This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:00] Grab a seat and grab your Bible and open with me to Daniel 11, on page 748 if you got one of our Bibles and I've been studying for this sermon, I've been working on it in three different sources that I looked at all had this quote about how this chapter of Daniel A11 is so complicated. There's no way you could preach it in church.

[00:00:30] So welcome to the Daniel 11 sermon, everybody. Here we are. All right. And I hope you've been enjoying our study of the book. Daniel, we started first week of the New Year, 2019, and here we are all the way in April now at Chapter 11. And one of the major themes of this book is The Prophecy. The visions starts with some dreams. Now, this series of visions that God has been giving to his servant, Daniel, a man with an excellent spirit, a man able to interpret dreams. And God has really been revealing many different visions. But it's all telling one story of human history that God is revealing to Daniel before it happens. So even though there's different dreams and visions, they're really all building on each other to tell the same future of events. And it started simple and then it's been getting more complicated as it develops. For example, it started with Prophecies are dreams in Daniel Chapter two that King Nebuchadnezzar had, and then his vision that Daniel had a dream that he had in Chapter seven, about four different nations, four different kingdoms that would rule over planet Earth. And so if you've got your hand out there, we've got this chart to kind of review and catch up all the prophecy. What are some of the major things that we've seen prophesied that even now from our perspective in 2019, we can study is history because they've taken place, even though from Daniel's perspective, when this was written, they were still yet to come. OK, well, these four kingdoms in the first column, they're all the way over to the left. The first kingdom that came into Jerusalem and led by King Nebuchadnezzar, they invaded. They took Daniel and his three friends back to their homeland. That nation is what, Babylon?

[00:02:24] Let's get that for the top left blank there. And with this, Babylon was prophesied even before they ever showed up in Jerusalem and took Daniel and tried to brainwash him and tried to give him a new name and have him worship new gods. This was prophesied. And so they're the first of these nations. And then we saw even before Daniel, five and six, when the Medes and the Persians came in, miedo Persia was prophesied to be the next big kingdom that would come after Babylon. So we've got Babylon medo Persia. And that catches up where where Daniel is. But then next is going to be Greece. They're the next major nation that's going to come. And then the fourth of these kingdoms that have been prophesied is what we know as Rome. They are the fourth one there. So all of those are the nations that we've been talking about. And you might want to write down under or above that first, call them to the left.

[00:03:22] This we found out in chapter two different parts of the statue there in Chapter seven, different beasts. They were represented by we've seen these four nations. Then we came to Daniel eight, which is going to be the middle call. And Daniel, eight took it the next level not to just tell us about the kingdoms, but specific kings, one king who's going to just swoop across the world and just conquer the whole thing very quickly. But then in the same quickness, his kingdom will come crashing to a sudden end.

[00:03:54] That's Alexander the Great. So he's our our top link now in the middle column here. Alexander the Great. He's going to lead this empire of Greece. But then suddenly he will come to an end at a young age and his kingdom will be divided into four different kingdoms. And out of one of those kingdoms is going to come this guy who's going to rule over the people of Israel, because that's really what Daniel cares about, what's going to happen, God, to your people. He's praying about it. He's fasting about it. He's mourning about it. He wants to see the people of God restored in the city of God so that everyone will see the glory of God. That's what he's praying for. But this guy, Antiochus epiphanies, he's our next blank. Antiochus, the fourth referred to himself as epiphanies, had it minted on coins that he is God. He just was oppressive over the Jews. In fact, if you really ever study Antiochus epiphanies, he was trying to eliminate Jewish culture and religion so they couldn't do their sacrifices. They couldn't worship God. He wanted to make them Greeks and not Jews. And he was violent towards them. He sold some of them into slavery. And so there was a revolt. Maybe you've heard of the Maccabean Revolt and Judas Maccabees and his sons. They had this revolt and they rose up and they overthrew Antiochus epiphanies. And it's celebrated to this day among the Jewish people by a festival of this victory that they won over this oppressive ruler. It's Salah. Rated as a festival of light, we might know it as Honaker.

[00:05:34] They celebrate. And so we look through in detail these these world rulers that God's telling us about before they come on the scene.

[00:05:45] God's prophesying people, we can study in history books.

[00:05:50] And then we saw the Antiochus epiphanies. He was just a representative of this harsh, evil world ruler who everybody's gonna be deceived by. And he's gonna be against God's people, the Antichrist. That's our last blink there in the middle column. And that's where it really starts to get confusing for us.

[00:06:10] It's hard for us to figure out because now we're talking about something that's going to happen at the end of time. Something that's going to happen even in the future. From our perspective, we're still living in that and the age here in time. And there's this end of the age, this end of time that's coming. And we don't know how it's all going to work out. But we know there's going to be an Antichrist. We know it's gonna be a terrible time of tribulation. It's gonna be brutal for God's people there in Israel. That's kind of how Daniel Chapter eight and did was with this figure of the Antichrist.

[00:06:43] So what Daniel A11 is doing is it's reviewing all that we've learned before, but now it's just adding even more detail to the prophecy. So Daniel 11 goes through these same nations, talks about some of these same kings and ends with the same Antichrist.

[00:07:02] Look at verse 35, Daniel. Eleven thirty five. And it's talking about what's going to happen in this time of Antiochus epiphanies, how it's going to affect God's people. Verse 35.

