Episode 38 concludes the study of Daniel’s numerous prophesies of the latter days. It details the actions and destruction of the antichrist and encourages us to be wise and turn many to righteousness.
—
Transcript
—
The Future of the Teachings of Jesus
27. Daniel’s Vision of the Latter Days–Part 2
The Time of the End (Ep. 38)
At the time of the end. This episode begins with the final 5 verses of Daniel Chapter 11 and them moves to Chapter 12. It continues the focus on the end times king of the north, the European antichrist, that was discussed in Daniel 11:36-39. The first verse in today’s episode, Daniel 11:40, is significant because it explicitly states that it is revealing events that will take place “at the time of the end.” (Dan 11:40) Here is what it says:
40At 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, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through.
This verse gives us a clear demarcation as to when we will have reached the actual time of the end. When the leader of Egypt, the king of the south, attacks the forces of the end times king of the north, the antichrist, we will have arrived at “the time of the end.”
The antichrist’s reaction to the attack of the king of the south. Daniel 11: 41-43 provide details of the antichrist’s reaction to the attack of the king of the south. It read as follows:
41He [the end times king of the north] shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 42He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow in his train.
These verses tell us that the antichrist will be successful in his Middle East campaign as he moves south to attack Egypt. He will overrun other countries including Israel and “tens of thousands shall fall.” Jordan, referred to as Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites, will survive this attack. The antichrist will conquer Egypt and gain its treasures. Libya and Ethiopia will be allied with him.
Tidings from the east and the north. Next, we read in verse 44:
44But tidings from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go forth with great fury to exterminate and utterly destroy many.
In verse 44 the antichrist is interrupted in his campaign against Egypt by news from the east and north and goes forth ” to exterminate and utterly destroy many.”
The antichrist will meet his doom. Verse 45 assures us once again that in the end the antichrist will meet his doom. It states:
45And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
This verse tells us that the antichrist will make the area between the sea and Jerusalem (the glorious holy mountain) his base camp. But as has been revealed in Daniel Chapters 2, 7, 8, and 9, he and his kingdom will be defeated in the end, and he will be destroyed.
“At that time.” As we move from Daniel Chapter 11 to Chapter 12 we find that the beginning verse in Daniel Chapter 12 continues of the story of the antichrist found in Daniel Chapter 11:36-45. The first phrase in Chapter 12 is “At that time.” This is a reference to the last verse in Chapter 11 (Dan 11:45) which stated that the antichrist “will pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.” Continuing this story of the antichrist, the first verse in Chapter 12 reads as follows:
1At 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, every one whose name shall be found written in the book.
The time of trouble. “Michael” is Jesus’ name in heaven. He is the great Prince, the Prince of princes, who is not only Lord of Israel, but also the Lord of heaven and earth. He will send his high and divine son, Melchizedek, with his angelic forces, to defeat the antichrist at the time of the end. But before Melchizedek’s final defeat of the antichrist there will be “a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.” (Dan 12:1)
Judgment Day. Continuing with Daniel Chapter 12 we read in verse 2:
2And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
This time of the end and the destruction of the antichrist will also be a time of judgment. It will be Judgment Day, and the righteous will awaken to eternal life while the wicked will receive their just reward.
A most encouraging message. The next verse, Daniel 12:3, is most inspiring; this is its encouraging message:
3And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
This is a call for the new teachers of Jesus’ religion. As has been previously pointed out, times of great testing and threatened defeat are also times of great revelation. This is an ideal time for the new teachers and leaders of Jesus’ religion to make clear the actual teachings of Jesus and his concept of the kingdom, the rule of God in the heart of the believer. What a great opportunity this will be to advance the true and original teachings of Jesus and save many who are otherwise lost! These teachers of Jesus’ actual gospel of the kingdom should begin their preparations and ministry now. Thus, they will be well prepared to oppose the growing secularism, totalitarianism, and evil in our world and its culmination in the prophesied “time of trouble” (Dan 12:1) and “time of the end” (Dan 11:40).
