WEBVTT 00:00:00.940 --> 00:00:02.540 Daniel chapter 12. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:17.480 I don't know about you, but sometimes I think it's easy to grow weary in the Christian life. 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:25.539 Sometimes maybe it's just the monotony of the day in and the day out of everyday life. 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:31.739 Sometimes maybe it's the discouragement of our own failures, feeling like nothing will change. 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:40.140 But it's also easy to grow weary on top of all that when we face hardship and opposition in the world. 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:48.280 When we run up against the world's worst, it's incredibly easy to lose heart. 00:00:48.280 --> 00:01:00.100 And as we come to the end of our study of the book of Daniel today, we're going to dive into this topic of how to combat weariness. 00:01:02.340 --> 00:01:07.640 You know, in the first half of this book, as we sort of now stand at the end and look over the last 12 chapters, 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:13.760 in the first half of this book, Daniel showed us what it was like to live in exile, didn't he? 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:19.340 He showed us how to carry on living faithfully for God's kingdom in the midst of the kingdoms of this world. 00:01:20.080 --> 00:01:23.700 And then what we've been finding over the last few weeks is that in the second half of this book, 00:01:23.820 --> 00:01:30.719 Daniel was given a glimpse of what it would be like for God's people, not merely just to live in exile, 00:01:31.320 --> 00:01:34.520 but to live in suffering. 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:45.879 Daniel, we've been noticing, foresees a time when God's people are going to undergo intense distress, affliction, and even persecution. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:54.939 And in the final verses of this book, we are forced to face two questions. 00:01:54.939 --> 00:02:03.120 And these two questions are the ones that our own hearts often ask, actually, when we face trial and when we face distress, 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:10.340 whether that be corporately as the church or just personally, individually as Christians. 00:02:12.379 --> 00:02:15.099 And the first question is, how long? 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:17.840 How long is it going to last? 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:28.939 And the second question is, what in the world is going to become of me or become of us in and through it? 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:40.120 And I think Daniel ends with these questions because inside of them, inside of these questions, 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:52.000 if we explore the biblical answer to these questions, we actually start to find the encouragement that we need when we're weary and ready to give in. 00:02:53.439 --> 00:03:00.000 In other words, what Daniel is doing here is he's holding out the key to steadfast perseverance. 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:07.420 How not to lose heart even when the world is giving us its worst and even when we're ready to give up. 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:13.379 That's where we end in our journey here in the book of Daniel. 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:14.099 So let's pray. 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:18.480 Let's ask God's grace as we look into these verses together. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:28.680 Father, we do come before you with humility and also, God, with a sense of confidence and awe, 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:35.560 knowing that you are a speaking God and that you've given us in your word everything necessary 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:41.039 for living life unto you, for living life to the full, 00:03:41.920 --> 00:03:44.460 for knowing you and praising you. 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:51.819 So, God, we thank you for your word and we pray that as we draw the threads of this book to a close 00:03:51.819 --> 00:03:53.539 that you would continue to speak to us, 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:56.240 you would continue to encourage us by your spirit, 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:59.140 and we would continue to see in Christ 00:03:59.140 --> 00:04:02.680 the great and resounding yes 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:04.460 to all your promises. 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:06.620 In his name we pray. 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:07.140 Amen. 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:14.699 Okay, so let's dive in and look at the first question Daniel presents to us in verses 5 through 8. 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:18.480 Daniel 12, page 750 in the Pew Bible, verses 5 through 8. 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:22.879 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:26.180 one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:30.819 And someone said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the stream, 00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:34.459 how long shall it be till the end of these wonders? 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:39.379 And I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the stream. 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:42.920 He raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.500 and swore by him who lives forever 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:47.680 that it would be for a time, 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:49.000 times, 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:50.539 and half a time. 00:04:50.540 --> 00:04:54.980 And that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:57.420 all these things would be finished. 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:01.780 So here then we have this first question that we need to consider. 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:03.320 How long? 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:07.159 Now let's put this section in context. 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:13.540 Remember that the last three chapters of the book of Daniel form one long section, 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:17.639 one long final climactic vision of this book. 00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:19.839 If you go back to the beginning of chapter 10, 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:23.339 you'll remember that Daniel was there standing on the banks of the Tigris River 00:05:23.339 --> 00:05:27.600 when suddenly a heavenly messenger with a radiant appearance appeared 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:29.219 and began speaking with him. 00:05:30.139 --> 00:05:33.159 And in chapter 10, that figure strengthens Daniel. 00:05:33.980 --> 00:05:38.060 And then in chapter 11, all the way through chapter 12, verse 4, 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:44.240 he gives Daniel this long last vision that we considered last week. 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:48.540 And if you want a really good overview of the entire book of Daniel, 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:52.019 actually, go back to Greg's sermon last week and listen to it. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:55.379 But then here we are in verse 5. 00:05:55.379 --> 00:05:58.120 We're back with Daniel on the banks of the Tigris. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:05:59.159 The vision has ended. 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:02.180 And more heavenly messengers appear. 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:06.740 And they begin to speak to this radiant figure who appeared at first, 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:07.699 the man clothed in linen. 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:13.980 So here we have in verses 5 through 13, this long conclusion. 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:17.199 Well, it's a short conclusion to this long fourth and final vision of the book. