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The Bible Breakdown
Daniel 12: God Wins
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, daniel, chapter 12, and today's title is God Wins. I mean, that's all we can say God Wins. We're going to get into that in just a moment for the grand finale of Daniel, chapter 12. But, as always, while you're getting your coffee out, while you're getting your Bible out, make sure you take just a moment to pause the video, like share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast it doesn't cost you anything, but it helps us out so much and make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing wonderful work over there and, as always, the more we dig, the more we find.
Speaker 0:Well, as we get ready to end the book of Daniel, remember the overall goal of Daniel is that God is in control. And Daniel is writing this to these people who have been in exile and he's wanting to make sure they understand that, even though it looks like chaos and all these bad things are happening, god's in control. And so the first half of Daniel. He starts sharing with them how God has done all of these miracles, even in this foreign land. And then, in the second half of Daniel, he writes about the different visions that God has given him over the years and how it proves that not only is God faithful and in control now, but he is in control all the time, even into the future. Control all the time, even into the future. And if you've been with us over the past two or three days, we've been talking about that. Daniel received these visions and it tore him up. I mean, he was worried. What does this mean? There's like some bad days are coming, and it was all these amazing miracles that happened. And then yesterday he got the first half of the answer to his prayer, which is yeah, yeah, bad days are coming, but that's got nothing to do with God being in control. You know the presence, his prayer, which is yeah, bad days are coming, but that's got nothing to do with God being in control. The presence of a storm is not the absence of God. God has a blueprint for history. And then today, what we're going to see is we're going to see the grand finale, where God is going to tell him, through an angel, about what the end of time looks like. I'm going to go ahead and tell you I'm going to spoil it for you. God wins. So we're going to finish this and see this grand finale in Daniel, chapter 12. So if you're ready, here we go.
Speaker 0:Daniel, chapter 12, verse 1 says this At that time, michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then he will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations. Wait, let me try it again. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence, but at that time, every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. Can we go ahead and pause right there for a second?
Speaker 0:So first of all, he says something about Michael and an archangel. People ask this question, and so I wanna make sure that you kinda have this and that. But an archangel is a type of angel, and so, just like in worldly kingdoms, there is a system of hierarchy for the sake of organization. God is a God of order. If you don't believe that, read Genesis 1 through 3, right. And so even in the heavenly kingdoms, there is an order to the different things. That's going on, and so there are angels, cherubim, seraphim, all these things, and then there's also archangels which would be over certain sections of the heavenly kingdom, and so there are some different angels that are mentioned that are over these. One would be Gabriel and one would be Michael. Now, in some different things some Catholic teaching and then some things in Jewish teaching they have actually a name of a few different archangels who are over different things, but since the Bible don't talk about it, we're not going to talk about it. But there's at least two, and that's Gabriel and Michael. And Gabriel is a messenger for God, and Michael, throughout scripture, is thought of as the angel over the armies of God, and so that's who Michael is and that's why he's called an archangel. His position is that of authority over a group of angels for the sake of doing the work of God.
Speaker 0:But what I love is that God's word right there already says those whose names are written in the book, in other words, those whose names of people who have turned their heart to God and they're on his team per se, they will be rescued. God wins, okay, verse 2. Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame with everlasting disgrace. Those who rise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like stars forever. God wins Verse 4. But you, daniel, keep this prophecy a secret, seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there and knowledge will increase.
Speaker 0:Then I, daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river. One of them asked the man dressed in linen who is now standing above the river how long will it be until these shocking events are over? The man dressed in linen who was standing above the river raised both of his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the one who lives forever, and he said it will go on for a time, times and half a time. It will go on for a time, times and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened. I heard what he said and I didn't understand what he meant. Some of us are going. That makes two of us. So I asked okay, wait a minute. How will all this finally end, my Lord?
Speaker 0:But he said go now, daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end, many will be purified, cleansed and refined by these trials, but the wicked will continue in their wickedness and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object has called desecration is set up to be worshipped, it will be 1,290 days, and blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days. As for you, go your way until the end, you will rest, and at the end of your days. So, in other words, what the angel told him is there's going to be different things, that's going to happen, but at the end of it all, there's going to be a reckoning and those who did not follow God, they're going to have their place. Those who follow God are going to have rest and peace.
