Daniel Chapter 12

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and I will be a lamp. A light unto my path. Welcome to the Wednesday in the Word podcast, equipping our leaders of this great weekly Bible study held at Dario, our wonderful, gracious host. all across North Carolina. This is to equip, encourage, and guide you as you prepare to teach the word and guide the discussion.

at each location each week. And we continue our journey now through the book of Daniel. Here we are with today's special guest. Dr. Sam Warren.

How did we get To Daniel chapter 12, the 12th chapter, it's got 13 verses, it's power-packed. It gives some dark information about the worst that's yet to come, but it also gives some bright information. Actually, some of the most information on the resurrection. in Daniel 12 than we have in any other place in the Old Testament. Dr.

Sam Horn. It is quite a climactic. Chapter Especially given the fact that I'm thinking about joining The Daniel chapter 11 Recovery Club, because that chapter. Boy, that chapter wore me out. It was rich, and I had to go back and listen to our Daniel 11 podcast.

All those details, all those wars. God is working, God is in the details.

So I'm just oh, sigh of relief, glad we're in chapter twelve. But sir, Dr. Horne, chapter twelve is rich. It is a real Everest of Scripture, isn't it? Yeah.

It's a stunning chapter. It's amazing. You know, sometimes you hear people say, well, the Bible doesn't really have a lot to say about the afterlife. And it's more about teaching us a moral ethic for today. It's more about teaching us to be better husbands, better wives.

Better citizens. It's about sort of adopting a kingdom ethic. And there's certainly truth to all of that. You know, as you read the Bible, you ought to be a better dad, you ought to be a better mom, you ought to be a better husband and wife, you ought to be a better church member, a better gospel ambassador. But the Bible actually does say a lot about heaven.

And we're going to find out. The destiny of the people that have been under all of this persecution for all of these centuries. in this chapter so it's an incredible chapter it's a chapter that Is relevant, it's a great way to wrap up a book. You ask, how did we get to chapter 12? We got there through chapter one, and we just traced Daniel's steps over 80 years.

Dr. Sam Horn, our special contributor and co-host of this podcast, he's a pastor, he's a radio host, author, a gifted man of God. Dr. Horn. This study of Daniel has been so encouraging, and I really.

I get to thinking about There's a hit movie about a rising rock star called A Star Is Born. I think about Daniel chapter 12, and I think about. A star is reborn because of the blood of Jesus, because of the new birth, because of the transformation of Christ. Daniel says, You will be like stars shining. And I want to get to that verse, but it's maybe one of my new favorite verses.

Verses in the whole Bible, Daniel chapter 12, verse 3, and of course, verse 4, too. But how the sign of a star is someone who brings many. to Christ and think about all the people God has used. Daniel to bring to himself over all of these centuries Dr. Horne, we always do a review and then we jump into a preview of these 13 verses, helping our leaders, whether you're a pastor and this helps you with sermon prep or you're one of our Wednesday in the Word.

Or women's in the word leaders, that this helps you take your groups through the word of God. with compelling questions and with some good study and some good hermeneutics. Which is Bible interpretation. Dr. Horn, give us a kind of a review of where we've come from.

I mean, how do you sum up these 11 chapters, especially as. They flow into the thought of these 13 verses. Kind of the capstone of the book in chapter 12 of Daniel.

Well, what's happened to us as we've journeyed through Daniel is we took a simple story that we thought we knew from the time we were kids. We learned about this young man named Daniel who gets Caught up in a drama that's going to last his entire life in a land far away from where he grew up. and the trials of his faith, the testing of his faith. From the time as a young man, when he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. By eating food at the king's table that had been offered to idols, we learned about his buddies that wouldn't bow down.

To a false idol and were cast into a fiery furnace. We learned about Daniel and the lion's den, we learned about the writing on the wall. We learned about Nebuchadnezzar and his incredible dream that he had. These are all stories that we thought we knew. And as we've made our way through Daniel.

We took those familiar stories and God unpacked them. And the Spirit of God helped us to see that those stories were so much richer than we ever imagined. And they were part of a big story that God is telling the world. And we divided that story into two parts. The first part.

is in Daniel 1 through 6. And it's the wisdom that God has for the nations, all of them. Whether it's Egypt or Assyria or Babylon or Persia or Greece. or Rome. Or the United States of America, or Russia, or Iraq, or Iran.