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:24.779 And remember that that last vision of chapter 11 was what? 00:06:24.779 --> 00:06:32.740 It was a vision of the coming distress and persecution that God's people would face 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:35.639 after they returned home from exile. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:43.319 As they waited for God's coming redemption in Christ, Daniel shows them again and again, 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:48.300 and particularly in this last vision, that it's going to be a troubled time. 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:58.360 And as we noted last week in the second century BC, this persecution, this troubled time would reach a level of intensity unlike any before. 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:06.319 A ruler by the name of Antiochus IV, who dubbed himself Epiphanes, the great manifestation of God. 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:07.519 Pretty humble guy, right? 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:16.699 Antiochus Epiphanes IV would attack Jerusalem, desecrate the temple, and put many faithful Jews to death. 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:26.599 But again, as we saw last week, Daniel wasn't just writing to prepare God's people for the second century BC. 00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:36.699 Especially at the end of chapter 11, we see that the atrocities of Antiochus are described in such a way that they become paradigmatic. 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:45.439 They become almost this pattern of the ongoing and increasing persecution that God's people will face throughout their coming history. 00:07:46.699 --> 00:07:53.740 Until the final day, when Christ returns in glory and makes all thing new in the resurrection. 00:07:55.479 --> 00:08:02.959 So then this is a message for God's suffering church, not just in the second century BC, but for all ages. 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:09.860 It's a message for God's people, not just as they awaited Christ's first coming, but as we await his second coming as well. 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:14.219 And the questions that the angels ask again is how long? 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:17.220 How long until the end of these wonders? 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:29.220 Now that word wonders can kind of throw us off, but it's helpful to note that in chapter 11, verse 36, that the same word basically is used to describe Antiochus and his atrocities. 00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:38.320 So what the angels are asking here isn't necessarily how long until the resurrection, how long until everything sort of wraps up and God comes in glory. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.480 More specifically, they're asking how long is the suffering going to last? 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:44.240 How long is this distress going to go on? 00:08:44.300 --> 00:08:47.660 How long will God's people have to endure such trial? 00:08:47.659 --> 00:08:51.659 How long will God's people have to endure such trial? 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:53.399 I wonder if you've ever asked that question. 00:08:55.919 --> 00:08:59.759 We find it over and over again in the book of Psalms, don't we? 00:08:59.879 --> 00:09:06.519 As that book instructs us how to pray, we find ourselves praying again and again with the psalmist. 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:08.079 How long, O Lord? 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:18.200 Perhaps as you learn of persecution facing the global church, you pray and ask, how long? 00:09:20.259 --> 00:09:25.480 Perhaps as you learn of injustice here in our own country, you wonder and you pray, how long? 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:34.039 And perhaps even this morning, you're facing distress and trial personally in your own life right now. 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:40.379 And the spirit-prompted cry of your heart is, how long? 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:50.120 And it's worth noting that it's the angelic messengers who ask this question, not Daniel, right? 00:09:51.940 --> 00:09:53.420 I think that's very instructive. 00:09:53.419 --> 00:10:00.079 You know, sometimes we need others to pray this prayer for us in our presence, on our behalf. 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:06.919 Often the best way we can minister to one another is to sit down and pray with a hurting brother or sister 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.699 and pray on their behalf, how long, O Lord? 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:14.860 So that is the question. 00:10:16.939 --> 00:10:19.339 And in verse 7 comes the answer. 00:10:19.340 --> 00:10:25.220 And it comes as a particularly solemn oath. 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:30.940 Not just with one hand raised, which was the way you made a solemn vow, right? 00:10:31.300 --> 00:10:33.480 But with both hands raised. 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:38.639 This is a doubly sworn, doubly true message that's coming. 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:49.460 But I don't know about you, but admittedly, the answer that comes doesn't immediately feel helpful, does it? 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:53.460 Time, times, and half a time. 00:10:54.019 --> 00:11:01.100 And suddenly you're having flashbacks of watching Hal Lindsey on the TV and seeing people in sandwich boards marching around. 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:03.700 What is that supposed to mean? 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:05.480 Time, times, and half a time. 00:11:05.680 --> 00:11:09.360 We ask a very practical question and are giving an incredibly cryptic answer. 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:10.600 What good is that? 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:17.720 Well, you know, we're in pretty good company if we find this answer initially to be difficult to understand. 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:19.860 Peek ahead at verse 8. 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:21.279 Is it 8 or 9? 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:25.420 In the next verse, Daniel himself confesses that he has a bit trouble understanding it. 00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:33.500 But I think we can meditate together on this phrase and plumb to its depths. 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:41.279 Because I think that this phrase does have a word of wise, even pastoral counsel for us. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:52.959 Remember first that these chapters of Daniel are written in a genre, in a literary style, called apocalyptic literature, that's heavy with symbolism. 00:11:52.960 --> 00:12:02.780 And the reason why this literature is heavy with symbolism is because it's meant to help us not just get information with our heads, but to get it with our hearts. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:05.160 It's trying to help us feel something. 00:12:08.160 --> 00:12:12.480 Now, we know historically something that Daniel would not have known. 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:20.200 We know that the persecution of the Jews in the second century under Antiochus lasted roughly three and a half years. 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:31.220 So, on the surface, this phrase, time, times, and half a time, is a way of talking about that period of suffering. 00:12:32.379 --> 00:12:34.180 You see, you've got time, right? 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:34.780 That's one. 00:12:35.640 --> 00:12:37.040 Times, that's two. 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:39.259 And half a time, that's a half. 00:12:40.020 --> 00:12:40.780 Three and a half. 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:44.860 Lo and behold, three and a half years. 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:49.600 And we've actually seen that number expressed in different ways throughout these last chapters of Daniel. 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:54.000 In chapter seven, there we saw the same phrase, time, times, and half a time. