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10, 11, and 12 basically form one narrative. So that's why it just kind of jumps in mid-dot here. And if you remember back in chapter 10 and a little bit in chapter 11, it's talking about a little bit of the spiritual warfare going on. We talked about this angel Michael, this great archangel, and also these other devils and so forth that he was doing battle with. And that's who this is talking about, Michael the archangel. It says, at that time, Michael shall stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people. And it says, there should be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. And at that time, thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Now what is this talking about? Keep your finger there, go to Matthew 24, and we're going to shed some light on this verse and make a little bit of sense out of it here. Matthew chapter 24, and we'll see almost the exact same wording about that time of trouble, such as was not since the beginning of time, no nor ever shall be. The Bible says in Matthew chapter 24 verse 21, for then shall be great, what? Tribulation. Now notice the first four letters of the word tribulation, trib, trouble, they're both related words. And he says here, for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be. Notice it's the exact same wording that was used in Daniel chapter 12. So this is talking about the tribulation. Let's keep reading in Matthew 24. It says in verse 22, and except those days should be shortened, talking about the days of that trouble, the days of that tribulation, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect saved, those days shall be shortened. The elect is talking about those who are saved, kind of like where it talks about in Romans chapter 8, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? God that justify it, you know, God before us who can be against us over and over, and I've gone through this in great detail, showing that every time the Bible used the word elect, it's talking about those who were saved. It says in Matthew 24, 23, then if any man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not, for there shall rise false Christs. So basically in the end times, during this period of tribulation, there are going to be those who claim to be Jesus Christ. Then there will be the one man who really claims to be Jesus Christ when the whole world falls, and that's known as the Antichrist. But before it comes, there'll be many Antichrists, many people claiming to be the Messiah. Even today on this earth, there are those who claim to be the second coming of Jesus Christ on this earth, and there'll be many more as we see the day approaching. So he says don't believe them. He said there'll be false Christs and false prophets and shall sow great signs and wonders and so much that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. But of course it is not possible. That's why he said they would be deceived if it were possible, but it's not. Behold, I have told you before, wherefore if they shall say unto you, behold, he's in the desert, talking about Jesus, go not forth. Behold, he's in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened. Now this is key. We're going to see this in a few places in the Old Testament. It says, shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light. So what's going to happen right after the tribulation of those days? The sun and moon are going to be darkened, right? And then it says, the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end to the other. So this is what's commonly referred to as the rapture. When Jesus Christ comes in the clouds, the trumpet is sounded, he sends forth his angels to gather together unto him his elect from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven and that's what's being described there. Now with that in mind, back in Daniel 12, keep your finger there because that's where we're going to be throughout the evening. In Daniel 12, it says, at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble. The word tribulation and trouble are used interchangeably throughout the Bible in a few places. So it just never was since there was a nation even to that same time. And it says this, and at that time, thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book. So if you remember Matthew 24, there was this great time of trouble, this great time of tribulation. False Christs, people claiming to be Jesus Christ. And if it were not for the fact that those days were shortened, no flesh would have been saved. I mean basically, all believers, all the elect, all God's people are going to be persecuted. They're going to endure affliction and trouble. At the end of that tribulation, the sun and moon are darkened, Jesus Christ comes in the cloud, the trumpet sounds, and they're gathered up together to be with him. Now, look if you would at Joel. We're in Daniel, just go a few pages to the writing of your Bible, the book of Joel. And in the book of Joel, you're going to find more about this exact subject. Now, let me just prove to you quickly that we're dealing with the same subject. In 1 Thessalonians 4, you don't have to turn there. But the Bible says, But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shell, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord, wherefore comfort one another with these words. So we're talking about the same thing, being caught up in the clouds and so forth. The next verse, 1 Thessalonians 5, 1 says, But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as the thief in the night. So this event where the sun and moon are darkened and then Jesus Christ comes in the clouds and everybody that's a believer is caught up to be with him is known as the day of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 4, because it says that in chapter 5, verse 1. With that in mind, and remembering the sun and moon being darkened, go back to Joel chapter 2. In Joel chapter 2, beginning in verse number 31, it says this, The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. Now, is that consistent with what it said in Matthew 24? Absolutely. The sun and the moon were darkened, then Jesus came in the clouds, the trumpet sound. That's what it said in 1 Thessalonians 4, same exact thing. It says, The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be, what? Delivered. That it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered for in Mount Zion in Jerusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. Go back to Daniel 12 with that in mind. So in Joel, he said, The sun and moon will