The Time of the End (Daniel 11:36 – 12:13)
Are you ready for the end of the world? If not, a company named Vivos can help you and your loved ones get ready. The Vivos website says, “Whether we want to believe it or not… we are on the cusp of an increase in number and magnitude of events that may, in the twinkling of an eye, change the world, as we know it.” Then they list a range of possible world-altering events, including Armageddon, plagues, a solar kill shot, a super volcanic eruption, major earth changes, killer asteroids or comets, a mega tsunami's, and an economic meltdown. They also talk about manmade threats, like a nuclear explosion, a reactor meltdown, biological or chemical disasters, terrorism, and widespread anarchy.
What is their solution? For a mere $35,000 a person, you can co-own an underground Vivos shelter in one of their airtight, fully self-contained, impervious complexes designed to survive any catastrophe. Their website advertizes:
“Our [complexes] comfortably accommodate community groups from 50 to 1,000 people, in spacious living quarters, outfitted and stocked for a minimum of 1 year of autonomous survival to ride out the potential events. Every detail has been considered and planned for. Members need to only arrive before their facility is locked down and secured from the chaos above.
The Vivos website warns that “millions will perish or worse yet, struggle to survive.” But they also boldly promise, “Vivos is your solution to ride out these catastrophes, so you may survive to be a part of the next Genesis!” (Douglas Rushkoff, Present Shock, Penguin Group, 2013, p. 245; Vivos website; www.PreachingToday.com)
I find it interesting that more and more people are talking about “the time of the end.” But I don’t think spending $35,000 for an underground shelter is the best way to prepare?”
So how do we prepare for the trouble ahead? The Bible is very clear: before Jesus comes things will get much worse before they get much better, so what do we do to get ready?
Well, as we come to the end of the book of Daniel, God gives us some good advice as to what to expect at “the time of the end” and how to prepare for it. So if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Daniel 11, Daniel 11, where Daniel’s heavenly visitor begins to describe “the time of the end.”
Daniel 11:35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. (NIV)
Up until this point, Daniel’s heavenly visitor has talked about a Syrian Greek ruler dominating Israel, trying to wipe them off the face of the map. This was several hundred years later from Daniel’s perspective, but from our perspective, all this has already happened in the 2nd Century B.C. Now, Daniel’s heavenly visitor starts talking about “the time of the end.” He skips from a near event to a far off event, which is typical of biblical prophecy, and this is where things get really interesting. What is going to happen at “the time of the end?”
Daniel 11:36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. (NIV)
This king is an end time king that the New Testament describes as the “antichrist” (1 John 2:18). He will rule the western world, a revived Roman Empire, during “the time of wrath,” which is to come at “the time of the end.”
Now, according to the Bible, there are seven years of tribulation coming before Jesus comes again to set up His Kingdom (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 6-18). Those seven years of tribulation are described as “the coming wrath” in 1 Thessalonians 1:10. It is a time when God pours out His wrath on a world that has turned against Him.
But praise God! 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says, “God did not appoint us to suffer [that] wrath.” In other words, God will remove all us believers from this world before “the time of wrath” begins. 1 Thessalonians 4, the previous chapter, describes an event called the rapture of the church, when we who know Jesus will be “caught up…to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Then and only then, after all the believers are gone, will this “king”, the antichrist, reveal himself (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8), and he will exalt himself above all gods.
Daniel 11:37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. (NIV)
This king will be completely ruthless and irreligious. He will have no regard for any god except power.
Daniel 11:38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. (NIV)
He will worship military power, dedicating his fortune to amassing a great arsenal and a massive army. He will put together a giant war machine, and with that machine…
Daniel 11:39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (NIV)
He will richly reward those who are loyal to him and attack “the mightiest fortress.” Today, the United States is the premier world power. It is the “mightiest fortress” in the world today, and if the antichrist were to arrive any time soon, the United States would be the prime target of his war machine.
The Bible is very clear. This king at “the time of the end”, the antichrist, will be a ruthless, irreligious dictator. This last, great gentile ruler will run roughshod over anyone that gets in his way. Even so, there will be some who resist his rule.
Daniel 11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. (NIV)
In the context, the king of the South is Egypt, and the king of the North is Syria. So what we have here is an Egyptian-Syrian alliance attacking the final, major western world ruler, the antichrist.
My dear friends, pay attention to what is happening in Egypt and Syria today as God sets the stage for the “time of the end.” Not too long ago, Hosni Mubarak was in control of Egypt, and he was friendly towards the west. Now, both Egypt and Syria are becoming increasingly hostile towards the west, and it is not too far-fetched to see the Muslim Brotherhood in both of these countries going to war against a ruthless, western dictator. When that happens, that dictator will go on a rampage, invading many countries including Israel, “the Beautiful Land.”
Daniel 11:41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. (NIV)
Edom, Moab and Ammon are basically the country of Jordan today. Jordan will be spared from the antichrist’s wrath, probably because it refrains from joining the rebellion him. I find it very interesting that Jordan is the only Arab country today that is on friendly terms with the west. On October 26, 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a “Treaty of Peace”; and to this day, there is “freedom of passage” from one country to the other.
