Sabbath Thought - Daniel 12

The turning of the seasons took place this past week and we are now officially in Fall.  For God's people that means the balance of this year's Holy Days are before us!  This coming Monday is the Feast of Trumpets and nine days after that we will observe the Day of Atonement.  Then we are off to keep the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.

I always look forward to this time of year with joy and hesitation.  Joy because of what the upcoming Holy Days picture.  This world is coming apart at the seams and it will not get better under the influence of Satan.  But we know that Jesus Christ is returning as King of Kings, LORD of Lords, and as the Son of God to establish God's Kingdom once again on this planet.  Satan will be removed as the present ruler of this world.  After a thousand years of Christ's reign, the balance of mankind will be resurrected to physical life to understand their potential to be in the Family of God!  The hesitation I have is that that time is not here yet.  No one knows how many years it will be until the return of Christ.  We have broad brushstrokes in Scripture of what the world will look like before then, but we do know that it will not be a pleasant time.  We groan under the accumulating sin all around us and the pain it brings.

The prophet Daniel, I suspect, had a similar view.  He was privileged to be given insight by God of what the end-time would look like.  Daniel yearned to see the promised Savior come and restore all things, but he was sick from seeing in vision all that would take place before then.  Like Ezekiel, do we sigh and cry (Ezekiel 9:4) over all of the abominations mankind commits before God?  Are we prepared for the times yet to come before the fulfillment of the fall Holy Days?

In Daniel chapter 11, he is given a vision of the political and military powers of the end-time - the King of the North and the King of the South.  The King of the North initially prevails and becomes the force to recon with, but in Daniel chapter 12 the time of tribulation really ramps up.  Daniel sees God's people - those alive at Christ's return, and those who had waited in the grave - raised to everlasting life.  But when Daniel asks God to explain all that he is seeing, God tells him, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end.  Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand," (Daniel 12:9-10, NKJV). 

God didn't give Daniel the understanding he sought, but God did have Daniel record for us that the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation would be accomplished when, "...the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished...," (v.7).  While we yearn for the fulfillment of the upcoming Holy Days, we will face hard times before that happens.  Are we using the time we have before the "shattering of the holy people" comes upon us to be strengthened in God so we can face that time?  Are we growing in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) while there is still time?  Are we calling on God while He is near (Isaiah 55:6)?  Are we learning to suffer with Christ (Philippians 1:29) because it is a privilege?  Are we learning to run with the footmen so we can later run with the horses (Jeremiah 12:5)?

We have much to celebrate in the upcoming Holy Days, but we also have much to prepare for now.  We don't have to be the fastest (Ecclesiastes 9:11), we don't have to be the wise (or powerful, or politically connected, etc.) by worldly standards (1 Corinthians 1:26) - we just need to allow God to work through us to show the world what He is doing in us now, and what He will do for all of mankind in the future.  We will be God's children if we hold on to our calling until the end (Hebrews 3:14).

Rejoice before God in His Holy Days!  Rejoice with those spiritual brothers and sisters He has given to each of us.  Rejoice with those who have no other family in the Body of Christ.  Rejoice with those of age who have run a good race.  Rejoice as we assemble to worship Him (Deuteronomy 16:11) and what He will accomplish!

I wish you a profitable and value filled Sabbath, and very spiritually strengthening and rewarding Holy Days.

Dan Dowd

27 September, 2019