 Okay, chapter 12, beginning at verse 1, reading to verse 4, we are about to conclude our study here in the book of Daniel. And so in chapter 12, verse 1, it reads, at that time, Michael shall stand up the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people, and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone who was found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. 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. And so the first few verses of chapter 12 are a continuation of chapter 11. These first verses complete the section that began in chapter 10. And what we see in the first few verses in all is the great tribulation. And we see that this great tribulation, I'll be giving you information in a moment about that. The great tribulation is going to reach its apex, but Israel will be delivered. You see, the conclusion of the great tribulation will be a terrible time on earth. And as we look through the book of Revelation, we saw that there were three sets of judgments during this day, three sets of judgments that will come upon the earth, and they progressively escalate in fury. You have the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, and then it concludes with the most terrible of all, the bowl judgments. And as we've seen through our studies in Revelation, the bowl judgments and all will devastate the earth. We know that the Antichrist is coming, and he will rule, and he's going to head an international confederacy. And as we've been going through this in chapter 11, we had seen that a confederation of nations led by the east and the north will unite against the Antichrist. And this is what is called the campaign also, the battle of Armageddon. So we saw that last time we were together. Now Antichrist is going to set up his headquarters in Jerusalem, and Antichrist is going to fight until the very end. You see during the years of the tribulation, Israel will be undergoing severe judgment. And God is going to use this time of tribulation to cleanse the land of its impurity, of the sinful population. When you look in the Old Testament book of Zechariah in chapter 13, verses 8 and 9, it reads that two-thirds of the people in the land will be cut off and die, says the Lord. But one-third will be left in the land. I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver, purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say these are my people, and they will say the Lord is our God. During this time of purging and in the battles at all in the seven-year tribulation, two-thirds of the nation of Israel shall die. One-third shall come forth purified. We have seen that Antichrist will continue his battle against the opposing forces until the return of Jesus Christ. Again in Zechariah, chapter 14, verses 1 through 5, watch for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you. I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city. Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north, half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Asal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Isaiah of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come and all his holy ones with him. This refers, of course, to the return of Jesus Christ. Now Revelation 19, 17 through 21 gives a prophecy related to the beast and false prophets end, because the beast and his troops are going to gather to make war against Jesus when he returns. Revelation 17 tells us in verses 20 and 21, then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who works signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. The rest were killed with the sword, which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh. And so Daniel 1145 tells us that he shall come to his end. Now at that time, Michael, an archangel, will play on God's behalf a very important part in the deliverance. Now Daniel has revealed that there shall be three and a half years of intense tribulation and suffering, and that's going to come through the Antichrist in the middle of the tribulation. As the coming world ruler, many will willingly follow him as he opposes God. In Revelation 13.8 it says, all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So the Antichrist is going to broker a truce. He's going to bring a false peace, but that peace that he brings is going to be only temporary. We saw in Daniel 926 that he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. That's seven years. But in the middle of the week in the third and a half year, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. And so he's going to be brokering this peace. In the middle, he's going to break the peace. And he's going to set himself as God. In Matthew 24.21, Jesus had said, for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. So what you have is you have a seven-year period. The seven-year period is going to be divided into tribulation. The last three and a half years, the scripture refers to it as great tribulation. The last three and a half years are intense and different and are escalating in its destruction. And so this particular section has special significance to the nation of Israel. You see in Daniel chapter 10 verse 14, the angel said, I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come. So this has a special application to the nation of Israel. Now I just had mentioned to you that believing Israel is going to experience deliverance. Again, one-third of them will come through the fire. And God said in Zechariah 39 that he would refine them as silver is refined. He would test them as gold is tested. They will call on his name. He will answer them and say, this is my people. Each one will say the Lord is my God. Two-thirds will be purged. One-third make it through the fire. And so when it says in verse one of chapter 12, at that time Michael shall stand up. The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. There shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. He's speaking concerning the tribulation even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And