Speaker 0:And he said and as for you, daniel, you were born in seeing Jerusalem destroyed. You had to be taken to a country you didn't want to go to. You were raised in a city you don't want to be at. You had to be taken to a country you didn't want to go to. You were raised in a city you don't want to be at. You had to learn stuff you probably didn't want to learn. And then, over the course of your life, you went from one trial to another, to another, to another, and then every one of those trials, god used them to do more and more and more in your life, and then you have had to see terrible things that people shouldn't have to see, but you keep going on your way and you don't worry about these things. I'm telling you these so that, when they happen, the people will know God was in control the whole time and in the end, god wins. Can I tell you what a wonderful way to end the book of Daniel?
Speaker 0:Now the rest of the story is Daniel died and he left this letter for the people in the exile to read, and then also the people that were under him, the King makers, to read as well. And so, not too long after this, a King named Cyrus started allowing the nation of Israel to return to Israel, and eventually a guy named Ezra showed up and he helped rebuild the temple. And then they had a guy named Nehemiah showed up, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and they started doing those different things. And then, about 500 years later, as the people who were the descendants of the kingmakers were looking at the stars of the sky and reading the book of Daniel, they realized it is now time for the Messiah that Daniel spoke of to be born. And so, when the time was right and they saw his star in the sky, they traveled on the Silk Road, the king's highway, all the way across the Middle East and they went to the city of Jerusalem and they said where is the king to be born? And they said in Bethlehem, because this is what the word of God said. And so Daniel rested. He's in heaven right now, and he also set the tone for the later wise men to come and to welcome king jesus into the earth. And can I tell you, in the end god wins.
Speaker 0:So maybe, out of so many things that we could get out of the book of daniel, maybe the final chapter is the one that some of us need to hear, and that is this Throughout our life, there's going to be difficulties, there's going to be struggles, we're going to hear of things that's going to be terrifying to us. There's going to be difficulties all around us that we don't understand. But what we've got to remember is, even when Daniel asked this angel, and he said Lord, when are these things going to happen? I mean, you said it, I don't get it. You ever read the Bible and you said God, you said it and I'm reading it, I don't get it. And you know what this angel said. It's all good, daniel, just understand the best you can. Don't worry about the rest of it. Just know this I win.
Speaker 0:God wins in the end, and maybe that's God's word for us today. It's not always for us to know all the times and the seasons. It is for us to trust him. Is there an area in your life that you're saying God, I don't get it, god, I don't understand, I don't know why, I don't know whatever? And that doesn't mean God's not doing something right now. It just means we don't always have to understand why. We just trust that in the end God wins. And the presence of a storm is not the absence of God. Sometimes it's in the presence of the storm that we see his power most. Most noticeably. It was in all these things in the past two or three chapters, where we see all this, this horrible stuff happening, that we see overshadowing all of it. God is in control. And so maybe in the middle of whatever you're you're going through right now we can realize God is in control. And so maybe, in the middle of whatever you're going through right now, we can realize God is in control, and I love this that he finishes it with saying it's all going to be okay, daniel, god wins.
Speaker 0:Can we pray together right now, god, thank you so much for the book of Daniel. Thank you, god, that it does so many things. First of all is it reminds us that even in a time of chaos, you're moving, that Lord, that you do miracles all around us and that, god, you're in control, even into the future. And then, in the end, you win. I pray that the book of Daniel will stay with us. It'll encourage us, it'll ignite a fire within us, a courage to say no matter what happens around us, you're in control and because of that, all things are possible.
Speaker 0:In Jesus' name, we pray amen, amen. We'll remember in daniel, chapter 3, the three hebrew teenagers, shadrach, meshach and abednego, are looking at the most powerful man in the world and they're demanding. He's demanding that they bow and worship. And they say in daniel 3, 17 and 18 it says says God is able to save us, but even if he doesn't, we will never serve your gods, in other words God, our God. He's the one that's in control. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Jude, chapter one.