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.779 In chapter eight, we learned of 2,300 evening and mornings. 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:01.800 In chapter nine, we learned of one half of one week. 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:08.840 And a little later in this chapter, we're going to hear about 1,290 and 1,335 days. 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:16.280 And all these numbers, not exactly, but roughly, come to about three, three and a half years. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:21.200 But here's what we also need to remember. 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:29.519 We need to remember that Daniel was being shown a vision that was working on multiple horizons at once. 00:13:30.160 --> 00:13:33.080 And we've seen this again and again and again in this last part of the book. 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:39.560 He has been given a glimpse, not just of the distress of God's people before Christ, 00:13:40.920 --> 00:13:47.440 but in and through that, he's been given a glimpse of the distress and the persecution of God's people after Christ as well. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:53.240 All sort of coming together in one for him from his prophetic distant vantage point. 00:13:54.620 --> 00:14:00.460 So yes, on the surface, a time, times, and half a time is a way of speaking of the distress in that second century period. 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:07.340 As the Old Testament church lived in that in-between time after the return from exile, before the first coming of Christ. 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:13.620 But it's very interesting that in the New Testament, in a place like Revelation 12, for instance, 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:17.879 they'll pick up this same phrase, time, times, and half a time. 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:22.420 And it becomes a way of speaking about the distress of God's people throughout the whole church age. 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:30.100 As we today live in another in-between time, between Christ's first coming and his second coming. 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:40.379 So what then is this phrase, time, times, and half a time, meant to help us feel? 00:14:43.240 --> 00:14:47.240 What is it saying to our hearts as we ask the question, how long? 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:56.519 Well, I think as I've thought about it, and as I've read commentators, and as I've considered it, 00:14:56.539 --> 00:15:03.539 I think it's meant to be a realistic but ultimately hopeful call to patient endurance. 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:05.019 Here's what I mean. 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:13.799 It's as if God is telling Daniel and us, yes, you will have to endure affliction for a time. 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:20.039 And then it will seem to last even longer. 00:15:20.819 --> 00:15:25.000 You will have to endure not just for a time, but even for times. 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:33.240 But when your strength is gone, and when it perhaps feels like no one is on the way to help, 00:15:33.899 --> 00:15:35.359 it will be half a time. 00:15:36.699 --> 00:15:39.699 God will cut it short, and he will rescue his people. 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:48.600 Perhaps you've been through seasons of suffering or affliction yourself, 00:15:48.820 --> 00:15:53.500 and you can actually look back and see that that is what it felt like. 00:15:54.940 --> 00:15:58.000 Time, times, and half a time. 00:15:58.400 --> 00:16:07.460 You patiently endured, and then it wore on until it didn't seem like there was any end in sight. 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:15.860 And when you felt almost out of breath, suddenly, half a time, God's rescue came. 00:16:19.259 --> 00:16:21.780 The rest of verse 7 says the same thing in a different way. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:26.540 There we learn that the power of God's people will be shattered. 00:16:27.740 --> 00:16:31.820 But when it almost seems like there's no help and no hope, 00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:35.600 the end comes, and God rescues his people. 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:41.120 And this has been the pattern throughout redemptive history, you see. 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:47.519 God brings the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:52.540 only to have them become seemingly trapped between Pharaoh and the Red Sea. 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:56.779 There are the armies pushing them into the waters. 00:16:56.779 --> 00:17:03.559 And when it seems like their power has been shattered with no help and no way out, 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:07.819 God parts the waters, and they're rescued. 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:13.579 Years later, Jerusalem will be surrounded by the armies of Assyria. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:17.240 In every direction, the land is laid waste. 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:25.839 The power of God's people shattered by the war machine of Sennacherib, the Assyrian emperor. 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:29.900 But just when all seems lost, 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:34.740 in the middle of the night, the angel of the Lord strikes their armies down, 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:36.620 and they flee, 00:17:38.120 --> 00:17:39.500 and God's people are saved. 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:47.319 And years later still, when God's people are under the oppression of yet another empire, 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:51.839 God will at last send the long-awaited king. 00:17:53.660 --> 00:17:57.960 And he will teach, and he will heal, and a movement will begin to form. 00:17:58.359 --> 00:18:01.079 And many will think this could be the one, 00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:03.180 the one we've been waiting for. 00:18:03.180 --> 00:18:08.700 And just when he seems to be at the height of his powers, 00:18:09.340 --> 00:18:11.960 riding into Jerusalem triumphantly, 00:18:12.360 --> 00:18:13.940 with the people shouting, 00:18:14.120 --> 00:18:14.620 Hosanna, 00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:16.740 here comes the king of David. 00:18:17.860 --> 00:18:19.460 He will be betrayed, 00:18:20.600 --> 00:18:21.000 arrested, 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:22.420 condemned, 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:24.840 and then mocked, 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:25.680 and beaten, 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:26.960 and executed. 00:18:28.460 --> 00:18:30.440 And the true Israelite, 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:32.480 God's own son, 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.599 will be shattered. 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:41.759 But after three days in the tomb, 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.819 when there seemed to be no hope, 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:47.579 and no help, 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:49.400 and all was lost, 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:52.420 and the disciples were wandering back home, 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:55.559 God raised him from the dead. 00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:00.420 And in that moment, you see, 00:19:00.420 --> 00:19:09.620 the fulfillment of this pattern finally meant that the real underlying, 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:13.080 long affliction of God's people had come to an end. 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:18.039 No longer would the enemies of sin condemn us, 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:20.699 because Jesus had paid for our sin. 00:19:21.939 --> 00:19:26.899 And no longer would death hold out its threats against us, 00:19:26.919 --> 00:19:27.980 or hold us in fear, 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:31.419 because Jesus the king had conquered death. 