The Fifth Vision: The Time of the Romans
Daniel 11:36-12:13
Daniel 11:36-12:13
Sermon Summary In this section of Daniel's 5th vision, the Lord reveals the conquest of the Romans over the land of Judea and the events leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. |
Message begins at approximately the 34 min. mark.
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Good morning! I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Daniel 11. This morning we are going to pick up in verse 36. We’ve had a little break, but we are coming to the last section in the book of Daniel.
A few weeks ago we looked at the first 35 verses of chapter 11. If you were here you may remember that we looked at the Greek Empire. Specifically, we looked at the two Greek empires which were to the north and South of Judah. And we saw that in this passage the Lord predicted the 6 wars that would ensure between these two nations.
And in that study we saw that there were many benefits to our spiritual walk. We learned how trustworthy our bibles are. After all, God gave us incredible detail about the events that would transpire in the 400 years of history that came after Daniel. And that incredible specificity and exactness gives us reason to trust our God as the true God.
We learned about perseverance. That was going to be a time of great suffering. These armies were constantly marching through the land of Judea and many of these battles took place right in their back yards. God gave them this information ahead of time as a way of helping them remain steadfast.
Most of all, we were reminded of God’s covenant. Despite all the pain and turmoil that was going on all around them, they could rest assured that the Lord had not given up on His ultimate goal. We could be assured that he was remaining faithful to his covenant and working out the details of his plan of salvation.
Today, we are beginning our study in verse 36 and we will go into chapter 12. We will actually finish the book today.
And we are beginning to look at the Roman Period. At least, that’s the view I am going to put before you. We’ll talk about some other view. But I believe that this has to do with the ongoing history immediately following the time of the Greeks.
You will remember what has been the focus of the book of Daniel. In chapter two, there were four kingdoms to which we were introduced: Babylon, Persian, Greek, and Roman. As the book of Daniel has unfolded, we have gotten more and more information about each of these kingdoms.
And we are going to continue the same style that we used last time we were in Daniel. Rather than reading all of it at once, we are going to read a section and then I will offer some comments on it.
Let’s read verses 36-39. And the question I want you to try and answer is this: To whom does this refer?
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. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.
Now the first question that we need to deal with is “to whom does this refer”? Verse 36 talks about “a king.” Up until this time we’ve always talked about the king of the north or the king of the south. Now it’s just a king.
There are three views on this. The first view is what I call the Greek View. Those who hold this position say that Daniel circles back to talk about Antiochus IV again. If you were here when we went through chapter 11, you may remember that A4 was the last king of the north that we studied. He was a bad dude; a real enemy of the Jews. Those who hold the Greek view think that verse 36 is going back to talk about him.
I think that’s kind of odd to digress backwards though. It doesn’t seem natural to break the chronology.
A second view is the futurist view. Instead of going back in history, this view does the opposite. It fast forwards through history into the distant future. This is the view that Dispensationalists take. They see this referring to a future antichrist that will arise just before the end of time. He will establish a one world government and be a rabid blasphemer.
There are a number of reasons I don’t take this view. But, mainly, it’s the same reason that I don’t take the first view. It seems unnatural to the text to leap over thousands of years and land somewhere in the far off future.
What makes the most sense to me is that this continues to develop the immediate history.
Daniel has been moving methodically through history, and it seems to make sense that he would continue to do so without backtracking or skipping forward over 2000 years.
Last time we left off with the Maccabean Revolt, which brought in a 100 year independence for the land of Judea. But around 64 BC, that came to an end. At that time the Romans start moving into the area and occupying the Judean territory. It began with the conquest of Pompey and then was furthered by guys like Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus.
Another reason why I take this view is because the Roman Caesars fit the best with what is described in these verses. For instance, in verse 36 the king is described as one who “exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god.” Verse 37 says that “he did not know the gods of their fathers.”
To make sense of this you have to think about the Imperial cult of the Roman world (i.e. the worship of Caesar). All the other nations we have studied (Babylonians, Persians, Greeks) worshipped idols. They had their gods and they made images of those gods. It’s true that the Romans had their gods, but if the truth be told: they didn’t really care about those gods all that much. What mattered most to them was the worship of the emperors. You could worship your gods, that wasn’t a big deal. But you HAD to worship Caesar. Offering incense to Caesar was mandatory because the Caesars were thought to be divine.
