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END TIME PROMISES |
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Outline 1. AN END TIME RESURRECTION a) Those That Are Suffering b) Those That Are Sleeping 2. AN END TIME REWARD a) Wise Ones b) Working Ones 3. AN END TIME RETURN a) Revealed Prophecy b) Relevant Prophecy
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians
5:4, “But ye, brethren, are
not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”
The day Paul was referring to is the events surrounding the return
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning that event, Paul tells us that
we “are not in darkness,
that day should overtake you as a thief.” In other words, we
have been given light that helps us to understand what will happen
and even when it will happen.
The light that has been given is
the many prophecies we have throughout the Bible that tell us about
the end time. The prophecies of Daniel are one such example. In our
study of Daniel we have seen descriptions and predictions of the
future that were revealed by God through the visions and dreams that
were given to Daniel.
I am sure God hasn’t told us
everything about the future, but He has revealed enough so that we
are “not in darkness.”
God has given us enough information to enable us to know how things
will happen throughout history and what will happen in the end time.
He has also given us enough information that enables us to know that
we should be looking toward the heaven every day of our life with
the anticipation and expectation that the events of the end time are
upon us.
The Bible says in Luke 21:28,
“And when these things begin
to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh.” Jesus said that there are certain
things that we will see that tell us that He is soon to come. I
heard a preacher say that he was not looking for the undertaker, but
was looking for the uppertaker. I believe the information God has
given us concerning the end time tells us we should be looking for
the uppertaker.
In Daniel 12:1-4 we are given some
promises surrounding the end time. In verse 4 Daniel speaks of
“the time of the end.”
The “time of the end” embraces the return of Jesus Christ for His
own, the period of time called the tribulation, and the return of
Christ to this earth to set up His millennial kingdom.
I want to draw your attention to
three promises that are given to us in these verses. First, there is
the promise of:
1. AN END TIME
RESURRECTION
We read in verses 1-2,
“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. 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.”
For the second time we meet
Michael in the book of Daniel. We first met him in Daniel 10. There
he is called “one of chief
the princes” (10:13), which means that he is one of higher
ranking angels. Here he is called
“the great prince,”
which indicates that Michael he is the highest ranking angel. In
Jude 1:9 he is called an “archangel” which means chief angel.
Angels are a fascinating study in
the Bible. The Bible speaks of them as supernatural, heavenly
creatures that are numerous, very strong, and actively involved in
the lives of God’s people. The Bible speaks of angels having various
roles and ranks. Michael is the highest ranking angel of all the
angels.
In Daniel 10 we saw him delivering
the vision that is contained in chapter 10-12. He had explained to
Daniel that he had been delayed 21 days due to fighting with an evil
emissary in the heavens. Now he is seen as a protector of the Jewish
people. In verse 1 he is described as the one who
“standeth for the children
of thy people.”
The
“children of thy people”
speaks of the Jewish people. Michael is seen standing for the Jewish
people. In other words, he is protecting them or standing up in
their behalf. As we look closer we see Michael standing up for them
in the end time. The words,
“At that time” refer to the period that we call the Tribulation
period.
Notice with me two particular
promises that are given to the Jewish people during the Tribulation
period. First, we see:
A) Those That Are Suffering
In verse 1 we read
“there shall be a time of
trouble.” The word “trouble” speaks of a time of anxiety and
distress. The Tribulation period will be an extremely distressful
time for the Jewish people. In fact, verse 1 tells us that this time
of distress will be “such as never was since there was a nation even
to that same time.” Since the beginning of nations, the distress of
the Tribulation will be unprecedented.
The Jewish people throughout
history have experienced much distress. I think of Hitler’s
atrocities in which more than 6 million Jews were killed. I remember
going through the Dachua concentration camp near
The prophet Jeremiah called this
time as “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” We read in Jeremiah 30:7,
“Alas! For that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s
trouble…”
Jesus spoke of the suffering of
these days as unprecedented. We read in Matthew 24:21-22:
“For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake
those days shall be shortened.”
The prophet Zechariah tells us
that things will be so bad that only a third of the people will
survive. We read in Zechariah 13:8,
“And it shall come to pass,
that in all the land, said the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut
off and die; but the third shall be left therein.”
In Daniel 12 we see that the
Jewish people will suffer greatly during the Tribulation period but
there are certain Jews that are given the promise that they shall be
delivered from their suffering. Verse 1 says
“at that time thy people
shall be delivered.”
The suffering of the Jewish people
during the Tribulation will lead many to turn to Christ in
recognition of Him as the promised Messiah. These are referred to in
verse 1 as “every one that
shall be found written in the book.” The Book no doubts refers
to the Book of Life in which are recorded the names of all who are
saved.
For the Jews that will be saved
during the Tribulation, God will deliver them. How will they be
delivered? Notice secondly that Daniel not only sees those who are
suffering, but also:
B) Those That Are Sleeping
We read in verse 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.” Death for those who are
saved is often referred to as “sleep” in the Bible. It is called
sleep because sleep is a temporary state. One awakens from their
sleep. This awakening is a resurrection from the dead.
When a person dies their spirit
goes to be with the Lord. Their body is placed into a grave. But on
the resurrection, their body will be raised to be reunited with
their spirit. That body will be raised in a glorified state.
Now, let me stop here for a moment
and say a few things about this resurrection Daniel saw. Daniel is
not talking about a general resurrection; a day when both saved and
lost will be resurrected to stand before God. That would contradict
what the rest of the Bible says about the resurrection. You must
always interpret a single verse in the Bible with the rest of the
Scripture.
The Bible tells us in 1
Thessalonians 4:16, “For the
Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first.” The next event on God’s prophetic calendar is
the return of Jesus Christ for all that are saved. This is what we
call the Rapture. When He returns those who are living will be
caught up to meet Him in the air.