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:35.700 And so you see, 00:19:35.820 --> 00:19:37.640 no matter what trial or affliction comes, 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:39.279 even if it lasts for a time, 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:41.880 and even if it stretches on into times, 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:44.259 it will come to an end. 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:47.259 In Christ, 00:19:47.360 --> 00:19:48.779 it will always be time, 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:50.000 times, 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:51.840 and half a time. 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:55.679 Even when we are shattered, 00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:58.359 we know it's not the last word, 00:19:58.919 --> 00:20:00.819 because Christ has come. 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:03.059 He's taken on flesh. 00:20:03.639 --> 00:20:04.500 He has died. 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:05.779 He has risen. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:08.439 So that even in our dying, 00:20:09.139 --> 00:20:10.199 we too will rise. 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:16.019 So to this question of how long, 00:20:16.120 --> 00:20:19.059 the symbolic answer is that God's people will often have to endure, 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:19.500 friends, 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:20.580 for a time. 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:23.759 And then we might need to endure even a little longer, 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:25.200 for times. 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:27.539 But we can know that God will not delay, 00:20:28.420 --> 00:20:30.059 and his rescue will come quickly, 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:31.380 decisively, 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:32.759 in half a time. 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:38.059 It's not too hard to see how this applies to us today, 00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:38.340 is it? 00:20:38.339 --> 00:20:38.819 On the one hand, 00:20:38.879 --> 00:20:40.359 this describes the entire church age. 00:20:40.919 --> 00:20:42.759 We wait with steadfast endurance, 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:44.599 and even through the most troubled times, 00:20:44.679 --> 00:20:45.859 we know that Christ will return, 00:20:45.919 --> 00:20:46.819 and make all things new. 00:20:47.439 --> 00:20:48.980 But what about on the personal level? 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:54.119 Do you see the balance that this truth gives us? 00:20:56.379 --> 00:20:56.740 Time, 00:20:56.879 --> 00:20:57.220 times, 00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:57.779 and half a time. 00:20:57.839 --> 00:20:58.619 On the one hand, 00:20:58.819 --> 00:21:02.079 we don't need to rush to easy answers, 00:21:02.179 --> 00:21:04.439 or quick fixes in the face of suffering. 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:06.980 There will be time, 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:09.039 and there will be times, 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:11.120 that we need to endure. 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:14.420 This is what we should expect, 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:14.799 friends. 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.079 So we can, 00:21:18.140 --> 00:21:19.200 and we should learn, 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:20.839 to lament. 00:21:23.360 --> 00:21:25.339 That things are not the way they're supposed to be. 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:26.960 And we can, 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:27.759 and we should learn, 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:28.420 how to weep, 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:29.640 with those who weep. 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:34.400 And if our lives seem difficult, 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:35.680 if afflictions come, 00:21:37.120 --> 00:21:38.300 we need not need, 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:39.540 we need not think 00:21:39.540 --> 00:21:43.320 that something has suddenly gone horribly wrong, 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:44.700 and that God's plan, 00:21:44.800 --> 00:21:46.380 and God's care for us have ended. 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:47.880 No, 00:21:47.940 --> 00:21:49.060 God tells us very clearly, 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.000 there will be time, 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:51.500 even times, 00:21:51.620 --> 00:21:52.860 when we need to endure. 00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:55.799 In other words, 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:57.819 I think this gives us a very realistic picture, 00:21:57.819 --> 00:21:58.459 of what life, 00:21:58.539 --> 00:22:00.039 in between Christ's first and second coming, 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.639 will be like. 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:04.439 But on the other hand, 00:22:04.979 --> 00:22:06.699 as much as it is a realistic picture, 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:07.879 it's also a hopeful picture, 00:22:07.979 --> 00:22:08.359 is it not? 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:13.559 Even if the time becomes times, 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:15.219 it will end with half a time. 00:22:15.919 --> 00:22:17.199 God will cut it short. 00:22:18.099 --> 00:22:19.000 We don't know when, 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:20.559 but he will. 00:22:21.459 --> 00:22:21.899 And so, 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.539 we don't need to give in to despair, 00:22:23.919 --> 00:22:24.899 or self-pity. 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:26.699 We don't need to grow weary, 00:22:26.899 --> 00:22:27.740 or afraid. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:30.359 Because God knows how long, 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:32.500 and his timing is always right. 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:34.799 And just like the children of Israel, 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:35.979 on the banks of the Red Sea, 00:22:36.219 --> 00:22:37.599 and just like the remnant, 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:38.500 in Jerusalem, 00:22:38.699 --> 00:22:39.899 surrounded by armies. 00:22:40.059 --> 00:22:40.219 Friends, 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:41.619 if you are in Christ, 00:22:43.199 --> 00:22:44.480 then even the darkest tomb, 00:22:45.139 --> 00:22:46.759 will soon be flooded with light. 00:22:49.199 --> 00:22:50.480 God's rescue will come. 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:56.019 So that's the first question. 00:22:56.099 --> 00:22:56.619 How long? 00:22:57.679 --> 00:22:59.099 But all this leads to another question. 00:22:59.379 --> 00:23:00.339 Let's pick up in verse 8. 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:03.439 Verse 8, 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:03.919 Daniel says, 00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:04.419 I heard, 00:23:04.699 --> 00:23:05.839 but I did not understand. 00:23:06.939 --> 00:23:07.459 And I said, 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:08.399 oh my Lord, 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.240 what shall be the outcome of these things? 00:23:11.679 --> 00:23:12.000 He said, 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:12.579 go your way, 00:23:12.679 --> 00:23:12.919 Daniel, 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:14.639 for the words are shut up and sealed 00:23:14.639 --> 00:23:15.779 until the time of the end. 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:17.779 Many shall purify themselves, 00:23:17.939 --> 00:23:18.899 and make themselves white, 00:23:18.939 --> 00:23:19.579 and be refined, 00:23:19.659 --> 00:23:20.959 but the wicked shall act wickedly. 00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:22.939 And none of the wicked shall understand, 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.539 but those who are wise shall understand. