paganism, was taken away and the abomination of desolation, or the papacy, was set up. You’ll remember from previous study that there were three nations called the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths that were opposed to the teachings of Rome, and King Clovis and the church of Rome are what laid the foundation for the union of church and state; better known as the papacy, or “the abomination that maketh desolate.” This is when the “daily”, which represents paganism, was taken away and replaced by the papacy, or we could say, 508 is when pagan Rome officially became papal Rome, and 30 years later in 538, at the beginning of the 1260 year time prophecy, which ended in 1798, persecution began in earnest when the last of the three horn powers, the Ostrogoths, were “plucked up by the roots” as it says in Daniel 7:8. And then because there was no nation of strength left to oppose this two-fold power of church and state, 1260 years of persecution followed as the papacy wore out the saints of the most high as it says in Daniel 7:25. This is also the verse that says this power would “think to change times and laws”, better translated “time and law” singular, because it refers to the Ten Commandment law, which is one law, that’s why James 2:10 says, “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of (how much?) he is guilty all.” And the word “time”, in this instance, means “an appointed occasion.” What is the first “appointed occasion” referenced in the Bible? The day set apart on the last day of creation week as a holy day! And so, as you study this out it becomes clear that this power, the papacy, would think to change the only Command of the ten that deals with time, and that’s the Sabbath day.

The papacy can’t really change God’s law, but they have done a good job of making people think so, haven’t they? That’s why Revelation 13:3 says, “and the whole world wondered after the beast”, which is also a reference to the papacy. All Protestant churches understood and believed the papacy to be the “Mother of Harlots” a few centuries ago, but today they’ve become the harlot’s daughters as they have embraced the first day of the week as the sabbath, which she claims as the mark of her authority, which in turn becomes the “mark of the beast.” I know I’m trying to cover a lot here, but hopefully it’s just to refresh your memory from your previous study.

Now what about the 1335? Well, it also began in 508 at the conversion of Clovis to Catholicism, but ended in the year 1843. The 1290 also began in 508, but ended in 1798 when the pope was taken captive by Napoleon’s army, and the 1260, better known as the “Dark Ages”, began in 538, 30 years after Church and State, i.e., Clovis and the church of Rome, destroyed the Ostrogoths, and it also ended in 1798. Now, if this is all clear as mud you’ll have to study it out for yourself. Ellen White says nothing whatsoever about the 1290 and 1335 that I could find, but these time prophecies are on the 1843 prophecy chart, which she said was needed to help people understand the truth, except for the mistake of the 1843 date that was later corrected to October 22, 1844, and has been settled doctrine in Adventism for over 150 years. So there’s no need to change them or reinterpret them or apply these time prophecies to some future time. To do so is just to confuse the issue.

Now notice what it says in Daniel 12:12, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” Why were those who came to the 1335 days in 1843 blessed? Because there was a great religious awakening leading up to the end of this time prophecy. They were expecting the Lord to return, and they were disappointed, not once but twice, yes, but they discovered their mistake when they realized there was a tarrying time, and through a study of the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel 8:14, they finally understood that Jesus wasn’t coming to earth at all, but that He moved from the holy to the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in the closing work of the atonement, and those who were a part of that wonderful experience were blessed indeed as they began to understand that which had heretofore been sealed up till the time of the end.

Daniel 12:13  “But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, (in other words, “continue to live your life Daniel, for you will die long before all this happens and be raised from the dead at the end of time just like everyone else”) for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” To stand is his lot means that Daniel’s words would bear testimony to the truth of this prophecy that was sealed up until the time of the end, and it has.

So here’s the point of Daniel 12. We are living on borrowed time. Had it not been for our slowness of heart to obey all that the Lord has said and because our lack of faith, we would have been in the kingdom ere this, we’re told. With all that’s going on in the world today, if we can’t see that human probation is soon to close, then we are spiritually blind, and we are among the stupid instead of a part of the wise. It’s time, dear friends, to be done with sin and self-pleasing and surrender all to Jesus. The atonement is about to be completed and Jesus is soon to lay off His priestly attire, and clothe  Himself with the garments of vengeance. In other words, He’s about to stand up, and when He does, the seven last plagues will be poured out, and unless we are clothed with His righteousness when that day comes, we, and all those we have failed to warn, will suffer those terrible judgments. What a dreadful thought, to be one of those who will say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do thus and so”, and we will hear those awful words, “depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”

Everything I’ve shared with you this morning is absolutely true, but I’d like to end on a more positive note, because deliverance is coming. In Daniel 12:1 we read that “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation. . . and at that time (what’s going to happen?) Thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”

In Christ’s Object Lessons, pages 179, 180, commenting on this verse it says, “From garrets, from hovels, from dungeons, from scaffolds, from mountains and deserts, from the caves of the earth and the caverns of the sea, Christ will gather His children to Himself. On earth they have been destitute, afflicted, and tormented. Millions have gone down to the grave loaded with infamy because they refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. By human tribunals, the children of God have been adjudged the vilest criminals. But the day is near when ‘God is judge Himself.’ Then the decisions of earth shall be reversed. ‘The rebuke of His people shall He take away.’ White robes will be given to every one of them. And ‘they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord. Whatever crosses they have been called to bear, whatever losses they have sustained, whatever persecution they have suffered, even to the loss of their temporal life, the children of God are amply recompensed. ‘They shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.’”

I want that name written in my forehead, how about you? That name written in my forehead means that the character of God will be perfectly reproduced in me, and when He has a people like that, He will come to claim them as His own. May that be our experience.

Sermon Notes in pdf  A Warning We Shall All Need to Understand