What the world most needs to know–Jesus’ original gospel. How should we go about our end times ministry? We must understand that what the world most needs to know is that we are all sons and daughters of God. By faith in Jesus’ gospel, we may increasingly realize and experience this great truth. We must return to Jesus’ original gospel of the kingdom. This gospel of Jesus may be summarized as follows: (1) God is our loving heavenly Father; (2) this means that we are all sons and daughters of God; (3) and since God is our common Father we are all brothers and sisters to one another; (4) by believing Jesus’ gospel and gaining faith in the Father we may obtain entrance into the kingdom of God; (5) the kingdom of God is the will of God and our part as his children is to choose and do our Father’s will; (6) The Father’s will is that we increasingly show forth love and the other fruit of the spirit in our daily lives; and (7) by believing Jesus’ gospel and faithfully doing the Father’s will we may attain salvation and gain eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom.
“Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The next verse, Daniel 12:4, reads as follows:
4But 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.
This verse in striking in its description of the time of the end. It should be clearly recognized that this prophecy, “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” is an apt description of very the times in which we live!
When will the time of trouble end? Next, we read in verses 5 through 7:
5Then I Daniel looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6And I 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?” 7The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two 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 accomplished.
Here Daniel inquires of the heavenly being how long this “time of trouble” will last. His answer is that it will be “for a time, two times, and half a time.” This means that it will be three-and one-half years. The celestial being also tells Daniel that the time of trouble will end “when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end.” These verses tell us that Jerusalem and Israel will be overrun for three-and one-half years. When the time of this foreign subjugation of Israel is ended by Melchizedek, the “time of troubles” will be over.
An enlightening picture of the time of the end. In verse 8 Daniel questions the divine being further asking “what shall be the issue of these things?” In verse 9 the celestial being answers Daniel, telling him that “the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” This means that it is only in our time as we approach the time of the end that these words will be properly understood. Verse 10 is an encouraging revelation of the spiritual advancement that will take place at the time of the end. Verses 8 through 10 read as follows:
8I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?” 9He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand.
Verse 10 gives us a clear and most enlightening picture of the time of the end. It will be a time when many shall come to believe Jesus’ true gospel and choose to go forward in faith seeking to do the Father’s will. Many, who already nominally accept Jesus’ teachings, but are passive and slumber within Christianity, will awaken. They will be spiritually reborn and go forth seeking to more perfectly live God’s will, and to minister their faith to others. They will be wise and refine themselves, but the wicked will not understand and will continue in their wicked ways.
The time of the antichrist’s rule over Israel will be 1290 days. The next verse, Daniel 12:11, gives us a more precise dating of the time of the antichrist rule over Israel. Here is what it says:
11And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
This verse appears to tell us that between the taking away of the continual burnt offering and the setting up the abomination that makes desolate there will be 1290 days. This 1290-day period is in close accord with the previous prediction that the time of trouble will be three-and one-half years (Dan 12:7). 1290 days is just 12 days more than three-and one-half years (which is 1278 days).
1335 days. The next verse, verse 12, is mysterious. It reads:
12Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
This 1335-day period is 45 days more than the 1290 days that is predicted for the time of trouble. The reason for waiting an extra 45 days beyond “the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate” will be clear at the time of the end.
Daniel’s prophetic insight will be recognized at the time of the end. The last verse of the book of Daniel, verse 12:13, assures Daniel and the modern reader that his prophecies are true and valid, and that he will be recognized at the time of the end for his great prophetic insight. The divine being tells Daniel:
13But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
Summary of Daniel’s prophesies. Thus, we come to the end of the book of Daniel and his numerous prophecies of the latter days and the time of the end. These prophecies approach this subject from a variety of viewpoints, but their overall theme is the same. In the future, when Israel is re-established as a nation, after almost 1900 years of non-existence, the secular world and its secular governments will have filled up their cup of evil. Then, there shall arise a most evil dictator who is referred to in the New Testament as the antichrist. He will become strong, magnify himself, blaspheme God and Jesus, demand complete subordination and worship, and bring great trouble and destruction to Israel and to the world. There will be “a time of trouble, such as never has been.” He will conquer and rule over many, including Israel and Jerusalem. His shattering the power of Israel and setting up the abomination that makes desolate will be followed by God sending Melchizedek, Jesus’ vice regent, to destroy the antichrist and rule Israel and the nations of the world forever.
The new age. Thus, what begins with great evil will end with great good, a new age of God’s rule on the earth, and the advancing spirituality of its peoples. Godless secularism will finally be defeated, and the true and original teachings of Jesus will advance and come to rule our world.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Leave A Comment