If the Imperial cult was supplanted by any god, it was the god of force (i.e. god of fortresses, v. 38). The Romans prided themselves on their strength. They were a culture of dominance and ruthlessness. If you were here when we studied this previously you will remember that I read a quote from one commentator who said that the Romans did not in any way treat the nations which they conquered kindly. They had no intention of building up those lands and did not concern themselves with their prosperity. They simply wanted to put their boots in their faces and make them submit. It was all about power and dominance. So, if they had any god, it was the god of force.
But in verse 39 I believe we have a specific reference to Pompey and his conquest of Jerusalem. In 65 BC Pompey came into the land of Judea and began to exert Roman rule over it. He not only sacked Jerusalem, he also entered the temple and the holy of holies. This is likely what the passage means when it says he shall deal with the “strongest fortresses.” The Temple is regarded as the strongest fortress because it was considered the dwelling place of God.
But the end result was that Pompey put governors (i.e. rulers) over the land and began to lay tribute upon the people. The land was “divided for a price” in that the Jews were now required to pay taxes to the Roman Empire.
Hopefully you see at least some reason why I take this as referring to the Roman Period. And in verses 40-45 we move into the time of Julius Caesar and his war with Pompey.
40 "At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
Now again, the main focal point here is Julius Caesar. You notice that the king of the north and the king of the south are mentioned again. The king of the south is again the land of Egypt and the different Ptolematic Pharoah’s who reigned at that time. The king of the north is still this area of Syria.
If you look at our map, you’ll see that Pompey has come to control the area of the north. As you may guess, Julius Caesar and Pompey, who used to work together, come to be in a power struggle to be #1. Caesar begins a conquest of this land and Pompey launches attacks. Caesar defeats him and Pompey ends up fleeing to Egypt for refuge, where he attempts to make an alliance with the Ptolemy ruler. All the while Julius Caesar is taking control of Syria & Judea.
Needless to say there are many battles and lots of people die. The main idea is that Judea is again trampled with more troops. It continues to be something of a literal “stomping ground” for the major world empires.
In the end, Caesar takes over Judea and Egypt. It is during this time that he utters those famous words, “Veni. Vidi. Vici.” “I came. I saw. I conquered.”
But eventually, Julius Caesar halts his conquest. He isn’t able to take the land of Edom, Moab and the Ammorites. He has to returns to Rome because of things happening there. And if you have read Shakesphere famous play on Julius Caesar, you know what happens when he gets back to Rome: “Et tu Brute?.” Beware of the Ides of March! Do you remember what happened on the 15th of March? Julius Caesar was assassinated by those who were closest to him. And so, it ends just as the Scripture says, “there was none to help him.” He died in a pool of blood, having been betrayed by all his companions.
That happened in 44 BC. So we are within 50 years of the coming of Jesus. Which is what we find being spoken of in chapter 12.
Daniel 12:1a
"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.
Daniel 12 begins by giving us a reference to the Messiah. Some of you may remember back a few sermons ago where we talked about Michael, the Arch angel. I mentioned that some people believe that Michael the Arch Angel is actually a way of talking about Jesus. Jesus is the Angel of the Lord in the OT. And Michael’s name means “Who is like the Lord?”
Whether you believe that or not, is besides the point. The fact is that at this point in history the Lord does something. This is warrior language. And it’s telling us that a stand is being taken. A victory has begun to be achieved. I believe this is a reference to the coming of Christ and the war that Jesus commenced with His life on earth. It’s right after the time of Julius Caesar that the kingdom of God is inaugurated.
But it goes on to say that this is also “a time of trouble, trouble such as never has been.”
This is now bouncing forward to the fall of Jerusalem. We go from the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC to the life and death of Jesus (circa. 4BC – 30 AD). And then we skip forward 40 years to the time when the Roman legions march against Jerusalem (70 AD). This is the time period known as the Jewish Wars.