so verse two in a moment we'll see this is going to show that the hope of resurrection is what motivates them to faithfulness, even faithfulness to the death. We remember recently, we went through the book of Job. Remember in Job 19, you'll remember this as I read it to you, verses 25 through 27. We read, I know that my redeemer lives and he shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know that in my flesh I shall see God. Whom I shall see for myself and my eye shall behold and not another, how my heart yearns within me. I know that my redeemer lives. What is it that gets you through your day? What is it that gets you through your troubles, through your struggles, through your pains? What is it that gets you through that? I've had people ask me that question, especially in the time of COVID. You know, what is it that keeps you motivated? What keeps you going? I know that my redeemer lives. I know that my redeemer lives. That isn't a subject that I have any doubts about whatsoever. My God is still on the throne regardless of how it appears right now. And I'm old enough to know that it all works out in the end. It all works out in the end. You know, I've said this before, let me say it again. Somebody asked me once, and I've mentioned this more than one time, what is the greatest lesson, Pastor, that you've ever learned? It's a very simple one, guys. It all works out in the end. As you're growing older, some of those, when I was younger, I didn't understand this. As I'm older, I do now. I didn't as I was younger. Why? Because as a young person, I'm impatient. You know, I pray, God, give me patience now. You know, that kind of thing. Give it to me now. I want patience now. And we'll see this in a moment, some things that relate to that. But what is it that keeps you strong? What is it that wakes you up in the morning and allows you to sleep in peace at night? It's the knowledge that your Redeemer lives. It's the knowledge that my God is on the throne. And no matter what I go through, no matter how great the problem, He is the great solver of problems. And just wait on Him. Then sometimes He leads me to do something. I do it because He leads me. He says, be still and know that I am God and I don't do anything. I'm just there at His, at His column, the servant. I want to know what my Master wants. So I listen to His voice. If He directs me, I do it. If He says, you wait, then you wait. It's that simple. And so these things that we're looking at in these last days, tribulation, pain, problems, and all of these things, at the end, it's all going to work out for good. And it's going to work out for good for those who believe in the Lord. And that's what we're seeing here in chapter 12. So again, in verse one, when it says, at that time, Michael shall stand up. This reveals that what has begun to be revealed is continuing being revealed. These things occur at the end of time, a time that is a time of trouble. It's the tribulation. And so that's what we're looking at. We're seeing things that are going out at that time. A time of trouble. You see, the tribulation in Scripture also is referred to as a time, the time of Jacob's trouble. And he's speaking concerning this time of trouble, but he's saying, your people shall be delivered. So the tribulation is divided into two sections. As mentioned, you have tribulation, the first three and a half years, and then great tribulation, the last three and a half. It begins slowly. It appears to be a time of peace and prosperity that does not last for long. In the middle of the tribulation, Antichrist will break a treaty that he's made with Israel. And according to 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 3, while people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape every woman in this room who has had labor pains, knows what that means. I don't, and I thank Jesus every day. My precious daughter-in-law, Corina, recently gave us the joy of having a granddaughter, Nora, Nora Rebecca, will be dedicating her fairly soon, I hope. And I'll tell you, you know, it's been a long time since I've been in a home with a woman going through labor pains. My son, Joseph, and Corina sold their home and moved in temporarily with us while they were waiting to purchase another home, and that was in January. And because look what happened with the housing market. You know, whereas at one time, houses were more available and less, they just shot up as everybody in this room knows. And so I've had the privilege, the joy, the blessing of having my son and my daughter-in-law, as well as my Olive. She's two and a half or so, and now my Nora with us. And so, when Corina began to have her labor pains, yeah, thank you God, I am not a woman, you know? And so, you know, it's a suddenness from what I understand. It's intense pain from what I've seen and understand. And that's the picture, when people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman. They will not escape, it's that sudden. And so the peace and safety is replaced with suffering and pain for Israel. In Matthew 24-15, that verse speaks of the abomination of desolation and the desecration of the rebuilt temple. In 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 4, speaking of Antichrist, it says, he will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. And so Jesus taught that when they saw this occurred, they were to flee to the mountains. In Matthew 24-16 through 18, let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. Let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. So they are going to flee when this takes place. And the people are going to flee to a place that has been prepared for them. And in the book of Isaiah chapter 16, verse 1, this place may very well be identified for us as a place that is called Sela, but is also known as Petra. So in Revelation 12, verse 6, it says, the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there 1,260 days. And so she will be taken care of those who flee. Isaiah 16,4 said, let my outcast dwell with you, O Moab, which is