Daniel 12:1-3 [Saints Triumphant]
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—Sahuarita, AZ
November 14, 2021
In the name of Jesus, dear Saints of God, Have you found that shared experiences are often more enjoyable or more meaningful than things you do by yourself? We can definitely enjoy some things all by ourselves, but there is something about shared experiences, isn’t there? That’s why I will always remember our church group trips to Israel and Greece and Germany—we got to see things together and we can say, “Remember when…?” Those of us who have travelled to WELS worship conferences together can recall with each other the amazing sound of 1000 people singing In Christ Alone and Jerusalem the Golden. Watching Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan play in person was cool—and better because I was with my college and seminary buddies. Those are all great things, and you have your own list of things. But there are some experiences that we all, as brothers and sisters in Christ, share now—and some others that are on the horizon for us all. That’s what we’re talking about today: The Shared Experiences of the Saints Our shared experiences are these: 1. Distress 2. Deliverance 3. Delight DISTRESS (v.1) The Daniel who records these words is the same Daniel who was thrown into the Lion’s Den. He was a high-ranking government official in the Babylonian empire and a devout believer in the one true God. God used him to witness to kings and officials. He also used him to write some of his Holy Word. Part of what he records in the book named after him is a series of 4 visions. We are looking at part of the 4th of those today. Just before these words, Daniel tells of the Antichrist that would rise up in the last days and destroy the faith of many, leading them away from their Savior. At the end of chapter 11, he says about this threatening power: Yet he will come to his end, and there will be no one to help him (11:45). Then comes our lesson, Then at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands over your people, will arise. So, near the end of the world, as the Day of Judgment is closing in on this earth, the Antichrist and those who oppose the Lord and his people will intensify their efforts to lead people away from God. But as that is happening, the archangel Michael will rise up in defense of believers. When all this takes place, God tells us: There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.
If you know someone named Michael, perhaps you know that the name means “Who is like God.” He is one of only a couple angels named in the Bible, and seems like sort of a super-angel whom God sends to protect his children. He is also mentioned in the book of Revelation—also in a vision (given to John)—where he battles Satan in the sky and wins so that no one can make accusations against believers before the throne of God. That vision speaks of a battle in the spiritual realm that brings salvation, which leads us to think of Christ defeating sin and Satan on the cross and with his resurrection from death. Because Jesus did that, no one—Satan included—can accuse us being unworthy of living with God in heaven. We can be confident of living with him eternally. Daniel’s vision also pictures a spiritual battle with Michael defending God’s people from danger. Think of this as something going on around us, even as we sit here this morning. Just because we do not see Michael fighting for us, does not mean he’s not battling in the spiritual realm on our behalf! I would be one wealthy pastor if I had a nickel for every person who has asked me: “Pastor, are we living in the end times? How can we tell if we are or not?” I’d be a little surprised if that question had never occurred to most of you—and I have thought about it often enough too. The best way to tell if these are the last days—the days when Michael is fighting for us in the background—is to check to see what God says about the time before the end comes. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus says that leading up to that day, there will be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution of Christians, people hating those who are God-fearing, people losing their faith, hating each other, false teachers and false Saviors, an increase of wickedness, people being loveless and cold, and the gospel preached throughout the world. Jesus even describes it the way Daniel did. He said, “For at that time there will be great distress” (Mark 24:21). As you heard those signs of the end, what did you notice? They’ve all happened and are happening right now—and we are experiencing these things together right now! All of this is distressing for Christians, isn’t it? Don’t the wars throughout the world bother you? You are concerned when you see online or on TV the devastation caused by earthquakes and famines and the people suffering because of them, right? Watching a son or daughter that you raised to know their Savior walk away from faith puts stress on your heart, doesn’t it? Of course you’re bothered with the anti-Christian sentiment on the university and college campuses. It’s stressful to not know whether you should bring up the Bible or God to your professor or in your circle of friends. Certainly, you are happy that the Bible is the best-selling book every year and is in almost every language and in every country, but it probably bothers you that many critique it with human “wisdom” and not faith. It’s sad that even so-called Christians and their churches do not consider the Bible