[00:07:15] Some of the wise shall stumble so that they may be refined, purified and made wide until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. So it's like we jump from Antiochus epiphanies now to the time of the end. And then it says this verse 36. And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every God and shall speak. Astonishing things against the God of gods.

[00:07:47] OK.

[00:07:48] So this king at the end of time is going to have people worship him and he's going to actually speak against the God of heaven. And he's going to declare war from where he is raining here on earth against God in heaven.

[00:08:04] And we believe that's referring to the Antichrist and this abomination of desolation when he's going to stand in the temple and get people to worship him in the middle of the tribulation. And then it's going to be three and a half years of brutality is God judges us here on planet Earth. And then there will be a war to end all wars at the end of time. OK, so so here it is, Daniel Levin recounting what to us now is ancient history and then telling us how the world as we know it is going to end. Now as we're getting into Daniel Levin and we're studying it, how you might look at the heading there if you've got the ESV translation that we're using right above Daniel Levin there on page seven hundred and forty eight.

[00:08:49] It uses this heading the kings of the south and the north. So there's a lot of detail now between Alexander the Great and Antiochus epiphanies when the kingdom of Alexander is into four different now kingdoms.

[00:09:05] There's a kingdom to the north and there's a kingdom to the south. And it starts to go through the specific kings. And what's going to happen to this king and that king and how the north and the south will war against each other.

[00:09:18] So that's now our third call. Let's talk about some of the detail given to us specifically in Daniel Levin. Let's start with the North. The kings of the north. You might have heard of them as the Salu Sidse. And some of them have the names sluices. Some of them have the name Antiochus.

[00:09:36] But these are the different kings of the north. And you might want to write in parentheses next to that Syria, because, Daniel, he cares about God's people in Israel. So it's to the north of Israel. We're talking about what's going on in the kingdom of Syria here. Now, the kings of the south, you might remember, that would be now Egypt below Israel and they're the Ptolemy's. And you might want to look at the screen for how to spell that one because it starts with a P.. Anybody remember that from history class? Right. The Ptolemy's. Now, I don't know this history as well. You tell me. Alexander the Great. OK. I think most of us would know about him. You talk about Hanukkah and the festive festival of lights in the Maccabees and and there being some kind of revolt. And that guy was Antiochus Epiphanies. OK. I kind of know something about that. But some of these Saluzzi kings, some of these tall, the mean kings, you and I. We might have to go learn the history to even find out that what God says here and Daniel Levin. I mean, there are so many details here about these kings.

[00:10:41] And if you opened up Daniel Levin and you opened up a history of the solutions and the Ptolemy's, you would think and people would try to say this, that Daniel must have been written after it happened because there's no way anybody could prophesy it in such specific detail.

[00:10:59] Let me give you an example of how awesome this prophecy is here in Daniel 11. Look at her, 17 with me. Look at her 17.

[00:11:06] This is just one example of the interaction between the solutions in the north and the Ptolemy's in the south. And this king is talking about from the north. Here is Saluzzi three. It says he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them.

[00:11:25] He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. Well, if you know the history, you'll notice that solutes is three.

[00:11:39] He came to Ptolemy, the FIS, and he wanted to act like they were going to get along. And so he handed over his daughter to be married to Ptolemy. The Fifth. And he hoped that his daughter would kind of get in there in Egypt and be a secret agent working for the solutions against the Egyptians. But his daughter actually liked living in Egypt better than with her dad. And she was oh, she allied with the Ptolemy's against her own father. You can write her name down. It's Cleopatra.

[00:12:13] That's what this is talking about right here. OK.

[00:12:16] So this is the level of detail that is being addressed with the prophecies here in Daniel, Chapter 11. And so you can see here that there is a level of historical detail that might even be beyond what you and I remember from world history class. Now, what's fascinating about some of these prophecies and Daniel, is some of them are about the future. Some of them are about Jesus Christ. Even the timeline we looked at in Daniel nine to when he was going to be kind of arriving as the king. But some of the prophecies of Daniel are not just prophecies that we see fulfilled later in the Bible, in further books of scripture. Now, some of these prophecies and Daniel, we see confirmed we see them happen not in the pages of this book, the Bible, but in the pages of the history book.

[00:13:12] So if somebody is trying to say that God can't tell us the future. They're they're lying, they're wrong, they're mistaken, OK?

[00:13:22] God is telling. Daniel, what is going to happen in nations of the world hundreds of years before they happen. And so scholars will come along OK. Scholars like in the modern era, scholars like that are living in the nineteen hundreds or today.

[00:13:39] They look at the level of detail in chapters like Daniel Levin and the things it says about Antiochus Epiphanies a couple of hundred years before this guy's ever around. And they're like, that's just too much detail. There's no possible way Daniel could have written that when he's in Babylon Medo Persia before the people even go back. And then it could happen in the one hundred and 60s B.C.