Just open today’s paper and Daniel 11, and you can see that the stage is being set for “the time of the end”! All of the players are in place. The nations are aligned just as Daniel 11 describes. The only player missing is the antichrist himself, but it can’t be long until he is revealed. Then…
Daniel 11:42-44 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. (NIV)
China in the east and Russia in the north will threaten this western dictator. So he will strategically establish his military headquarters in Jerusalem between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea.
Daniel 11:45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain [that’s Mount Zion in Jerusalem]. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (NIV)
When Jesus comes again, Jesus will destroy the antichrist, who will have no friends left to help him. Hallelujah! I can’t wait until Jesus comes again; but before then, this world is going to go through some very scary times.
Now, we as believers will miss the worst of it, but those scary times are beginning to cast their shadow in our world today. Egypt and Syria, China and Russia, are all becoming more and more hostile to the west. The nations are aligned just as Daniel 11 predicted, and the stage is set right now for the last great global conflict to erupt at any minute.
So how do we prepare for such times? How do we get ready for “the time of the end”? Well, 1st of all…
DON’T BE SURPRISED BY THE TROUBLE.
Don’t be alarmed when the hard times come. Don’t be shocked by the chaos and turmoil in the world, because everything is happening just as God said it would.
In John 16, when Jesus warned his disciples about the trouble ahead, He told them, “I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you” (John 16:4). He doesn’t want his followers to be surprised by the trouble ahead. Instead, He wants them to be at peace!
Later on in John 16, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So don’t be surprised by the trouble; instead, be at peace, because everything is happening according to God’s plan, and Jesus will reign! He will overcome!
Van Morris, from Mount Washington, Kentucky, recalls taking his daughter and grandchildren to the zoo where they visited the orangutan exhibit. They are awesome creatures that possess the strength of at least five men, and the only thing separating the orangutans from the people were panes of thick glass, each 20-feet tall.
Van Morris’ two-year-old grandson, Trevor, was amused at first by the orangutans' antics. Then one of the hairy beasts suddenly began to beat on the glass. Trevor leapt into his mother’s arms, crying, “I scared! I scared!”
His mother tenderly took him, placed his little hand on the glass, and showed him that the glass shielded him from the animal, so there was nothing to fear. Afterwards, any time Trevor seemed uncertain, his mom would simply say, “Remember the glass.” (www.PreachingToday.com)
I think that’s what God would say to us when our world gets scary and we are uncertain: “Remember the glass. Remember what I told you. Remember that everything is going according to My plan, and I will protect you.” So don’t be surprised by the trouble. Instead…
BE WISE AND SHINE LIKE STARS IN THE DARKNESS.
When trouble looms on the horizon, don’t be stupid and hide in a fortress somewhere. Instead, be smart and reach out to those in need. Be aware of the times and demonstrate the love of Jesus to those who are hurting in these troubled times. That’s what God tells Daniel His people will do “at the time of the end.” Look at Daniel 12:1
Daniel 12:1-2 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (NIV)
All of God’s people will be delivered (“remember the glass”). When you put your faith in Christ, your name is written in God’s book; so even if you die, you will be raised to everlasting life when everybody else is raise to everlasting shame.
Daniel 12:3-4 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” (NIV)
Even though people, at “the time of the end,” will have more information than they have ever had, they will have no discernment; they won’t be able to tell right from wrong. On the other hand, God’s people will “be wise and shine.” They will “lead many to righteousness.” They will show the way “like the stars” in the night sky.
My dear friends, that’s what God wants us, His people, to do in these dark days as the end draws near. He does not want us to hunker down and hide. He wants us to shine like the stars and lead as many as we can to follow Jesus.
That’s what Sara Groves was trying to say when she wrote her song, “Song for My Sons,” in 2007. In an interview with Carolyn Arends, she said, “Song for My Sons is based on Matthew 24:12–13, where Jesus tells the disciples that in the end times, there will be an increase of evil. He says, ‘The love of most will grow cold, but some will stand firm to the end and they'll be saved.’”
Sarah Groves said, “I think my sons will face things that I can't even comprehend. And that evil, that darkness, that hurt will make them want to shut their hearts. Even now believers are shutting up their hearts and they're closing the windows and locking the doors. But Jesus says, ‘I want you to keep your door open in the face of terrorism, in the face of all the ills that the world has to offer. I want you to keep your heart open and love your God and love your neighbor.’” (Carolyn Arends, Running to Justice, www.ChristianMusicToday.com, 11-12-07; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s why Sarah wrote this song…
This is a song for my sons for when they understand it.
You know how life is full; you know we couldn't plan it.
Your dad and I prayed for strength and understanding,
For things we couldn't see or comprehend.
This is a song from my heart, a small refrain to hold you
For times when we're apart and I cannot console you.
I can't say your life will always go like it should,
But I can say that God is always good.
And when the cold wind blows like I know it will,
And when you feel alone like I know you will,
And when the cold wind blows like I know it will,
Don't let your love grow,
Don't let your love grow,
Don't let your love grow cold.