God’s Word in its entirety, but pick and choose what they like from it. Look around and it’s not hard to make the case that people lack loving hearts these days, that they are “cold” just like Jesus said they would be. Oh, these are distressful days! I think older Christians mean it when they say, “I’m glad I’m not raising kids in today’s world!” I think the sad and depressed teenager means it when she says, “I wish I could just be away from all this mess!” I think little kids are stressed when their parents are cold and detached because they are more concerned with other things in this world than with spending time with their children to talk about life after this world with Jesus. While we are distressed by these things, we are told that the archangel Michael is battling for us in the spiritual realm, as this world is being ravaged by sin. Distressful days—you’re living in them! Daniel said they would come. Jesus warned you to look around and notice when these terrible things were occurring. Why? Because it means that your DELIVERANCE from them is close! DELIVERANCE (v.1,2) Listen again: At that time your people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. The very people that Michael is warring for, the very ones who have forgiveness by faith in Jesus, the ones who know that their names are written down in the Book of Life which God writes in and reads from, will be delivered from all that is distressing in this world. Daniel was looking to the day that Many who are sleeping in the dusty ground will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, to everlasting contempt. God is telling us about Judgment Day—the day that Jesus returns with the angels to separate the saints—those who believed in him as the Savior—from those who rejected him and his love for them. All of the sudden, while things are getting worse and worse in the world, Jesus will come back. And he will judge. The test for every person is simple: the person who stands before the holy God either believed that Jesus lived a perfect life because they could not…and gave himself us as an unblemished sacrifice on the cross for their sins…and rose in victory over death and the devil on Easter—or the person did not believe that. If a person had no use for Jesus during earthly life, they will also be distant from him for eternity. How awful that will be! What didn’t bother them much while living here, will torment them for eternity. The shame and contempt they feel will be paired with suffering and eternal fire and the presence of Satan and his demons. Hell is real; it doesn’t matter whether people believe it or not! Deliverance from this world for a person who rejects Jesus is not a step up, but a tragic and colossal step down. How different it will be for you and me, the saints of God! You and I can’t wait to be DELIVERED from this sinful world. It’s no fun seeing sin run rampant around us. We don’t enjoy seeing others hurt or the earth being ravished. We hate that we are
tempted daily and that we sin. We want to be DELIVERED from all this! And we will. In this life, we know that we have God’s Spirit in our hearts and Jesus by our side and the Father looking over us—and this is all incredibly wonderful and comforting. But we are anxious for our step up into heaven. We want to be with the saints triumphant—those who have been given victory in Christ and delivered from the distress of this world and who now share peace and joy around the throne of God. The Last Day will bring DELIVERANCE—an experience we will share with the other saints of God. DELIGHT (v.3) We are certain that our names are written in God’s Book of Life, and that we will have the everlasting life that Daniel’s vision tells us about! How did our names get into that book? God promises us that he has known us since before we were born! What a comfort that ought to be for us. He even picked us out and gave us faith to trust in his Son. God makes it clear that we could not have decided to trust in him on our own. Our sin makes that impossible. We believe in him only because we have been given faith as the gift of the Holy Spirit. No matter how wonderful a person we are or what we may have accomplished in this world, none of it makes us deserving of living side-by-side with the Holy God, because all those things can’t take away our sins! Perfection and imperfection cannot co-exist! Since that is true, God made us perfect in Christ! When Jesus suffered and hung on that cross, he had the burden of every one of our sins. Those were given to Jesus, and Jesus’ perfection was transferred to us. And so, we have been made holy. On Saints Triumphant Sunday, we are reminded of the saints who have gone before us into heaven and that because of God’s grace, we are saints also. And our names are written in the Book of Life, and we will rise to share heaven with them. So, don’t worry. Don’t doubt whether you are good enough for heaven! Because you trust in Christ for forgiveness and salvation, you are one of God’s holy ones! He has made you so in order that you can live eternally with him in heaven. God says this about you: Those who have insight (faith) will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who bring many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever. What a DELIGHT to hear! What DELIGHT there will be for all of us as we enjoy all of the blessings God has in mind to share with his people for eternity! You and I are God’s shining lights now as we lead others to righteousness by sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus. But we will be shining stars that sparkle in the presence of God once the DISTRESS of this world is over and we have been DELIVERED from it! What a DELIGHT that will be and what tremendous encouragement it gives each day us as we, his saints, anxiously await that final day, the Day of Resurrection and victory for the saints of God! Look forward to that day and live for that day when we will SHARE THAT EXPERIENCE with each other and all the saints forever! Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.