[00:14:04] This must have been written after it happened. That's the argument people are gonna start making. That's that argument doesn't hold up. It doesn't make sense. By the time Jesus and the disciples have the Old Testament, it's already been established as scripture for a long time. You think the Jews are going to be okay with somebody writing a book saying it's prophecy when really they wrote it after the fact the Jews would have tolerated that? No way they would have been okay with that. So what you need to realize is God is giving Daniel visions and Daniel, he's trying to figure out, hey, God, you gave us a prophecy that we would be judged by Babylon. And you said after 70 years, we would go back and, hey, we're ready. Let's have this time of glory. Let's go back and worship you and God saying, actually, Daniel, it's going to be yeah, you're going to go back after 70 years. But then the Greeks are going to oppress you guys. And then after that, the Romans are going to oppress you guys. And he's saying, hey, it's gonna be a long time. It's going to be rough all the way to the time of the end. And then when it gets the worse, when the Antichrist is there and he's against you guys, that's when I will return. That's when I'll set up a kingdom. That's when finally all will be made. Right. So he's trying to move now into this era where it's been about God's people there in Israel, there in Jerusalem and now God saying, hey, the plans actually even bigger than that. It's worldwide. It's global. It's throughout all of human history.

[00:15:38] Let me tell you what I'm going to do before I do it. So when I do it, you'll know I'm the one who's in control, that I am the sovereign God who rules in heaven over everything that happens among human beings on planet Earth. I am the Lord.

[00:15:55] That's what God's trying to say to you today through prophecy.

[00:15:59] God, this prophecy is the signature of God that lets you know this collection of books that we have in the Bible, this scripture right here.

[00:16:08] There is no possible way that men are smart enough to put this all together.

[00:16:14] A lot of the authors of the Bible didn't live at the same time. They never met each other. They had nothing to do with each other. They wrote one book here. One book. Their one book over here. And they all say the same thing. God is trying to get your attention through prophecy.

[00:16:32] You learned it as history. But God wrote it as prophecy. And it should cause all of us to realize this is God's book, God's speaking to me.

[00:16:41] And I should listen to what God is saying. Turn with me to Isaiah 46 and look what God says.

[00:16:49] Let's go to a chapter here in Isaiah 46. Back to the left in your Old Testament. Page six hundred and seven. If you got one of our books and look at this is God speaking to us in the first person through his prophet Isaiah.

[00:17:04] Now, Isaiah says, even before Daniel, we're talking like a hundred years before Daniel, before King never condensers swoops in, takes Daniel and his friends, gives them those new names. Remember, he gave the name Daniel. Let's see who can remember a little review here and the book of Daniel. What name did he give to Daniel? Anybody know Bell to shares? That's right. And then what were Daniel's friends names?

[00:17:27] Hand and eye, Michail and Azariah. And he gave them the names. What Shadrach means Shack. Ben Nago. Right. OK. So they took these guys who had Hebrews names that had to do with the worship of yea way the Hebrew God, the one true and living God. And then they gave them names that had to do it, like Bell to QAZ or Abednego, names that had to do with worshiping the idols of Babylon. Here's what God has to say about it. One hundred years before Athens, Isaiah. Chapter 46. Verse one. Bell Bouse Down Nebo Stoops. Their idols are on beasts and livestock. These things you carry are born as burdens on weary bees. They stoop, they bowed down together. They cannot save the burden, but they themselves go into captivity so that God says that. Verse three Listen to me, Alehouse of Jacob.

[00:18:22] All the remnant of the House of Israel who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb, even to your old age. I am a he and two gray hairs. I will carry you. I have made. And I will bear. I will carry. And I will save.

[00:18:40] This is what you call idolatry trash talk right here, my friends.

[00:18:44] God is dissin the DVD of Babylon. He's saying, let me tell you about Belle. That's one of the idols of Babylon. That's the guy that that Daniel is going to get renamed after. Let me tell you about Nebo. That's where the name Abednego comes from. It's in the worship of Nebo. Can I tell you right now, this is before Babylon. At the height of its power under King Nebeker, Nebuchadnezzar comes in and wipes out God's people. Desecrating God's temple takes Daniel and his three buddies back to Babylon Brainwashing Academy before all of that. God says, Let me tell you how this whole story is going to end.

[00:19:18] There's gonna be some carts pulled by animals and they're gonna take Bell and Nebo out on carts and animals are gonna have to bear the weight of those statues. This is God saying, hey, let me tell you what real gods do, real gods carry their people. They don't get carried by animals. This is God saying, hey, I'm the real God. Anybody who's believing in anybody besides me is wrong. That's what God say. I'm the one who's carried you. You want to know how you got out of the womb. You want to know how you're still alive today. I'm carrying you.

[00:19:55] That's what God's saying. Look what God says in verse five. To whom were you like in me and make me equal. And compare me that we may be alike.

[00:20:04] Those who lavished gold from the purse and weigh out silver in the scales hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a God. Then they fall down and worship. You see our gods mocking idolatry. He's saying you get your gold and silver together. Somebody makes it into an image. Then you go and you put it where it's supposed to be. And then everybody bows down and worships it like it's God.

[00:20:23] They lift it to their shoulders. They carry it. They said it in its place. And it stands there. It cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble. He's saying idolatry futile. Why are you guys worshiping these other gods?

[00:20:41] Verse eight. Remember this. And stand firm. Recall it to mind you. Transgressors, you sinners.

[00:20:49] Remember the former things of old. For I am God. And there is no other. I am God. And there is none like me declaring the ends from the beginning.

[00:21:00] And from ancient times. Things not yet done.

[00:21:04] Saying My counsel shall stand. And I will accomplish all my purpose. Calling a bird of prey from the East. The man of my counsel from a far country I have spoken. I will bring it to pass. I have purposed and I will do it. Listen to me, you stubborn of heart. You who are far from righteousness.

