Sermons | FBC Boerne
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Sermons | FBC Boerne
Sunday Sermon | Daniel: A Tale of Two Kingdoms | The End
What does it take to get into heaven? The startling truth is that 84% of Americans believe they're going to heaven, but most think it's because they're "good people." Yet when pressed about how this salvation system works—what percentage of church attendance is required or how many good deeds outweigh the bad—most people have no idea.
Drawing from Daniel's final prophecies, we journey through an eye-opening exploration of judgment day that will change how you understand salvation forever. Like the Titanic's missing binoculars that could have prevented disaster, Daniel's prophecies give us a crucial view of what lies ahead: a final judgment where every person will stand before God's throne.
The sobering reality revealed in Scripture is that judgment works through two books—the Book of Life and the book of your deeds. Those judged by their deeds face condemnation because God's standard isn't a passing grade of 70%; it's absolute perfection. Even one sin disqualifies a person from heaven.
But the gospel offers a divine solution that's both shocking and beautiful. Through faith in Christ, we can "switch accounts"—our sin credited to Jesus, His perfect righteousness credited to us. This spiritual transaction is the only way one's name is written in the Book of Life.
A powerful illustration about a wedding singer denied entrance because her name wasn't in the guest book drives home the urgency of this message. She missed the greatest banquet she'd ever been invited to because she never RSVP'd, assuming her performance earned her a place at the table.
Don't make the same eternal mistake. Discover how your name can be written in the Lamb's Book of Life through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
All right, good morning, church family, good morning. What an awesome Sunday. I hope you are privileged, as I am, to be in the house of the Lord. So we've had baptism and we get to take the Lord's Supper together. So if on your way in you did not get elements, lift your hand up right now and we have a deacon who's nearby who will pop by and make sure that you have those so that we can participate in the Lord's Supper together. Believer, begin to prepare your heart now throughout the entirety of the service. Right, the Scripture teaches and warns do not take the elements of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Okay, the reason? Yes, they are bread and grape juice, but they are a symbol, a reminder of Christ's broken body and shed blood, a picture of the gospel. So, when we get to have baptism, which is a picture of the gospel, the death and resurrection of Jesus in us, and now we get to have the Lord's Supper, right, his broken body, his shed blood, the new covenant, the promises that are given towards us. So we're going to move the whole service with that in mind. Okay, turn with me in your Bibles to Daniel, chapter 11. Daniel, chapter 11. Today we are going to finish the book of Daniel, our walk through the book of Daniel in our summer sermon series. I know you're like, but there's 12 chapters. We're going to read the very end of Daniel, chapter 11, and then on into chapter 12. It'll make sense here in just a second.
Speaker 1:It was deemed an unsinkable ship, the largest cruise liner that had ever been built, and David Blair was the second officer. Now his primary responsibility was the ship's navigational operations. This was a huge promotion for David. He had done this job before, but never on a ship this large. Now, once finished, david accompanied the ship on the trial runs. But now the ship sat in Southampton and was ready for the historic maiden voyage. Now, as you might have guessed, the ship is the Titanic. But did you know that? Just hours before the Titanic was to depart, david's bosses decided that this was too high profile of a voyage for David's lack of experience. So the very last minute, they switched out and brought in a more experienced second officer and they asked David to quickly pack up his things. So as thousands of passengers boarded, david frantically ran across the ship and gathered up his belongings His arms, you know, full of stuff, disorganized. He threw all of them into his suitcase and said goodbye to his crew. On the right is a picture of David leaving the Titanic. The next morning, as he was going through his luggage, he discovered that he had accidentally taken a key from the ship. Now that key was to the closet that housed all the binoculars on the Titanic. So back on board, they realized and discovered that they didn't have access to the binoculars, but they thought, ah, it's too big of a hassle to turn around and go back. Besides our watchmen from the lookout towers. They are skilled enough to see anything that would pop up. Now you know where the story goes because five days later the Titanic struck an iceberg, killing 1,500 people, and one of the survivors was Fred Fleet, and he was the lookout man who spotted the iceberg. And Fleet would later testify in court that if he had had binoculars, that he would have been able to see the iceberg in time to save the ship.