It doesn't matter if you are. running a nation, God has some wisdom for you. If you are Administrating the affairs of this world, God has wisdom for you, and the wisdom is. God rules. the kingdom of heaven.

God rules. What is going on on earth? There is a sovereign God in heaven, and he rules the kingdoms of men, and he puts those kings and leaders. Over those kingdoms as he wills. God rules the kingdoms of men.

And that's been an incredible lesson because whether or not you sit at the top of a kingdom. Or a country, everybody has a little kingdom. All of us have a little kingdom called the kingdom of me. And God wants us to know the very same thing that he wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know. That he wanted Belshazzar to know, that he wanted the king of Israel to know, that he wanted Alexander the Great to know.

The message is the same, whether your kingdom is. Full of military power and wealth and riches, or it's just the little kingdom of you. And God says, I rule that kingdom. I ordain what happens in that kingdom.

So that's the first half of the book. The second half of the book. Is going to focus in on wisdom that God has for a particular group of people that belong to Him. And those people are the nation of Israel. In our day, it would be us.

And there is a special wisdom that God has for those people. and for that nation. And that wisdom is going to be delivered. Through a series of visions. And dreams that Daniel gets in the first half of the book.

Nebuchadnezzar gets visions or dreams. And Belshazzar gets an appearance of the hand of God. But in the second half of the book, Daniel is the recipient. Of the wisdom. He is the one getting the visions and the dreams.

So that's one of the reasons we say this wisdom is for God's people. It is an unusual wisdom. That's why this part of the book is in Hebrew. And so as this wisdom unfolds, what Daniel receives is a series of visions that is going to show the history of the world through the nations. and their relationship.

to one nation, Israel. And so that's why, in the second half of the book, the nations are described as ravenous. Beasts. And they are going to act very brutally and very cruelly toward this one nation, Daniel's nation. And so we've traced out how that looked like during the kingdom of Persia.

We talked a lot about how that happened in the third kingdom, the kingdom of Greece. And how that kingdom split up into four, and how two of those splinter groups went at each other: the kings of the north and the kings of the south, and what it meant for Daniel's people, Israel, what it meant for God's people. And then we spent some time at the end of chapter 11 and the first part of chapter 12 talking about the fourth kingdom. And when we got to the fourth kingdom, we realized that kingdom is still future in our day, and it's still going to be difficult times for God's people. And so when you come to chapter 12, what the author does, what Daniel does, is he takes all the threads.

that we've been weaving together. And he ties them all off, and he gives you this incredible picture at the end. And what you find out is God's kingdom wins at the end. Everything that God has promised his people is going to come to pass on a corporate level, but even more importantly, every individual member of those kingdoms people like daniel are going to get an incredible reward. And we're going to see that in chapter 12.

Wow. There's a lot. You just unpacked a lot and it's been a great journey. And it's just remarkable providential. to see As we debunked that phrase last time, the devil is in the details.

No, the Lord is in the details. God. He plans. He designs. Every appointment is a divine appointment, and he rules and reigns.

He rules and reigns through.

So bringing these young exiles into this Awful situation. But he stood with them and strengthened them in chapter one. And then he, of course, brings a Miraculous answer to Daniel's prayer in chapter 2, interpreting that vision. He brings these boys through this fiery furnace and he joins them in the furnace as the fourth man in the fiery. He is involved.

In the conversion of bringing to Christ through the witness of Daniel. This awful Brutal, bloody despot Nebuchadnezzar repents and converts. At the end of chapter four, then you have the writing on the wall in chapter five: this Daniel in the lion's den. The greatest picture of prayer and fasting in the Bible. Daniel prayed, the lions fasted, and there you have it.

And then, of course, we see these visions that Daniel has. We see God's work and handiwork in those. you know seven eight Nine, the powerful prayer. That's God-centered, and Daniel comes alongside his own people and admits the sin. And there's repentance and there's remorse, but there's a true work of God through Daniel and intercession.

God answers that prayer. The angel interrupts his prayer with an answer. How brilliant that is. And some of the richest prophecy is in the richest prayer of the Bible: in Daniel 9, chapter 10. Dr.