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.000 And from the time that the regular burnt offering 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:27.740 is taken away, 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:29.699 and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:32.480 there should be 1,290 days. 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:36.319 But blessed is he who waits and arrives 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:39.079 at the 1,335 days. 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:41.900 But go your way till the end, 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:43.819 and you shall rest, 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:46.240 and shall stand in your allotted place 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:47.779 at the end of the days. 00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:52.140 So Daniel steps forward 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:53.779 and asks a question of his own. 00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:56.880 What will become of God's people 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:57.900 as a result of all this? 00:23:57.900 --> 00:23:59.780 As they suffer, 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:01.080 as their power is shattered, 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:02.180 what will happen to them? 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:04.940 Now God has just shown Daniel 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:05.880 in chapter 12, 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:06.640 verses 1 through 4, 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:07.580 the beginning of this chapter, 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:09.800 what will ultimately happen to them, 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:10.800 the resurrection, 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:11.840 they'll be vindicated. 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:15.460 God's people will ultimately be rescued, 00:24:16.620 --> 00:24:17.480 and saved, 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:19.620 and given new life 00:24:19.620 --> 00:24:20.820 in the new heavens and the new earth. 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:22.840 And Daniel, 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:23.660 at least to some extent, 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:24.920 must have understood that. 00:24:26.180 --> 00:24:27.780 Which means that Daniel's question 00:24:27.779 --> 00:24:28.500 in here 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:31.500 is probably a bit more specific. 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:34.099 He's not asking 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:35.539 what's going to ultimately happen. 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:36.720 Well, God just told him that. 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:38.059 The resurrection is what's ultimately 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:38.700 going to happen. 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:40.480 He must be asking something 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:41.440 to the effect of 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:43.700 what particularly is going to be 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:45.200 the result of all this suffering? 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:48.059 What's going to come of it? 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:50.740 If we know that God's people 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:52.059 will undergo all this trial 00:24:52.059 --> 00:24:53.299 and distress until the end, 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:54.940 what's it going to do to them 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:55.500 as a result? 00:24:58.759 --> 00:24:59.160 And again, 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.240 we ask similar questions, 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:00.619 don't we? 00:25:00.639 --> 00:25:01.539 We hear of the persecution 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:02.299 of the global church, 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:03.200 and we wonder if the church 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.119 is actually going to survive 00:25:04.119 --> 00:25:04.920 in those places. 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:08.759 And we see Christians 00:25:08.759 --> 00:25:10.099 undergoing suffering or injustice, 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:10.639 and we wonder, 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:11.819 what will become of their faith 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:12.319 and their hope 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:12.819 and their love 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:13.839 under such conditions? 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:17.779 And perhaps even in our own hearts, 00:25:17.819 --> 00:25:19.539 as we experience suffering ourselves, 00:25:19.659 --> 00:25:20.099 we ask, 00:25:20.419 --> 00:25:21.939 what's really going to come 00:25:21.939 --> 00:25:22.519 of all this? 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:27.279 And again, 00:25:27.579 --> 00:25:28.459 an answer comes. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.980 And God's answer here 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:31.839 has three parts. 00:25:32.919 --> 00:25:34.059 The first part is this. 00:25:34.919 --> 00:25:35.899 Realize that the outcome 00:25:35.899 --> 00:25:36.579 of all of this 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:38.319 is ultimately in God's hands. 00:25:38.379 --> 00:25:39.459 That's verse 9. 00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:41.900 The words are shut up 00:25:41.900 --> 00:25:42.640 and sealed 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:44.240 until the time of the end, 00:25:44.340 --> 00:25:45.180 God tells Daniel. 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:47.279 Well, what does that mean? 00:25:48.259 --> 00:25:49.519 Well, it means they're secure. 00:25:50.340 --> 00:25:51.279 They're certain. 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:53.680 Nothing is going to change them. 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:56.079 In other words, 00:25:56.180 --> 00:25:57.720 God has it under control. 00:25:59.100 --> 00:25:59.860 And that means 00:25:59.860 --> 00:26:01.039 we shouldn't try to pry 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:01.900 or to speculate 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:03.259 into all of the details. 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:04.420 God has them figured out. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:05.799 We don't need to. 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:08.059 But it also means 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:09.019 we need not fear. 00:26:10.019 --> 00:26:11.299 We need not approach 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:13.019 our future with anxiety. 00:26:15.399 --> 00:26:16.839 Because God will see to it 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:18.000 that his good plans 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:19.220 unfold for his people 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:20.200 and his good timing. 00:26:20.639 --> 00:26:21.960 And he will keep them safe. 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:26.159 Second, 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:27.980 God tells Daniel 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:28.559 that the outcome 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:29.279 of all of this 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:31.019 is that the people of God 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:31.819 will be refined. 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:33.099 This is verse 10. 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:36.839 On the one hand, 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:38.019 times of persecution 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:39.019 will expose 00:26:39.019 --> 00:26:40.819 who is and who isn't 00:26:40.819 --> 00:26:42.099 in a genuinely saving 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:43.339 relationship with Christ. 