"Like the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:1-4)

ONLY TWO OPTIONS 
(Daniel 12:1-4)

pdf

Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

Most of us consider ourselves broadminded enough to admit that there are two sides to every argument. First and foremost, there is our side, and then there is the side that no reasonably intelligent, informed, sane, and self-respecting person could possibly hold. The message this morning does not so much have two sides as two options, in fact Only Two Options, one of which no reasonably intelligent, informed, sane, and self-respecting person should choose, but many do, to the consternation of those who choose the other option.

To many Christians the book of Daniel is a mystery, not so much the story parts but the prophecy parts. The stories in the first half of the book are straight forward enough: “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” and “Three Men in the Fiery Furnace” both tell about the trouble devout Jews had during the Babylonian exile and how God protected them. Such stories demonstrated to those in captivity that the Lord had not abandoned His people and would yet restore them if they would only remain loyal to Him. Those stories are familiar and easy to understand, even for children. The prophecies in the second half of the book, however, are not easy to understand. Visions of fantastical creatures, like the “Four Great Beasts,” and numbered time periods, like the “Seventy Weeks,” both tell about future events but with imagery and calculations that are confusing and stand in sharp contrast with the simple narrative of the stories. It is something of a relief, therefore, when the book closes with a straightforward, albeit disturbing, assertion of what people will face in the end, that there are Only Two Options for how they will spend eternity. It is a message that is troubling for some and comforting for others.

Dan 12:1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

As the chapter opens…

I. God speaks to Israel (v. 1).

Dan 12:1 “At that time Michael,¹ the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be “delivered.

Daniel describes a time of unprecedented turmoil for God’s people.² Others mention the same period:

• Jeremiah calls it “a time of trouble for Jacob” (30:7c).
• John calls it “the great tribulation” (Rev 7:14b).;
• Jesus, like Daniel, calls it a period of “great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world” (Matt 24:21).³

This time of turmoil will not affect everyone to the same extent. It is Satan’s wrath against God’s people Israel.⁴ The devil’s dispute is with God, but because the adversary cannot hurt God, he will attack those dearest to Him.⁵ The devil will lead an international coalition against Jerusalem in an effort to destroy the nation. As Zechariah prophesies about that event, the devil will fail,⁶ because God will intervene.

• He will protect His people.

This is God’s message through Zechariah and John.

On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations…. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the LORD.… On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. (Zech 12:3a, 4a, 9)

This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet…. 13 On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. (Zech 14:12-13)

The kings of the whole world… [will] gather…for the battle on the great day of God Almighty…..to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon…. The kings of the earth and their armies [will gather] together to make war …. 21 [But they will be] killed…and all the birds [will] gorge [ ] themselves on their flesh. (Rev 16:14, 16; 19:19, 21)

In the end, the intervention of the messiah will win the day,⁷ and it is after that great battle when God will divide the righteous from the unrighteous,⁸ as Daniel describes in this passage.

The event to which God refers is in the future and will come in conjunction with another event, the redemption and restoration of Israel. Again, God speaks through the prophet Zechariah:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (Zech 12:10)

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem…. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. (Zech 14:4a, 9b)

Moreover, the people who benefit will be those who have already secured a place among the redeemed in eternity by virtue of having their names recorded in the book of life.⁹ Still, that is not everyone or even the vast majority, because as Jesus said, “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt 7:13b-14).

Application: Gentiles do not have all the benefits in this life that Jews have. God says to Israel through Moses:¹⁰

You are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deut 7:6-8)

Paul acknowledges the Jews’ election in his letter to the Roman church:

Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ (Rom 9:4-5).

These are the advantages Israel has, but they are advantages in this life only. In the next life all men are equal, including gentiles “whose names are in the book of life” (Phil 4:3). While God has given extra benefits to Israel in this life, He will give equal benefits to all in the next life, including you.

Turning His attention to a broader audience…

II. God speaks to all (v. 2).

Dan 12:2 Multitudes¹¹ who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

This is the final resurrection,¹² which is for the righteous and the unrighteous. While Daniel speaks of “multitudes,” it will actually include everyone, even those long dead. Paul wrote, “as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22).¹³ One of the results of Jesus’ resurrection is resurrection for everyone, no matter when they lived. The resurrection will actually take place in two stages, for different groups at different times. The “first resurrection” (Rev 20:5) will be for the redeemed at the start of the Messianic Age when Jesus returns to reign.¹⁴ The second resurrection will be for the wicked (i.e., everyone else) at the end of the Messianic Age just before the new creation. God will divide all of mankind in two groups with two destinations, not in multiple groups with multiple destinations.¹⁵

• He will partition His creatures.