Speaker 1:In the second half of the book of Daniel, god has been giving Daniel binoculars to see the dangers ahead. In a sense, this is the purpose of prophecy to encourage and to remind God's people that God sees, and it gives us strength to persevere. Now, in our text today, Daniel is going to be able to see all the way until the very end, the end of time as we know it. He's going to be able to see the Antichrist and God's final judgment. In kindness, this text serves as a warning for each of us. Binoculars that look ahead and force us, each of us, to ask the question am I ready for that day Now?
Speaker 1:Last week we paused in the middle of chapter 11, in the middle of the angel disclosing the future to Daniel, detailing 400 years of history. He went to Antiochus, epiphanes and kind of the abomination of desolation in verse 31 and 32. We're going to pick up in verse 36 of Daniel, chapter 11, okay, it says. Then the king will do as he pleases and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the god of gods, and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or the desire of women, nor will he Now skip down to verse 45. And he will pitch the tents of the royal pavilions between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end and no one will help him.
Speaker 1:Will you pray with me, heavenly Father, as we open your word, father, as we contemplate the fact that every one of us will have to stand before your throne of judgment, stand before you, our holy creator, that every individual will have to do that and to give an account. Father, I pray that your word will bring life. This morning, Will teach us with certainty to place our faith in your Son. It's in Jesus' name we pray, Amen. All right, pastor, explain why it is halfway through the angel's description.
Speaker 1:Okay to Daniel, right? He's going through 400 years worth of history. Suddenly, in the middle of it you stop. And then we're going to pick up the next week on that. And why did you stop in the middle of the detail about Antiochus, epiphanes IV and the abomination of desolation? All right, because most scholars believe that what begins to occur in this passage starting in verse 36, is what's called prophetic telescoping. So imagine with me that you are looking at a mountain range in the distance and when you do that you're able to see the first mountains as they build up, and behind that you're able to see peaks behind there. But from your vantage point it only looks as one great mountain range, one perspective everything together. And then you go to drive around it and when you do, you realize from the side there are actually two or three different mountain ranges with great space between them. Now, that happens a number of times in the Old Testament when predictive history doesn't foresee that there are gaps between important events. Now also in what's known as telescoping. Well, it's easy if I just give you a few examples.
Speaker 1:In Isaiah, chapter 14, isaiah is prophesying that Israel is gonna go into Babylon and be exiled. But then, when they come out, isaiah begins to prophesy and he begins to say to the king of Babylon a taunt. Right After Israel comes out, isaiah begins to taunt the king of Babylon and he begins to say things like listen, oh, how the oppressor has ceased. All right, you who used to strike fear in the entire earth. Right, the whole earth is at rest now, right, no one's afraid of you. But then, in the middle of that, this verse pops up, verse 12. How you have fallen from heaven, oh, star of the morning, sun of the dawn. You have been cut down to the earth. You're like I thought we were talking about the king of Babylon, and then suddenly it's like we're telescoped into the cosmic battle and it's like we're now talking about Satan. Now Ezekiel, chapter 28, does something similar as well, again ezekiel's prophesying against the king of tyre. And then, and then suddenly this pops up you had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect't. Think we're talking about the king of Tyre anymore.
Speaker 1:I'm convinced, in reading and studying through these scriptures, that what happens in those texts is it starts out by talking about the earthly king, but because that king is evil and because of the circumstances, suddenly we're telescoped into the cosmic battle, the much larger battle and reality that's actually behind all these other sources. And so here, back in Daniel, chapter 11, most commentators believe that that's what's going on, beginning in verse 36. That we started by talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, but then, by the time we get to verse 36, the text begins to telescope all the way to the Antichrist of the end. Now we've talked about the Antichrist and the way that Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of evil king that is going to be repeated patterns, and the way that Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of evil king that is going to be repeated patterns throughout history, right With Nero and Domitian, with Hitler and Stalin, and all the way until the end to the final Antichrist. We've talked about that in a few previous sermons. Now textually. The reason that they believe that that's what's happening here is for two reasons In Daniel, chapter 11,.