Horn, more visions and the spiritual warfare. We see it graphically come to life. These demon princes battling Michael the archangel. Then, of course, you said chapter 11, all those details, hundreds of prophecies, these early wars. Historians were shocked when they read it later, thinking, How could anyone know this?

Well, our God is in the details.

Now, you know, you mentioned chapter 11 spills into chapter 12, which we will do now. a chapter full of Again, God's word of comfort, encouragement. A couple times he says, go your way and rest. You know, he talks about the. You know, the stars that Daniel's one of those stars, we know what a real star is, and it's not someone necessarily in Hollywood or in the NBA and the Hardwoods.

It's a star that is defined by God as a bright witness. And then, Dr. Horne, give us a Kind of a preview of what's coming and how do you break down chapter? Chapter 12. One of my favorite verses in chapter 12 is when Daniel asked the question.

He says, I don't understand.

So, if he doesn't understand all this stuff we're going through, that makes us feel a little better, Dr. Orton. 13 verses. Set it up for us, Daniel 12, 13 verses. How do our teachers?

attack this chapter, break it down, and teach it effectively.

Okay, this is the way I would do it. I would put one big truth out there, that's the first thing. I would put three perspectives out there. And then I would end with five words.

So that's how I'm going to do it as we talk through this.

So, one perspective. I'm sorry, one truth. Three perspectives. In five words. That's real simple to grasp.

So here's the big truth: it's in verse four. And so here's the big truth.

So Daniel is told something here. Daniel shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.

So whatever's going on here in this book. There are parts of it that are not for Daniel's day. They are for a time that is yet to come. And then he says, many will run to and fro. In other words, many generations will come and go.

Daniel, before This book Before the time that this book is talking about comes to pass, many generations are going to come. That's the idea of many will run to and fro and knowledge will increase. And all through the book, God has been talking about a special kind of knowledge that only Daniel has access to. It's the knowledge that comes from God. And so, what Daniel is being told is: Daniel, this is the big truth.

Daniel, this book, the things that are being told in this book are not for your time, they're for the future. And before that future comes, many, many generations are going to come and go. And during that period of time, I'm going to give much more divine wisdom that is going to help people understand this book. And so here we are. All these generations later, and we have 66 inspired books.

including the book of Revelation. When Daniel got this revelation. He basically had the Torah. And he might have had some of the historical books. And he had Isaiah, and he had Jeremiah.

And he may have had a little bit of access to some of Ezekiel's writings. Think about the immense amount of biblical wisdom and biblical revelation that has come. Since Daniel's day, when you read about verse 4.

So that is really the perspective. If you're gonna teach this book, if you're gonna help people understand this book. The big truth is, God has given an abundance of inspired revelation, inspired wisdom. that is is going to help us flesh out this book. And so that's an incredible statement.

We actually know more than Daniel knew. It doesn't mean we're smarter than Daniel. It doesn't mean we're more valuable than Daniel or more godly than Daniel. It just means that many generations have come and gone. We are much closer to the end time than Daniel was, and we have a complete canon of revealed scripture that helps us interpret this.

So that's the big truth. All right, so. That's the first thing I would do. Second thing I would do is I would put out these three perspectives. In the chapter.

The chapter is going to talk about a champion. That is fighting for God's people in heaven. And that champion is going to show up. Uh if you stop and think about it That champion is really going to show up in the first part. part of the butt.

And we'll come back to that. Then there is a champion. that is going to stand in for God's people on earth. The champion that is fighting for God's people in heaven is Michael the archangel. The champion that is standing in to strengthen.

And save God's people on the earth is Messiah, Jesus, the Son of Man, that we read about in Daniel 7. And then there is the strengthening. of the ambassador of God's kingdom. On Earth, and that's Daniel. And that's all of us.

So, those three sort of perspectives are sort of summing up the book.

So, if I'm a leader and I'm trying to teach this lesson, I'm going to come to the very first part of the chapter and say, now, what God wants us to know about the unseen battle that's going on that we didn't know at the beginning of the book, we just thought Nebuchadnezzar's army came in and wiped out Israel. We we just thought You know, as we got into these visions, that the Persian army came and wiped out Babylon. We just thought that Alexander, the great armies came along and so on. But actually, what we discovered is that there is an unseen battle going on in the realm where God is, and that battle is massive. And there is in that realm a mighty champion who is standing up.

and fighting for God's people. And he's described for us in verse one. At that time, Daniel. There's coming a time when all of the events that we're reading about are going to come to pass. And at that time, In heaven, in this realm, Michael the archangel.

