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And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 (NKJV)
The resurrection occurs at the same time as the second coming of Christ. Most everyone agrees on this. This is the resurrection of the Christian Age
The question is when would Jesus come. This sermon is about timing, not about Jesus coming in bodily or spiritual form.
So is Daniel a predication of the Christian Age? Yes, Every Bible Scholar out there will agree. Keep in mind this is not about the nature of the body at His coming.
Daniel 12:1-7 (NKJV)
Prophecy of the End Time
12 "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,
Every one who is found written in the book.
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.
4 "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."
5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and
the other on that riverbank. 6 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?"
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river,
when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who
lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the
power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall
be finished.
Now let's review this:
1. The resurrection is at the Christian Age. (verse 2)
2. It would occur "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered" (verse 7)
Who are Daniel's holy people?
Let's quickly look at Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek
Notice the gospel is the power of God to salvation and the power of the church will never be destroyed. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:35
Now, the "holy people" cannot be the church and the power of the holy people cannot be the Gospel. The Kingdom of Christ has no end.
Daniel 7:13-14
13 "I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel's "holy people" was Old Testament Israel. And her only power was, her covenant relationship with the Lord.
So, the resurrection would happen, when Israel and her covenant relationship was "completely shattered"
We all know when this was!
Again, the only power Israel ever had was a covenant relationship with the Lord.
Again, Who are Daniel's people? Are they the Jews? Well the answer here is "yes!" But notice the people were not to be shattered. It was the power that was to be shattered. The power was the covenant. When the power was shattered that is when the Lord divorced Israel.
Now Daniel Chapter 12, leads to the teachings in the New Testament. Chapter 12 is the source for the "end of the age", "resurrection doctrine", the resurrection of the just and the unjust doctrine. It's the comparison between Daniel and the New Testament. The New Testament confirms Daniel 12. It confirms the resurrection and the second coming of Christ.
Paul preached only what was in Moses and the prophets. Paul taught and believed all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. Act 24:14 He believed what was about to be. Paul preached there was about to be a resurrection of the just and the unjust. By the way this is the only place in the Old Testament which was Paul's doctrine Daniel Chapter 12:2 for the just and the unjust.
Now, let's look at other scripture that parallels Daniel Chapter 12.
Notice Daniel 12 to Matthew 13
Daniel 12:2 (resurrection) - Matthew 13:39 (Harvest)
Daniel 12:3-4 (time of the end) - Matthew 13:39-40 (end of this age)
Daniel 12 is the Judgment, Life and condemnation - Matthew 13:24-30 (Judgment, wheat and the tares)
Daniel 12 righteous shine - Matthew 13:43 (Then shall the righteous shine) This comes from Daniel 12
Daniel 12 is the resurrection and the harvest of Matthew 13.
Keep in mind Jesus said the resurrection would take place at the end of the age Matthew 13:39 this means the first century. See more about the end of the age.
Now, Daniel 12 would be completely fulfilled "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered" all these things will be fulfilled.
Now let's review what we have so far.
The Second Coming and the resurrection would occur when the old covenant would completely be shattered. When is this?
Don't we know yet? Okay let's look at John Chapter 5
John refers back to Daniel 12. The resurrection of Daniel 12 is the just and the unjust, and In John 5:28-29 is the same thing. This show John 5 is the resurrection of Daniel 12 And we already know that the resurrection would be fulfilled "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered"
Daniel 12 is the controlling time frame of when this time frame would be fulfilled.
Now let's compare Daniel 12 to 1 Corinthians 15
Daniel 12 (Time of the end) 1 Corinthians 15 (Then comes the end)
Daniel 12 (resurrection) 1 Corinthians 15 (resurrection)
Daniel 12 (Everlasting life) 1 Corinthians 15 (immortality)
Daniel 12 (Righteous shine in the Kingdom) 1 Corinthians 15 (Entrance into the Kingdom)
Daniel 12 (Righteous shine in the Kingdom) 1 Corinthians 15 (We shall not all sleep)
Again "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered" all these things will be fulfilled.
The resurrection of Daniel 12 is the resurrection of 1 Corinthians 15.
