Go Your Way to the End

Go Your Way Till the End

Daniel 12:5-13

Quotes evolve over time. In 1881, Reverend Theodore Munger wrote a book on guidance for young people and, in the first chapter on purpose, he wrote,

A purpose is the eternal condition of success. Nothing will take its place. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men of talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb…The chance of events, the push of circumstances, will not. The natural unfolding of faculties will not. Education will not; the country is full of unsuccessful educated men; indeed, it is a problem of society what to do with the young men it is turning out of its colleges and professional schools. There is no road to success but through a clear, strong purpose.

Fifty years later, President Calvin Coolidge modified Munger’s quote and included it as his own in one of his speeches.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not do it; nothing is more common in unsuccessful men than talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Coolidge stressed persistence and determination, while Munger stressed purpose. My high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Kraft always said, “Potential doesn’t buy you a cup of coffee.” Kraft was channeling Coolidge, who was channeling Munger, who was channeling the Scriptures. 

As I think of the prophet Daniel, I would modify Munger and Coolidge’s statements and say, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence in God’s purpose till the end.” We do not merely want to work hard. We could be working hard for the wrong things. We do not merely want to have purpose. We may not have the right purpose. We want to have persistence in our God-given purpose until the end. We do not merely want to start well; we want to finish well also. 

Daniel has been a tremendous example of a man of talent and wisdom wedded with persistent purpose. Daniel arrived in Babylon as a teenager. He chose not to eat from the king’s table but rather chose to stand with the Lord. He boldly shared and interpreted dreams with kings who were known to execute those who gave them bad news. He was thrown into the lion’s den only to be pulled out of the pit because he had trusted in his God (Daniel 6:23). Daniel has been an incredible example of persistence in his God-given purpose to stand for the Lord while an exile in a foreign land. Now, as the book of Daniel comes to a close, we learn one more lesson from this tried and tested prophet as we hear God’s prophetic word about what is to come, “Go your way till the end.” Press on with God till the end. 

The Prophecy of the End

The last six chapters of the book consist of four visions given to Daniel. Although each vision is distinct in its own right, they also overlap, sharing a common history. Daniel 10 gives a long introduction to the last vision with a description of a man clothed in linen,

I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. Daniel 10:5–6

This man clothed in linen could either be the pre-incarnate Christ or an angel. I believe this man clothed in linen is most likely an angel and, more specifically, the angel Gabriel. Regardless, this man clothed in linen appears again after the vision in Daniel 12.

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 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?”  Daniel 12:5-6

Two other angels are standing on the banks of the Tigris River, and they call out to the angel, asking, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” “These wonders” refer to the last vision, which begins in Daniel 11:2. This vision details the coming of Alexander the Great, with the kingdom of Greece to be divided among his four generals. It provides details about the next several hundred years of history, underlying the main point of the book of Daniel–that God sets up and removes kings and kingdoms. He is the sovereign over all of history. 

Daniel 11:20-35 details the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and his wicked rule and persecution of God’s people and desecration of the Temple. He made an abomination of the Temple, offering sacrifices to Zeus in the Holy of Holies and clearing the temple of worshippers, making it desolate. Antiochus was an Antichrist figure. He would stand against God’s holy people and make a mockery of God’s place, but the people who know God would stand firm and take action against him. 

God gives the details of the persecution of His people to show us a pattern of history for the saints. Throughout history, many Antichrist-like figures, such as Antiochus Epiphanes, will persecute God’s people, and they must stand firm in faith. God is preparing His people for suffering while reminding them that suffering will only be for a time. The persecution will end, so God’s people must remain steadfast. 

After providing details about Antiochus Epiphanes, God gives specific details about the final battle against evil when the Antichrist will rise up at the end of the age. The angels who heard this vision asked the very question you and I would likely ask, “When is this going to happen?” It is a reminder to us that angels do not have unlimited knowledge. 

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
1 Peter 1:10–12

The prophets did not know who was the Christ, and the angels longed to understand the gospel of salvation in Christ. Only God has perfect knowledge but, as humans, we want to know what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen. God made us with a hunger for knowledge. 

If you are not a follower of Jesus, I hope you have a hunger for knowledge. I believe the Bible can answer all of life’s questions, and I hope you’ll consider what the Bible has to say about your life and future. As I quoted earlier, “Unrewarded genius is a proverb.” You may have intelligence, but you must seek out the truth. It is what we were made for. We were made to know God and His ways. Consider how the man clothed in linen, this angelic figure, answers the question because it speaks to your future as well. 