As we approach “the time of the end,” don’t be surprised by the trouble. Instead, be wise and shine like stars in the darkness. Then…
BE WISE AND SEE WITH INSIGHT INTO THE TROUBLE.
Be smart and understand the times. Be aware and discern what’s really going on around you.
Daniel 12:5-7 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” (NIV)
As Daniel catches a glimpse of “the time of the end”, he wants to know WHEN it’s all going to happen. And he is told, “It will be for a time (one year), times (two years), and half a time (half a year).” That’s three and a half years from the time the antichrist sets up his headquarters in Jerusalem to the time Jesus destroys the antichrist at his second coming.
Daniel wants insight into the troubling times of the end, and the first thing he learns is that those times are limited; those times are restricted to a brief period of time, just three and a half years. And that’s the first thing we need to see as we approach those times.
We need to see that the time of trouble is restricted. We need to see that it’s limited to a brief period of time.
Now, if that’s true of the Great Tribulation to come, that’s most certainly true of the lesser tribulations we experience today. They will not go on forever. God puts a limit on our trials, and “this too shall pass.” So be wise and see that the time of trouble is restricted.
More than that, be wise and see that the time of trouble is refining. It purifies God’s people! It makes them spotless! In verse 8, Daniel says…
Daniel 12:8-10 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. (NIV)
Those who are wise will understand that times of trouble refine those who depend on the Lord even while they harden those who turn against the Lord. The wicked grow more wicked while the wise get wiser in times of trouble.
It reminds me of the story of a young woman who went to her mother, complaining about how life was so hard. She didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and wanted to give up. It seemed like every time a problem was solved a new one rose to take its place.
That’s when her mother took her to the kitchen. Mom filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. She pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled out the coffee and placed it in a bowl.
Then turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the daughter replied.
So Mom brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots, to break the eggs, and to sip the coffee. The daughter noticed that the carrots had become soft, the eggs had become hard, and the coffee tasted good. In fact, she smiled as she smelled its rich aroma.
Then her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water – but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong and hard, but the hot water made it soft and weak. The egg had been fragile, but the boiling water made it hard on the inside. The ground coffee beans were different. Instead of being changed by the water, they changed the water and released a rich aroma.
“Which are you?” the mom asked her daughter. “When trouble knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
Do you grow soft and weak in the trouble? Do you become hard on the inside? Or do you make a positive difference in the lives of those around you? Those who depend on the Lord are like those coffee beans. They just get better when they’re in hot water. How about you?
As we approach the time of the end, be wise and see that the time of trouble is restricted; be wise and see that the time of trouble is refining; and finally, as we approach the time of the end, be wise and see that the time of trouble is refreshing. Those who persevere through the trial are blessed. They experience real joy in the end. The heavenly being says to Daniel…
Daniel 12:11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. (NIV)
That’s three and a half years, the last half of the tribulation.
Daniel 12:12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. (NIV)
If you can just hang on for another 45 days AFTER the tribulation, you will be blessed. This is a message for those who come to faith in Christ during the tribulation, “the time of the end.” When the antichrist sets up his headquarters in Jerusalem and desecrates the temple, they will be able to count the days of their tribulation, only 1,290! That’s the day Jesus will come to set up His Kingdom. Then it will take Him at least 45 days to clean up the mess the antichrist caused. Jesus will destroy the antichrist and all who followed him. There will be war and a time of judgment when Jesus separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). It will take some time, but those who wait it out will be truly blessed as they enjoy the benefits of living under Christ’s rule.
After the pain, there is the praise! After the trial, there is the triumph! After the tears, there is the joy! If that’s true for God’s people during the Great Tribulation, then it is certainly true for God’s people today as we experience the lesser tribulations of our lives. After the pain, there will be praise! Count on it. It’s like God said to Daniel in verse 13.
Daniel 12:13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” (NIV)
So how do we prepare for “the time of the end”? How do we get ready for the trouble we know is ahead?
Well, my friends, first of all, don’t be surprised by the trouble. Instead, be wise and shine like stars in the darkness. Then be wise and see that the time of trouble is restricted. Be wise and see that the time of trouble is refining. And be wise and see that the time of trouble is refreshing.
It’s like training for a marathon. Now, a marathon is just a little over 26 miles, but experts tell you not to run more than 20 miles in your training. That means when you run the marathon itself, the last six miles are “no man's land.” You’re not quite sure what you will experience. You might hit a wall. You might get cramps. You only know that it's going to be tough, but you have to believe that your training will prepare you for those last six miles and that you will be able to cross that glorious finish line. (Mark Mitchell, Ready or Not, Here I Come! www.Preaching Today.com)
When we read a book like Daniel, it’s like we’re reading about the last six miles of a marathon. We know it’s going to be hard, but God has told us what to expect and how to cross the finish line.
So get ready and prepare. Prepare by being wise and discerning about the times. Prepare by resting in the fact that God is sovereign and whatever happens to us is part of his plan. Prepare by trusting God to create opportunities for you to shine for Jesus in the darkness. And prepare by praying each day for God's strength to face whatever the last six miles of life may hold for you.