The Great Prince. who has been given charge of your people. will stand up. That's the idea of a rise. He will stand up.

And when Michael stands up, things happen. The entire angelic army, and there are many of them. Jesus is called, or God rather is called the Lord of armies. All of the armies of heaven are put under the command of this prince named Michael. And he is going to bring all of those angelic armies to fight.

And the reason they're fighting is for the people who belong to God. Uh that are Daniel's nation. And he says there will be a time of trouble. such as has never been since there was a nation.

So when this when this happens And by the way, you can read about it in Revelation 12 and in Revelation 13. When this happens. It is going to be so dark and so bad and so difficult that you're going to look back on the history of the nation and they will never have faced something this bad.

Now, Israel has faced some incredibly bad things. I mean, think about what happened to them in Egypt in Moses' day. Think about what happened to them under the Assyrians in Sennacherib's day. Think about what happened to them in Daniel's own day with Nebuchadnezzar. Wiping out the city of Jerusalem and tearing down the temple of God and scattering the people of God.

Think about what happened to them during Antiochus' epiphanies, the awful things that happened before Jesus came. Think about what Rome did to them in AD 70 when the city was again destroyed and the second temple was burned. Think about what Adolf Hitler did to them. In the Second World War. I mean, when you look at this nation, they have faced.

difficult dark days think about what's going over there right now And the attacks and the pressure that is on that nation. And What we're finding out here is that there is coming a day when what is about to happen to them is so bad, it's going to make all of that look like nothing. And at that moment, there is a champion in heaven who's going to stand up. Bring the entire angelic armies to bear, and he's going to stand in and deliver those people.

So that's what you find out. in that first perspective.

Now, the second perspective is that there is a mighty champion on earth who right now is delivering his people. He is saving his people. And that champion. Is writing their names down in a book. Look at verse two.

At that time, your people will be delivered. Or end of verse one, everyone whose name will be found written in the book. God has a book, and we find out later it's the book of life, and somebody is writing their names down in those books. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.

Some to everlasting life. and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

So here is what this champion is doing. He is redeeming. And one day he will resurrect. The people who belong to him. That the Father has given to him.

Everybody is going to be resurrected at the end. And some people are going to be resurrected to eternal life. And some people are going to be resurrected, but their resurrection is to a horrible thing, it is to eternal death, it is to shame and contempt.

Now Yep. immediately He doesn't address the people that are going to be resurrected to shame and contempt. He immediately turns to the ones that are going to be resurrected to life and he says, those people. are are are the wise people. It is the wise.

So Daniel is a, remember we said Daniel is a book of wisdom. What is it that makes you wise? And the answer is: somebody opened your eyes. like Daniel's eyes were opened. And you got wisdom from above, and the wisdom you got from above is about Jesus.

This champion is the one who is going to resurrect you. And when you are resurrected, you will shine like the brightness of the sky above. That's a reference to the sun. S U N And so think about when Peter and James and John. We were taken up to the mountain, and they saw Jesus in Matthew, they saw Jesus transfigured.

And they talked about it. They said his radiance was brighter than the sun. I mean, think about the fact, if you've ever been to the Mediterranean, if you've ever been to that part of the world and you look up on a bright day and it's not cloudy and the sun is shining in full strength, it is so bright you can't even look. And here are these men, and they see Jesus, and his brightness is brighter than the sun. And there are two others with him.

And they recognize who they are, Elijah and Moses. And they're shining with that kind of brightness.

So here is the destiny of Daniel. Here is the destiny of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Here is the destiny of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here is the destiny of Stu Epperson Sr. Here is the destiny of Stu Epperson Jr.

Here is the destiny of Sam Horn. One day we are going to shine like that. Because we're going to have those kinds of bodies. And those who turn many to righteousness. will be like the stars forever.

That's our mission. And that's the third perspective. There is a champion in heaven. There is a champion on earth. And those champions are fighting so that the ambassadors who will one day be resurrected and given these glorified bodies, those ambassadors have a task while they're waiting for all that to happen.

