Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20020407.htm

DANIEL: HOPE FOR TODAY'S DISILLUSIONED YOUTH
Part XIII: Validating Our Hope In God's Resurrection Of Us
(Daniel 12:2-3, 13 with 11:2-35)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Last Sunday, we learned that Daniel 10 in light of Daniel 12:2-3 and 12:13 urges us to put our hope in the life to come to handle the disillusionment of this present life's failure to bring happiness.

That sounds very inviting, but BEFORE one steps out to put all his hope in the life to COME, how SURE can he be that there WILL even BE such a resurrection, let alone a good existence AFTER that resurrection, to make such a meaningful commitment in his thinking and living? Consider the following facts:

(1) When people die today, they are not observed to rise from the dead in bodily form to live after that. All of the evidence we physically collect today indicates that once one physically dies, that is the end of his physical life!

(2) If that is so, one may wonder, "How then can Pastor Don Shell give an Easter Sunday Sermon, instructing us to handle the grief over the September 11 terrorist attacks, the injustice of the sexual abuses by religious priests and the greedy mismanagement of CEO's that has caused 10,000 people to lose their 401(k) retirement savings by thinking all of this life, imperfect as it is, is to be supplanted by a resurrection life WHEN WE HAVE NO PRESENT PHYSICAL PROOF THAT SUCH A RESURRECTION OCCURS? Could the Pastor's call itself be a tragic call to a FALSE hope?!"



As a follow-up to last Sunday's Easter sermon call to SHIFT our hope from this imperfect life to a FUTURE RESURRECTION hope, HOW can we know that such a FUTURE resurrection is a REALISTIC enough hope to MAKE the "HOPE SHIFT" actually WORTHWHILE?!



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "Last week's Easter call for us to hope in God's resurrection above the gloom this life SOUNDS good, but how REALISTIC is it?! Is it worth BASING my THINKING and LIVING on such a hope?!"
  1. As we before saw, God's angel in Daniel 10-12 gave Daniel a vision that included a prediction of his OWN RESURRECTION so Daniel would shift his HOPE from his DISCOURAGING PRESENT trials to his GLORIOUS FUTURE, Daniel 10:1-21 with 12:2-3, 13.
  2. In the PROCESS, the angel gave DETAILED PROPHECY in Daniel 11:2-35 of events we NOW can VALIDATE as being an ACCURATE account of secular history occurring between 530 and 163 B.C. as follows: (cf. Bible Knowledge Com., O. T., p. 1367)
    1. From secular history, we can tell Daniel 11:2 relates of Hebrew history under Persian rule (530-465 B.C., Ibid.).
    2. We also similarly know Daniel 11:3-4 portrays Hebrew history under Grecian rule until Alexander the Great died, Ibid., p. 1367-1368.
    3. Now, when Alexander died in 323 B.C., his four generals divided his newly conquered realm, with general Seleucus ruling Syria and general Ptolemy governing Egypt. The history of conflict between their successors with Israel being caught up in their wars is supplied in over 130 details in Daniel 11:5-35, Ibid., p. 1368-1370.
  3. Well, anti-Christian & Liberal Theology sources claim the Bible is NOT God-inspired, so to EXPLAIN the FLAWLESS ACCURACY of the MANY HISTORICAL DETAILS in Daniel 11:2-35, they assert it was authored in the 2nd century B. C. MACCABEAN era AFTER the events had OCCURRED, Ibid., p. 1324!
  4. Yet, we can list STRONG evidences supporting the view Daniel 11 was written BEFORE these events COULD HAVE HAPPENED:
    1. Externally, evidence indicates Daniel 11 is a TRUE prophecy:
      1. The 5th century B. C. (499-400 B.C.) Elephantine papyri and the book of Ezra were written in royal Aramaic, the same form found in the Aramaic portions of Daniel (Daniel 2:4b-7:28, cf. B.K.C., O.T., p. 1324); this argues for a 6th century B. C. date (599-500 B.C.) for Daniel's work, R. K. Harrison, Intr. to the O.T., p. 1125.
      2. Also, the Hebrew used in Daniel's prophecy (Dan. 1:1-2:4a, 8-12, cf. Ibid., B.K.C., O.T.) linguistically resembles the Hebrew used in Ezekiel, Haggai, Ezra and Chronicles (5th & 6th centuries B.C., cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV , p. 1138, 1306, 701, 606 and 649 respectively) opposite the later and nearly rabbinical form of the 2nd century, 180 B. C. Apocryphal work, Ecclesiasticus, Ibid., p. 1125, 1232; Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of O. T. Intro., p. 378.
      3. Ancient secular historian, Josephus, reports Alexander the Great (who died in the 4th century, in 323 B. C., cf. E. M. Burns, West. Civ., p. 160) was impressed by Jerusalem's High Priest showing his invasion fulfilled Daniel's prophecy, so Alexander granted favors to the city's inhabitants, Antiquities, Book XI, VIII, 5. This argues for Daniel's prophecy existing before the 4th century B. C.!
    2. Internally, evidence indicates Daniel 11 is TRUE prophecy:
      1. The Daniel 5:28 mention of the Medes before the Persians argues for a pre-Persian authorship of Daniel, for later Persian writers (538 B.C., cf. Ryr. St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to 2 Chr. 36:22) USUALLY listed the Persians BEFORE the Medes, Ibid., Harrison, p. 1128.
      2. Also, the Persian words in Daniel are Old (pre-300 B.C.) Persian in form, meaning Daniel is pre-Hellenistic; this shows the book was authored before the era depicted in at least Daniel 11:6-35, Ibid., p. 1126; E. M. Burns, Ibid., p. 188; B.K.C., O.T., p. 1368!
  5. Thus, as extra-biblical evidences show Daniel 11:5-35 FORETOLD events to come AFTER it was WRITTEN, and what events Daniel penned there HAVE occurred EXACTLY as he foretold, and that to the degree of OVER 130 DETAILS, Daniel's PROPHECY of the RESURRECTION of believers in Daniel 12 must be TRUE: we can thus REALISTICALLY HOPE in the RESURRECTION!
Application: Since the historical and archaeological evidence indicates Daniel's prophesied HOPE of the BELIEVER'S RESURRECTION is TRUE, then the PREDICTION of the resurrection of eternal DOOM for the UNGODLY IN Daniel 12: 2 is ALSO true, and causes US to (1) take SERIOUSLY the call to BELIEVE in Christ to escape judgment and gain eternal life, John 3:16! (2) It ALSO calls US who TRUST in Scripture's God to live RIGHTEOUSLY as we anticipate giving an ACCOUNT of our Christian lives to God in eternity, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11.