be darkened after the tribulation of those days, according to Matthew 24, and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered at that time. Look, if you would, at Daniel 12, 1 again. Toward the end of the verse, it says, There shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even at that same time, and at that time, thy people shall be, what? Delivered. Everyone that shall be found written in the book. What book is that talking about? The Lamb's Book of Life. You remember in Revelation 20, at one point at the Great White Throne, the final judgment. Turn there if you would, because we're going to see something else from Revelation. Anyway, so you might as well turn to the last book in the Bible, Revelation 20. And look what it says in Revelation 20, verse 14. It says, And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. It says, This is the second death, and watch this, And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Right? So you see, if you're not, if your name's not in the book of life, at that Great White Throne judgment, where are you going according to the Bible here? You know, you're going to hell, right? And so the Bible's clear about that in chapter 20, verse 15. So he said that everyone whose name is in the book, okay, at Daniel chapter 12, verse 1, shall be delivered after that time of tribulation. That's the same as those who call upon the name of the Lord, because how do you get saved according to the Bible? The Bible says, you know, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth to Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So when Jesus Christ comes in the cloud, he's coming for those that are saved. And they got saved because they had called upon the name of the Lord, because they, you know, of course the next words after, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, he said, How then shall they call on him, and whom they have not believed? You know, because you have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, and that's expressed with your mouth when you call upon him for salvation. And so it's clear here that Daniel 12.1 is talking about what event? The same day the rapture, he's talking about there's a time of tribulation, there's a time of trouble, at that time those will be delivered whose names are found in the book. That deliverance, and look at Acts chapter 2, that deliverance is talking about when Jesus Christ comes and rescues them from this horrible period of tribulation, which if they were not rescued from it, no flesh would be saved. They would be eventually annihilated by the anti-Christ and all these other things that are involved in tribulation. Where did I return? I don't know why I did that. Go to Revelation 12, we don't have time for that, I'm sorry. I'm trying to condense everything, you know, we're only on verse 1 here, and we've got to get through this quickly. And so there's a lot to talk about in this chapter, Daniel chapter 12. But now we get to Daniel 12.1 in the proper context, we can compare it. Okay, the New Testament explains this. Look at Revelation chapter 12, here's a key thing. It says in verse number 1, And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she, being with child, cried, traveling at birth and paying to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up unto God unto his throne. So, John sees this very cryptic vision, right? A woman with a crown of the sun, moon and stars are adorning her, basically. And this woman is in labor pains and she gives birth to this child, and that child was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Of course, we know that's Jesus Christ. The dragon standing before her ready to devour the child as soon as it's born, later in the chapter it tells us that the dragon is Satan, the devil. Do you remember when Jesus was born? King Herod, okay, basically fulfilling the will of Satan there, King Herod commanded that every child that was two years old and younger be killed in the area where Jesus was from. And if you remember, Joseph and Mary had to take Jesus in the middle of the night and get out of there and they went down to Egypt to hide because they were warned by God. An angel came and told Joseph to get out of there because they were trying to kill Jesus Christ, because it was the devil trying to make sure that Jesus would be killed as a baby. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish there, but that's what's being explained in this symbolism here, this cryptic description in Revelation 12. But look what happens next. It says, her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. That's verse 5. That's obviously after Jesus died and was buried and rose again, he ascended up to heaven. It says, and the woman fled into the wilderness where she had the place prepared of God, that they should feed her there 1,203 score days, which is exactly three and a half years. And it says in verse 7, And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels. Remember Michael from Daniel 12.1? Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought against his angels. So this is the devil and his angels fighting against Michael and his angels. And prevailed not, and neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives under the dead. Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. It says next here, When the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Now I know this is very cryptic and everything, but earlier in the passage he talked about 1260 days. Here he talks about a time, times, and half a time, which is three and a half, which would be like three and a half years, which would be like 1260 days. So it's probably talking about the same period of time. Although it could be talking about three and a half years, 1260 days, and then three and a half months, but we're going to get to that later in the sermon. But the point is here that this persecution taking place, is because the devil is cast out of heaven, he knows he only has a short time. Now has that already happened yet? No. Because of the fact that right now the Bible says that the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The Bible talks about the devil being up in heaven, accusing the brethren before God, day and night. Remember in the book of Job, he was up there criticizing Job unto God. So he has not yet been completely banished and thrown out of heaven. When he is, he only has a short time. You know, 1260 days, three and a half months, three and a half years, these different figures that are cast around. It's a very short time where he goes to persecute God's people