There to go. and live in wartime, sort of in a wartime economy. And their mission is to turn many to righteousness. And those people. Are going to have a destiny.

They're going to be like the stars. It's really an amazing thing. And so, one big truth and three perspectives. Let me catch my breath here and let you react and respond to that, Stu, because I still have five words I wanna give everybody.

Well, I I I think I need to catch my breath, brother, because I can't write fast enough what you're saying. It's rich, it's encouraging. 13 verses, chapter 12 of Daniel. Daniel encounters these two heavenly figures. Of course, some believe it's a Christophany, Dr.

Aiken's commentary, the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary. He's clear. He says this is a Christopher. Pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. I don't think, Dr.

Horn, I don't think you agree with that. But it is still. Oh, do you?

Okay, okay.

So the heavenly man that holds his hand up. By the river, there's two figures, but you believe the one I guess it's similar to Revelation 1, and it's similar to the man of Daniel chapter 10. You know, that he encounters.

So, so there, but some don't, but still, it's just a miraculous encounter, and it's not a hill to die on, but it's just we see God's hand directly. in these encounters. And they're comforting Daniel. They're encouraging Daniel. I love the words of the angel to Daniel in chapter 10.

He says, you are. Greatly beloved. He says Do not fear, fear not. And he says, be strong. Be strong twice, and Daniel says he was strengthened.

And this book is to give us. Strength. If you're a believer, you read Daniel. You will be encouraged. You will be strengthened, just as these angelic figures did, just as Daniel was strengthened by reading.

The word of God. From the prophet Jeremiah at the beginning. Of Daniel chapter 9 before his prayer in Daniel chapter 10. Dr. Horne, give us the five words, and then Daniel makes a pretty powerful closing.

Well, the words of the angel to Daniel are very powerful, where he says, Yeah, he said he calls him to rest. I love that because you know, some of the words of Christ when he came on the scene were. Come to me. And find rest, all you who labor and are heavy laden. And this is exactly the word to Daniel: God calls all his people into his rest, and that doesn't mean.

Death necessarily. It doesn't mean You know, stopping and not following him, but it means resting in him. Because there is a rest that Hebrews talk about. There's a Sabbath. Jesus Christ is that rest.

And connecting with Him brings us into a rest, to a peace that is incomprehensible, that is divine. But then He says, Rest. He says, Go your way.

So don't, you know, don't, hey, you continue to go. Like the Great Commission, as you are going, pray. Preach the gospel. There's like a, this is like maybe chapter 12, is like the great commission of the Old Testament to Daniel. And then he tells them, he says, Look, you will be greatly rewarded.

There is a reward. For every believer. Christ is our great reward, but there's a beautiful. A coronation and celebration of every believer's in eternity. Dr.

Horne. Give us those five words to kind of close us out and then close us in prayer. And I'm going to tease right now. There will be a final podcast. It's like a.

Kind of like an additional wrap-up and talking about ending well. And I want to spend, it'll be a briefer, maybe 10-15 minutes that Dr. Hoare and I were going to offer everyone. Just as a just to encapsulate all this and just to kind of store up anything we missed. Final five words, closing thought on these 13 verses of chapter 12 and a closing prayer, please.

Mm.

So number one sums up verses one through eight. It's the word curiosity.

So Daniel is curious and he asked two questions. It's the very same questions you and I ask when we're facing uncertainty, difficulty, trial, affliction. Daniel For since chapter seven. I mean, think about this. He has been.

Trying to figure out what is going on. And the more he tries to figure out, and the more revelation that he gets, the less he knows. That's how sometimes I feel when I'm trying to figure out what's going on in the text. The more I study, the more I look. I sometimes it's like, Lord, I can't figure this out.

So he's curious. And he has two big questions. And the first question shows up in verse six. And the second question shows up in verse eight. And the first question is, How long will it be?

till the end of all of these wonders. In other words. Daniel is looking and he's had these four visions. And the word wonder, by the way, is not a positive word. It's not like these breathtaking, marvelous things I've been seeing.

It's these horrible things I've been seeing. How how long will this Yeah. jaw-dropping horror last for my people. How long are we going to suffer? And then second, what's going to be the outcome of all of this trouble?