[00:21:28] I bring near my righteousness. It is not far off, and my salvation will not delay. I will put salvation in Zion for Israel. My glory.

[00:21:43] God says, hey, who are you going to compare me to?

[00:21:46] I am God. There's nobody like me. And here's God speaking to you, and if and maybe you're somebody here today, you're a skeptic, maybe you're an unbeliever among us here this morning. God saying, hey, you stubborn of heart. Hey, you you person who won't believe what I'm saying. Listen to what I'm saying to you all tell you the end from the beginning. Who else can do that? I'll tell you from ancient times. Things that haven't even happened yet. Who else can do that? And when I say all, make sure it happens, I will accomplish all of my purpose guides trying to get our attention.

[00:22:22] He's saying, hey, one of the reasons that it makes sense that you should believe in God is you should see his track record of prophecy, that he can tell you what's going to happen before it does. From our perspective, we got to get outside of our own center of the universe, 2019 timeline perspective, and we got to see what to us is sometimes as history here with Alexander and Antiochus and Cleopatra. What to us maybe is history. God said all of those things before they happened.

[00:22:54] And it should change the way we study history when we see history. And then we see that God said it was gonna happen before it happened and we see God's prophecy. We should praise God for prophecy. Let's get that down for point number one. Praise God for prophecy. This should inspire worship. This should inspire all. And it should give us such a confidence they not only have so many prophecies been fulfilled in the past, this level of history that we're talking about here this morning.

[00:23:24] I mean, go ahead. Go go totally deep into Daniel Chapter 11, study every single detail. And up until you get to the Antichrist, you will see that the first 35 verses of Daniel 11 have already happened and they've happened. Exactly how that how it says they're going to happen all the way through 35 verses of prophecy.

[00:23:46] I would encourage you to pay attention to what it says is going to happen next, because I think it's going to happen next. See? You should believe in the Bible.

[00:23:56] You should believe in this collection of books written by men at different times. You should believe God is trying to help. You know that one of the reasons it makes sense to believe in God is he tells the future from the past. Who else can do that?

[00:24:12] Unless you're in charge. Unless you're the boss. And you're the sovereign ruler from heaven over what happens here on planet Earth, history is really just his story. And he knew it before it ever happened. And he shows off so that you and I would believe, OK. And so I need you to I need you to see the power of prophecy from scripture. I need you to ask God to open your eyes that you would be amazed that these kingdoms, these kings, specific daughters that will give be given in marriage and how they'll act about it. God says it all before it takes place. And the reason is so that you would realize God is speaking to me through this book. God wants to get my attention so that I will know him and worship him, not go back to Daniel.

[00:25:10] And look at Chapter 12 and what we decided to do this week. So far, every week we've just done one chapter of Daniel. A week. But this week we thought we had to put Daniel 11 and 12 together because there's two things that are different between Daniel eleven and Daniel Chapter eight. Maybe you remember when we went through Chapter eight and we did the Antichrist sermon and we went through every detail of that middle column? Well, the two things that are different between Daniel eleven and Daniel eight. One is the level of detail about the kings of the north and the South with the solutions in the Ptolemy's. We just gave you a little glimpse of that. There's so much more detail about what's going to happen between Alexander the Great and Antiochus epiphanies. But the second thing that's different is the happy ending at the end of the prophecy that Daniel has been waiting for and longing for. Now, the way they broke down the chapters is unfortunate because the chapter ends at verse 45, but the prophecy goes on for four more verses. And so, Daniel, twelve one to four is really the final words of the vision of all the Coke. The climax of all the prophecies given to Daniel. Is Daniel Chapter 12 versus one to four at that time.

[00:26:32] And remember where at the time of the end, the time of the Antichrist. At that time shall arise. Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been. Since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered. Everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

[00:27:02] And many of those who sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

[00:27:13] And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above.

[00:27:19] And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. 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.

[00:27:35] And you notice the quotes there at the end of verse four because now the prophecy is over.

[00:27:41] So this Antichrist figure that is described from verse 35 to verse 45 in chapter 11.

[00:27:48] He's going to be a part of this tribulation and it says very clearly here, it's a time of trouble, like the world has never seen the worst seven years of planet Earth.

[00:27:59] And in the middle of it, three and a half years in now, the Antichrist does the abomination of desolation where he tries to get the whole world to worship him when he stands there in the temple and he speaks against God. And then for three and a half years after that, the judgment of God is poured out on planet Earth. But it says here that in the spiritual room, in the battle between angels and demons, the heavenly war that is going on. Hey, Daniel. Michael, one of the Prince of the Angels, the one who's over your people, that it appears to be the angel of Israel here. Michael, he's going to be fighting for you in this brutal time of trouble. And at the end of this time of trouble, you will be delivered.

[00:28:43] That's really what you're looking for.

[00:28:46] When the people of God will be in the place of God, in the presence of God and the whole world will have to see the worship of God. That's when it's going to really happen. Daniel at the end and they will all be delivered. All of God's people. Every single one of them will be saved. Every single one of them.

[00:29:06] And then it says this phrase at the end there, a verse one, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. The Lord Jesus, who I believe is speaking to Daniel here from Daniel, Chapter 10. The one clothed in linen. When he speaks here, he says there's a book of life. And God has the names written in heaven of every single one of his people. And Daniel, don't worry. Every single one of them will be saved. So what God is about to say here in Daniel? Well, it's not a prophecy of what's going to happen at the end of time. God is now going to tell us what is going to happen in the age to come.

