Bible Lessons

From: Messages of God's Love: 1936

Daniel 12:5-13⁵Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. ⁶And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? ⁷And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. ⁸And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? ⁹And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. ¹⁰Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. ¹¹And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. ¹²Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. ¹³But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:5‑13)

The fourth verse marks the end of the prophetic outline begun in verse 20 of chapter 10, foretelling the history of Gentile rule from the Persian empire until the Son of Man shall take dominion. That no reference is made in it to the present interval of grace to Gentile and Jew alike (which began when He, rejected and crucified, rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high) is entirely in harmony with all other Old Testament prophecies, none of which tell of the present gathering out of a people to share Christ’s heavenly glory. (See Eph. 3:1-12¹For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, ²If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ³How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, ⁴Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) ⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; ⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: ⁷Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. ⁸Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: ¹⁰To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: ¹²In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. (Ephesians 3:1‑12)).

Verses 5 and 6: Angelic beings are seen again, but the central figure is, as before (chapter 10:5, 6), the glorious Person we believe to be the Son of God. In chapter 10, Daniel “heard the voice of His words”, but all that follows, until verse 7 of the last chapter is reached, was communicated to him through angels.

Verse 7: “A time, times and an half” (or the dividing of a time), is believed to mean 1 year, 2 years, and one-half year, (three and a half years in all), and this is confirmed by verse 25 of chapter 7, and verse 27 of chapter 9 which relate to the same period of time. Taking the prophetic year as comprised of 360 days, or 12 months of 30 days each, it will be seen that the period referred to in verse 7 is 1,260 days. The periods named in verses 11 and 12 are 30 and 75 days longer.

Verse 8: Daniel heard, but understood not. The words are “closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (verse 9). Such was the character of much of the revelations of the purposes of God in Old Testament times; compare Rev, 22:10, where it is said that the book (of Revelation) should not be sealed, “for the time is at hand”. (See also 1 Peter 1:10-12¹⁰Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: ¹¹Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. ¹²Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:10‑12)), The Christian is taught to expect the coming of the Lord at any moment, and he is given intelligence as to the purposes of God, not only as to his own future place as linked with Christ in glory, but concerning Israel and the Gentiles.

Verse 10 tells in briefest language of the time of trial at the close of Gentile rule; the “wise” of Israel’s race shall understand then, but none of the wicked shall understand. It is ever true that only those who are subject to God understand His Word (1 Cor. 1:17-31¹⁷For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. ¹⁸For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ²⁰Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. ²²For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: ²³But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; ²⁴But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. ²⁵Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: ²⁷But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ²⁸And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: ²⁹That no flesh should glory in his presence. ³⁰But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: ³¹That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:17‑31)).

Verses 11 and 12: It is clear from Rev, 19:11-21, and 2 Thess. 2:8-10⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: ⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:8‑10) that the first act of the Lord upon His return in glory to this world will be to put down the Antichrist, the false king of the Jews; this, we gather. will take place 1,260 days after the daily sacrifice is stopped at Jerusalem and an idol is set up in the temple—the abomination of desolation (See Matt. 21:15¹⁵And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, (Matthew 21:15)).

The Scriptures do not reveal the order in which His other enemies will be dealt with, but it is clear that they will meet judgment in succession, the last being the northern power called Gog in Ezekiel 38 and 39; the end of the period of 1335 days, named in verse 12 no doubt marks the complete establishment of abiding peace in the world, and the 1,290 relates to an intermediate period of blessing.

The last verse of the Book gives assurance to Daniel in keeping with the character of Old Testament prophecy: the prose is sure, but it is not the Christian hope which was reserved for New Testament prophecy (1 Thess. 4:13-18¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18)).

EXTRACT

If God should write the sins of men on their foreheads in visible letters, our streets would be desolate, and the world a wilderness.

09/13/1936

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