Jordan, be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler for the extortioners at an end. Devastation ceases, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. Petra is in modern Jordan. And so it seems that God has prepared a place for those who flee. Jesus warned them to do that. And again, this is going to be in the middle of the tribulation. And so I'm giving you this backdrop to give you a little more information. So during the tribulation, many will be killed. And as many are being killed, Michael, the archangel, will come to their aid. And it's interesting, notice how it says in verse 12, I'll read the whole verse again, chapter 12, verse 1, at that time, Michael shall stand up, the great prince, that's Michael the archangel, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. That tells us that this Michael the archangel has a certain guardianship over the nation of Israel. There shall be a time of trouble, Jacob's trouble, the tribulation, such as never was since there was a nation, meaning it'll be the most intense time of suffering Israel went through, even to that time. And at that time your people, speaking of Israel, shall be delivered those who are believers. Everyone notice who is found written in the book. And so two-thirds of them will not make it through. They are not written in the book. A third will make it through. And we'll see a little bit more about that in a moment, but a third are going to make it through. And so as he's speaking concerning this, he speaks of everyone who is found written in the book being delivered. Now the book that's being spoken of is called the Book of Life. Now there are some of you who take notes, so I'm going to give you the scriptures. You can see that term, Book of Life in. You see it all the way in the book of Exodus, chapter 32, verses 32 and 33. You see the Book of Life mentioned in Psalm 69, verse 28. And in the New Testament, you see it in Revelation, chapter 13, verse 8, chapter 20, verse 15, as well as chapter 21, verse 27. Not every Jew making it through the tribulation is saved though. There are some who survive, but they're not followers of the Lamb. That's interesting to me, but in Ezekiel chapter 20, verse 38, God said it like this. He said, I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel, you will know that I am the Lord. So there are those who are not gonna be, they're not gonna, they may survive, but they're not gonna be in that, they're not in the Book of Life. It's only those who are found written in the book. Now in verse two, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament. Those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Notice that those who are resurrected are separated into two categories. Those who are resurrected to shame and contempt and those who are wise. Those are two categories, two aspects of resurrection. Jesus spoke of this. In John 5, 28 and 29, do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. And so in verse two, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Now I wanna say something that may not be necessary, but I feel that it may be to some. Cause I want you to see this and this is something that you might not notice. Notice again in verse two, the first portion, it says many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Let me touch something very, very briefly. There is an error that has been taught in the church. It's been off and on for a long time and especially became more apparent in the mid 1800s here in the United States. And it's called the soul sleep. Some of you have heard a soul sleep. Some say that in death, the soul is actually a sleep. They call it soul sleep. But that's not accurate. You see, the Bible teaches this. At death, the spirit leaves the body and the body takes on the appearance of sleeping. Remember in the gospel of John when Jesus went to minister to his friend Lazarus. And Jesus made this statement. He said, he is asleep. I'm gonna awaken him. And his man said, oh, if he sleeps, he's doing well. Then Jesus spoke plainly to them, Lazarus is dead. See, the reason that the term soul sleep came into usage is because the body appears to be asleep when the body is dead. See at death, the spirit leaves the body. And so the body looks like it's sleeping. It looks like it's sleeping because it is no longer animated. In James 2.26 it says the body without the spirit is dead. And so what happens when a believer dies? Now this is a common question and that's why I decided to approach it here in this passage. What happens when a believer dies? What happens if I go home and on my way home, Marie kills me? What happens? I'm not giving you any ideas. I'm just giving you an illustration. Well, something you may forget or may not even be aware of. The person who dies, the individual retains consciousness even after death. You see that in the story of Lazarus and the rich man found in Luke chapter 16. There's an actual conversation that is going on with this rich man who died. And he has an awareness of where he's at. He even has experiences of a desire for water, thirst. He has memory. And so the scripture makes it very clear that simply because the body is dead, it doesn't mean that there's no awareness because indeed there still is. You see, there is an awareness after death. Now the soul of the believer goes to be with the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 5 verse eight, we are confident I say and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord, absent from the body, present with the Lord. We would prefer that. When my father went home to be with Jesus, my mama asked me, honey, does your dad ever think of me? And I said, no. And I said, no, mama, there's no sadness in heaven. Now my mom at first thought I, you know, what an insult. Are you saying that, you know, to think of me makes you sad? I said, yeah, no, of course not, mama. What I'm saying is this daddy, daddy wouldn't have an awareness in that way because for him, everything is now. It's not then, it's a different plane of time and consciousness, it's