[00:29:55] Outside of space and time, and God says this inverse, too many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.

[00:30:04] Oftentimes in scripture, sleep is a word used for what?

[00:30:10] Many of those who are dead. Well, awake.

[00:30:14] They're going to come back from the dead, some to everlasting life, some to shame, an everlasting contempt there will be. And the Bible goes on to say this multiple places, Jesus says in John five that everyone is going to experience a resurrection. Everyone is going to live forever, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt.

[00:30:40] So people can do what they choose to do. People can believe what they choose to put their faith in. How many times have you and I heard somebody say, when I die.

[00:30:52] That's it. It's all over. My body's in the ground and there's nothing after that. Well, that's your opinion. But God says something different.

[00:31:01] And God says you're going to rise and you're either going to have everlasting life.

[00:31:06] Or you will have everlasting shame and contempt. And those who get this life, those whose names are written in this book.

[00:31:15] Look what it says about them in verse three. These people are going to glow with the very glory of God. Those who are wise, they're going to shine like the brightness of the sky above. And those who turn many to righteousness, they're going to shine like the stars forever and ever.

[00:31:32] How glorious it's going to be to be one of these people whose name is written in the Book of Life.

[00:31:40] They're going to all be delivered. They're going to all be saved. It will be the people of God in the place of God with the worship of God, and everyone will know who God is.

[00:31:52] It's coming, Daniel. It's still a long ways off, but it's coming.

[00:31:57] Now, this book of life that is revealed here in Daniel Chapter twelve is actually a theme throughout scripture that God has a book. And he's writing people's names. Go over to Malikai, Chapter three, Malachi's, the last book of the Old Testament.

[00:32:12] Right before Matthew in our English translation here, Malikai, 316 is where we want to pick it up. Page eight hundred and two. If you got one of our books and it talks, the heading here is a book of remembrance. So I want you to pay attention to what it says about this book that God is writing people's names in. And look how the names of the people in the book are described. Look how the people who are not in the book are described.

[00:32:38] Matthew, three 16, then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. And the Lord paid attention and heard them in a book of remembrance was written before him.

[00:32:53] Of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. So God's up there writing down names. And these people are described as people who fear God. They have a relationship with God, a faith in God. And they esteem his name. They worship God. They lift his name high. His name is holy in their hearts. It's set apart in their lives.

[00:33:15] Verse 17. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, in the day when I gather my people and my inheritance, I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.

[00:33:31] We just saw two dads up here at this service, dads. You could tell they love their kids.

[00:33:37] God says, I'm going to write down the names of my people. And when it comes time to gather my people, I'm going to spare those people like a father spares his own son. That's the way I'm going to love my people.

[00:33:50] And then he says in verse 18, then once more, you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him for behold the day.

[00:34:04] And here it is, the end of all things. This time of trouble, the day of the Lord is coming. Burning like an oven.

[00:34:11] When all the arrogant and all evil doers will be stubble.

[00:34:15] The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither rude nor branch.

[00:34:24] But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

[00:34:36] Now I understand that for Orange County, city slickers leaping like calves from the stall might not get a real yee ha going here this morning.

[00:34:44] All right. But there's a contrast here.

[00:34:48] Do you see what's being said, God's writing down names in a book of life. And this is going to help you see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The distinction between those who serve God and those who don't serve God, and all of the arrogant, all of those who are so puffed up in their pride they don't think they need a God. Well, they're going to all get burnt up in the oven of judgment. That's come.

[00:35:15] But those who are God's people, they're going to see the sun of righteousness come for them with healing in his wings.

[00:35:24] Go to Luke, Chapter 10 and look what Jesus says about the Book of Life. Clearly, Jesus expected his disciples from the Old Testament to understand this concept of a book of life where God has his people's names written down in heaven.

[00:35:41] And he says this to his disciples in Luke 10, page 868. If he got one of our books, Jesus sends out 72 disciples, he sends them out to buy two to go and be his witnesses to preach the gospel. And one of the things these guys do is they cast out demons in the name of Jesus. I mean, that's something that's fascinated you as we've studied, Daniel. One of the things that became clear through our study of this book is that somehow the prayers that Daniel prayed here on Earth to God had some kind of impact on what was happening in a heavenly war of spiritual beings. Demons and angels are fighting one another. And Daniel is praying. And somehow the prayers of Daniel make a difference in this spiritual battle beyond what we can see outside of space and time. There's a war going on and the prayers of Daniel had an impact on that.

[00:36:38] And that's fascinating. That's mysterious.

[00:36:41] We don't fully know how that works, but that sounds like something we would like to be a part of. I know people have been inspired to pray that souls would be saved, that victories would we be won in the name of Jesus and these disciples. They are pumped up when they come back to Jesus.

[00:36:57] They're like Jesus. This was amazing. We cast our demons in your name and they fled. There was real power. There was real victory. Look what they say. And Luke, 10, 17, the 72 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.

[00:37:19] And Jesus affirms what they're saying. He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions. And overall, the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you. What an amazing statement.

[00:37:36] Jesus affirming. Yes, you did cast out demons. I saw what you guys were doing in the spiritual realm and you even had you even in my name. You can do things like this and they can't stop you. What an amazing statement.