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. Daniel 12:7

 Notice how the angel doubles down on the vision. He raises his right and left hands and swears by God, who lives forever, that the prophecy will come true. We will look further at this prophecy in a moment, but first recognize the veracity of the vision. We may not understand everything regarding this prophecy, but one thing is certain: it will come to pass. Listen to what the man clothed in linen says regarding the end of time and what will happen in the vision.

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 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.
Daniel 12:1–2

There will be both deliverance and judgment. Deliverance will come to those whose names are written in the Book of Life, and judgment will come to those whose names are not found in the Book of Life. This book is spoken about in Revelation 21:27, where it is called the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Everyone who believes in the Lamb will be delivered. The Lamb is Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed and spread over us. Jesus, like a pure lamb without spot or blemish, lived a perfect life without any stain of sin. He offered His life on the cross to save sinners, and three days after He died, He was raised from the dead.  His resurrection opened up salvation for all who would turn to Him in faith, and it reveals there will be a resurrection for all. The Apostle Paul said it this way in Romans 2.

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. Romans 2:6–11

God will show no partiality. All will experience a resurrection. The question is, “Will it be for eternal life or eternal wrath and fury?” 

The man clothed in linen raised his right hand and then his left then made an oath. The end will come. You can accept Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as your Savior, and your name, too, will be in the Book of Life, but you must repent of your sins and turn to Jesus. Jesus is a kind and patient Savior. He knows everything you have ever done and everything you have ever thought. He knows of your sin. He knows of all your sin. Yet He still chose to die for you. Friend, Jesus came for sinners. He is the lamb who was slain to rescue people from every tribe and language and people and nation. Jesus is waiting for you to repent. Turn to Him today and know your name is written in the Book of Life. 

The Persecution of the End

The man clothed in linen does not say when the persecution will come, but he does describe what it will look like at the end.

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.  Daniel 12:7

The phrase “A time, times, and half a time” refers to 3 ½ years. It is the same description of the vision in Daniel 7:25. Both Daniel 7 and Daniel 12 refer to the Great Tribulation, when the people of God will be given into the hand of the Antichrist. The destruction that will come upon the people of God will be immense and horrific. From a human perspective, it will appear that no people of God are left. They will be completely shattered, utterly defeated. 

Imagine a human body given over to cancer. Their strength is gone. Their countenance is dark. It appears as if life itself has been stripped from them. Their hope is bleak. The effect of the cancer is overwhelming and comprehensive. The man clothed in linen proclaimed that the people of God would be shattered like cancer to the body. It will appear as if they are utterly defeated with no chance of survival. The tribulation cannot be sugar coated; it will be horrific. Evil will appear completely victorious. Yet, it will only appear that way for a time. Notice that the man clothed in linen says “when the shattering of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished.” The tribulation will come to an end. It will only be for a time, times, and half a time. Jesus puts it this way.

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. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Matthew 24:21–22

The Lord wants to prepare His people for suffering and remind them that their suffering will not last forever. 

Beloved, don’t we need that reminder? How many times do we face trials and difficulties that seem never-ending? We are driven to hopelessness and despair, believing that our current trials will never end. Yet., for the Christian, all trials are temporary.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18

Do not lose heart. We may be given over to persecution and evil for a season, but the Lord will carry us through. All our afflictions are light and momentary when compared to an eternal weight of glory. 

Yet, trials are still hard. When our bodies are failing, when people grievously sin against us, when we face the ugliness of this world, we cannot deny the difficulties of living in a fallen world. And when we face these things, we may not understand. After all, Daniel didn’t understand either.

I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” Daniel 12:8

How comforting is it to know that Daniel did not understand what was to come? Daniel was a godly, spiritual man. He was in his 80s and had walked with God for at least seven decades. Yet, when he heard of the persecution that was to come, he did not understand. 

A January 2021 article in Christianity Today gave these statistics. Every day, thirteen Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith. Every day, twelve churches or Christian buildings are attacked. Every day, twelve Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and another five are abducted. Why? I don't know why. Beloved, I don't know why God has allowed Boko Haram to kill more than 50,000 Nigerian Christians in the last 10 years. We are not meant to understand everything in this life. God sets up kings and removes them. God is in charge. He allows certain evil acts while restraining others. We will never be able to understand it, but that does not mean it's pointless. We are the creatures; He is the Creator. God has His reasons. So what do we do when we do not understand? We persevere to the end. 

The Perseverance to the End

Daniel was taken to Babylon as a teenager and, as far as we know, he died in Babylon as an old man. He never returned to the promised land. He says to the man clothed in linen, “I do not understand.” Daniel may not have been given the answer he wanted, but Daniel got the answer he needed.