Speaker 1:Number one is the exalted language that you see in the text. Verse 36 says that he will exalt himself above every god. Verse 37, magnify himself above, and then verse 40, at the time of the end. Now Antiochus Epiphanes exalted himself as a demigod, but kind of like the way a lot of other Greek Caesars did as well. So like it wasn't particularly he fit within the Greek religious system. So here the language seems exalted.
Speaker 1:But number two, the other reason that commentators are pretty convinced is that the details of what happened to Antiochus Epiphanes are incredibly accurate up till verse 35. And then the details stop aligning with what happened in history. So up until verse 35,. As we walk through the chapter, if you recall from last week, it was like reading a history book. It was like my goodness, the God of the universe just wrote in detail everything that was gonna happen. But by the time you move to the very end, 36 and onward, those things actually didn't take place with Antiochus Epiphanes. In fact, you may not know, but Antiochus Epiphanes, on the historical scale, was not that big of a deal. He was a big deal for Israel because he attacked them and because he attacked the temple, but as far as a powerhouse of a ruler, he was not that big of a deal.
Speaker 1:Antiochus Epiphanes did not, as verse 42 says, extend his power over many countries, and Egypt will not escape. He didn't win over Egypt. We've detailed that he didn't win over Egypt. We've detailed that he didn't. Nor did he die when he pitched his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain, in verse 45. That's not how he died.
Speaker 1:All right, so let's piece Daniel, chapter 11, together as a whole. An angel comes and appears to Daniel, who's greatly discouraged because chaos and disorder are promised and are unfolding in his own time. And the angel comes and reminds him listen, god is on his throne and God knows the future. And in fact he begins to detail him the future so that God's people will be able to persevere when the time comes. And as that angel is detailing the climatic horror of Antiochus Epiphanes IV and that he's going to go into the temple in the abomination of desolation, he's going to sacrifice a pig in Yahweh's temple, then that angel begins to telescope and points all the way until the end that one, like Antiochus Epiphanes, the final Antichrist will come. And here, in the end of Daniel, we only get a sliver of that, just a small piece of information. But if you fast forward 600 years, when the apostle John is exiled on the island of Patmos, he too, like Daniel, begins to have dreams and night visions.
Speaker 1:And the book of Revelation picks up on many of Daniel's themes and functions in many ways as a commentary to Daniel. So you remember the four beasts that came out of the sea in Daniel, chapter 7, and each of them represented four kingdoms. Well, in Revelation, chapter 13, one beast comes out of the sea and is a combination of those four beasts. That beast functions as the ultimate, final kingdom of this world. In fact, I don't have time to detail, but in Revelation, chapters 12 and 13, what we see is that the evil forces create what's called an unholy trinity, with the dragon, the beast out of the sea, which is the antichrist, and the false prophet, and those three function in contrast to God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:Now, why am I telling you all this? Because in Revelation, chapter 16, there is a final battle and a final scene with the Antichrist, and so I want to pick up there. I want you to read it on your screen, because I want you to know that the Antichrist that appears in Daniel, chapter 11, and the beginning of 12 points to this. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom was darkened. So that's the Antichrist and his kingdom. And they gnawed their tongues because of pain and they blasphemed God, the God of heaven, because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds, of their pains and their sores. And they did not repent of their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates, and its water was dried up so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs for they were spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world, to. And then verse 16.