[00:37:51] But then he says, but never the less like a verse 20. Look at what Jesus says. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you. But rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Hey, guys, it's awesome if you can be a part of the spiritual war that's going on for souls. It's awesome if you can cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ. Hey, guys, that's really, really a thing to have joy about. But let me tell you something greater that you should have joy about, not what's happening in this life, but the fact that your names are written in the book of life and you will be with God for all of eternity.

[00:38:29] That is the kind of joy that is greater than anything this world can offer. It is the kind of joy that nothing in this world can take away that you can know. You will go to heaven and be with God for all of eternity because your name is written in the book of life.

[00:38:46] Rejoice.

[00:38:48] And the Book of Life is right there at the end in Revelation, Chapter 20. If you'll turn there with me, Daniel's visions keep giving us more and more detail, not just about things that are now history, but about the future, about the end, about the Antichrist.

[00:39:03] The tribulation will revelation comes and it gives us even more detail than the book of Daniel.

[00:39:09] And The Book of Life actually gets opened in Revelation, Chapter 20, starting in verse eleven.

[00:39:15] This is after Jesus returns. This is after the judgment. This is after the Antichrist and the abomination of desolation. This is even after Satan and all of the demons have been thrown into a lake of fire where they will be tormented forever and ever after all of that verse 11 of Revelation 20, page 1040.

[00:39:35] Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it from his presence. Earth and Sky fled away and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead great and small. Standing before this great white throne and books were opened.

[00:39:54] Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done.

[00:40:05] And the sea gave up the dead, who were in a death in Haiti's gave up, the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done then death in Haiti's were thrown into the lake of fire.

[00:40:18] 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. Apparently on the day of judgment, there's gonna be a lot of books. And it seems here from what we see in the context. That has these dead people come now and are brought before this throne, there is opened a book of what they did in their life.

[00:40:48] Can you imagine that? And in heaven right now, there is a library.

[00:40:53] Where everybody here what you have done in this life is written down in a book In Heaven.

[00:41:01] And if you were to stand there at this judgment, they would open a book and they would recount what you have done, the things that you have said, the things that you have thought, the actions that you have taken with yourself in this life, the things you did this week, the things you've done so far in twenty nineteen.

[00:41:20] And that's just the newest chapter. I don't know how many years your book goes back.

[00:41:25] But what you have done is written down and you are judged, it says here, according to what you have done.

[00:41:32] Unless this other book gets opened and your name is in the Book of Life, then you are not judged according to what you have done. So this begs the question of the morning. How do I know if my name is in that book of life? How do I get my name written in that Book of life? Well, let's just take notice right here. And as we're studying the book of life in Scripture. The passages are telling us this is so you can see the distinction. The people whose names are written in God's book In Heaven. How does it describe the way those people live here on earth? Vs. how the people whose names are not written in the Book of Life. How did they live here on Earth?

[00:42:24] There is a direct connection between somebodies name being written in the Book of Life and the way they will conduct himself in this life here on Earth.

[00:42:34] Now, when this was introduced in Daniel Twelve, it said that two ways that it described the people whose name were written in the book. It refers to them as the wise people who believe what God says and apply it to their lives. And as people who turn many to anybody, remember what it says, many to what righteousness.

[00:42:52] And Malikai three, it said. This is so you could see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between people who serve.

[00:43:00] They lived their life for God and people who don't serve. They lived their lives for themselves.

[00:43:06] It's saying something fascinating.

[00:43:09] You want to know whose name is written in the Book of Life in Heaven? Look at how they lived their life here on Earth.

[00:43:15] Because the people whose name is written in that book, they live a certain way. That can be described as a lifestyle of righteousness, a lifestyle of wisdom.

[00:43:23] People who fear God. But the other people, they're referred to as arrogant. They don't need got evil doers breaking God's commands.

[00:43:32] Doing what they want. Those are the people whose names are not written. In the Book of Life.

[00:43:41] So let's make this very clear here right now, there is nothing that you could ever possibly do to get your name written in the Book of Life. There's only one who writes names in the book. And that's Guy. Can I get a man from anybody on that? There's only one. There's only one who can save your soul from the lake of fire from from being judged for everything that you have done. God is the one who does the work of salvation, if you think that there is something you can do to get to heaven. If you think that there is something you could do to get your name written down, that's not that's not true.

[00:44:15] Though there's only one way by which God saves people, by which God writes down people's name, and it's the gospel that we saw on that video. It's a good news of Jesus Christ. So here's what I here's what I get really concerned about as a guy. Preach the sermons as the pastor here at this church. What I get concerned about is people are going to study the Book of Life with us today and they're going to think, wow, I don't.

[00:44:38] I mean, some people there's gonna be two different responses. You're gonna see it to the sermon. Some people are going to walk out of here like, wow, that was awesome. I'm so fired up to go to heaven. I'm so rejoicing because my name is written. When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. That's how some people are going go out here today. They're gonna be like, I can't wait till God calls my name. I wonder if it's in alphabetical order. I wonder if it's in chronological order. I can't wait to see when my name is in the Book of life. Right. And then other people are going to go home with this bird.

[00:45:07] Right. Just like, well, how do I know if my name's written in the book? Like what? What do I do? I don't. I don't get it. Why don't why didn't they tell me more?