At the same time, all those who
have died in the Lord, their bodies will be raised to be reunited
with their spirit. This is the resurrection Paul speaks of in 1
Corinthians 15:52, “In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed.” That is one resurrection. This
resurrection will occur just prior to the beginning of the
Tribulation.
In Daniel 12:1 we know that Daniel
is talking about the Jewish people and the Tribulation period. As I
have already said, many Jewish people will be saved during the
Tribulation period. The sufferings they go through will cause them
to turn to Christ in the acceptance of Him as their Messiah. At the
end of the Tribulation, these Tribulation saints will be raised from
the dead. These are those who have had their name added to the Book
of Life. These will be raised
“to everlasting life” as
verse 2 tells us.
This resurrection is called the
“first resurrection” in Revelation 20:5. We read in Revelation 20:4,
“And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls
of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the
Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.”
The “first resurrection” refers to
two resurrections that will occur after what we call the Rapture
occurs. The Rapture will be a resurrection of all saints who are
saved. The first resurrection will be a resurrection of all those
saved during the Tribulation. They will be raised to live and reign
with Christ during the Millennium (1,000 year reign of Christ on the
earth).
At the end of the Millennium a
final resurrection will occur. Revelation 20:5 says,
“But the rest of the dead
lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the
first resurrection.” The first resurrection is referring to
those who were raised before the millennium. The rest of the dead
refer to all the lost people that will be raised from the dead to
stand before God at the Great White Throne. This is what Daniel
meant by those that shall awake
“to shame and everlasting
contempt.”
What a glorious truth—the
resurrection of the believer. One day the Lord will return and the
bodies of all those who have died and will die in the Lord is going
to be raised. It will be a great gettin’ up morning. I never go to
the cemetery without thinking about the resurrection. It is an end
time promise.
The second promise that we have in
Daniel 12 is:
2. AN END TIME
REWARD
In Revelation 22:12 Jesus said,
“And, behold, I come
quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as
his work shall be.” The end time will be a time of reward. The
word “reward” literally speaks of a pay for wages. God will reward
His servants.
In Daniel 12:3 we find the promise
of this end time reward. We read,
“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.” Notice that first
we have the promise of reward for:
A) Wise Ones
We read that
“they that be wise shall
shine as the brightness of the firmament.”
The wise are those are those
who lived for God. They behaved themselves wisely and acted wisely,
honoring God in all they did and were.
The word speaks of understanding
and intelligence. Wise people are not necessarily those who have
PhD’s from an Ivy League school. You can have more degrees than a
thermometer and not be wise. Wisdom is an understanding of God’s
purposes and will for a person’s life.
Someone has said, “He that knows
not and knows not that he knows not; He is a fool—shun him! He that
knows not and knows that he knows not; He is simple—teach him! He
that knows and knows not that he knows; He is asleep—wake him! He
that knows and knows that he knows; He is a wise man—follow him!
A really wise man is one who is
more than someone who is followed. He is a follower. He is a
follower of the Lord.
Secondly, we have a promise of
reward for:
B) Working Ones
There are those who
“turn many to
righteousness.” These are those who have influenced others and
led others to Christ. The greatest work that anyone could be
involved in is to lead others to Christ, to help turn them from
unrighteousness to righteousness.
Charles Spurgeon said, “"I would
rather be the means of saving a soul from death than be the greatest
orator on earth."
Count Zinzendorf said that his
only passion was "to live for the One who had given His life for
him, and to lead others to Jesus."
Lottie Moon, missionary to
The Lord will return one day and
His reward will be with Him. One of His rewards will be for those
who have worked to win others to Christ. Have you ever had to joy of
personally taking the Bible, showing them how to be saved, and then
lead them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior? There is
no joy on earth quite like it. That in itself is reward enough.
Lastly, we see:
3. AN END TIME RETURN
When it comes to prophecies
concerning end times events, the climax of them all is the return of
the Lord. This is the highlight of Bible prophecy. Daniel speaks of
“the time of the end.” The central truth of the end time is the
Lord’s return for His people and with His people.
Much of Daniel’s prophecies have
involved the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms. Yet, the heart and
soul of each prophecy is that one day the Lord will return and set
up His kingdom.
In closing, Daniel receives a word
about the prophecies he has received. He receives a word about:
A) Revealed Prophecy
We read in verse 4,
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up
the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end” The
words “shut up the words” means that the prophecies that he was
given was now complete. Daniel had been given a series of prophecies
through dreams and visions. Now he is told that those prophecies are
complete therefore he is to
“seal the book.” In other words, he was to conclude his
writings.
This book of prophecy was to be
sealed until “the time of
the end.” The implication is that it would not be completely
understood until the end time. There is much about the prophecies of
Daniel we do understand, but the fullness of all it involves is yet
to be understood. One day we will completely understand the promises
of God concerning the end time.
Although the prophecy is complete
in its giving, but not complete in its understanding, we also see it
as:
B) Relevant Prophecy
Daniel is told that
“many shall run to and fro,
and knowledge shall be increased.” He is told that the closer we
get to the end the more the prophecy will be understood. With each
passing generation, there is a better understanding of Bible
prophecy.
For example, there are many
prophecies that are given concerning the return of
As Bible prophecies unfold and are
fulfilled, our knowledge of these prophecies is increased. There are
some things we will not know until the end time, but with each
passing generation we understand a little more.
The Lord will return just as He
promised. That much we do know and can be absolutely certain about.
As the song writer said:
One day the trumpet will sound for
His coming,
One day the skies with His glories will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved One bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
Living,
He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He's coming - O glorious day! © 2007 by the Living Word |