not even time anymore. No, daddy wouldn't be aware of you at all. No, because you're gonna be with him in a moment because time is just a different way of looking at what reality actually is. And so there is no sadness or tears in heaven and all daddy wouldn't, you know, daddy's not thinking of you or anything at the moment doesn't have to because you'll be with him. Soon as far as we, as far as time is concerned to know what he is right now though, is he's in the presence of the Lord. That's where he is. And so absent from the body, you're present with the Lord. And so you die, your spirit goes to be with the Lord but the body is planted in the ground. It's likened unto a seed. You see that in 1 Corinthians 15, 42 through 44. So at the rapture, believers receive glorified bodies that are suitable for heaven. In Philippians three 20 and 21, it says it like this, our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he's able even to subdue all things to himself. So the body you and I have now is fit for earth but not for heaven and needs to be transformed. We're gonna receive what is called a glorious body that is fit for heaven. Now after the rapture, there will still be believers, those who will come to faith in Christ after it occurs. Some of those believers will die. So when Jesus returns, there's gonna be resurrection. In Revelation 20 verses four and five, I saw thrones and they sat on them. Judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years but the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. So the first resurrection occurs after the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. It occurs after Satan is bound in the bottomless pit. Now Jesus is the first fruits of the saints. And so in the first resurrection, there's Jesus, then there are the first fruits and then there are the rapture saints and then you have the tribulation saints. All of these are part of what is called the first resurrection. After the thousand year reign of Christ, there's the next phase. It's the white throne judgment. These are the ones who are raised to shame and everlasting contempt. In Revelation 20, 13 through 15, the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. They were judged each one according to his word. Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Anyone not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And so this is what's being spoken of here concerning those who are awakened. Verse two again, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, but then there are the others who awaken to a shame and everlasting contempt. In verse three, he goes on to say, those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Okay, this is what I really enjoy this one verse a lot. So hopefully you'll see that as I begin to share with you about it. Again, those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament. Those who are wise, what does that mean? Those who are wise are those who saw through the deception of antichrist. Those who are wise are the ones who came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so during the tribulation, that obviously has an appropriate application. But you can be one of those who are called the wise because you turn people to Christ. I've said this so many times, I'll say it again. The most selfish person is the one who goes to heaven by himself. One of the things that God has called the church to do is to take this gospel out of the four walls that we're in right now and share it with other people. And that's why we come, we take our notes, but we go out and talk to people about Christ. That's why when God gives you the opportunity to share, that's why you do that. And you don't have to be a pastor to do that. You don't have to be a Bible teacher to do that. All you need to be is a believer in Christ. And what you may not be called an evangelist, but you can do the work of evangelism. So you can wherever you are, you can take the time and opportunity to share with somebody about Jesus. It happens all the time and it can happen in various places. It can happen in your neighborhood. It can happen in school. It can happen on the job site. It can happen at break at work. It can happen in a variety of ways. And that's how it had been with me. And before I became a pastor, I was already sharing these things with other people. I wasn't thinking, oh, I wish I had Greg Laurie in my pocket right now so he could share with these people. That might have been handy and probably very profitable. But I knew I was called by God to do the work of ministry. I knew I was called, not as a pastor. I'm talking about as a student in school. I'm talking about a young believer. I'm not talking about years of training and teaching and all that's eventually taking place in my life. I'm talking about being a student in a college, not a Bible college, in a college, just sitting in a class with a professor who's an unbeliever and an awareness that he's going to hell. And that knowledge of this is what drives me to make those moments with him, walking out to the parking lot with him, talking to him about Jesus Christ and all of that, which I did when I was at Cal Poly. Or to be in a class in Cal State Fullerton and to have a teacher who was in opposition to Christianity and to have the statements that I could make made or wherever it was. It was not always in Bible college. It was just, these people are going to hell. These people need to know Jesus Christ. And when you're wise, it's your wise in a couple of levels. One, it's just wise to fear the Lord and proclaim His name. It's just wise to do that because that's where true wisdom comes from. It's the fear of the Lord. But two, you're wise because you're taking what God has given to you and you're sharing it with other people. And also you haven't been deceived. One of the deceptions the enemy has brought on American Christians is you don't need to talk about Jesus. I've seen that. Let me tell you, it's not nostalgia that provokes these comments, it's experience. I can remember as a young