[00:45:16] Right. They're going to go away with this burden. And here's what people do. They get this burden. It's this sense of conviction. So they don't have the assurance of the Holy Spirit. They don't have the confidence that they know they're going to heaven. And so they feel bad about it. They have this, like, feeling of guilt or or shame. And so here's what people do almost bring me every Sunday that we gather together, people go home and they think we'll just try harder to do the right thing this week.

[00:45:40] You know, what I'll do is I'll just read my Bible more. I'll just pray more. I'll come to church more. Maybe I'll serve at that Bonura.

[00:45:48] I'll just maybe I'll just try to start doing so.

[00:45:51] I'll just try to do start doing some good things and I'll try to see if maybe I can expand the gap between my sin. Maybe I can go longer in between my sin and maybe God will be pleased.

[00:46:03] Look, you just kind of get past that there's nothing that you could possibly walk out of these doors and do to get your name written in the Book of Life. It has all already been done for you. It is offered to you as a free gift. His name is Jesus, and he fulfilled all of the righteousness that you were sent the way that you were supposed to live. Jesus nailed it 100 percent.

[00:46:29] I mean, when he got baptized, he said, I'm doing this to fulfill all righteousness, he intentionally resisted every temptation known to man and he obeyed every commandment sent from heaven. And he established a perfect track record of righteousness. And then when they nailed him to that cross with his arms and with his feet nailed up to that tree, and he's bleeding out for all the world to see, he is sacrificing his body. And he is paying the penalty for your sin. He is ready to be judged for everything that you have done.

[00:47:09] And he offers himself. He lays down his life to save your soul. And what he wants to give you is this perfect righteousness. So that you would be declared righteous and have. So your name would be in this book of life? There is nothing that you can do Jesus. It's about what he has already done. And you just transfer your trust to Jesus. That's what we need people to do in this room. Right now, your soul is on the line as you hear my voice today. And if you don't listen and you don't respond to what God is saying to you through this scripture. You may be in a lake of fire for all of eternity. And Jesus, he already bore all of that burden. He already paid all of that punishment. God judged his own son, Jesus. For all of your sin. And when you trust in Jesus, you receive all of his righteousness on your account.

[00:48:12] And your names in the book.

[00:48:15] It's an amazing thing that you will be welcomed into heaven, you will get the treatment in heaven of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be welcomed in to the presence of the father and have.

[00:48:26] But it's not based on anything you do. It's all based on what Jesus has done. Now, here's the thing, though. This is the part that gets lost today in the churches in America.

[00:48:38] If you believe in Jesus, if you receive his righteousness, there is no possible way on planet Earth that you could keep live in the same way with Jesus as the way you lived without Jesus.

[00:48:53] If you really believe in Jesus, if you get his righteousness, you are a new creation in Jesus Christ. The old you is gone. A new you is now alive. We call it being born again. OK, so if there hasn't been a change in your life, if there hasn't been a transformation from the inside out.

[00:49:16] Then you haven't really trusted in Jesus Christ. Hey, now you are saved by faith alone. There is nothing you can do. Have we made that clear here this morning? Keep the faith. It saves you is never alone. Faith without works is what? It's not faith.

[00:49:33] You know, we've been doing this here at this church for four and a half years, we've been in this room doing church on Sundays for four years over that time. I have now talked to hundreds of people about what we're talking about right now.

[00:49:46] Where is your soul going when you die? Are you resurrected to everlasting life or everlasting contempt? I've talked with hundreds of people about this.

[00:49:54] And one of the things that I've heard over and over here at this church, maybe you've heard it, maybe you've heard people say when they got baptized, people are saying something like this. Hey, I heard about Jesus. I went to other churches. I heard about the gospel. I had faith. I've heard a lot of people say I had faith. But my life had never really changed. And then I came here to this church and I heard you guys were talking about faith, but you guys were also talking about repentance.

[00:50:18] And repentance is a change of mind. It's a willingness to turn from your sin to the ways of God to go from dead works to real righteousness. And you don't have the power to change your life. But there's a willingness. There's a change of perspective. That's what repentance is. And I heard you guys, I already knew about faith, but then I heard about repentance, and that's when I got saved. Let me just tell you this very clearly. All right? If you think you have faith and your life has not changed. You don't have faith.

[00:50:46] There is no such thing as believing that Jesus died for your sins and rose again to give you everlasting life in the presence of God. And that not fundamentally changing who you are.

[00:50:59] If you believe it, you will live a different way. I'm not saying you're gonna be perfect. But you will be one of God's people and he will do his work in your life.

[00:51:10] I guarantee it you'll have a new heart and his spirit will cause you to walk in God's ways. And over time, your life will be defined by wisdom, by righteousness and by fearing God, because that's the characteristic of everybody whose name is written in the book of life.

[00:51:29] And so there is no salvation without transformation. Based on what Jesus has done, if you believe that Jesus will change your life.

[00:51:39] And so we're going to start a series here at our church, we're gonna start it next week and there's fires you can pick up on the way out. It's gonna be the Done series. And we've assembled different passages that talk about how salvation is one hundred percent by faith totally in Jesus Christ.

[00:51:54] But if you are in Jesus Christ, you are a new creation.

[00:51:57] And it changes the way you live every single day. And we're gonna keep preaching it to we think we all got it. So we see God save many people till we all get united on the gospel of Jesus. And what he has already done is anybody with me on this guy or start next week. We're gonna go through Easter. We're gonna do it for weeks to come. The Done series is we need everybody to see this. We want every single one of you here in this room today.