Lesson: The TEST of CREDIBLE PROPHECY found in Daniel 11:5-35 that HAS so EXACTLY been fulfilled, and that in OVER 130 DETAILS means the REST of its prophetic VISION, INCLUDING the prediction of the BELIEVER'S RESURRECTION, will SURELY occur! >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 The record of Josephus regarding Alexander the Great being affected by Daniel's prophecy about him is worth citing in conclusion.

But even MORE remarkable is the WAY Alexander chose NOT to DESTROY Jerusalem although he was initially ANGRY at its high priest! THIS fact fulfilled Zechariah 9:8 where God predicted He would shield Jerusalem from Alexander the Great's destruction, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1562. Josephus tells about this protection and how Alexander's hearing Daniel's prophecy caused him to treat the Hebrews kindly:

(Antiquities, XI, VIII, 4, 5): "Now Alexander, when he had taken Gaza, made haste to go up to Jerusalem; and Jaddua the high priest, when he heard that, was in agony, . . .since the king was displeased at his foregoing disobedience [against Alexander] . . . [then] Alexander, when he saw the multitude [the high priest's company] at a distance, in white garments, while the priests stood clothed with fine linen, and the high priest in purple and scarlet clothing, with his mitre on his head . . . he approached by himself, and adored that name, and first saluted the high priest . . . However, Parmenio [a supporter] alone went up to him [Alexander] and asked him how it came to pass that, when all others adored him, how he should adore the high priest of the Jews? To whom he replied, I did not adore him [the high priest], but that God who hath honoured him with his high priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, when I was at Dios in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay . . . for that he would give me the dominion over the Persians; whence it is, that having seen no other in that habit, and remembering that vision, and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under the divine conduct . . .' And when the book of Daniel was showed him, wherein Daniel declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed that himself was the person intended; and . . . He granted all they [the Hebrews] desired."