with intensity. Now many people will say, well, he's persecuting the Jews. No, because look at verse 17. It says the dragon was wrong with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed. Well, he's going to tell us who that is, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. So we're talking about believers in Jesus Christ that are being persecuted here in Revelation 12. Now, Michael the archangel, if you remember, there was this war in heaven. Michael the archangel and his angels, and then the dragon and his angels, they fight each other. They're defeated, the devil that is, and cast out of heaven, cast down to the earth. Okay, everybody got that? Now, keeping that in mind, go back to Daniel chapter 12. It says in Daniel chapter 12, verse number 1, we're back at the very beginning. At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people, and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even at that time. So basically, what starts this time of trouble? Michael standing up, right? That war taking place in heaven. See how these events are in perfect chronology, whether you're in Revelation, Matthew 24, Daniel. Basically, you've got this war in heaven. Michael's standing up, the devil being cast down to the earth. Because the devil knows he only has a short time, he goes out to persecute the remnant of the woman's seed that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Then in chapter 13, which we did not have time to read, we read the whole chapter, chapter 12 virtually. But in chapter 13, how does the dragon make war against the saints? He uses the antichrist. The Bible says the dragon gave him his power, his seed and great authority, and he made war with the saints and he overcame them. Okay, so we see that the tribulation starts with what? The devil being cast out of heaven by Michael the archangel. That begins this time of persecution and tribulation for God's people, which, thank God, is cut short eventually by the rapture. Okay, which following the rapture, God pours out his wrath on this earth and there's all kinds of blood in the streets and everything like that. And that's another sermon. So there's a lot in verse 1, isn't there? That verse, Daniel. The whole book of Daniel is a pretty cryptic book and it has a lot packed in it. Now, if you're reading Daniel back then, you had a hard time understanding it because Daniel didn't even understand it. Because look at Daniel, chapter 12, verse 8. It says, I heard, but I understood not. So he's talking about the things that he just heard and he says, I didn't understand what I was hearing. He says, I understood not. Then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? He's like, what is the end of this? What does it mean? And he said in verse 9, Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. So basically, Daniel hears all this cryptic stuff in verse 1 and another verse. And he says, I don't really understand all of this. I don't really know what this means. And basically the angel just tells him, hey, don't worry about it. It's not going to be for a really long time. Seal up the words. This is for a long time, many days in the future. We, on the other hand, in the New Testament, we have the luxury to flip over to Revelation 12 and 13 and compare it and see exactly what it's talking about. We've got the book of Joel. We can compare that. We've got the book of Matthew 24. We can look at Luke 17, Luke 21. We can look at Mark 13. We can look at 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. We have all the answers today because we have the New Testament to interpret these verses for us. And so that's the way you have to understand. A lot of Old Testament prophecies are very dark and cryptic, but the New Testament has the answers and will explain them. And that's the best way to understand the Old Testament. Don't just read the book of Daniel and just start making stuff up like, hmm, you know, I think this represents this and I think this represents that. No, you've got to let the New Testament, which is clear, interpret the dark sayings of the book of Daniel, not vice versa. Don't let Daniel contradict something in the New Testament. Daniel is written in a much more cryptic way. It's a way where Daniel didn't understand it. We in the New Testament have the New Testament. We have Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit showing us all these things. And it's very easy for us to understand Daniel 12. But we have to use the New Testament to show us what it means. That's why Daniel didn't understand it because he didn't have the New Testament back then. Let's move forward here. We're through the big verse. So the rest of the book will go fast, the rest of the chapter will go fast. But it says in chapter 2, it says, And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting content. Now, this verse right here is just a generalized statement about the fact that there are going to be two resurrections, okay? Not any kind of time frame here. He's just explaining in general that, hey, there are going to be two resurrections. Basically, the righteous will be resurrected to everlasting life. And that the wicked will basically, or some, he just said some, to shame and everlasting content. Go to John 5, John chapter 5, where Jesus talks about this. Jesus talks about this exact subject. He says in John chapter 5, verse number 26, Because the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. Let's back up to verse 25, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Look at verse 27, And have given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the grave shall hear His voice, and shall come forth. They that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. Now, what is this talking about, the resurrection of damnation? Well, this is referring to the great white throne of judgment in Revelation 20. The Bible says, The sea gave up the dead which are in it. Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to his works. And He said, Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. You see, this is not to be interpreted in John chapter 5 here, that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. Because He says, They that have done good unto the resurrection of life, they that have done, let me just make sure I don't read it wrong here, they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. See, the problem is, that there's not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Jesus later in the same book, you know, will tell those that there is none good but one, and that's God. Jesus Christ said many times, people asked Him, What good thing shall I do to turn up? He said, There's none good but one, and that's God. In Romans chapter 2, He explains, that if you did good your whole life and kept all the commandments, He explains this in Romans chapter 2, that if you lived a perfect life, you would go to heaven. But then He explains how, guess what, we've all sinned though. No one lives a perfect life. And then in Romans chapter 3, He says, As it is written, There's none righteous, no, not one. He said, If all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, then He says, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Because you see, no one can be good enough to go to heaven. You know, you can go out and do all kinds of good works, but the Bible says, All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags to God. I mean, none of us, we can go out and do good, and we think we're good, but when God compares it to His Son Jesus Christ, it's not even close. We all have come short of the glory of God. I mean, the Bible says clearly in Romans 3, Psalm 14, Psalm 53, There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Okay, so how are we going to get to heaven then, if we're not good? Paul said it this way. He said, Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, you know, which is by keeping the commandments, keeping the law. He said, Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. In Romans 4, he says that if we believe our Christ, Christ's righteousness will be imputed unto us. It'll be put on our account, just as our sins were put on His account when He died for us on the cross. And so you see here, there are two resurrections. The resurrection of damnation is when all the souls that are in hell in Revelation 20 will come up out of hell, be judged by their works and condemned to eternity in the lake of fire. Now you say, Well, I don't really believe hell is eternal. A lot of people say, Well, I don't believe hell is eternal. I think it's just, you know, they burn up and that's it. You know, it's over. Well, these verses here, he said here, you know, the resurrection of damnation, we understand that. He said in Daniel chapter 12 that some would rise to shame and everlasting contempt. In Matthew 25, 41, you don't have to turn there, but Jesus said, Depart from me, ye cursed in the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. A few verses down, He said, These shall go away in the everlasting punishment, but the righteous in the life eternal. According to the Bible, hell is an everlasting punishment. Let me just break that down for you. It's a punishment that lasts forever. That's what everlasting punishment means. I mean, it's a punishment that doesn't end. That's why the Bible says in Revelation 14, 10, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup as indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb, and they have no rest, or I'm sorry, the smoke of their torment has ended up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast in the image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. The Bible's clear that hell is an everlasting punishment. It's no rest. It's torment that goes on. It's a horrible place. That's why Jesus talked about it so much. He didn't want anybody to go there because it's a place of fire. He said over and over again. He even warned people with such extreme language that He said, If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee, for it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, you know, having one hand than having two hands to go into, to enter into hell fire, where the worm died not and the fire is not quenched, you know. Hell's a horrible place. It's not something I like to think about it, that I think about, but it's a real place, and it's a place of torment. Thank God He loves us. He doesn't want anybody to go there. All we have to do, it's easy, just believe on Jesus Christ, receive His free gift of eternal salvation that He purchased for us on the cross. I mean, it's not hard to be saved. Jesus did the hard part when He died for all our sins and paid the price for our sins. But back in Daniel chapter 12, so we see that there is life after death, isn't there? Those that are saved will live forever. They will never die. The moment they breathe their last breath, according to the Bible, the body will be buried, but the soul will be in heaven with Jesus Christ instantly. Paul said, I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. He said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He said, I know I need to be here because I have work that God asked for me to do on this earth, but He said, I'm not afraid to die. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? He said, I desire to depart and to be with Christ. He said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And whilst we're at home in the body, we're absent from the Lord. So He said, it'd be great to go to heaven and be with Jesus. And then the unsaved, of course, remember in the book of Luke chapter 16, an unsaved man died and boom. It says in hell, he looked up his eyes being in torments and he's begging for a drop of water and he's in hell. That fast, it's that fast. Amen. There is eternal punishment to those that are not saved and there's eternal blessing and glory for those that are saved. Back to Daniel chapter 12. He said in verse 2, many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to have a lasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. But look at verse 3. Oh, by the way, does anybody know what the word contempt means? Contempt. It's related to the word condemn. What's that? Extreme dislike, hatred. Extreme dislike, hatred. What if I said that someone looked at me with contempt? What does that mean? You know, they're giving me a hateful look, right? What if I, you know, basically if you look up the word contempt, it means to hate something, to loathe something, to hate. I mean, that's pretty much what it means, hatred. You know, so basically, you know, God's love is not abiding on people who are in hell. I mean, basically they're facing God's wrath. And God's a very loving God. I mean, God is love. And God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. He said, for God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. And so right there, you see, that God loves, man, that's why he died for each and every person in this world, because he loved them. But if someone will not receive the gift of eternal life, if someone will not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible says he that believeth on the son