Speaker 1:Now you'll have to go and read for yourself what happens next, but I will spoil it for you. There's no battle. There's no great war, there's no arm wrestling, tug of war back and forth, it's simply God wins and the final judgment, that's it. All right, we've got to keep moving, and so I want to point your eyes back to Daniel, chapter 12. We've got to keep moving, and so I want to point your, your eyes back to Daniel, chapter 12.
Speaker 1:Still, in that context of of the final antichrist that comes and says now, at that time, michael, michael is, is the archangel of war. Anytime Michael is called in, it is because he is the chief warrior from for the angelic forces. The great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time. And at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the book will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake. These to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. You see, we go from the war, the final battle, the Antichrist who appears simply to the final judgment.
Speaker 1:I want you to listen to Revelation, chapter 20, which, again, is a fuller commentary on these verses, john writes. He says Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, he says, were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged from the things which are written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire, and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Speaker 1:84% of Americans who believe in heaven believe they are going there, while half a percent that's 0.5% believe that they are going to hell. In other words, almost everyone believes that they're going to hell. In other words, almost everyone believes that they're going to heaven. And yet the majority of those that think they're going to heaven say it is because they're good people. In other words, they have no clue how it works. I've had many conversations, many conversations, with people who say that they are going to heaven because they are a good person, and so I follow up with a few questions for them.
Speaker 1:Here's the important question Do you know how it actually works? Do you know how it works? You say you're a good person, you're going to get into heaven. Do you know how it works? You know in school, 70% is passing right. Everyone knows that. You know you get grades and all of that. You average it out. You know how it works. Tests are weighted this much.
Speaker 1:So if I were to ask you, hey, what are the good things that you know that God wants you to do? And you listed those things out they were things like you know church attendance and praying and giving. Like, how does it work? Like, what church percentage do you need in order to go to heaven? Is it 70%? And like, if you drop below 70% church attendance, then like you got a red light above your head, but if you hit three weeks in a row, you're back to the green. Is that how it works? And you know you're supposed to serve food to the homeless and care for the poor. Like, how many times do you? How does it work? How many times do you have to do that before? You're like all right, you're good on that account. Or like giving your money, being generous, how much do you have to give? Like, how does it work? And inevitably, when I press and when I ask these questions, the answer always comes back well, I don't know. Even if you did pretend like you had an answer, I would say well, where are you getting that? You're just making it up. Had an answer, I would say where are you getting that? You're just making it up. You see, the most important question for all of eternity. And most people have no clue how it works. I mean, they put more thought into their fall wardrobe. Instead they're grading their own paper and're like yeah, I'm a pretty good dude, so I'm getting in.
Speaker 1:Look at this passage. What does the passage say? It says everyone is judged by one of two books, either the book of life, either the book of life or the book of your deeds. And if your name is written in the book of life, you're in. There's no weighing of scales, there's no. Oh, I got six points this day and I lost two points that day, but it all averaged out. No, no, no. If your name is written in the book of life, you are in. But if someone's name is not written in the book of life, they are judged by the book of their deeds. So let's start with that.
Speaker 1:One Bible says that there is a book in heaven that has your name written on it, your name, and written inside of that book is everything you've ever done, everything Good, bad, ugly, indifferent, everything you've ever thought, everything you've ever said, everything you've ever done. I want you to think for a moment about what's in your book. Now. I want to remind you that Jesus says anyone who looks at a woman with lust has committed adultery with her in his heart. Anyone who has anger in his heart towards his brother is guilty of committing murder. Anyone who even says to his neighbor you fool, is guilty of hell. Guilty of hell, your book. And one day that book is going to be opened and every account and every charge will be read.
Speaker 1:And again, on that day, it's not gonna be a balancing out of like well, you had a good day here, or two good days and one bad. No, no, no, no. Listen, that's not how it works. God is holy, god is absolutely perfect, and so anytime I present this, listen to me audiences go completely silent whenever I say what I'm about to say. Here is God's standard. If you have even one sin in your book, you're not going to heaven. Even one, you don't have to worry about that, though you can't go a day without sinning. You have millions and millions of sins, and the standard is not, but I am so much better than her. The standard is before a holy God.
