Daniel 11 Dare to Long for Messiah

Theological Proposition/Focus: Jesus is the best.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: The culmination of history is coming with the second coming of the Messiah. The problem we face is that we are often willing to settle for less than the best. No, we should long for Jesus.

Introduction:

Image: Unbelievable

Have you ever experienced something that you felt was unbelievable. Maybe something good, maybe not, but it just works out in a way that makes it hard to believe? The prophecies of Daniel 11 are incredible, some would even say unbelievable.

The accuracy of prophecies in Daniel 11, is a subject of much debate. Daniel 11 contains a detailed prophecy about the political events in the ancient Near East, particularly focusing on the conflicts between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms, culminating in the actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Some argue that the prophecies in Daniel 11 are remarkably accurate in describing historical events up to the time of Antiochus IV. They point to specific details in the prophecy that seem to correspond with historical events, such as battles between the Seleucids and Ptolemies, and the actions of various rulers. Critics argue that because of the accuracy this text must have been written after the events. But we know better. We serve a God who knows the future with stunning clarity.

Moreover, Daniel 11 is not done yet, it couldn't have been written after the events because some of the events have not happened yet. Particularly starting from verse 40, the focus seems to shift to future events beyond the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The descriptions in these verses do not seem to match historical events as neatly as earlier portions of the chapter. Hence, these describe future events.

For example, verse 40 describes a conflict between the "king of the North" and the "king of the South," which may refer to future geopolitical powers rather than the historical Seleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms.

Sometimes things are just unbelievable but that does not mean that did not happen and it does not mean they won't happen.

Setting the Stage:

Daniel 11:1-35 is a prophetic telling of history that was all completed under Persia and Greece.

Throughout the sermon series on Daniel, we have talked a lot about Daniel's prophecies for the Persian and Greek periods of history. My plan today is not to go back through all of that. If you are interested you are welcome to listen to the sermons posted on youtube or I would be happy to show you the Bible Knowledge Commentary in our library which has some great concise descriptions of Daniel's prophecies. What I want you to know is that Daniel 11:1-35 is incredibly accurate. So much so, that some scholars argue Daniel 11 must have been written long after Daniel died otherwise there is no way, they argue, Daniel could have gotten all the details right. My argument, it wasn't Daniel who got the details right. It was God.

Nevertheless, what about verse 36 on?

Daniel 11:36-12:3 is prophecy that is still to come.

There are theologians that argue that 11:36-12:3 has already happened but that it just didn't work out exactly as Daniel predicted. I want to tell you, that is not prophecy, if it hasn't happened exactly as predicted then either, it hasn't happened, or we have a false prophet. Hence, we can argue that the events of Daniel 12 are still to come. Think about it, Daniel got the first 35 verses dead on the money and then misses the remaining verses, this doesn't make sense. No, instead the reality is that there is more to come in Daniel's prophecies.

So, what is still to come and what can we learn from it? Let's read verses 36-39

36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.

Body

A lot of theologians have spent a lot of pages trying to explain this passage. And a lot of theologians have expended a lot of energy defending their explanation. Something we need to understand is that a lot of smart people have different opinions on the text. We should approach the text with humility and today our focus is not going to be on who has the exact right interpretation of the text but rather, how does God expect us to live in light of the text. Let me start with a general summary statement

The enemies of God reject the ways of God (11:36-39).

Starting in Daniel 5 with the introduction of Belshazzar, we have seen a pattern Earthly rulers who reject God do so with increasing boldness and rebellion. Now, in Daniel 11, we come to the conclusion of the matter as an ultimate king, an enemy of God takes the ultimate step in rebellion against and rejection of God.

Ultimately the problem is that God's enemies have rejected God (36).