of God, he said he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. You know, the wrath of God. Wrath is what? Anger. You know, contempt, anger, wrath. You know, hell is a place of punishment and horror. It's not a place of experiencing the love of God. It's a place of experiencing the wrath of God. And it's a place of everlasting punishment and everlasting contempt. It's a horrible place. But he says in verse 3, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. Now, what does this mean here that the righteous will, though the wise, will shine as the stars, and that those that turn many to righteousness will basically shine as stars forever and ever? Well, look at 1 Corinthians 15. I think it's the best place to explain this in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 15. The Bible is talking here about the resurrection, because that's the context, really, of Daniel 12.3. In 12.2, we talked about the resurrection of the saved. Their body will be resurrected, and then the unsaved will also be resurrected to a further damnation in the lake of fire. But he talks about it in 1 Corinthians 15 about the resurrection. He says in verse 35, but some man will say, some man will say, how are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come? Thou fool. That which thou sowest is not quickened. Quickened means made alive, except it died. It's talking about sowing a seed here. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain. It may chance of wheat or of some other grain. But God giveth it a body, as it hath pleased him into every seed his own body. So basically, this is like what Jesus said in John 12. He said, except a corn of wheat, fall to the ground and die to buy it alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Basically, the process of life in the plant world is that plants grow, and they produce fruit. And in that fruit is the seed, right? The seed is in the fruit. And when that plant dies, when that part of the plant falls off and is no longer connected to the life of the plant and is dead, it's not connected to the life that's coming through those... Like, would you say that an apple is alive? Yeah. I mean, not the one in your fridge. I mean, that'd be a little weird, right? I mean, once it's in the fridge, it's not alive anymore. Now, the tree is alive, right? And while the apple is connected to that tree, it's receiving nutrition, it's growing, it's part of the organism which is the tree. I mean, if you think about it, the fruit often... Now, I'm not an expert in botany and biology, but basically, you know, I've never been a farmer or anything like that. But we know that, of course, you know, you see a plant as like a flower, and then that part of the flower becomes the fruit and swells up and has the seeds inside of it. It basically wilts away. I mean, the flower goes through a life and then dies, as it were. And when the plant falls off, it's no longer connected to the life of that tree. It's not a living thing. Jesus has used the example here of something dying, falling into the ground, a seed being planted, and then, of course, the fruit around the seed provides nutrition for that seed, and then that seed produces a new plant. It grows up a new creature. Well, that's the illustration. You ever wonder why people all over the world bury people when they die? It's because of this, because it's a symbol that when you bury the body, it's a symbol of your planting the seed, believing that Jesus Christ will one day resurrect the body, at the rapture when the trumpet sounds. Now, of course, the moment that a believer dies, their soul is in heaven with Christ, but the body does not go to heaven. The body stays here, and we bury the body as a symbolism here of what he's talking about here. Basically, it's planted, and then it's going to be raised up one day just as a seed dies, is planted, and then produces a new life. That's what he's explaining here in 1 Corinthians 15. So he says here in verse 37 to 38 about the seed, the grain, the wheat, how it falls into the ground, it dies, and then it creates a new plant. It says in verse 39, all flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies. This is referring to basically that the sun, moon, and stars are referred to as the celestial bodies, right? He says there are celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial. That's bodies that are upon this earth, okay? And the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another star in glory. You say glory? What is that thing? We're not talking about glory in a metaphorical sense, like glory as in, wow, I won the prize, I got the glory. No, glory here, when he's talking about different stars varying in glory, the sun and moon, it's talking about their brightness, okay? The glory shown about them, the Bible says, it's a shine, it's a brightness is the word that we would use. Basically, this glory is talking about that the sun has more glory than the moon. It basically is brighter, it shines brighter. And different stars are brighter than one another. And he's explaining here that there is a difference in the glory of these various objects, and he says in verse 42, so also is the resurrection of the dead. So basically, he's comparing the resurrection of the believers to the sun, moon, and stars, and that they differ in glory, right? The stars have different glory from one another, the sun and moon have a different glory. He said so also is the resurrection of the dead. Then he goes back to his seed illustration. It is sown in corruption, talking about sowing the seed. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in what? In glory. And it says, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power, it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. So there's a difference, isn't there, between the spiritual body and the natural body. The natural body, when Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. He was no longer in the natural body, he was in the glorified spiritual body. And if you remember, he still had flesh and bone. He said, come handle me. He said, a spirit hath not flesh and bone as you see me to have. And you remember, the disciples literally handled him. So it was not just an apparition or a ghost or his spirit. No, Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead, but he was not raised the same as he was before. He was sown a natural body, he was raised a spiritual body. He was called the firstfruits of the resurrection. Look at verse 20 of the same chapter we're in, 1 Corinthians 15-20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. He