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:45.700 Jesus himself taught this 00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:46.659 in the parable of the sower. 00:26:47.659 --> 00:26:48.519 Like seeds sown 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:49.480 on rocky soil, 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:50.019 Jesus said, 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:50.680 there will be some 00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:51.539 who hear the word, 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.519 initially receive it with joy 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:54.980 and identify with God's people, 00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:55.980 but when the heat 00:26:55.980 --> 00:26:57.119 of testing and persecution 00:26:57.119 --> 00:26:57.619 comes, 00:26:57.659 --> 00:26:58.419 it will fall away. 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:01.460 And I think 00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:02.599 that's what Daniel means 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:03.319 when he says 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:05.059 the wicked shall act wickedly. 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:06.779 Because in chapter 11, 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:08.619 when the persecution comes, 00:27:08.679 --> 00:27:09.919 it causes this division 00:27:09.919 --> 00:27:10.879 in the people of God. 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:13.619 Some persist in faithfulness, 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:14.700 others fall away. 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:19.079 But the flip side 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:21.019 is that those 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:22.460 who are in a saving relationship 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:22.980 with Christ 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:23.839 will be refined. 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:26.359 Many shall purify themselves 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:27.799 and make themselves white 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:28.799 and be refined, 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:30.339 Daniel says. 00:27:32.159 --> 00:27:32.940 And the idea here 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:33.619 isn't that we, 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:34.779 through our own efforts, 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:35.799 make ourselves better, 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:37.319 I think the sense is 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:38.139 is that the seasons 00:27:38.139 --> 00:27:39.200 of trial and distress 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:40.079 have the effect 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:41.339 of bringing out 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:42.859 what's truly in us 00:27:42.859 --> 00:27:43.740 by God's grace. 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:45.519 You see, 00:27:45.579 --> 00:27:46.839 when God saves us, 00:27:46.879 --> 00:27:47.399 when we enter 00:27:47.399 --> 00:27:48.279 into a relationship 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:48.779 with Christ, 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:49.879 it's as if God 00:27:49.879 --> 00:27:51.399 pulls us out of the ground, 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:52.740 pulls us out of the mine, 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:54.940 like a big hunk of ore, 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:56.980 like a big chunk 00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:58.180 of metal. 00:27:58.180 --> 00:28:01.039 And God, 00:28:01.120 --> 00:28:01.840 by his grace, 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.299 has seen to it 00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:05.100 that there is infinite beauty 00:28:05.100 --> 00:28:05.759 in us 00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:07.460 when he pulls us out. 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:09.080 He has forged in us 00:28:09.080 --> 00:28:10.500 an eternal beauty. 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:11.900 But, 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:14.980 we are still very much 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:16.640 in an ore state. 00:28:17.420 --> 00:28:18.700 There are countless impurities. 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.440 We are filled with dross. 00:28:21.560 --> 00:28:23.400 Our old self still lingers. 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:27.320 And just like precious metal, 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.700 that's what makes us weak. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:30.820 That's what steals 00:28:30.820 --> 00:28:31.500 our strength 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:32.300 and our joy. 00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:36.300 And one of the uses 00:28:36.300 --> 00:28:37.560 of affliction and trial, 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:41.060 the book of Daniel 00:28:41.060 --> 00:28:41.620 tells us here, 00:28:41.700 --> 00:28:42.540 is that it burns away 00:28:42.540 --> 00:28:43.080 the dross. 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:45.700 Our pride, 00:28:46.580 --> 00:28:47.820 our self-reliance, 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:49.400 our self-righteousness 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:52.320 starts to get melted away 00:28:52.320 --> 00:28:54.680 as we walk through 00:28:54.680 --> 00:28:56.100 the furnace of affliction. 00:28:59.620 --> 00:29:00.540 And of course, 00:29:00.580 --> 00:29:01.280 it never feels good 00:29:01.280 --> 00:29:01.860 at the time. 00:29:03.560 --> 00:29:04.680 But the outcome 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:05.400 in our lives 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:07.740 is greater beauty 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:09.500 and greater strength 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:11.160 as we display 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:12.019 more and more 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:13.200 of Christ's character 00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:14.460 and God's glory. 00:29:19.400 --> 00:29:19.920 Third, 00:29:20.040 --> 00:29:20.640 God tells Daniel 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:21.180 that the outcome 00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:21.940 of all of this 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:23.519 is that the people of God 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:24.660 will not just be refined, 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:26.360 but they will be blessed. 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:28.140 We see this in verses 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:28.920 11 through 12, 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:29.400 which are probably 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:30.140 the most cryptic 00:29:30.140 --> 00:29:31.480 of this last little 00:29:31.480 --> 00:29:32.780 conclusion to the book. 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:35.460 We're told here 00:29:35.460 --> 00:29:36.440 in no uncertain terms 00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:37.680 that there is blessing 00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:39.620 for those who endure, 00:29:40.100 --> 00:29:41.700 who hold on steadfast 00:29:41.700 --> 00:29:42.580 through to the end. 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:43.900 And again, 00:29:43.940 --> 00:29:44.680 what's going on here 00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:45.620 is that we see Daniel 00:29:45.620 --> 00:29:46.560 using numbers 00:29:46.560 --> 00:29:48.400 to convey a sense, 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:49.920 to convey a feeling. 00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:51.140 There's going to be 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:53.740 1,290 days of darkness. 