All right, let's get after it. This song was like a little bit of a locker room song. I gotta admit, I'm a little amped. I want to hit somebody or open the Bible. Let's go. Let's do this. We're glad that you're here. Let me give you an announcement just to this group. Feel special. You're the only service getting this announcement. We're getting more full in this service than the other two services. I have tried my hardest to be offensive so that people would leave, but that's not taking. And we're still seeing growth. Praise God for that, but particularly growth in this service. So there's plenty of seats at the 8 and 11. So I know a lot of you, like, whether you're taking a class or you're serving, like, this is the service that makes sense for you. But if you are able to go to the 8 or the 11, that would be really helpful. Especially as we enter into December. There's always kind of a pickup during the Advent season, so that would be a wonderful help. So if that applies to you, could you. Can you do that? And you'll get extra points in heaven? I'm sure that'd be helpful to us. All right. Caleb said we're bringing Daniel to a close today. I hope that this series has been a blessing for you, that it's been a challenge to you and an encouragement to you. We started back in the beginning of September looking at this teenager, Daniel, who gets taken captive, ripped from his homeland, brought to this pagan city, and right off the bat, the resolve that he had to stay faithful to God in an unfaithful culture, even presented with the king's food, something that would be really easy to kind of compromise on. He. He's like, no, I'm not doing it. Cause little compromises lead to big compromises. And faithfulness in the little things leads to faithfulness in the big things. And we see Daniel's faithfulness in that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon's getting dreams. Daniel's able to interpret him. They get promoted, but yet still opposition, where he makes this statue, wanting everybody to bow down to it. But Daniel's boys are like, we ain't doing it. You can kill us. Doesn't matter. Then you get this miraculous kind of intervention where God humbles Nebuchadnezzar, where he's, like, proclaiming the one true God, but his predecessor doesn't have a clue, and he kind of rejects God and he's killed. And the medo Persians take over Babylon. And then Daniel starts getting visions and we get like these beasts and leopards with wings and bears and 77s and 62 7s and 17 and 7 sevens and all kinds of, like weeks that we're trying to understand and goats and like. It's kind of been crazy looking into this, but it's been personally challenging to me. Like, what does it look like to live faithful to God when you're in a culture that doesn't? And the courage that we're called to, to do that? So I've been challenged by that. It's also been personally challenging to me. It's like, what is he talking about? Like, studying this book has been a challenge. Today's may be the hardest text I've ever preached. A year ago as a church, we were in a members meeting and somebody asked, like, what book study are we gonna do next? And it was like over a year ago. I was like, I don't know. I'm thinking Daniel, but I don't know. That's a pretty intimidating book. And someone, I don't know who it was yelled out, you can do it. And I don't like that person right now. I don't know. Like, there were so many times studying and it's just like, what is he talking about? But it's been just a tremendous, deep dive into this book and hopefully it's been a blessing to you. Now, in closing out the book study today, here's what I wanna say. So what? I mean, you get beast and weeks and goats and visions and dreams, and it's like, so what? Like, what difference does it make for us? Even for Daniel? God is telling him some stuff that he's not even gonna be around to see. Daniel's probably in his mid-80s right now and he's talking about future stuff. Daniel's gonna be dead. Like, why is he telling us this? Why is God letting his people, including us in on this stuff that he's gonna do? These predictions that he makes that come to happen, and here's the answer. I'll give you the answer, then we'll get into it. God wanted his people to know through Daniel that He has ordained a future for his glory and our good so that there's a reason behind this so that we would live into that reality like that we know that it would actually shape our lives, that we would live in light of that it would impact us that so the same is true for us. We need to know that God has ordained a future. It's gonna happen, it's gonna play out. And the purpose of it is for his glory and for our good or for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes. That's what Paul says. So that we'd actually let that shape our lives, how we live practically day to day now. Cause sometimes you can get lost in this information and like, what does that mean and what does that symbolize and what does that represent? And you kind of forget the point. The point is it's supposed to impact our lives. It's supposed to shape us. And I think there might be a disconnect for a lot of people. Cause I'm willing to guess that a lot of people in this room might be like, I believe that. I believe God is in control. I believe that he has ordained a future. I believe all those things. But it's not actually impacting how you live. It's not actually shaping your emotions, it's not actually shaping your actions. It's