said in verse 22, For as in Adam all die, even so Christ shall be made alive, but every man in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's, that are Christ's at his coming. So this hasn't happened yet. Jesus Christ rose from the dead 2,000 years ago. We will be raised, you know, those who died, obviously before he gets here, those who are asleep in Jesus, the Bible calls them, their souls in heaven, their bodies in the grave, will be risen again when that trumpet sounds. But they will be raised a spiritual body. For example, Jesus Christ, if you remember, obviously he was able to go back and forth between heaven and earth. Can we do that right now in our natural body? No. You remember that they had all the doors shut in the room where they were assembled, and Jesus just walked in? You know, how did he get in? We don't really know. But if you remember, whenever Jesus Christ was seen in heaven, and whenever he was also seen in his glory of his second coming at the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17, remember how his face shone, and it was a brightness, there was a glory? And when John saw him, he said that his face was as shining as the sun, and he couldn't even look upon him, it was just such brightness, such extreme brightness, and when he saw him, he just fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon him saying, but fear not, I am the first and the last, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. So what does all this mean, Pastor Anderson? Well, the resurrection is going to be a glorified body, but is everyone's glory going to be the same? According to this passage in 1 Corinthians 15. Will my glory be the same as your glory, the same as his glory, as the same as Jesus' glory, as the same of the glory of every Christian? We're all going to be the same, right? No, there's going to be a difference, the Bible says. In the resurrection, there will be a difference in glory. Some will receive more glory than others. You remember, of course, many parables that Jesus talked about, when he comes back, people will be rewarded based upon what they did with their life, and he talks about the man who had turned the one talent into ten talents. He told him, be thou over ten cities. He gave him that reward, he gave him that authority, and then he basically ends up with an eleventh city, because he basically picks up one from the guy who really blew it, you know, at the bottom and only had the one talent. He's like, we'll take it from him and give it to this guy. So the top guy got like an eleven, you know, and then the other guy had turned it into five, and it was like, be thou over five cities, you know. So there's different rewards based upon what you do for Jesus Christ. You say, well, Pastor Anderson, I don't want to, you know, be resurrected, you know, and be in heaven and be in the millennial kingdom and just be like this really dimly lit, you know what I mean? Like, that's not a lot of glory, you know. Look at Daniel chapter 12. Now, who's going to have the ultimate glory? Obviously, Jesus Christ would be represented by like the glory of the sun, you know, just the extreme brightness where it just outshines. Have you ever heard that song, Jesus shall outshine them all? Have you ever heard that song? Good night. I've heard that song a million times. Isn't it in the hymnal? Have you heard it? Yeah, you can't put your hand up because your hands are full. So the one person who starts the song, their hands are full, they can't raise their hand. Somebody else knows the song. Jesus shall outshine them all, you know. I think it's in the hymnal somewhere, I don't know, maybe not. But anyway, the bottom line is Jesus has the ultimate glory. I mean, he has all glory. I mean, he's the one, everyone who's saved is because of him. I mean, he died for our sins. He was raised again. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He was God in the flesh. I mean, obviously, he has the ultimate glory. No one can hold a candle to him. Obviously, we all bow to his feet as the supreme Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But look at Daniel 12. Because you say, well, how do I increase the glory? You know what I mean? Because you don't want to be the most dimmest one in the resurrection, right? I mean, John the Baptist was a great man, right? I mean, he did have a lot of glory. And you say, no, no, no, Pastor Aaron, everybody's equal to God. Well, Jesus said that among them that are born of women, he said there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Not withstanding he did his least and the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. He talked many times about one being greater than another. You know, we get brainwashed sometimes, like, well, nobody's better than anyone else. You know, but that's not true because we can make ourselves better. We can do more. And the thing is, King Saul was told that the kingdom would be taken from him and given to a man that was better than him, you know. And so this is something that's taught. Look what it says in verse 3, Daniel chapter 12 verse 3. It says, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. So who is it that's going to be glorified with Jesus Christ? And the Bible says, you know, we look up the word glorified. It talks about us being glorified together with him. Who is going to be glorified? Those that are wise and that turn many to righteousness. They will shine as the stars forever and ever, okay. Now look at Proverbs 11, 30. Keep your finger there, Daniel 12. I know we're only in verse 3, but the sermon's almost over because don't worry about it. We have to end at a certain time anyway. But look at Proverbs. And the main reason that I'm spending so much time on the first three verses is because they're so interesting, number one. Number two is because we've already gone over most of Daniel 12 in previous weeks because we kept jumping into Daniel 12 when we were in chapter 10, chapter 11 just to make things make sense a little bit. So I've kind of already covered most of Daniel 12. So I want to show you this. Look at Proverbs 11, 30. Now you've probably heard us use the term soul winning. You know, we use the term soul winning a lot. And a lot of people say that that's an unscriptural term. They'll say like, wow, what do you mean soul? You know, we don't win souls. What does that mean? And that's not a biblical term. It is a biblical term because it's found right here in Proverbs 11, 30. It says in Proverbs 11, 30, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise. Now, look at that first phrase there. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. We talked about this before. You know, everything brings forth after its own kind all the way back to Genesis 1. If we were to say the fruit of the apple tree is going to be an apple, an orange is going to produce oranges. If an orange brings forth fruit, if it falls to the ground and dies and that seed is planted, we know that the tree will grow and produce oranges. The tree is known by its fruit. Everything brings forth after its own kind. If my wife and I bring forth fruit, well, we already have, you know, number six is on the way. So we've been very fruitful, okay? God told Adam and Eve, be fruitful and multiply. So we as believers are to bring forth fruit. Now many people say, you know, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith, temperance. Against us there is no law. Those are things that we should have in our life. But those are the fruit of the Spirit who dwells with us. That's His fruit. He is love. God is love. So He brings forth love, okay? But when it comes to Christians bringing forth fruit, He attaches numbers to it. Remember in Matthew 13, He said they bring forth fruit some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some hundred. You can't bring forth thirty loves, you know? Sixty joys. Sixty joys. You see what I'm saying? And so fruit is quantitative. It's counted. You know, you can count on my children. Multiplication, reproduction is what fruit bearing is. It's bringing forth after your own kind. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. How does the righteous bring forth fruit? By winning souls. That's what it says. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he that winneth souls is wise. But look at the next words. Verse 31 ties in with Daniel 12-3. Behold, the righteous shall be what? Recompensed. That means he's going to be rewarded. That means he's going to get the wages for what he's not. It says the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth much more the wicked and the sinner. God says we will be rewarded in this earth. For what? For soul winning, right? For turning many to righteousness. Now remember he said they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. What does he say here? The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life and he that winneth souls is wise. Okay, the wise, the one who wins souls, the one who turns many to righteousness, he will shine as the stars forever and ever. He will be recompensed in the earth. He will be rewarded by God. You say why would God reward me? I mean, you know, we don't deserve rewards. We don't deserve any of the glory. I mean, he should get all the glory. You know, why don't we get any reward? I mean, good night. He died for our sins. He did everything for us. He gave us a home in heaven. He forgave all our sins. Like, he doesn't owe me anything. Why would I be rewarded by God? That's where you're wrong because he does owe us something and I'll prove it to you. Go to John 4. John 4 explains why God owes us rewards. You say, what? God isn't just giving us rewards just to be nice as a bonus. No, he owes us rewards and let me prove it to you why. In John chapter 4, we're going to show the word wages. Oh, you know what? I thought it was in John chapter 4. Oh, yeah, it is John chapter 4. Verse 35, he says this, Say not ye there are four months and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest, and he that reapeth receiveth what? Wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal. And when he's saying, lift up your eyes on the harvest, he's talking about this unsaved woman at the well and all the other unsaved people that she brings to Jesus who are all getting saved. He said, this is the harvest. He looked on the multitudes in Matthew 9. He was moved with compassion. He said, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he'll send forth labourers into his harvest. Those who labour in the harvest reaping, reaping, you know, the Bible talked about Paul getting people saved and it said, I sowed and other watered, God gave the increase, we reaped the fruit, we gathered fruit unto everlasting life. He says, we receive wages for that. Go to Romans 11. This is the last place we'll turn and then I'll prove to you why we need to receive wages for preaching the gospel to every creature. Because you say, no, Pastor Anderson, no, God doesn't owe me anything. You know, I don't deserve that. Well, let me show you why we will be rewarded for our works as Christians. The key is found in verse number 6 of Romans 11. Okay, the Bible says this, and if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. Now that's a great verse but that's not really the one I want to read. Go back to Romans 4. That's a good verse too and it really has to do with what I was saying. But go to Romans chapter 4 and look at verse 4. It says this, Now the hymn that worketh is the reward, not reckoned of grace, but of debt. Now what does that mean? That means when someone works for you, you owe them that money. Right? Now, when I go to work and my boss gives me a paycheck, does he say, well, here's a gift for you. And if he did say that, you'd be indignant. Here, I have a gift for you, your paycheck. You'd say, that's not a gift. You owe me that. I've earned that. That's my wages, right? Now, of course, the Bible says, the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. So eternal life isn't something we earn, is it? It's not of works. It's by grace. It's free. But wages are something you earn and to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt. He's saying, when you work, and even in our lives, if somebody does work for us, we need to pay that person, right? Because otherwise, we're not paying our debt. And God said that he'll be a debtor to no man. God will pay what he owes, always. That's part of his nature. Well, let's say I went out, let's say I got saved at six years old, which is what I did. I believed on Jesus when I was six years old. Well, let's say I go out and do a ton of work for God, right? And God says, well, I'm not going to pay you or give you any reward for that. I'm not going to give you any wages for that because I already gave you this gift of eternal life. You know, that's enough. I mean, I'm already giving you a home in heaven. I've already forgiven all your sins and given you eternal life. That's enough. Well, then here's the problem with that. Then it would be like we were paying back part of that gift. Then it's like it wasn't quite a gift, was it? You see what I'm saying? If it were given to us as a gift, I mean, think about