00:29:55.180 --> 00:29:55.620 Again, 00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:56.640 that number of 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.440 roughly three and a half years, 00:29:58.580 --> 00:29:59.660 that number symbolic 00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:00.940 of the time of affliction 00:30:00.940 --> 00:30:01.900 for God's people. 00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:04.840 But then, 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:07.080 in verse 11, 00:30:07.180 --> 00:30:07.960 we see that there's going 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:08.580 to be a time 00:30:08.580 --> 00:30:09.560 after the darkness. 00:30:11.060 --> 00:30:12.380 And there will be a people 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:13.180 who indeed 00:30:13.180 --> 00:30:14.700 persevere to it. 00:30:14.700 --> 00:30:18.299 Now, 00:30:18.340 --> 00:30:19.039 is there any particular 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:19.559 significance 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:20.240 to the number 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:21.840 1,335? 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:25.400 It's hard to say. 00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:26.380 Maybe so, 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:26.880 maybe not. 00:30:26.920 --> 00:30:27.740 If you've got a good answer, 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:28.680 come up to me afterwards 00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:29.680 and we can talk about it. 00:30:31.140 --> 00:30:32.539 I actually think there isn't. 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:35.539 I think the point is, 00:30:36.039 --> 00:30:37.019 and I think the big point 00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:37.480 seems to be, 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.759 no matter what you make of it, 00:30:39.259 --> 00:30:41.160 is that the time of persecution 00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:42.019 isn't the end. 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:45.359 that we need to hang on 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:46.799 just a little while longer 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:49.359 and that there is 00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:50.379 unbelievable blessing 00:30:50.379 --> 00:30:51.279 on the far side 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:51.839 of suffering. 00:30:54.180 --> 00:30:55.379 Those who hang on 00:30:55.379 --> 00:30:56.740 will be blessed 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:58.480 and God guarantees 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:00.259 that there will be 00:31:00.259 --> 00:31:01.180 a people who last, 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:01.619 you see. 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:06.720 So what verses 11 through 12 00:31:06.720 --> 00:31:07.619 seem to be showing us 00:31:07.619 --> 00:31:08.359 is that in a way 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:09.180 that we don't fully 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:10.339 really understand 00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:11.919 what these verses 00:31:11.919 --> 00:31:12.859 seem to be showing us 00:31:12.859 --> 00:31:14.039 is that our experience 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:14.859 of suffering 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:16.220 is able in God's hand 00:31:16.220 --> 00:31:17.000 to bring about 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:19.199 an even greater future joy, 00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:20.639 a blessing for us 00:31:20.639 --> 00:31:22.500 as we hold on. 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:26.559 Which, of course, 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:27.819 the Bible all over the place 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:28.259 affirms, 00:31:28.379 --> 00:31:28.879 blessed are you 00:31:28.879 --> 00:31:29.959 when others revile you 00:31:29.959 --> 00:31:31.059 and persecute you 00:31:31.059 --> 00:31:32.519 and utter all kinds of evil 00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:33.480 against you falsely 00:31:33.480 --> 00:31:34.079 on my account, 00:31:34.179 --> 00:31:34.699 Jesus said. 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:36.220 Rejoice and be glad. 00:31:36.819 --> 00:31:37.159 Why? 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:38.299 For your reward 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:39.199 is great in heaven. 00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:43.680 And the Apostle Paul 00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:44.900 puts it in this way, 00:31:44.980 --> 00:31:45.559 this light 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:47.500 and momentary affliction. 00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:49.680 One has to wonder 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:51.180 whether Paul had his tongue 00:31:51.180 --> 00:31:51.759 in his cheek 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.519 when he said that. 00:31:52.900 --> 00:31:53.559 When you read 00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:55.059 of all of his afflictions, 00:31:55.120 --> 00:31:55.400 you think, 00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:56.259 light and momentary, 00:31:56.360 --> 00:31:56.500 Paul? 00:31:56.539 --> 00:31:57.240 I'm not so sure. 00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:58.799 And yet here's why 00:31:58.799 --> 00:31:59.980 he says it's light and momentary. 00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:00.860 This light 00:32:00.860 --> 00:32:02.340 and momentary affliction 00:32:02.340 --> 00:32:03.620 is preparing for us 00:32:03.620 --> 00:32:05.100 an eternal weight 00:32:05.100 --> 00:32:05.920 of glory 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:07.680 beyond all comparison. 00:32:09.200 --> 00:32:11.880 whatever he was experiencing, 00:32:12.019 --> 00:32:12.860 whatever you and I 00:32:12.860 --> 00:32:13.559 are experiencing, 00:32:14.100 --> 00:32:16.480 God is able to use 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:18.200 even our afflictions 00:32:18.200 --> 00:32:18.920 to bring about 00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:19.940 our greater joy. 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:24.600 What a God 00:32:24.600 --> 00:32:25.940 we serve, friends. 00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:28.819 Is there any other God 00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:29.740 who can do such a thing? 00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:35.059 So stepping back, 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:35.920 this is what the outcome 00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:36.380 will be. 00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:38.380 The suffering to come, 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:39.940 though obviously not good 00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:40.900 in and of itself, 00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:44.140 will be used by God 00:32:44.140 --> 00:32:44.799 for good 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:47.120 to refine his people 00:32:47.120 --> 00:32:48.500 and to bring about 00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:49.279 their greater joy. 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:53.859 And so how should we 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:54.759 respond to all this? 00:32:56.539 --> 00:32:56.940 Well, 00:32:57.759 --> 00:32:59.399 in verse 13, 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:00.279 God tells Daniel, 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:01.019 and in a sense, 00:33:01.119 --> 00:33:02.319 he kind of tells us to 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:04.019 go your way. 00:33:05.980 --> 00:33:07.160 Not get lost. 00:33:07.899 --> 00:33:09.359 Stop asking pesky questions, 00:33:09.480 --> 00:33:09.700 Daniel. 00:33:09.879 --> 00:33:10.639 I'm done now. 00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:11.339 No. 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:13.160 In other words, 00:33:13.279 --> 00:33:14.019 go, Daniel. 