not shaping how you live. So the question for us is how exactly should. Should we live in light of all this information that God has been letting Daniel and us in on? And we got a lot of texts, we're not gonna get to all of it. In fact, it's chapters 10, 11, and 12 are one section. So if you were here last week and you kinda were a part of that vision, it's the same scene continuing. So the angel's like, I'm here to tell you some stuff. But we never got to the stuff that he was gonna tell em. We just got to that vision he had. Well, today we get to the stuff that he's gonna tell him and it's the same thing situation playing out. Now, I'm not gonna cover it all, but I do wanna get to the so what, like, what does this mean? So that's where we're going. You guys ready to go? All right, chapter 11. Start in verse two. And now I will show you the truth. So remember that. This is. Angel's still talking to him. He's like, I got gonna show you some stuff now. He's gonna show us. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. The fourth is actually Xerxes. You guys ever read the book of Esther? That's the fourth one. Okay, give you some. If you know your Bible, that's some timeline for it. And when he has become strong, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise. It's Alexander the Great, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has risen, his kingdom shall be mighty broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides him. So Alexander the Great's kingdom kind of gets broken up into his four generals. Now that's fairly clear as far as apocalyptic literature goes. Like, he's not talking about lions, leopards and bears. He's like, Persia, Greece, king. So I'm like, okay, I'll take that. You get some, some more clarity. Now. The more we read, the more questions or confusion comes up of like, what, what is he talking about here? But everyone pretty much agrees that the first part of chapter 11, in fact the first 35 verses are about kind of this timeline of the Persian kings following Cyrus, leading up to Alexander the Great and his successors and their ongoing conflict between the Seleucid and Potomac dynasties, which were the main kind of powers of the Greek empire. And they warred against each other for quite a while. And there's this emphasis on Antiochus Epiphanes because he was a really bad dude to the Jewish people. So he's not some big deal in just world history, but in Jewish history, pretty bad dude. And it kind of references a successful yet short lived victory that this Jewish people revolted against. Antiochus Epiphanies, the Maccabean revolt, it kind of references that too. And that takes us through 35, and the details are incredible. It's just the what God says is going to happen and then it actually happens and how it lines up to history. It's pretty mind blowing. And do you guys know that we do a podcast on Monday after the sermon called beyond the Message. Okay, now you do. All right, so you can listen to that tomorrow. I'll get into kind of the connection of what's going on in those first 35 verses to history, but we don't have time for that today. You get to verse 36. This is where the debate starts. The debate starts in verse 36, where it seems like the most logical conclusion is he's just continuing to talk about the same person. He's been talking about this king, and now he's continuing to talk about this king and be like, well, that makes sense, that's the same person. But things don't seem to fit as nicely as they were because there's like this tight fit of like, oh, you said that. And that happened and you said that, and that happened. And the more you talk to, like, yeah, that can kind of fit. But the more that you read, you start to feel like, I don't know if we're still talking about the same guy. I don't know if this is the same, but it doesn't fit quite as nicely. Cause it could seem like, all right, you're talking about Antiochus Epiphanies, and there's tight fit. But the more you read, you feel like, I think you're talking about, like, the end of time, like, judgment and Christ's return. And there seems to be this switch between Antiochus Epiphanes and this future Antichrist, which might be part of the point. Like, there's this overlapping of, like, hey, there's similarities that you're gonna see, and God's doing something here and it's pointing to something else as well. It would be helpful if he would have just said, now we're talking about a different guy. But that doesn't seem to be how apocalyptic literature works. I'm curious if his first draft was really clear and he took it to his editor. He's like, no, no, no, make it more confusing. So here we are. But this is really similar to chapter seven. So if you remember chapter seven, he's talking about these empires that are going to come. And he uses descriptions of beasts to describe them. So the Babylonians, and then the Medo Persians, then the Greeks and then the Romans. But then he's like, oh, and there's gonna be these. A lot of other horns, these other kingdoms, and eventually there's gonna be this one little horn. And now he's talking, like, the end of time type of thing. So it's like you're talking about near future and then distant future. And it seems to be this, like, you just jumped ahead and there's this connection or parallel. Like what's happening in this world is a pattern that's gonna continue happening until it culminates in. In this kind of future Antichrist. And it seems like the same thing