The descriptions in verse 36 are rich with pictures. This enemy of God we read

• does as he pleases - in other words, the enemy of God does not recognize any authority other than himself.
• exalt and magnify himself - the enemy of God, and really all enemies of God, are in it for themselves. Psychological egoism is a theory in psychology and philosophy that suggests that all human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest. According to this view, even seemingly altruistic actions are ultimately driven by a desire to benefit oneself in some way, whether it be through obtaining pleasure, avoiding pain, fulfilling personal desires, or maintaining one's self-image. I do not subscribe to this theory but I understand it because without Christ in our fallen state we are truly egocentric.
• say unheard of thing against the God of gods - the enemy of God speaks blasphemy.
• enjoys a great deal of success

The description of verse 36 is a description of one particular enemy of God. However, the description is fitting as a general description of God's enemies in general. Ultimately, the biggest problem that people have is that they choose to reject God. This rejection of God naturally results in doing whatever you want, exalting yourself, and blasphemy against God.

In verse 37 Daniel focuses in on self-exaltation.

Rejection of God is rooted in self-exaltation (37).

The fall of Lucifer, described in Isaiah 14:12-15, highlights the biggest problem that all enemies of God face and that we often face. We exalt ourselves and place ourselves above God. Here in verse 37 we see exactly this. The enemy of God described here rejects the past, rejects God's redemption (the one desired by women is likely a reference to Messiah), and ultimately sets himself up as being above everything else

I want to take a second to talk about self-exaltation. We live in a world that is increasingly embracing self-exaltation. We seek to encourage people to feel good about themselves and that, in the right context, can be a good thing, but it is also dangerous. Let me read to you a few phrases that people are being encouraged to recite themselves.

• I think very highly of myself because it is deserved.”
• “The greatest gift I can receive is my own unconditional love.”
• All I need is within me right now
• I am independent and self-sufficient.
• I am constantly growing and evolving into a better person.

Listen, I want people to feel good and have a positive outlook on life but these types of phrases are incredibly dangerous. We are encouraging people to set themselves above God. To exalt themselves. More, if we convince people that everything they need is within themselves then what happens when they fail? I am going to go out on a limb for just a moment. We are in a suicide epidemic in this country, and I don't have all the answers but I want to suggest, when all we do is tell people that they are enough, tell people that everything they need is within themselves, and then they fail themselves we have left them with nothing!!! I think we are setting people up to fail themselves.

Self-exaltation results in self-reliance (38-39).

The enemy of God who exalts himself ultimately begins relying on himself. He turns to human ways of handling situations, might makes right! When we begin to rely fully on self we begin to descend into very human ways of dealing with things and those ways are anything but pleasant.

Image: Even the smartest most "enlightened" individuals when relying on human ways end up with "might makes right"

Back when I worked at the university I attended a lot of conferences with a lot of very smart people who, for the most part, rejected God. The first time Emily attended a conference with me she was appalled at how people talked to each other. They essentially bullied each other and it was accepted. I remember serving on a big research grant at one point the data that was collected did not really support the conclusions that one of the authors wanted to reach. So the data was analyzed differently. The rule among the "enlightened" was, "might makes right." And since everyone is taught to rely on themselves it becomes not about the greater good but about my own good. Psychological egoism holds some truth for many people because they are in it for themselves.

But we are not here to rail against our society we are here to grow to be more like Christ, so let's move away from talking about all the ways in which those who have clearly rejected God make it about themselves and let's instead look inward.

MTR: If you are here you have probably not entirely rejected God. Nevertheless, look for micro-rejections in your own life.

The term microaggression has been adopted to refer to a subtle, often unintentional, verbal or non-verbal behavior that communicates derogatory or negative messages to an individual. I don't want to disparage that term but I want us to adopt a new term. Micro-rejection.

What do I mean by that a micro-rejection is a subtle, often unintentional, verbal or non-verbal behavior that communicates one's lack of complete dependence on God or exaltation of self above God. Are there small things you are doing that betray areas of life where you need to depend more fully on God?

Let's continue and read verses 40 through 45.

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

This text is obviously about a specific event and as I said, I believe that event is still to come in the future. However, the text also has a more general principle that leads to this event.

The enemies of God fail to recognize the inevitability of the ways of God (40-45).

First notice,

Every detail is already known to God.