00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:16.700 Go in the way 00:33:16.700 --> 00:33:18.039 that I've appointed for you. 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:19.639 Get about the work 00:33:19.639 --> 00:33:21.659 that I've called you to do. 00:33:24.099 --> 00:33:26.200 Start walking in the way 00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:28.079 that I've prepared for you. 00:33:28.399 --> 00:33:29.659 With renewed endurance, 00:33:29.899 --> 00:33:31.299 with steadfast patience, 00:33:31.879 --> 00:33:32.180 go. 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:34.819 Keep on living for God's kingdom 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:35.779 in the midst of the kingdoms 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:36.399 of this world, 00:33:36.460 --> 00:33:37.619 even if and even when 00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:38.399 the trials come. 00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:39.579 Go your way, Daniel. 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:40.720 Keep going. 00:33:43.339 --> 00:33:44.599 But notice what Daniel's 00:33:44.599 --> 00:33:45.139 able to do. 00:33:45.140 --> 00:33:48.160 He's able to return 00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:48.820 to his work 00:33:48.820 --> 00:33:49.980 with renewed confidence 00:33:49.980 --> 00:33:50.500 and hope. 00:33:51.580 --> 00:33:52.320 God tells him, 00:33:52.800 --> 00:33:53.980 go your way till the end 00:33:53.980 --> 00:33:55.640 and you shall rest 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:57.340 and you shall stand 00:33:57.340 --> 00:33:58.360 in your allotted place 00:33:58.360 --> 00:33:59.340 at the end of the days. 00:34:01.840 --> 00:34:02.820 God tells Daniel, 00:34:03.020 --> 00:34:04.600 you will rest, Daniel, 00:34:04.980 --> 00:34:06.620 and you will rise. 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:09.860 Friends, 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:10.680 the Christian life 00:34:10.680 --> 00:34:11.640 following in the way 00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:12.299 of Christ 00:34:12.299 --> 00:34:14.259 is not 00:34:14.259 --> 00:34:16.000 some begrudging 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:16.839 duty, 00:34:17.839 --> 00:34:18.819 not something 00:34:18.819 --> 00:34:20.179 we have to do 00:34:20.179 --> 00:34:21.219 merely because 00:34:21.219 --> 00:34:21.879 it's right. 00:34:23.920 --> 00:34:24.759 No, friends, 00:34:24.799 --> 00:34:25.500 it's a marathon 00:34:25.500 --> 00:34:27.099 with a goal, 00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:28.779 with an end. 00:34:29.859 --> 00:34:30.759 And we often 00:34:30.759 --> 00:34:31.420 grow weary 00:34:31.420 --> 00:34:32.500 because we lose sight 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:32.940 of the goal 00:34:32.940 --> 00:34:34.219 and we think 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:35.339 that things will never change 00:34:35.339 --> 00:34:36.199 and that they'll always 00:34:36.199 --> 00:34:37.359 be just like this. 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:39.599 but that's not the case. 00:34:41.420 --> 00:34:42.940 No matter what trials 00:34:42.940 --> 00:34:43.720 lay ahead of us, 00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:45.720 we can push forward 00:34:45.720 --> 00:34:47.340 because there's a joy 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:48.680 set before us. 00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:49.860 And no matter 00:34:49.860 --> 00:34:51.019 how long 00:34:51.019 --> 00:34:51.640 the race 00:34:51.640 --> 00:34:53.280 and even if time 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:54.200 drags on 00:34:54.200 --> 00:34:55.039 into times, 00:34:55.440 --> 00:34:56.099 we know 00:34:56.099 --> 00:34:57.280 that in half a time 00:34:57.280 --> 00:34:57.940 the end 00:34:57.940 --> 00:34:58.720 will be in sight 00:34:58.720 --> 00:35:02.019 and our rest 00:35:02.019 --> 00:35:02.519 will come. 00:35:04.280 --> 00:35:05.099 And God is telling us 00:35:05.099 --> 00:35:05.500 here that even 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:06.079 if this race 00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:06.960 is full of opposition, 00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:08.000 and hardship, 00:35:08.119 --> 00:35:08.860 the outcome 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:10.960 will be not just 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:11.460 our beauty 00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:12.500 but it will be 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:13.059 our blessing. 00:35:15.340 --> 00:35:16.199 Because ultimately 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:17.980 we know the one 00:35:17.980 --> 00:35:19.340 who ran this race 00:35:19.340 --> 00:35:20.000 before us. 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:22.820 And because he 00:35:22.820 --> 00:35:23.699 has blazed 00:35:23.699 --> 00:35:24.480 the trail 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:25.280 ahead of us 00:35:25.280 --> 00:35:27.579 through the cross 00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:29.000 and on to glory, 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:31.099 we know that we too 00:35:31.099 --> 00:35:31.800 as we take up 00:35:31.800 --> 00:35:32.280 our cross 00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:33.079 and follow him 00:35:33.079 --> 00:35:34.260 will join him 00:35:34.260 --> 00:35:35.159 in glory. 00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:38.300 So brothers and 00:35:38.300 --> 00:35:38.679 sisters, 00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:40.699 go your way. 00:35:42.760 --> 00:35:44.059 God has called us 00:35:44.059 --> 00:35:44.980 to live for his 00:35:44.980 --> 00:35:45.760 kingdom here 00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:46.760 and now 00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:47.800 and there is work 00:35:47.800 --> 00:35:49.039 for us to do. 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:51.980 And our hope 00:35:51.980 --> 00:35:52.599 is secure. 00:35:53.960 --> 00:35:54.699 The road 00:35:54.699 --> 00:35:55.460 may be rough, 00:35:56.260 --> 00:35:56.720 persecution 00:35:56.720 --> 00:35:57.579 and loss 00:35:57.579 --> 00:35:58.400 might lie 00:35:58.400 --> 00:35:59.159 before us, 00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:02.119 but in the end 00:36:02.119 --> 00:36:03.799 we will rest 00:36:03.799 --> 00:36:05.579 and we will rise. 00:36:07.179 --> 00:36:08.239 And though this world 00:36:08.239 --> 00:36:09.119 with devils filled 00:36:09.119 --> 00:36:09.759 should threaten 00:36:09.759 --> 00:36:10.759 to undo us, 00:36:11.319 --> 00:36:12.920 we will not fear 00:36:12.920 --> 00:36:14.039 for God has willed 00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:14.659 his truth 00:36:14.659 --> 00:36:15.319 to triumph 00:36:15.319 --> 00:36:16.059 through us. 00:36:16.759 --> 00:36:17.619 Let goods 00:36:17.619 --> 00:36:18.779 and kindred go, 00:36:19.319 --> 00:36:20.440 this mortal life 00:36:20.440 --> 00:36:21.000 also, 00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:22.219 the body 00:36:22.219 --> 00:36:23.079 they may kill, 00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:24.500 God's truth 00:36:24.500 --> 00:36:25.539 abideth still, 00:36:26.039 --> 00:36:26.779 his kingdom 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:27.840 is forever. 00:36:29.220 --> 00:36:29.660 Amen. 00:36:30.100 --> 00:36:30.760 Let's pray. 00:36:36.120 --> 00:36:36.600 God, 00:36:36.640 --> 00:36:36.940 we pray 00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:37.340 that you would 00:36:37.340 --> 00:36:37.860 grant us 00:36:37.860 --> 00:36:39.019 your persevering grace 00:36:39.019 --> 00:36:40.240 so that we might 00:36:40.240 --> 00:36:40.980 run the race 00:36:40.980 --> 00:36:41.480 with endurance 00:36:41.480 --> 00:36:42.500 all of our days 00:36:42.500 --> 00:36:43.320 no matter what 00:36:43.320 --> 00:36:43.960 lies ahead. 00:36:44.680 --> 00:36:44.940 And Lord, 00:36:45.019 --> 00:36:45.560 keep our eyes 00:36:45.560 --> 00:36:46.340 fixed firmly 00:36:46.340 --> 00:36:47.040 on the hope 00:36:47.040 --> 00:36:47.900 and the joy 00:36:47.900 --> 00:36:48.680 set before us 00:36:48.680 --> 00:36:49.560 in Jesus' name. 00:36:50.160 --> 00:36:50.420 Amen.