is happening in chapter 11, where you're talking about the Greeks and their power and the oppression of the Jewish people. And you keep reading, you keep reading. It's like, I don't know if we're still talking about that. It seems like the more that we read, you're pointing to something further. And I would say that there's two main objectives here. To prepare God's people for two crisises, one with Antiochus epiphanies, and that's verses 2 through 35 and 2 to prepare them for the future Antichrist. And that's verses 36 through 12, 3, and to point out some similarities between the two. Like, hey, you need to have your eyes open for these things. You need to be prepared for this. These are things that the God's people are going to deal with. So we're getting let in on that. So let's, let's look at some of this. Go to verse 32 and chapter 11. We'll start there. It says, he which would be Antiochus Epiphanes shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant. So he's going to try to seduce and use flattery to get people to disobey God. But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Memorize that verse. Like we need to know that verse. Like there's going to be people who are going to be led astray from God, enticed, tempted with flattery. But we need to know our God. And when we know our God, we need to stand firm and not just do nothing. Stand firm and take action. Like that should be our disposition. He goes on, and the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. There's going to be harsh persecution. And Antiochus Epiphany was vicious to the Jewish people. We can get into some of that in the podcast. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join themselves to them with flattery. And some of the wise shall stumble, so that now there's a reason behind our suffering. We're not getting into that today, but we need to have a better theology of suffering. And you see, there is a reason behind all this persecution. It's so that they may be refined, purified, and made white until the time of the end. For it still awaits the appointed time. So there is a sanctifying, purifying work of God through our hardships. And we need to learn to lean into that. Now, remember that, because that's going to come up later. But it gets to this end, to the end of time, and it still awaits the appointed time. Then we start in verse 36, and this is where I think the transition starts to happen. But there's a little bit of an overlap because it's like, is he still talking about Antiochus Epiphanies? I think maybe, but the more I read, the more it seems like he's not. So verse 36, let's read this. And the King Debate who that is shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every God. And he shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished, for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers or. Or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other God. For he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the God of fortress instead of these. A God whom his father did not know, fathers did not know. He shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stone and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortress with the help of a foreign God. Those who acknowledge him, he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many, and he shall divide the land for a price. Okay, so what do we know about that? Like, what's the character of this guy we're being warned about against? It's like, well, he seems to be using flattery too. Like, it says there at the end that those who acknowledge him, he shall load with honor, and he shall make them rulers over many, and they shall divide the land for a price. So if it's like, hey, if you're on my side, compliments, gifts, you know, status, like there's a temptation in that as well. But what else do we know about this guy from these verses? Well, one, flattery. Okay, we pointed that out. But before we go on, Paul also pointed that out. This is in second Timothy. He says this. He does say it. I promise, for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but have itching ears. They will accumulate for themselves podcasters to suit their own passions. It's in there. Just keep going. To suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. Now you say, here's a description of kind of the end times. Not only is this a deceptive leader going to use flattery, we're going to want it. We're gonna wanna find people that just tell us what we wanna hear, right? We're gonna just take it in. Cause we already wanna hear it. And today you can find any teacher to tell you what you already wanna hear. And if it's already what you wanna hear, you don't have much discernment. Cause you so want it to be true. And he's like, if you want that. And there's gonna come a time where you're just gonna look for people to affirm you. The chapter before this, Paul also says this, but Understand this, that in the last days, this is what Daniel's talking about as well. There will come times of difficulty. He's talking about that for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God like me. It's about me and whatever I want to do and whatever advances my causes and my opinions. Like, this is what's gonna be. And he's saying, okay, this is like ripe ground for a deceiver to come in and lead people astray. So he's gonna use flattery. He's also a lover of power. It says that he honored the God of fortress. Like he's kind of putting his hope in his power, perhaps military power. He opposes God, speaks astonishing things against the God of Gods, is what he says. And Daniel, in talking about the same figure back in chapter seven, says the same thing. Verse 25, he says he shall speak words against the most High. Like this is a characteristic of this guy. He's self exalting. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every God. Paul points this out too, in second Thessalonians. He calls him the man of lawlessness. Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come. This day of the Lord of Christ's return will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the Son of Destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. So he's going to have like talk about narcissistic tendencies like this. This person's gonna be self exalting. He's gonna prosper. This is something that's important to know. Daniel says he shall prosper until the indignation is accomplished. So until God says enough, he's gonna do well. He's gonna be successful. He's gonna prosper. Paul points this out too. Second Thessalonians, again, he says this. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all what power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and be saved. So there's gonna be power, there's gonna be wonders. Like there's gonna be an impressive, influential, flattery type of person that's going to be successful. Now here's another description, and it's a bit of a crazy one. If you go to verse 37, it says, he shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers or to the one beloved by women. Now perhaps a better translation is or to the desire of women. And you're like, what does that mean? Is he gay? Is there some kind of like undermining of God's created design of gender and sexuality? And we're like, well, that's not a far fetched idea. But what we know of this person is he's against the things of God, he's against the design of God, he's against the plans of God. And this is kind of flushing itself out. And he's going to be pretty sharp, pretty successful, he's going to make a lot of sense and he's going to come with a lot of flattery, right? And if we're not grounded, then our itching ears are going to want to hear it. But what's the warning that we get from this same thing playing out within Tychos Epiphanes. Go back to verse 32. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant. But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Guys, let me just say this. We gotta know our Bibles. We got to know our Bibles. If you don't know your Bibles, then you have no discernment. And just the latest podcast is gonna sound great. Cause you already have an ear that wants to hear what they have to say. And if that's the case, you've got no discernment to assess it if it's true or not. And this is a warning. Paul saying, you got to know the word of God, you got to know your Bible. All right, let's keep reading. Verse 45. Here's what happens next. At the time of the end, the King of the south shall attack him. Him, this leader he's talking about. But the King of the north shall rush upon him like a whirling whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen and with many ships. This adds some confusion because if we were to look into the verses I kind of skipped over, that's talking about the Seleucid and Potomac dynasties warring in the Greek Empire. They're referred to as the Kingdom of the north and the Kingdom of the South. So now you get to hear it. It's like, wait a second, who are we talking about? Are we talking about those people or have we moved on to future stuff. And there seems to be this overlap of similarities between these things that the more you read, the more you realize you're not just talking about the past, you're also talking about the future for us. He goes on, he says, and he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land that's Israel, and tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand. Edom and Moab. And the main part of the Ammonites, those are like age old enemies of Israel. So it's like, hey, if we share a common enemy, you're gonna be on his side. So for him, he's like, I'm conquering, exerting my power, and if you're with my agenda, you're on my team. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries and the land of Egypt shall not escape this. Another confusing part, because the kingdom of the south for the Greek empire was Egypt. Like, that was part of their, their domain. So you're like, all right, who are you talking about? Is this back then or is this still to come? And he shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver and all the precious things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train, but news from the east and the north shall alarm him. And he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatal or royal tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Okay, so let me try to boil some of this down. This guy's going to gain power. He's going to be at the center of some global conflict. He's coming from the north and is going to prevail over the south and establish in the land of Israel between the sea and the glorious mountain. That would be the valley of Megiddo. So have you heard of the Battle of Armageddon? Okay, that kind of location. Like in, in this valley, the only ones who escape him are Edom, Moab and the Ammonites, which are kind of age old enemies of Israel. So there's kind of a coalition against God's people. And