He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 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. 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. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. Daniel 12:9–12

It seems like the man clothed in linen is still speaking about the tribulation at the end of days. The 1,290 days are about 3 ½ years or a time, times, and half a time. The other number we have in the Bible that is similar to this is 1,260 days, which is given in Revelation 11:3 and 12:6. Much ink has been spilled over these numbers, so we will not get to the bottom of it in this sermon. The 1,260 was given as more of an estimate of 3 ½ years, while 1,290 was given as more of an exact number. We may never know the exact reason for these numbers, but I believe the numbers are given to communicate that the tribulation will end. The persecution will end. It will only last for a specific amount of time. 

The second number of 1,335 days has also garnered much speculation. Again, we do not know exactly why this number is given, but one reason is to encourage perseverance to the end. In Revelation 11-14 when John speaks of the tribulation he repeats this phrase twice, “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” (Rev. 13:10, 14:12). I see the same call here in Daniel. Daniel is told to endure to the end for blessed is the one who waits and arrives at the end in faith. 

Daniel is told to continue in faithfulness to the Lord because the time of this prophecy will be beyond his days. In verse 10, the man clothed in linen gives a summation of the entire human experience, “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly.” 

First, how can one purify himself and make himself white and refined? The answer is given in Revelation 7. John sees a multitude of people from every nation, from all tribes, all peoples and languages, clothed in white robes crying out, “Salvation belongs to our God and who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” Then one of the elders asked John this question, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? 

I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his                  presence.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them,

nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7:14–17

The only way we can purify ourselves and make ourselves white is by being washed in the blood of the Lamb. Our only hope for salvation is putting our faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can be made white as snow if you put your faith in the Lamb. 

I have heard many stories of how people found Jesus in the midst of trials. When trials come, they force us to deal with real things–the loss of a parent, a cancer diagnosis, a job loss. All of these force us to confront life and death and purpose and future and value and meaning. But, if we allow trials to work their intended purpose in our lives, then we will be purified and refined. We will move from one degree of glory to the next. We will become more like Jesus Christ. 

We are made pure by washing our robes with the blood of the Lamb. We wash our robes by exchanging our robes for His. He takes our sin-stained robes and wraps us with His righteous robes. This is the glory of the cross. If you haven’t repented of your sins and trusted in Christ, then you have not been made pure, and you are still in your sins. Friend, repent today. Turn to Christ and be forgiven and receive the righteous white robes by being washed in the blood of the Lamb.

We see the other half of verse 10 on display every day in our world, “the wicked shall act wickedly”. I don’t need to give you examples of this because our own experiences have taught us this. Whether it is man-pleasing politicians who deny the Creator with ungodly laws or deceitful scammers trying to rob you with fake calls from the police, the wicked act wickedly. We should not be surprised when we see evil people doing evil deeds. Why are we surprised by drag queen night at a baseball game or a drag queen hosting story hour at the public library? Why are we surprised when Target markets transgender clothing to children? Why are we surprised when states like California market themselves as the place where the killing of children in the womb has no restrictions? Why are we surprised when a man walks into a private Christian school in Nashville to ruthlessly murder children?
The wicked will act wickedly. The wicked will verbally abuse their spouses. The wicked will lie on their taxes. The wicked will indulge in pornography. The wicked will be greedy for dishonest gain. The wicked will find comfort in alcohol rather than the Lord. Do not be surprised when the wicked act wickedly. 

Who can save the wicked from their wickedness? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord that many of us, who were once wicked, have been washed by the blood of the Lamb. We have been sanctified. We have been justified by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Jesus did not come for the healthy but the sick. He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Thanks be to God that we have been washed through the blood of the Lamb. 

In Daniel 9, Daniel sought forgiveness from the Lord on behalf of himself and Israel because of their grievous sin. Just like Daniel, we are not saved because of our righteousness but because of God’s mercy. As Richard Sibbes said, “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” How blessed are the words of the man clothed in linen that close the book of Daniel, “But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of days.” Daniel would die outside the promised land, but he would receive his resurrection at the end of days. 

Every promise is yes and amen in Jesus. Since we believe in His resurrection from the dead, we must be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that, in the Lord, our labor is not in vain. One day, we will cross the river to the land of the promise, where every sorrow will end and our joy will be full.

Beloved, nothing in the world can take the place of persistence in Jesus. Talent will not do it; genius will not do it; education will not do it. Only persistence and Spirit-filled determination in Jesus alone will carry us to the end. Beloved, go your way till the end, and you shall rest and stand in your allotted place at the end of days. Rest in Jesus now, and you will rest with Jesus for eternity.