Speaker 1:This text says clearly anyone judged by their deeds is thrown into the lake of fire, and the only way the Bible knows what it's like, how to describe what it's like to be separated from God's presence for all of eternity is it's like being on fire and it never goes out. You say, preacher, you're being heavy-handed, you are peddling fear. Would you say the same to the watchman with binoculars who shouts out iceberg ahead? But, preacher, the Bible says that there's another way. How do you get your name written in the book of life? Written in the book of life? Do you know? You really need to know. You need to know exactly how this works. Okay, listen to this verse.
Speaker 1:2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. Okay, god made Jesus, and then this verse tells us something really important about Jesus. By the way, jesus had no sin. This is Jesus' book. God sent his son who lived his entire life to perfection. The scripture says he was tempted in every way, he was tried in every way and yet he did not sin. The scripture says Jesus only spoke the words that his father wanted him to say. I mean, wow, you only spoke if God wanted you to. And so this is his book, and written inside is every righteous deed he ever committed.
Speaker 1:Now, when I do this presentation and I ask, everyone always gets this question right If this is Jesus's book, where does Jesus deserve to go, you can participate. I thought I set that up pretty well. This was your part to part. Where does Jesus deserve to go? Yeah, why? Where does Jesus deserve to go? Yeah, why? Yeah, he earned it. Notice, I said he deserved. He lived his entire life to perfection. He deserves heaven. All right, check out this verse.
Speaker 1:God made Jesus.
Speaker 1:By the way, jesus had no sin. God made Jesus to be sin. God made Jesus become sin. So you can see right there in the picture, right, what was Jesus doing on the cross. It was not by accident. It was according to the foreordained plan of God that Jesus would die a death right, that Jesus would become the curse of our sin. What were the charges that were raised against him? That he was the son of God, that he was the king, the promised Messiah, and that he would come. And while he was on the cross, the Father placed upon him all of our sin. Cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree or, as Colossians 2 says, the certificate of our debt was nailed to the cross.
Speaker 1:God made Jesus to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. In other words, the way you get to heaven is you switch accounts. It is the belief, the understanding that on my own I have no standing before a holy God. And if you are willing to admit and if you are willing to repent that in and of yourself you have no righteousness before a holy God. But if you would cast all of your hope, all of your trust, all of your faith In the finished work of Jesus Christ he promises a free gift upon you, asking he will switch accounts with you. He will switch accounts with you. Repent and believe. This is how your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. I want you to prepare the bread. While you prepare that bread, I want to share with you a story.
Speaker 1:Ruth Ann Metzer, a professional singer, was asked to sing at a wedding of a very wealthy man. In fact, the reception after the wedding would be at the Seattle's Columbia Tower, the highest skyscraper in the Northwest, and so Ruth Ann and her husband Roy would be attending Now at the reception. Okay, it's a double-story reception. They're downstairs in the waiting area below the stairs and waiters are coming around with just incredible hors d'oeuvres and just the most exotic beverages and everyone's drinking and having a great time. And then the bride and groom show up and they stand and there's this ceremonial cutting of a ribbon right below the staircase that's going to lead and they announce the marriage banquet has begun. And so everyone followed the bride and groom to the top of the stairs where an officiant was standing there with a book and then opened inside and everyone would go up and look and check in and then go into the wedding banquet. And as Ruthanne and Roy are waiting in line, they're looking and they can see just tables full of shrimp and grilled salmon and just the most decadent food just everywhere and an orchestra that's warming up. And then they finally get up to the.