If you envision what is happening you can see the plot for a Hollywood movie unfolding. We have this ruler whose vast empire is attacked by both a king from the south and a king from the north. The ruler responds to attackers with the full force of his might and victory ensues. The spoils of war go to the ruler but then bad news come. Things are heating up elsewhere and the ruler becomes upset and sets out to destroy his enemies. In my mind I can picture this ruler who thinks he knows and controls everything being surprised as the principle of "might makes right" is invoked against him. As we picture this I want us to understand

Minor victories over God's people are even part of God's plan.

Our description of the enemy of God includes some bad news. The enemy of God is allowed to invade and even occupy the land of God's people. In the New Testament, we learn more about this ruler. This ruler eventually sets himself up as god and tries to rule from the land of Israel. The term Antichrist is both fitting and ironic. This individual is opposed to God but he shows his opposition in presenting himself as a savior. In reality, this ruler poses as Christ and enjoys some impressive victories, but in reality, these are minor victories that are part of God's plan. You see, God's plan is inevitable.

Image: I am inevitable

One of my favorite lines in the Avengers: Endgame movie is when Thanos states "I am inevitable." If you combine that with the earlier line "Little one, it’s a simple calculus. This universe is finite, its resources finite. if life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction." You see an incredibly important theological statement. Left unchecked, the universe is out of control. The truth however, is that the universe is not unchecked, there is a God who designed and planned the details. The writers of the MCU are correct in that there is something inevitable but it is not chaos, it is God's plan.

Unlike God, the enemies of God are surprised and alarmed.

I have to admit, I really like verse 44. Probably because I always like the part of a movie where the villain was caught off-guard by one minor detail, or the wrong person at the wrong time turns against the villain. This is what happens here to our enemy of God. Something unplanned happens and it puts our villain into a rage. You see, no matter how powerful, or self exalted, nobody has the knowledge of God and surprises will happen.

So, what do we do?

MTR: Take solace in the fact that you are serving the knowing God.

As we move forward let's look at 12:1-3

“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.

Ok, lets start with my summary statement for the passage.

The people of God can count on the love of God (12:1-3).

Daniel has just learned more details on some bad news. the people of Israel will suffer! Life is going to be hard. The enemies of God will have small victories. However, there is good news. In contrast to the enemies of God who oppose the will of God but fail to realize it's inevitability. The people of God can count on God's love. And God's love has some real tangible benefits.

God has provided protection for his people.

There is a whole lot of theology in the first ten words of Daniel 12:1. We learn the name of a very powerful angel, Michael. Actually, we had learned his name one chapter earlier in 10:13. We see that Michael is called a great prince. That is the literal interpretation of the Hebrew but we can turn to Jude 1:9 to interpret this title. Michael is an archangel, a leader among angels. However, there is more. Michael is also the one who protect Daniel's people. Daniel's people are the Jews and so we learn something incredibly important. God has, apparently, given Israel a protector, the archangel Michael. God cares for his people and does not leave them without protection. I don't want us to get caught up in the idea of guardian angels. That is not the point of this passage. The point is that God's people have protection provided by none other than God.

There will be some pretty incredible distress for the people of Israel. However, God's love has not changed and he promises deliverance.

Here is something to consider,

Image: A wise parent does not protect their child from everything but rather anything that might kill or maim them.

I still remember the day when I told my dad that I thought I could sense my surroundings pretty well with my eyes closed so I was going to run around the yard with them closed. I quickly learned three things. First, I wasn't a Jedi and I couldn't sense the world using the force. Second, trees don't move even if you run into them fast. Third, my dad was not going to force me to not do something stupid as long as it wasn't going to kill me. He wanted me to learn some lessons. A wise and loving parent allows their children to learn from mistakes.

Something we need to learn about God. God loves us but that does not mean that He keeps us from everything bad. Sometimes He allows bad but He never allows us to be destroyed.

God provides deliverance at just the right time.

In the passage we see that when all hope seems lost, when the distress is beyond anything they have endured. Then God provides deliverance. God's timing is perfect. And ultimately we must remember that

Even death cannot stop the love of the God of the universe.

In the Ancient Near East the notion of resurrection was very foreign. Life after death was in the shadowy underworld of sheol. The final reminder here in verse 2 is incredibly important. God's love goes beyond even death itself.