And this is the time that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 24. Matthew 24:1-2 starts out with Jesus’ disciples walking through Jerusalem. The country bumkins were amazed at the tall walls and towering buildings of the mega metropolis of Jerusalem. And they ooo-ed and aww-ed. But Jesus says to them, “You guys, guess what? You marvel at this, but there’s going to come a time where there will not remain a single stone upon another.”
And his disciples ask, “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming?” A lot of people read Matthew 24 as being a prophecy about the far away future when Jesus will come back. But it is actually dealing with this moment that Daniel is talking about. He’s talking about the fall of Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, Jesus picks up on Daniel’s language. Jesus speaks of a time of trouble. Jesus calls it a “great tribulation.”
Look at this slide comparing the wording of Daniel with Matthew 24.
The language Jesus uses is drawing from this passage (Daniel 12:1). Jesus says, “Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.” He’s quoting Daniel 12. Jesus is helping the people of His day to see when Daniel 12 is coming to its fulfillment.
Furthermore, history testifies to the fact that these were days of trouble unlike anything up to that point. Josephus records essentially this very thing. He wrote about the fall of Jerusalem, and he uses language that is similar to what Daniel says. He says there was nothing like it up to this time or ever since.
The Romans soldiers were released upon the Jews who attempted to make a stand against them. And their stand can be said to be valiant, but futile. The Romans cut them down. In their butchery they slew combatants and non combatants alike. As they made their way through the streets of Jerusalem they killed men, women, and children. It was something of a massacre. It is said that they Romans fell into a frenzied state of killing.
Now, mind you, Titus, the Roman General, offered the Jews terms of peace in the form of unconditional surrender. But the Jews would have nothing of it. They were intent on fighting. Thus, the Romans were made to bring the full force of their legions against these stubborn Jews. And for this reason, masses upon masses were slain.
Remember what we said about the brutality of the Romans. They were the beast with iron teeth and bronze claws stamping everything. That’s exactly what happened to Jerusalem.
But notice what the rest of verse 1 says. It says, "But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book."
Furthermore, history testifies to the fact that these were days of trouble unlike anything up to that point. Josephus records essentially this very thing. He wrote about the fall of Jerusalem, and he uses language that is similar to what Daniel says. He says there was nothing like it up to this time or ever since.
The Romans soldiers were released upon the Jews who attempted to make a stand against them. And their stand can be said to be valiant, but futile. The Romans cut them down. In their butchery they slew combatants and non combatants alike. As they made their way through the streets of Jerusalem they killed men, women, and children. It was something of a massacre. It is said that they Romans fell into a frenzied state of killing.
Now, mind you, Titus, the Roman General, offered the Jews terms of peace in the form of unconditional surrender. But the Jews would have nothing of it. They were intent on fighting. Thus, the Romans were made to bring the full force of their legions against these stubborn Jews. And for this reason, masses upon masses were slain.
Remember what we said about the brutality of the Romans. They were the beast with iron teeth and bronze claws stamping everything. That’s exactly what happened to Jerusalem.
But notice what the rest of verse 1 says. It says, "But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book."
Now again, Jesus refers to this very verse in his talk in Matthew 24.
In 24:15-21. Jesus says.
"So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
You and read the same thing in Luke 21:20-22. The only thing is that Luke’s gospel makes it a bit more explicit by mentioning that it is the armies of the Romans surrounding Jerusalem.
Essentially what Jesus says is that when you see these things happening, it’s time to get out of dodge. You need to flee. Jerusalem is going to have some painful times and you don’t want to be around to experience it.
And we have on record that the Christians heeded this warning. In 67 AD the Roman general Vespasian moved initiated several campaigns through Galilee and Judea. He took city after city. In AD 69 he came right up to Jerusalem. He halted his attacks because news had come to him that the Roman Emperor had died. He returned to Rome to claim the throne.
During this whole time the Christians escaped to places like Perea and Pella. In the Spring of AD 70, the new general, Titus, began the siege on Jerusalem. When that happened all of the believers had already left. As a result, they don’t experience this time of tribulation. |
So what Daniel says here in verse 1, that “all who’s names are written in the book of life shall be delivered,” was true. That’s exactly what happened.
Now we come to the second verse in Daniel 12.
2 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. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; 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."