there's, there's a debate on how literal or symbolic these, these verses are. I don't think they're talking about this being in the future. I don't think they're talking about literal chariots. I don't think that's going to make a comeback. Like, tanks are great. Let's go back to chariots. Right, so there's some level of symbolism here. So it's like the Kingdom of the North. Is that literally in the north, or is it just talking about another superpower? Or is it just using language from kind of what happened in Antiochus Epiphany's time to kind of say, hey, similar things are going to happen in the future? I don't know. I don't know. But look how verse 45 ends, because this is interesting. And he shall pitch his royal tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he, this ruler, this Antichrist, shall come to his end with none to help him. You have this huge buildup. This guy is powerful. He's successful. He's. He's influential. He's taken over the world. Like, he's gonna make many stumble, and then you get. And he comes to an end and no one will help him. Like a very anticlimactic end, which is part of the point. Right? Do you remember in Daniel, chapter seven, when he's talking about this future horn that's gonna oppress God's people and prevail over them and oppress them? What is he referred to as, a little horn? Ain't just a little horn, right? Like, there's just not, like, he's gonna come to an end. Don't buy into this, like, imagery that at the end of time, there's this epic battle between good and evil. It's not a fight like, God just wins until his appointed time is up, and then it's over. It's just. It's done. This is how Paul puts it in Second Thessalonians. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. How does Jesus win? He just shows up, just, like, blows him over. It's not this epic battle that we kind of get lost in. I love how T.S. eliot, the poet, puts it. He says, this is how the Antichrist ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. If Daniel teaches us anything, it's how big and powerful and sovereign our God is. And you know what's interesting? They're getting that message as captives in exile. Daniel, don't buy into these circumstances. You're not losing. Your God is in control. His plans are playing out. Like, trust in your God. I got this. Like, don't buy into this trouble. You're gonna have trouble. It's part of my plan. It's a refining thing and a purifying thing for my people. But I win, and I win exactly in the time that I want to win, and when I show up, it's over. Like, it's meant to build our confidence in our God. So be in awe of your God. But here's what happens next. Let's get into chapter 12. At that time shall arise Michael. So we talked about him last week. This other angel that shows up, Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. So it's like, okay, more clearly, I don't think we're still talking about Antiochus Epiphanes. Like, Michael's showing up, and there's some kind of, like, deliverance, like, eternal deliverance, as we'll see in a little bit. Like, this is the end of time type of stuff. And it says, your people will be delivered. Now, who is your people? In the context, we might jump to think, well, it's the Israelites. They're the ones in captivity. They're the ones that get acknowledged. Like, these are your people, Daniel. They're gonna get delivered. But he doesn't say that. He says, your people, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. What book? It's the book of life that John talks about in Revelation. This is all of God's people, not just Israel, but everybody who places their faith in Christ is written in the Lamb's Book of life. He's like, those people will be delivered. And then he says this in verse two. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. It's like, okay, we're definitely not still talking about Antiochus Epiphanies. Like, there's been some movement into future stuff. And he's talking about resurrection and judgment. Some people are gonna raise, and they're gonna go to everlasting life. Some people are gonna be raised, and they're gonna go to everlasting torment. Like, this is end time type of judgment stuff. And then he says this in verse three. And those who are wise. Who wants to be wise? Okay, 20 of us are gonna storm the gates, right? Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above. And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever. Now, this kind of confusing verse should determine the purpose of your life. Let me read it again. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above. And those who turn many to righteousness shall like the stars forever and ever. Those who are wise, what's the beginning of wisdom? It's the fear of the Lord. Those who are wise, those who fear God, those who follow God. Or let's put our lenses on from the whole redemptive narrative. Those who trust Christ. Those who trust Christ are going to shine the brightness of the sky above. Let's see how the New Testament puts this. This is Second Corinthians 3:18. And we all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who's the Spirit. We're being changed. This is how John puts it in first. John, beloved, we are God's children now. And what we will be has not yet appeared because there's gonna be a transformation. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself and as he is pure. We're going to be like Jesus. We're going to be transformed and we're going to reflect the glory of our Savior. Is that not motivating good news? Like, there's this transformation waiting us. And those who turn many to righteousness, it's those who help others trust Christ. So here's what he's talking about at the end. Like this ambition to aim for. Trust Christ. It's going to be worth it. You're going to be transformed. Help others, trust Christ. It's gonna be worth it. There's glory for it. Guys. Give your life to that. Everything else is fleeting. Everything else passes away. Everything else burns. Be somebody who trusts Christ in your daily life and leads other people to trust Christ. That's what life is about. Now, verse four, he says this, but you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. Now shut up the words. Here's what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean, like, don't let anybody see it. This is our secret. Cause we hear that we like, shut up the words. That's what it kind of means. That's not what it would have meant in ancient nearest time where they're writing down important documents. If you got an important document, it's like, oh, shut that up. And it doesn't mean keep it secret. It means keep it safe. Keep it safe. Keep that original protected. You Know, store it well, because it's going to be needed. Our people, they're going to want to come back and consult it later on. It's going to be helpful later on. At the end of time. At the end of time, they're going to want to read this, right? Because it's going to be like, see, I told you. That's what he's like. Look out for him. This is what's going to happen. So he's like, seal it up, keep it safe. Because when the end comes, here's what's going to happen. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. What does that mean? Now, some people read that and they think, well, he's talking about the end. And in the end, there's gonna be an increase in travel and an increase in information. So you're gonna be running to and fro today. We can get on a plane, go around the world. We live in the information age. It's like, okay, maybe I don't think that's what he's saying, though. I think what he's saying is, hey, keep this safe, Daniel. Because people are gonna need truth. Cause there's gonna be a lot of information coming at people. But if you don't have this information, your pursuit of knowledge is gonna be in vain. You're just gonna run around with a chicken, your head cut off to and fro, looking for knowledge. And it's not the knowledge you need. This is the knowledge people need. So keep this safe. People are going to need this truth. So let me just say it again, guys. Church. We need to be biblically sound people. You need to know your Bible. And if the only Bible you get is once a week when you come here to listen to a sermon, it's not enough. And I don't mean it's not enough like you're not doing some Christian duty. I'm saying it's not enough. Like a warning. Because if you're not feeding on the Word of God and you don't know the word of God, I know what you do have. Itching ears. Itching ears that want somebody to just tell you what you want to know. And if you don't know the Word, then if it sounds good, you're going to bite it and you're going to swallow it. And we can be deceptive. Or what Paul talks about in Ephesians 4, that we should move on to maturity. And if we don't move on to maturity, we're like children tossed to and fro from every wind and Wave of doctrine. He's like, if you're like a child, you're just going to believe anything. That latest podcast, that latest talk show, that latest book, the latest trend, and it's going to sound awesome and it may even come with some power, but it's not God's word. We need to know our Bibles and church. You don't have to wait till January 1 to start some Bible reading plan. Open your Bible, read it, study it, talk to people, learn is a guide for our life. And if we don't know it, we're vulnerable. We're vulnerable to the lies of this world that can lead us astray. Alright, let's keep going. Where am I at? What verse? You don't know either, do you? Alright, five. All right. Then I Daniel looked and behold two others stood. One on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who is above the waters of the stream. Let me stop here. If you, if you weren't here last week, you're like, what is happening here? It's the same scene. So last week he gets this vision of the pre incarnate Jesus Christ kind of floating in glory over this river. Now we get to see like, oh, it's not just Jesus there, there's also two angels, there's an angel on this side of the stream, an angel on that side of the stream, and this glorious pre incarnate Jesus Christ floating over the waters. So that's, we're kind of back to this scenario. The angel says, how long shall it be till the end of these wonders? So the angel is asking the preincarnate Jesus Christ the question, right? How long? How long until like you're saying some wonderful like crazy things are going to unfold. How long is it going to last? How long is this opposition, this persecution going to last? And this is the answer. Then I heard the man clothed in linen who is above the waters of the stream. He raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times and half a time. And that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished. Okay? The shattering of the power of the holy people. It's like when this opposition, when the persecution of God's people, like, how long? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. How long is that gonna last? And we know like Daniel's talked about this before. So if you go back to Daniel, chapter 7, verse 21. Here's what he had to say. 7, 21. As I looked this horn, who's referring to, like the future Antichrist made war with the saints and prevailed over them. Like there's some success that he's having over the people of God. Like there's hardships coming. You're going to understand why he's saying, well, well, how long is that going to last? All right, let's keep reading. Even in chapter seven, go down to verse 25, he says he, speaking of the Antichrist again, shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High. He'll wear us out. Like, it's going to be a difficult time. So kind of buck up, put your helmet on, and shall think to change the times and the law. Who can change times in the law? God. But he thinks he's God, right? He kind of exalts himself, and they shall be given into his hand for a time. Times and half a time. So you get that same time reference. Now most people look at that and see. Conclude that it's three and a half years. So times is a year or time is a year, times two years, half a time, half a year. So they get this three and a half years that he references in Daniel, chapter seven, Daniel, chapter 12. And I think it gets supported in Daniel or, excuse Me, in Revelation 13. So here's what happens. John talking about the same stuff that Daniel's talking about. And the beast was given a mouth, uttering haughty and blasphemous words. Daniel talked about that. And it was allowed to exercise authority. What was it? It was what? Who's allowing it? God. Because he's in control, right? He's in control. So it's not like this guy's just doing what he wants. No, he was allowed and he's going to be allowed till he's no longer allowed. All right, well, how long is that going to last? It was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months. How long is that? Three and a half years. Okay. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is those who dwell in heaven, also is allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. All right? Daniel talked about that. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation. Boy seems powerful. Seems like he's winning. Yeah, for a time. And all who dwell on earth will worship it. Everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book. What book? That Daniel was talking about. The book of life of the lamb who was slain. Who's that? Jesus. You're with me. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. This is important stuff. If anyone is to be taken captive to captive, he goes. If anyone is gonna be slain with the sword, guess what's gonna happen with the sword? He must be slain. But here's the why. Here's why he's telling us this. Here is the call for the endurance and faith of the saints. This is why I'm telling you this. So you don't freak out, so you don't panic, so that you endure. That you're not like, he captured us. What's happening? He's like, I told you it would happen. He killed him. Why is this happening? I told you he would die. Like, it's going to be a hard time. But I'm telling you ahead of time so that you would stay faithful through it. Prophecy prepares you for faithfulness. Future prophecy is meant to fuel present faithfulness that you would endure. Cause you know how it's gonna end. Here's what he says. Verse 8. I heard this is Daniel then. But I did not understand. Boy, I identify with that. Then I said, oh my Lord, what shall be the outcome of these things? So now Daniel's asking a question. The angel asked a question, he got an answer. Now Daniel asked a question and this is his answer. Verse 9. And he said, go your way Daniel. For the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Now I don't want to complain, but the angel asks a question and he gets this two hand raised to heaven pledge answer with a timeline. And then Daniel asks a question. He was just like, just go your way, Daniel. Now it's important though, because it does get repeated. And it's not just like, hey, I don't care about you. Go your way. I think to the angel, he's like, hey, here's what's gonna happen. Cause you're involved in this spiritual warfare. This is what's playing out. We saw a peek into that in chapter 10. Like you're doing battle and here's the length of this battle. But then he turns to Daniel and Daniel's got a pretty similar question. And God answers him differently because it's almost like he's saying, oh Daniel, don't worry about this. Your dad's got this right. Hey. The angel, like, how long are about three and a half years. Let's get him right. Daniel asked the same question oh, Daniel, you just go on your little way, buddy. Your dad's got this, like, there's confidence that shall feel. And he repeats this command to go your way. Let's read it all to the end of the chapter. And he said, go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand. But those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at 1,335 days. But go your way till the end and you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of days. There's some confusing stuff here. 1,290 days. We've already talked about 1,260 days because that's what, three and a half years? We get an extra month here. What's that about? And then after that you get an extra 45 days with the 1,335 days. What is that talking about? Could it be like after the three and a half year period of persecution and Christ comes to put an end to