this. What if your job, maybe this will help you understand a little bit. Let's say you go to work, right? And your boss says, here is a gift, okay? Now, who's been in a job where you received gifts from the boss? I've received some gifts. You know, sometimes, for example, I worked at an alarm company. We received a Thanksgiving turkey. He would buy us the turkey. It was really nice of him. You know, and it wasn't anything that we earned. It was just a gift. It was just here. And then at Christmas, at another job I worked at, we would have a Christmas tree with presents under it. And we would go to work, like, a few days before Christmas, and we would literally unwrap presents, and it was like tools and stuff, you know, just like, you know, nice stuff, just to help us enjoy our job more. So we'd get some cool, nice tools and whatever. Now, those were gifts. Those were not earned. We didn't have those coming to us. That was just out of the goodness of our heart. Well, what if then on my next paycheck, that was deducted? It's like, wait a minute. Why did I only get, you know, $500? I was supposed to get $700. It's like, well, don't you remember those gifts? Those were $200 worth. Now, would those be gifts anymore? No. So if you went out after you're saved and did a bunch of good works for God, and then God said, well, you know, I've already done so much for you because of this gift I gave you of eternal life of a home in heaven, then it would be like we paid for part of the gift, didn't we? See what I'm saying? Do you think God is going to allow that? No. The gift of God's eternal life, He doesn't want to share that glory in our salvation. I mean, He paid, Jesus paid it all. It's a free gift, everlasting life. It's to whosoever believeth, not to Him that works. And so therefore, God, in order to stay true to His nature, not only does He give us this outstanding gift of eternal life, the unspeakable gift is what the Bible calls it. We can't even put it into words. We don't even know how great it is until we get to heaven. You know, we'll see how great it is. But He says, not only that, He says, I've got work for you to do. I want you. He said, I've got works that I've ordained that you should walk in. You know, your job is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I mean, you need to go out and turn many to righteousness, win souls, preach the gospel to every creature. And He says, not only that, but because you're saved, you're saved, you're saved, you're saved. And He says, not only that, but because you're working for me, you will receive wages. You will receive a reward. You will be recompensed in the earth. I promise you that. Do you see now why it's so important why God rewards us? I mean, this is an important doctrine. And many Christians today, they don't believe in rewards. They'll say like, well, you know that everybody who's saved goes to heaven, unsaved goes to hell, and we're all the same, you know, we're all living in this equality and so forth. But it's not true. The truth of the matter is that you'll be paid in the world to come for what you've done on this earth. And He said, whatever you give up for Him, He'll pay you back a hundredfold. I mean, He'll pay you wages, the Bible says in John chapter 4, if you're a reaper. But if you spend your life, if you're saved and you spend your life just working for yourself and just everything's about you and you're not really doing anything for God, and you're just building your own business, nothing wrong with building a business, but, you know, you're just building a business, spending your time on yourself, spending your spare time on yourself. If you don't win any souls to Christ, if you don't bring forth any fruit, if you don't gather any fruit on the everlasting life, you know, when payday comes around, you know, hey, thank God you'll be there. You know, just being in heaven is great enough, but you know what? I want to get that big paycheck, you know what I mean? I want to get the big bonus. You know, nobody likes working a bunch of overtime, but you like payday, right? You like, oh, man, you know, you get this huge paycheck. Think about the paycheck for those who work for God. He's not going to stiff you. He's not going to split hairs with you and nickel and dime you and, well, I don't know, you know, how hard, you know, we'll just give you half of it. You know, I mean, he's not a cheapskate, right? Isn't that interesting? I mean, we're going to be rewarded, and part of that reward is that, you know, we're going to be glorified with him. That's part of our reward. We're going to be crowned with him. We're going to receive a crown of glory, the Bible says, and one last verse, I'll quote to you, since I promised that that was the last place we were going to turn, and I want to break that promise, is in 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul said, What is our joy or hope or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming, for ye are our glory and joy. That's the good thing about having it memorized, because then it's just saying we're not turning anywhere else and I can just keep preaching as long as I want but the point is that Paul talked to the Thessalonians, who him and Silvanus and Timotheus, Silvanus and Silas are the same person, Paul and Silas and Timothy had won them to Christ and he said, Hey, you're our reward. You know, you're our glory. You're our rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming. So you see, the best way to get rewarded by God is to go out into the harvest and be a reaper. You know, go out and turn many to righteousness, win souls to Jesus Christ. That's the way to earn those rewards and you know, God has commanded us to do that work but just because he's commanded us to do it doesn't mean he's not going to reward us. He will reward us for the work that we do. I mean, I'm commanded to do things at my job, you're commanded to do things at your job but you get paid and God's no exception. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you so much for this great book of the Bible. Daniel is probably one of the most difficult books that I've preached through in the last 12 weeks but God, thank you so much for the wonderful things that we've learned and help us to keep reading the book of Daniel and keep learning more, Father and I pray that you just bless every single person that's here and help them to get motivated to get out there in the harvest to do the work, dear God and to realize that the rewards are going to outweigh the sufferings one day. And in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.