The author of Hebrews states that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb 9:27). The final sentencing will entail one of two outcomes for everyone, as Daniel states in this verse. While people have various opinions about what man will face after death, there are only two options for his final destination, both of which have the same duration:¹⁶

Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.¹⁷

This is also a subject that Jesus addresses in his Olivet Discourse, about the resurrection that will follow his return:

Matt 25:46 “[The wicked] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”¹⁸

Again, in both cases the biblical authors use the same adjective to describe the duration of man’s final state, everlasting and eternal.¹⁹ Whether in heaven or hell, his state will go on forever.²⁰

Application: Most people do not think much about what will happen to them after death. Much less do they think about how long ‘after death’ will last. You, however, are not like most people. You have considered both issues and have made preparations accordingly. Consequently, you have appropriated eternal life²¹ but, equally important, you have avoided eternal contempt.

After describing the duration of mankind’s fate…

III. God speaks to loyalists (v. 3).

Dan 12:3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Although this florid picture of the afterlife for the righteous evokes pleasant images, it is not really very informative. Still, it is one of the few passages describing what the redeemed will be doing in eternity. Most indications of duties for the redeemed are very general.

• Paul says, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? …Do you not know that we will judge angels?” (1 Cor 6:2, 3a)
• John says, “They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years…. They will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev 20:6d; 22:5c)²²

Despite the lack of specifics, it is clear that what God will do for them is positive.

• He will prosper His servants.

Daniel acknowledges that only “those who are wise” will comprehend what God has revealed here. He repeats this qualification later: “None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand” (Dan 12:10b). The redeemed will not grasp every facet of God’s plan, but they will grasp enough to confirm that they have chosen the right side in the conflict. The wicked will rise to a far different fate, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51, 30).

Application: Jesus tells his audience not to be flamboyant about their religious expression, not drawing attention to themselves, as some of their leaders behave:

Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach…. Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues (Matt 23:3b, 5-6).

Do not make a show of what you believe. But he also tells people not to conceal their faith:²³

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:15-16)

God says through Daniel that those in the next life who urged people toward righteousness in this life will shine, by which He means that their accomplishments for God’s kingdom will be obvious to all.²⁴ Therefore, the encouragement and grace God has given to you are what you should highlight during your interactions with others. Advertise your destination later by your devotion now.

Having told what is in store for the redeemed, God turns back to his spokesman with some final instructions.

IV. God speaks to Daniel (v. 4).

Dan 12:4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll²⁵ until the time of the end.²⁶ Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.²⁷

By telling Daniel to “close up and seal” this revelation about the future, God does not mean that Daniel should conceal what he has learned, rather that he should take care to secure the information so it is not lost.²⁸

God repeats these instructions later in the chapter: “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end” (Dan 12:9). In this way “the word of our God stands forever” (Isa 40:8b).

• He will preserve His word.

Application: If you are not a prophet or prophetess,²⁹ God will probably not give you this same assignment. Nevertheless, you are still responsible to keep God’s word secure, to prevent it from fading into obscurity, which is a danger today as people become less and less concerned with the things of God. As Jesus warns his disciples, “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt 24:12), and you may have noticed a general decline in peoples’ interest in spiritual matters. You should counter the decrease in peoples’ interest in the things of God with an increase in your own involvement with the things of God.

So, how should you promote God’s word? Is it by playing Christian music at work? Is it choosing a provocative bumper sticker like, “God loves you, but I’m his favorite”? You preserve God’s word when you promote God’s word, and that promotion should not be confrontational or combative. As Paul writes, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Pet 3:15b-c)

When Daniel describes man’s final state, he identifies Only Two Options, one positive and the other negative. There is no neutral destination and no temporary way station (e.g., purgatory). Until then, God’s people today should follow God’s closing admonition to Daniel: “Go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance” (Dan 12:13).

For a pdf including Bibliography, see here.