believer seeing a Christian on TV, on television, and that Christian, they would be talking to him on some show and they'd say, so what's going on with you now, Mr. Important Person? And the Mr. Important Person who happens to be a Christian would say, you know what, I'm a follower of Christ now. And they would witness it was so natural. And yes, things have changed in a lot of ways. Yes, people have said, I'm gonna cancel you, keep your mouth shut, I'm not interested. But they are interested. Don't let, I'm telling you, don't let the devil lie to you. They are interested. They are interested. They just have been buying into so much garbage for so long. Oh, you Christians are stupid. All of you are ignorant. All of you are this. You know, maybe we are, maybe we're not. I don't care. I don't get insulted in that way. You know why? Because I'm dumber than you think I am. So, you know, I don't have a problem with that. I don't. My ego doesn't get in the way of that kind of thing. Why should it? There's so many brilliant people in the world. I'm not one of them. I'm good with that. But what I know, I'll tell you. What I know is I know Jesus Christ changes lives. I know that. I know what it's like to be in sin. And I know what it's like to be forgiven. I know what it's like to live with sorrow. And I know what it's like to have joy. I know what it's like to be looking for something to smoke or drink or whatever, someone to hook up with. I know what that's like. But I also know what it's like to not need any of that because God gave to me everything I need, including a beautiful wife who I love with all my heart. I mean, I know that you do too. You do too. And just because people want to run and tell you their experience, you've got experience too. But here we are listening to theirs and they don't want to hear yours. You know, there are times when I've talked to people and they've said, I just want to ask you this and I will say this. I will look at them and I will say to them, they'll ask me a question and I'll say, okay, let me ask you something before I answer. Okay. Do you want a real answer or do you want me to agree with you? What do you want? Do you want a real answer? Or do you want me to say something you want to hear? And they always pretend like they really want to hear what they don't. Because I'm not gonna, you know, I'm gonna tell you which, I'm gonna tell you the truth. So you need to tell me if you're ready for it or we're wasting our time. And I'll tell you, I'd learn to do that over time because when you begin to share with someone, they ask you, and they walk away. So now I've learned, you know, if someone walks up to me to this day, I would like to know why. I will say sometimes and always sometimes I will say, do you want a real answer? Or do you want me just to agree with you? And some, I love it because sometimes they'll go, well, you know, whatever. That means, I say, okay, you don't want an answer. But sometimes they do. And then I'll say this, let me give you an answer but do me the favor of not interrupting until I conclude what I'm saying. Don't interrupt me. So I have the opportunity because guess what, I've listened to you. Now I'm asking for the respect for you to listen to me. And that's how I do things. That's just a very basic way. I guess we all do that in one form or another. I wanna know if you wanna know the truth and I wanna know if you're gonna give me permission to speak it. If you wanna know the truth, I will. If you give me permission to speak it unbroken, I will. But if you're trying to manipulate me to agree with you, I won't. So I'm just that way. See, when you get old, you get tired. Who needs it? Who needs the argument? Who needs the fight? Let's drink some coffee and smile at each other. But why would we wanna argue, right? And so those who are wise are those who did not give in to the deception of the enemy. And what did they do? They brought the message of the gospel. In Proverbs 11.30, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he who wins souls is wise. Matthew 13.43, then the righteous was shined like the son in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears, let him hear. He goes on in verse four, but you Daniel, shut up. No, he says, but you Daniel, shut up the words. Seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. This is an interesting scripture. It is made clear that these things are not simply for Daniel alone. The primary purpose is to instruct those living in the time of the end. In 1 Peter 1.12, it says to them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us. They were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Things which angels desire to look into. So notice how it says in verse four, many shall run to and fro, knowledge shall increase. There are those who say, well, running to and fro is speaking of general transportation increasing and knowledge increasing is speaking of academic knowledge. No, that's not what it's speaking about. Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. People will search for understanding, but in the wrong places. So this is gonna make sense in the last days when events begin to come together. They're gonna be looking for knowledge in the wrong places, but as things begin to unfold, the knowledge of what's taking place will become more obvious. And so finally, I, Daniel, verse five looked and there stood two others. One on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank and one said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, how long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river when he held up his right hand in his left hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times and half a time, that's three and a half. And when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. Although I heard, I didn't understand. I said, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And so Daniel is still on the side of the river. We saw that in chapter 10, he's by the side of the Tigris is found in verse four of chapter 10. And