You can see that. Oh Lord, what will be the outcome? of all of these things. What what is the ultimate purpose? And the final resolution.

to all of this crushing trouble that you have brought upon your people how will all of this be resolved. And actually, this word curiosity is a great word because that's exactly what. It comes in my life. comes in your life. When trouble comes, affliction comes.

Trial comes, Lord. I want to know how long is this going to happen? And B, what is your ultimate purpose? What are you up to? How are you going to resolve all this?

So, those two questions are wrapped up in the word curiosity. Second word is the word mystery. That's in verses 7 through 12. I mean, it's like he gets an answer and we're like, okay, that. That's good.

I want to know who this man in Lenin is. I wanted to know about the time, times, and half a time. What about this burnt offering being taken away and the abomination that makes desolate being set up? And the 1290 days and the third. 1,535 days.

What in the world is going on? And so the word mystery really sums that up. And in that little section under that word, right away, there is a solemn oath that somebody makes. and the person that makes the oath is this man clothed in linen who is above the water of the stream And he raises his right hand and his left hand. Toward heaven, and he swears.

by the one who lives forever. He swears by the one on the throne. And as you said a minute ago, we're not going to get into that. Uh today but uh This is Christ. He is the one in chapter seven who gets a kingdom and dominion and glory and honor.

He gets a people. He is the one in Daniel 2 and in Daniel 4 and again in Daniel 7 who's going to set up a kingdom. And he raises his hands and he swears. by the one who lives forever. And what he swears is that there is a definite time coming.

when that kingdom is going to be established. There is a definite answer that strengthens us. Uh and in that answer. This idea that there is something going on. And the something that is going on involves the shattering of the power.

of the holy people. And you can see that. As you look at these text there is this shattering uh where where God's people Uh are are are are there whatever that power is It's being shattered, and you can see that at the end of verse 7.

Now, let me give you my personal interpretation. The word power there. is is a word that can speak to will. In other words, what is going on here? isn't just the antichrist being broken.

It isn't just all of the things going on. This nation has struggled with rebellion their entire history. their entire history. They have had this ongoing issue with God. And all along, God has been dealing with them.

about their will. as a nation. And there have been wonderful seasons of submission. for generations, but their overall history of this nation has been one of rejection and one of rebellion to this day. Romans 9, Romans 10, Romans 11.

Paul talks about that to this day. They reject Messiah. To this day, they rebel against God. And one day, God is going to shatter. All of that rebellion, he's going to bring it all to an end, and they are going to embrace Jesus, they're going to embrace Messiah, they're going to repent of their sins.

This is Zechariah 12, 13, and 14, and they are going to be the nation that God always. them to be. And so that's mystery. Then there is fidelity. That's in verse 9.

There is fidelity. And here it is, Daniel, go your way. The words that you're curious about. They're shut up. They're sealed.

Because they're not for your time. they're not for for your generation these words that you've been getting in verses in chapter seven through 12 they're for the end time they're for future generations You go your way. In other words, Daniel, trust me to be faithful. I have been keeping my word for you in chapter one. I kept my word for you in chapter two.

I kept my word for you in chapter three and four. I kept my word for you in chapter six. For 60 years in Babylon, I've been keeping my word to you. And you can rest assured that these words that you don't understand are going to turn out well because they're my words, but they're words for my time. You go your way.

In other words, Daniel, there are things that you are still to do. Go your way and do them.

So there is fidelity. Word number four is sovereignty. And you can see that in verse 10. Many will purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined. But the wicked will act wickedly.

And none of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise. Will understand. In other words, Daniel, here's what you need to know. In your generation, and it's going to be true in all the generations. The wise will be wise.

and the wicked will be wicked there will always be people in every generation in every culture in every country who when they hear the wisdom of god will be wise they will embrace it They will follow it and they will grow in that wisdom. And there will always be. Belshazzars. There will always be Nebuchadnezzar's. who finally embrace it.

And there will always be Belshazzars. There will always be wise, and there will always be wicked. Jesus put it this way: there will always be weak. And there will always be terrors in the same field. And so on this earth, there will always be wise and there will always be wicked.