it, there's like a month long of judgment, maybe. And then there's like another 45 days of celebration before the eternal state kind of takes place. Possibly. I don't know. I like the fact that the celebration is longer than the judgment. I take points for that. Right. But I don't know, maybe it's just saying blessed is the one who goes beyond the time of fulfillment, because that's what we want to get to. Like there's something beyond this time of fulfillment. But here's what's clear, Daniel. Just go your way. You just get this high level security information and you're just like, you told me about goats and beasts and weeks and what am I supposed to do with this? Just live your life, man. Now when we hear that we might be like, oh, yeah, live your life. You just do you. He's like, no, no, no, no, no, that's not what he's saying. We get some direction on how we're to live our lives. Look at verse 10. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand. But those who are wise shall understand. So despite all this information, despite this prophecy that comes true, despite the Displays of power. Despite not burning in the furnace and not being eaten by lions, and all this kind of display of God's power, some people are still not going to believe. Despite God accurately predicting the future hundreds and hundreds of years before it happens and it happening, some people are still not going to believe. Some. Some people still just want to scratch the itch in their own ears and they're just going to try to do their own life. But Daniel, you be wise. Well, what does that mean? Purify yourself, care about purity. So that's what wise living looks like, that you would honor God in all your life. That's how you should go your way. Just keep doing what you're doing, Daniel. Say no to the king's food. Don't bow down to idols. Keep praying to me. Keep being faithful, Daniel. And what's the opposite of wisdom? Foolishness. And what kind of living gets connected to that wickedness? People that are just doing what they want. So he's saying, hey, be wise, Daniel. Care about purity. Now, purity here doesn't just mean morality. It's not less than morality, but it's more than morality because it's in a context of opposition and, and persecution, and it's about being purified. So this word would be used to talk about like a silversmith who's purifying silver, and they heat it up and the impurities rise to the surface and they scrape it off and they heat it up and it rises to the surface. They scrape. That's how you make silver pure. He said, that's what I'm doing. And all this opposition and persecution, you're in the fire, brother. And it's gonna bring to things the surface that you gotta deal with. And a Christian life that cares about purity should be a life full of repentance. Oh, I gotta get rid of that. I gotta get rid of that. I gotta get rid of that. It's just ongoing repentance. And it's a refining work, like it's a work that develops us. And the sad reality is a lot of us don't know about that because we always say yes to sin and temptation, and we don't experience the refining work of abiding. And is God's grace sufficient? Yes, and amen. But that's why we always just kinda lean in about grace to forgive us of our sin, and not grace to empower us not to sin. Christ calls us to something closeness to him, abiding in Him. And when we do, it develops us, it changes us, it shapes us. And Daniel's being called into that. He's saying, daniel, live your life, go your way, or more accurately, go my way, and just keep doing it. And Daniel, keep doing it till you die. Because here's what happens. Verse 13. But go your way till the end, and you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place. At the end of days, you shall rest and you shall stand. What does that mean? You're gonna die and you're gonna rise again. And in the end of days, you got a place, Daniel, you got a place? Do you have a place? And is that shaping how you live? Now? Here's what you need to know. Care about wisdom, care about purity, trust in the resurrection. That's the Christian life. Care about wisdom, know what the word of God says. Care about purity, care about actually doing it. And then trust in the resurrection. Because when you do it, you're not going to win any popularity contest. You're going to be on the narrow road, going against the current. And when things get hard, trust in the resurrection cause. God wins. And with him, you have a place. And, guys, the practice of communion reinforces this attitude in a Christian cause. What does communion say? God takes sin seriously. We should take sin seriously. When we take communion, it's a time of repentance. We're under that fire. And what comes to the surface that I need to confess and repent? And what do we see on the cross? Our God? And the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Behold your God. What kind of God loves his people like that? And when you know and trust in the sufficiency of God's grace, then you can chill out, because in the end, you have a place. Amen. All right, let's pray. I'm going way over. Here we go. Father, I pray that you would wake us up to your glory, That we would not just try to find people that tell us what we want to hear, but we trust in your victory, your power, your sovereignty. And we would want to know what you have to say. And we would bring our lives under it. And we would live wholeheartedly for you, trusting in you. We just pray this in your name. Amen.