[00:52:22] We want you to have 100 percent confidence. And I really believe you can know with certainty in your soul that the Holy Spirit will give you assurance that your name is written in the Book of Life.

[00:52:35] Go back to Daniel Twelve and look at what happens here. The final interaction between Daniel and this one clothed in linen, who I believe to be the Lord Jesus Christ, revealing himself to Daniel Daniel 12, verse five. Look at how the story ends. Finally, at the end of it all. Seventy years we've been with this guy, Daniel. And at the end of it all, he gets the assurance that his soul longs for for God's people and for himself. Then I, Daniel looked and behold, two others stood one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.

[00:53:09] And someone said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the street, two more angels show up on either side of the Tigris River here. And then it seems like Jesus this one clothed in linen. He's there above the the water's.

[00:53:24] And the angel said to him, and at the end of verse six, how long shall it be till the end of these wonders? Even the angels are like, hey, can you just tell us when all this stuff's going to happen? All right. And I heard the man clothed the linen who was above the waters of the stream. He raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him, who lives forever, that it would be for a time, times and half a time, which is the fanciest way to say three and a half I've ever heard. Right there. And that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished. Daniel says you're in verse eight. I heard, but I did not understand and I can see why. Lot going on. But he still wants to know more than I said. Oh, my Lord. What shall be the outcome of these things? Please tell me more. Tell me how it's all going to end. And he said, Go your way, Daniel. For the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Hey, you got to go write this down. It's got to be stored up because even at the time of the end, people are still going to be studying what I'm saying to you right now. And here's what's going to happen. There's gonna be two different responses, verse 10. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked she'll understand. But those who are wise, she'll understand. Two possible responses to what we're saying about the book of life wisdom, where you get what God saying.

[00:54:52] You apply it to your life. God changes you. You live righteous or wickedness. You keep living in your sin. You don't understand what God's saying. It doesn't change your life.

[00:55:02] Two possible ways.

[00:55:05] Verse eleven. From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the one thousand three hundred and thirty five days. But go your way to the end. And you. Now here's Jesus to Daniel. You shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end.

[00:55:31] Here's Jesus saying to Daniel. A man greatly loved. Hey, you're going to rest for a while. Daniel and you're gonna be there at the end. You're gonna see all these prophecies fulfilled at the end of time as we begin to move into the age to come into eternity. And don't worry, Daniel. You're gonna stand in your place. I got a place for you. And what he's saying here to us through Daniel Chapter twelve, the got our names written down in a book. A Book of remembrance, a book where our father in heaven writes down the names of all of his children.

[00:56:06] That he's going to spare like a man spares his own son. Point number two. Rejoice. Your name is written in heaven. There's a joy that nothing in this world can take away and is greater than anything this world can give to you. It's the joy of knowing that your name. Is in the Book of Life. That, you know, Jesus Christ, that you have trusted in what he's done. And that he has transformed your life and given you a new life. And if you have that joy, I hope that today you will rejoice. The end of the story, you will be risen to everlasting life, and I want everybody here to be able to say as we walk out these doors today, it is well with my soul.

[00:56:57] Can I get any men from anybody on that? And if you can't say that, don't walk out the doors and just go keep living.

[00:57:04] Talk to somebody. I'll be here up front. Pastor Bill and Pastor Daniel are in the back. If you don't know, as we sit here today that your name is in the Book of Life because you've been made righteous in Jesus Christ. Don't keep your soul on the line like that, please. I'm begging you, talk to somebody. Let's pray. Father in heaven. Now, we must submit that these words are hard for us to understand.

[00:57:31] God, that we are those stubborn of heart, we are those who come from a nature of sin. And we are quick to speak about what we think is going to happen and slow to listen when you tell us what is going to happen. And so, Father, I pray that you would give us in on a sense of wonder about the amazing reality of prophecy that we see in the scripture and that all the prophecies that have been fulfilled in history, all the prophecies that have been fulfilled by your son, Jesus Christ.

[00:58:00] Would give us a sense, a sense of praise that you are God, that you're in control, they would give us confidence in you as the sovereign ruler over human history, and they would give us a sense of expectation that what you have said is going to happen in the future. That has not yet come to pass, that it will be so that you are a God who does what he says.

[00:58:21] And there is no one like you. There is no one else who can call their shots. Like you. God make us people who believe you, who listen to you, who worship you. And God, I pray for everybody in this room, everybody who can hear my voice right now. God, I pray that they could do what Jesus says. And Luke, 10, 20. That they could rejoice. Because they can know there's a book of life. And their name is in it, that there will never have to be a book open saying everything they've done and they'll be judged according to what they have done, they know that Jesus was already judged in their place. And that therefore, there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ, but only the free gift of eternal life. God, for those of us who have that assurance, for those of us who know that when that roll is called up yonder, we'll be there. God, thank you. That we can say today. It is well with our soul. And for those who are troubled by this message of the future, by this message of judgment, they don't know if their names in the book. God, please let them cry out to you. Let them cry out to somebody else for help. Give them that assurance. Save them God. You say that your righteousness is not far away. Your salvation will not delay that. Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. God, show us you are here. You are in our midst and that you are mighty to save. Today we pray in Jesus name. Name.