Speaker 1:There's the book and she says Ruth Ann Metzer. And they look and say could you spell that please? So she looks in the M's and begins to spell it. He says sorry, ma'am, you're not in the book. She says I sang at the wedding. I've gotta be in there. He says, ma'am, I don't care who you are or what you did. If your name is not in this book, you're not getting in this banquet. And immediately she called one of the waiters over and said could you please escort them to the service elevator? In seconds they're down in the parking garage In complete silence. They sit and begin to drive away.
Speaker 1:A couple miles into the drive her husband Roy turns and says Ruthanne, what happened? She said well, I got the invitation in the mail and I was too busy at the time. I never got around to RSVPing, to saying I was going to be there and any time I would think about it. I would think well, I'm the singer, of course I'm in. Suddenly she began to weep, not only because she missed the greatest banquet that she had ever been invited to, but suddenly for a moment she had a slight taste of what so many will experience when they stand before the Lamb of God and they hear your name is not written in the book of life, believer. Well, oddly enough, I don't have any bread here, so I don't know how that happened. I got a crumb. I don't know how that happened, I got a crumb. Let me get the second one.
Speaker 1:Beloved, I'm going to give you just a moment and I want you to pause, and I want you to contemplate the incredible truth of the gospel, that we have a confidence that our name is written in the Lamb's book of life because we've exchanged accounts with King Jesus and our trust, our hope, are fully in him. So, the night of the supper, jesus took some bread, he broke it, he gave it to his disciples and he said Take and eat. This is my body, body. Now I want you to prepare the cup. As you prepare the cup, hold it there for a second Because, believer, I want you to remember, yes, at the end of the book of Daniel, there's a promise that God's judgment is coming, that God will settle all accounts, but there's also a promise, believer, that we win, we win, we win, and he's gonna make all things new and he's gonna make all things right.
Speaker 1:So I want you to listen. I want you to listen to Revelation 21 and 22. Just a few words, and then we'll take this together and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away. He who sits on the throne said Behold, I am making all things new. Then he showed me a river, the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and from the Lamb, and in the middle of its streets, on either side of the river, was the tree of life bearing 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit in every season, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his bondservants will serve him and they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. There will no longer be any night. They will not have need of the light of the lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them and they will reign forever and ever.
Speaker 1:That night Jesus promised his disciples. He says I will not drink this again until I drink it with you on the other side. Let's drink together. Will you pray with me? Will you pray with me? Our Heavenly Father? We thank you for your word. We thank you for the promise of your son. We thank you for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is our only hope. You loved us enough to meet us in the mess of our sin, in the chaos of our lives. You meet us with victory and hope and we rejoice in that. Father, I pray, if there's anyone here under the sound of my voice that does not know you, here, under the sound of my voice that does not know you, I pray that you would give faith and they would come to eternal life right now by believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It's in his name we pray, amen.
Speaker 1:Well, team, as I've done consistently within the book of Daniel, I've used all of our time and so we don't have time for a closing song. No worries, it was a great Sunday. We had two baptisms and Lord's Supper. So with that, if you're a guest with us this morning really grateful that you are here we would love to be able to make a connection with you. There's a card in the pew rack in front of you. If you'd fill that out right now, you can take it to the connection tent on the way out. Someone has a gift for you and any information about our church.
Speaker 1:We really want to welcome you. We want to help you in any way we can. Maybe you visited for the last several weeks and you think you're ready to take the next steps. You're thinking what about membership? Or how do I get plugged in, or what are these things called growth groups? Pastor Chad is gonna be right over here right after the service. If you'll give him five minutes, he'll take down your information and he will help to get you plugged in and help you make those next steps.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then that's it. We're going to pray and then we're dismissed. All right, guys. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the goodness of your word. Help us to leave here and to shine that light to a lost, dark world that needs the hope of Jesus. Give us the words and the courage to be able to share such good news, because everyone will be face-to-face with you very soon. Jesus, it's in your name. We pray, amen. God bless you guys. Have a great week. Thank you. I don't know what I was doing, but it's like a Thank you guitar solo. I'm going to go ahead and get my bag. Let's pray, god bless you.