Now, to understand these verses, you have to remember Daniel’s perspective. Daniel saw up to what he called the “time of the end.” That is, as we have said, the end of his vision, or “the end of the OT period.” The destruction of the Temple is official end of the Old Testament Era. There are no more sacrifices; there is no more Israel nation or land. After this the kingdom takes on a new form and is now becoming that ever-expanding mountain.
We have to go back to chapter 2 and Nebuchadnezzar’s original vision. We were told that the kingdom of Christ would be inaugurated and become a large, looming mountain.
Daniel doesn’t see anything more than that. That’s where his vision ends. So as we come to these verses, we have to understand that this is part of Daniel’s perspective. These two verses encapsulate that glorious kingdom of Christ. All we are told is that people come to life and shine with radiance.
Now that could be referring to our time. Right now people coming to life through the preaching of the gospel. But we also know that, at the very end, there will be a bodily resurrection where people who have died will rise again.
It might be that Daniel sees all of that as “smooshed” together. We know that there’s a lot more packed into these two verses. But from Daniel’s perspective, he just sees all of this as one eschatological event. It is a summary of that 5th kingdom wherein Christ rules.
Now you understand why the book of Acts opens the way it does. Jesus has just risen from the dead. And the disciples ask him, “Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” They thought this was the end. It was the end as Daniel foretold it. But the book of Acts becomes something of a commentary expanding on these verses.
All in all, what Daniel sees in verses 2-3 is the glorious Messianic kingdom in seed all packed into one two little lines.
With that we come to verses 5-13. These are the concluding words to the book of Daniel. And I want you to understand that Daniel has a chance to speak. He has seen all of this vision. He’s heard about the terrible things that are going to happen in Jerusalem. He’s heard about the tribulation that will go on there and how it will be far beyond any of the sufferings that they went through with the Greeks. Now listen to what he says,
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, "How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?" 7 And I heard the man clothed in 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, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, "O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?" 9 He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days."
Now what is this referring to? I want to submit to you that it is again referring to the fall of Jerusalem. When he asks in verse 6, “how long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”, he’s asking about the wonder of the tribulation that was just spoken of. How long shall Jerusalem be under siege and the suffering occur?
And the answer is a time, times and a half a time, which is a total of 3.5 years. A time (1yr), times (2 yrs), half a time (.5 yr.). As I already noted, Vespasian commenced his war on the Jews in AD 67. It lasted through the fall of Jerusalem, which would have been in the fall of AD 70. It amounts to 3.5 years.
This is basically repeated in 11. The only difference is that verse 11 puts it in terms of days: 1,290 days. That’s about 3.5 years.
Final Remarks
Recognize again that our God is sovereign and there is nothing outside of his control.
All of the tremendous detail that has gone into this prophecy reminds us that our God has foreordained all things and nothing comes to pass that he has not predetermined. He knows the end from the beginning and everything is being worked out without any sort of deviation.
We can trust that he is working all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. We can trust that the hardships we face and the difficulties that arise are part of His all wise plan.
The Lord is working in this world specifically for his people.
The Lord has a tender care that he manifests for his people. His aim is to provide and protect them. We know that he delivers by virtue of the life and death of His Son (i.e. Michael’s Stand), but also the pity he has on them to deliver them from the pains they would have faced in Jerusalem when it fell.
We are reminded that all our days are under his divine care. We can trust that he will at all times watch over us and tend to our needs. And ultimately we can recognize that He will bring us safely home to the ultimate deliverance which he has promised.
The Lord is serious about sin and will deal with those who reject Him.
If the Fall of Jerusalem teaches us anything, it teaches us that sin is something God does not take lightly. God has sent His Son, but the Jews had rejected him. He gave them 40 years of hearing the gospel proclaimed. There was 40 years of patient waiting, but they resisted it and continued in rebellion against Him. And so he came against them and unleashed the fury of his wrath upon them.
Let this be a reminder of the need to trust in him and hold fast to him. We must not tempt the Lord or try his patience. For we have a clear testimony that he will come to judge.
The wonderful favor that God’s people receive.
We are given in this chapter a small summary of what is in store for those who do trust in Christ. The Lord deals bountifully with those who put their faith in him. In the last day they shall be raised up and glorified. We shall inherit a kingdom which will last forever.