the two angels are speaking to one another. They're asking how long and the answer is found in verse seven, three and a half years. The three and a half years would be speaking of the last period immediately preceding the return of Christ. So they're broken in the great tribulation, but at that time, Daniel, verse eight, Daniel doesn't understand. And so finally in verse nine, he said, go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made wide and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. And so during this time, saints will be purified, their faith will be strengthened and the tribulation is actually going to be a time of purifying and producing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's something for you very briefly. God will and God does allow affliction to enter into our lives. He does, there are so many on TV and various other places who say he doesn't, but he does, he does it to refine us. In Psalm 66 verses 10 through 12, for you, oh God have tested us, you have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net. You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water. But you brought us out to rich fulfillment. Never feel that when you're going through a refining time, time of affliction and time of pain, never feel that there's no purpose in it. All things work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. Always know that. And if you've ever prayed and said, God make me like you, guess what's happening in the furnace of affliction. Guess what is happening? Because gold is refined. And I say this when I perform weddings. You know, I'll hold up the gold ring that's gonna be placed on the hand of those who are being married. And I'll say gold is refined through fire. It is heated to the point it becomes liquid. And then what happens to the gold is the impurities that are called dross will actually rise to the surface. And the goldsmith begins to remove the dross from it. And he knows that the gold is pure when he can look into it and see his own reflection. And that's how God works in you. You are being put in the refiner's fire. And the impurities are rising to the top. Fire burns and it consumes. And it isn't necessarily pleasant. But at the conclusion of the process, purity is the result. So rather than complaining against God, understand that sometimes the things you're going through are the actual answers to the prayers that you've been making. You wanna be like me? Oh, make me like you, Lord, make me like you. You wanna be like me? No, I'm just saying it. No, do you wanna be like me? No, I don't wanna scare any of you. Like, some of you are looking at me right now saying, I'll never say that again in my life. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, don't be surprised. Because when you say, God, I wanna be like you, you need to remember the wounded healer. Because he was wounded, you will be too. There is no guarantee that you will not go through affliction, as a matter of fact, you will. But you're not alone. As those three young men were in the fiery furnace, they were not alone. And neither are you. He never leaves you, nor does he ever forsake you. He's with you every step of the way. And as you go through the valley of the shadow of death, he is with you. And he brings you through. And then you're in the place of abundance. And you're more like him. That is something I want. And I can tell you over the years, I have traveled in that valley. As a matter of fact, I live in the Chino Valley. And finally, verse 11. From the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1,335 days. But you go your way till the end, for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days, briefly. It says from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, according to Daniel 9.27, that is in the middle of the tribulation. So what we have are three and a half years that are in view here. When you start computing in 30 day months, the total three and a half years is a total of 1,260 days, not 1,290. But notice how a blessing is given to the one who waits and comes to the end of 1,335 days. That increases the number by another 45 days, making this a total of 75 days. Blessed is the one who goes through these 75 days. What is that? Well, the 1,260 day period is the time that elapses until the return of Christ from the middle of the tribulation when the abomination is revealed. At his return, there'll be judgments on the inhabitants of the earth. That's gonna take time. In Matthew 25, verses 31 through 46, those verses speak of a judgment of the sheep and the goats. It's called the judgment of the Gentiles. Ezekiel chapter 20 verses 34 through 38 record God's judgment on Israel. So this judgment of this great number of people, many commentators believe, is gonna require time, which would be the 75 days that we see mentioned in these final verses. Now for Daniel, he says in verse 13, you go your way till the end, for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days. Daniel, you are part of the wise and you shall be resurrected in glory. Live out the rest of your life in hope for great reward awaits you. We can say that of Daniel. We can also say that for us in a sense that we should live out the rest of our lives serving the Lord, being wise, bringing people to a knowledge of God, and then our soul, we shall rest in hope. And one of these days we'll rejoice when we awaken in his likeness. For I know that my Redeemer lives and I will see his face. And so I will rest in hope, every believer should, because one of these days and it won't be long, you're gonna see the face of the one who wept for you in that garden. And one of these days and it won't be long, you're gonna see the one who was beaten for you, the one who wore that cross on your behalf. And one of these days, you're gonna be able to say to him, thank you for letting me into your kingdom. And I simply pray that one of these days, I will hear him say, well done. Well done, my good, my faithful servant. I hope I hear that, I hope you hear that. Father bless you.