When we look at our own day and age, there are always, there are people who have embraced the gospel, who are growing in grace, who are in the word, who are taking the time to study books like Daniel, who aren't going to just. Avoid a chapter like 11 because it's hard. They're going to get in the word of God and they're going to grow wise. There are other people who may have wisdom from above, but they don't want to take the time to read the Bible. The book of Daniel is too hard.

The book of Revelation, oh, that's tough. I just want what will get me through the day. I just want a John 3.16 hit. I just want to read Philippians 2. I don't want to get too deep.

And those people have wisdom, but they're going to just be prey to whatever shows up. And so You have wise people. And then you have wicked people who hear the gospel and turn away and reject it. And Daniel, you need to know that that's under my sovereign control. That's always going to be true.

And then the final word is destiny. And I love this word. Because it's about Daniel. Look at verse 13. But go your way, Daniel, go your way.

You will rest. You will stand in your place. at the end of days. Daniel When this time finally comes in the fourth kingdom at the end of days, and Messiah finally shows up and sets up his kingdom, you are going to be there, I promise you.

So, in essence, Daniel, you will rest. And basically in verse two. We see what that rest is. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth.

So Daniel, you're going to die. You're going to die. That's the idea here. I will sustain you for the rest of your earthly life, but one day. You're going to die.

But that's not the end of the story. Daniel, you're going to rise. You're going to be resurrected. You will enter into the rest that really matters. the rest that Israel was heading to for 40 years in the wilderness.

That's why the writer of Hebrews says: listen, there still is a rest for God's people. And the idea there is dwell. The word rest means dwell. When God rested at the end of creation week, he didn't stop, he dwelt. God's glory rested on the temple.

It's the idea of coming and resting on being in the thing that you created. When you build a house. And it's all said and done. And they hand you the keys. You and your family go, and you rest, you dwell in that house.

Daniel, when God sets up his kingdom. His people are going to rest in that kingdom, and you are going to dwell there. And Daniel, it's not just That you're going to reign. There is an allotted place for you in the kingdom of the sun. And you're going to have.

a a a a position there you're you're you're there's an allotted time there But in the meantime. There's work for you to do. There's still work for you to do in Cyrus's kingdom. And by the way. Sam, there's still work for you to do.

And Stu, there's still work for you to do. And whatever that work is, go your way and do it. Because I have a kingdom that matters most, and you are already a part of that kingdom. And you're the ambassador. For that kingdom in the here and now.

That's the book of Daniel, and those are the five words. Amen, brother. What a blessing. And we will do our final encore on Daniel here shortly. Please pray us out of here and pray for those that are teaching through this.

That are maybe struggling with pull pulling it all together. As they go through these final 13 verses, recap the book, and then look, you know, it's a looking-forward book. Yes, it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better. but it's going to be so much better. After it gets worse because the King Jesus is returning.

And Daniel's with him right now, and he'll be with him when he comes back. to set up his kingdom. And we have a lot of people. to invite To know the king before it's too late.

So, Dr. Horn, thank you for sharing that. Pray for us, will you, brother? Lord, thank you for a wonderful book and our journey through it. It's hard to believe we're already here at the end of this incredible.

narrative about wisdom from above. that helps us learn how to live below. and gives us strength and courage. And wisdom to navigate every part of life as we are ambassadors for this incredible kingdom that is coming. And so, Lord, help us.

uh to live that way Lord, whatever else happens. Lord, do not use Daniel. Do not let the devil use Daniel to distract us or to divide us. Lord, help us not to get so caught up. in trying to figure out all of these dates and time and times and a half.

that we forget to use our own time and our own day to share the gospel with people around us. Lord, help us not to get divided over the different views and opinions. I've got all of this, Lord, one day it's all going to be really clear because you're going to make it clear. You're going to come and rule. You're going to set up a kingdom, and we're going to watch it happen.

And we're going to all be going, oh, that's what that meant. And so, Lord, help us to live in the light of that with humility and grace and charity. And Lord, as we perhaps hold our different views, help us to hold them graciously and not lose sight of the big thing you're doing in our lives through the book of Daniel. And we'll thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you, Dr. Horne, and thank you for joining us for this Wednesday in the Word podcast. Learn more at wedintheword.com. Follow us on YouTube, Facebook, and all social media, including in Stu Graham. and be encouraged, stay in the word.

Read it. Share it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on God's Word. Every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. Proverbs 30, verse 5.