Daniel 12:1-3 [Saints Triumphant]
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—Sahuarita, AZ
November 14, 2021
In the name of Jesus, dear Saints of God, Have you found that shared experiences are often more enjoyable or more meaningful than things you do by yourself? We can definitely enjoy some things all by ourselves, but there is something about shared experiences, isn’t there? That’s why I will always remember our church group trips to Israel and Greece and Germany—we got to see things together and we can say, “Remember when…?” Those of us who have travelled to WELS worship conferences together can recall with each other the amazing sound of 1000 people singing In Christ Alone and Jerusalem the Golden. Watching Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan play in person was cool—and better because I was with my college and seminary buddies. Those are all great things, and you have your own list of things. But there are some experiences that we all, as brothers and sisters in Christ, share now—and some others that are on the horizon for us all. That’s what we’re talking about today: The Shared Experiences of the Saints Our shared experiences are these: 1. Distress 2. Deliverance 3. Delight DISTRESS (v.1) The Daniel who records these words is the same Daniel who was thrown into the Lion’s Den. He was a high-ranking government official in the Babylonian empire and a devout believer in the one true God. God used him to witness to kings and officials. He also used him to write some of his Holy Word. Part of what he records in the book named after him is a series of 4 visions. We are looking at part of the 4th of those today. Just before these words, Daniel tells of the Antichrist that would rise up in the last days and destroy the faith of many, leading them away from their Savior. At the end of chapter 11, he says about this threatening power: Yet he will come to his end, and there will be no one to help him (11:45). Then comes our lesson, Then at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands over your people, will arise. So, near the end of the world, as the Day of Judgment is closing in on this earth, the Antichrist and those who oppose the Lord and his people will intensify their efforts to lead people away from God. But as that is happening, the archangel Michael will rise up in defense of believers. When all this takes place, God tells us: There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.