Both predicted the resurrection of everlasting life, the Kingdom and the end of the age. This would all take place at the end of Moss's Law. And Paul confirmed that. Romans 7:6-12
As we mentioned before we are not concerned about what form (bodily or spiritual) the resurrection would be. But as a side note I must mention that Paul used the word body not bodies plural. With what body do them come in 1 Corinthians 15:35 Keep in mind this is talking about Jesus' body. We come to his body. Isn't the church His body? Isn't His body our tabernacle, The Kingdom?
Now let's look at Revelation 11 by now you can see all these New Testament texts that are taught from Daniel 12.
Daniel 12 (Time of the end) Revelation 11 (Seventh trump) Last trump 1 Corinthians 15:50
Daniel 12 (when the power of the holy people shattered) Revelation 11 (Judgment of the city where the Lord was slain)
Daniel 12 (Time of the kingdom and Mt. 13:43) Revelation 11:16 (Time of the kingdom)
Daniel 12 (resurrection) Revelation 11:16 (Time of the dead they should be judged )
Now we have the time of the end at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. The sounding of the last trumpet is what Paul says is the time of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:15
So, 1 Corinthians 15:15 is the resurrection at the last trumpet. And in Revelation 11, the resurrection at the seventh trumpet, which is the last trumpet. So both are the same
Now notice, when the power of the holy people shattered would be when the Judgment of the city where the Lord was slain. Do we know what city that was? Revelation 11:8 tells us spiritually it's called Sodom and Egypt. Only one city in all of the bible was spiritually called Sodom and that was Old Covenant Jerusalem. How do we know that? Isaiah 1:9-10 Ezekiel 16:46-56, and all of Ezekiel 23 Jerusalem was designated as Egypt and by Paul. And everyone knows Jesus was slain in Jerusalem.
So, the resurrection of Daniel 12 is the resurrection of Revelation 11:16 The resurrection of Daniel 12 was when the power of the holy people was completely shattered. Daniel 12:7. The resurrection of Revelation 11 was when the the city where the Lord was slain was destroyed.
Therefore Daniel 12 and Revelation 11 were fulfilled when the city of Jerusalem fell. (The destruction of Jerusalem or the destruction of the Temple)
So when is it, that Daniel the Prophet would be rewarded? Daniel 12:13 Many keep predicting this time. Tradition has it wrong. Daniel the Prophet would be rewarded when Revelation 11:15 would take place. The resurrection of Daniel 12 would talk place "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered" all these things will be fulfilled. It would all take place in the city where Lord was slain.
Now, before the questions comes up of "was this a foreshadow of what is to come?" The answer is not found in the bible. I can tell you this, no New Testament writer ever mentioned what was coming very soon foreshadowed anything else. No NT writer ever pointed to 70 AD as a sign or type of another END or another AGE.
The Christian Age has no end Ephesians 3:20-21
The Church will never be destroyed Daniel 7:13
The Gospel will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
1 Corinthians 10:11 The goal of all previous ages arrived in the first century. It did not point to the real goal of all ages.
Paul says the goal, not a goal. The goal of the previous ages had arrived. He uses the Greek word telos for goal. Now that means, for there to be another future resurrection, another future end of the age, then Paul was wrong to say the goal of the previous ages was coming upon them 2000 years ago.
Tradition has it that the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection would happen in the current age this Christian Age. Well friends, the Christian Age has no end. So why would there be another resurrection or third coming of Jesus.
70 AD was not a shadow it was the real thing.
Daniel 12 predicted the end of the age, the resurrection. The only age predicted to come to an end in the entire bible was the old covenant age of Israel.
The resurrection of the just and the unjust would be everlasting life or everlasting condemnation. It would be when Israel's covenant power, torah was destroyed. That cannot refer to the Christian Age because it has no end. Nor can it refer to an endless Gospel. The Second Coming of Jesus and the resurrection was in AD 70.
The Bible tells us of only two ages. The old covenant and the new covenant. The one we live in now has no end. The earth will not be destroyed nor will any sign ever show were living at the end of times. Hopefully this study has shown even more evidence, that we are living in an age that will never end. Because of this, when we die, we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord.
Adapted in part from Don K. Preston