"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.
There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning
of nations until then. But at that time your people — everyone whose name
is found written in the book — will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep
in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame
and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness
of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for
ever and ever."
- Daniel 12:1-3, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
What is a saint? Ask three different people that question and it is quite possible that you will get three totally different answers. In 1983, Pope John Paul II made sweeping changes in the way a person attains sainthood in the Catholic Church. The process of becoming a saint boils down to three steps: veneration, beatification, and finally, canonization. The final step requires that one (possibly two) miracles be performed by the candidate after death because miracles are considered proof that a person is in heaven and can intercede for people on earth. By definition, a "saint" is a person who has lived a holy life, is in heaven, and is to be honored by the church.
Martin Luther rejected the idea that anyone is deserving of this special status because all people are equally sinful before God. No one can live the perfect life that God requires. No one can go to God on behalf of sinners except Jesus. No one deserves to be called a saint.
At the same time, Luther contended that every Christian is a saint. He even went so far as to say that "cursed is he who does not want to call himself a saint." Is there a contradiction here? No, not if we understand what a saint really is.
The word, "saint," comes from the Latin word, "sanctus," which simply means "holy." All Christians are holy, but not because of anything we do. We are holy because Jesus has made us holy. That is why we have every right to call ourselves saints. That is why we confess that we believe in "communion of saints" in the Apostles’ Creed.
On this day, the Sunday we call Saints Triumphant, we thank God for the saints who have passed the Word of God down to us. We remember all the believers who have gone on to claim their eternal prize. And we look forward to that day when we join them in heaven.
In the meantime, we are still here. The battle continues. The fight is far from over. When we are overwhelmed, when we are tempted to throw up our hands in defeat, God comes to the rescue with his Word. God’s Word gives us the divine strength and support that we need to fight on. This inspired prophecy of Daniel was recorded to be an encouragement for the saints. But these words are not limited to the believers who lived at the time of Daniel. They are words of encouragement…
For All the Saints
I. There will be a time of distress
II. There will be a day of deliverance
"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then" (1). These words were part of a vision the Lord had revealed to the prophet Daniel. The Lord allowed him to look into the future and see the events of world history unfold before his eyes. Daniel foresaw the destruction of the Persian Empire, the rise and fall of Alexander the Great, and the ensuing battle for power in the Middle East. God also warned that a period of distress was coming, a time that "has not happened from the beginning of nations until then."
I wonder how Daniel reacted when he heard that last part. God was telling him that no matter how bad things appeared, the worst was still to come. As a young man, Daniel saw the Babylonian armies march into Jerusalem and plunder the temple. Against his will, Daniel was deported to a foreign country, never to see his homeland again. Now ask yourself: How would you like it if soldiers stormed into this church, stripped the altar bare, carried off the gold cross and the baptismal font, and smashed the stained glass windows? Daniel might have wondered how it could get any worse.
While in Babylon, three of Daniel’s friends were thrown into a furnace of fire because they remained faithful to the Lord. For the terrible crime of praying to the true God, Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den. God spared Daniel’s life and the lives of his friends, but it was clear that powerful enemies were at work against them. If people hated you enough to take deliberate actions to kill you, could you imagine any greater distress than that?
Yet that is exactly what God revealed to Daniel. The question was "When?" What events would signal the arrival of that "day of distress?" Listen to Jesus’ description of the end times: "For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places… At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold"(Matt 24:5-7,10-12).
As we go down that list, one thing becomes very clear. These prophecies are being fulfilled right now. We are living in the end times. False religions are leading people down the broad path to eternal destruction. Nations oppose other nations. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall. Wickedness continues to increase. The love of many has grown cold.
Some might argue that all of these signs have been with us for hundreds of years. So what should be cause for concern today? What is so distressing in our world? Perhaps what is different is this: the attacks on God and God’s people are not coming from the outside. They are coming from within.
People who claim to be Christians are willing to compromise the truth of the Bible to win the approval of men. And the message of the gospel is watered down. Preachers boldly deny that the Bible is inspired, 100% true Word of God. And the truth of the gospel is called into question. Churches believe that their primary mission on earth is to feed the body, not the soul. And the voice of the gospel becomes quieter and quieter and quieter. Individuals deny their sin and need for a Savior. And the spark of the gospel is eventually snuffed out.
These trends are disturbing, but there are other reasons to be concerned. The war for souls within the very house of God is also being fought in our own sin-filled hearts. And if we forget that, Satan is quick to remind us.
The Devil gets right in our face and says: "How dare you call yourself a saint? What right do you have to call yourself holy? I followed you around last week. I saw that movie you watched. Not exactly what would pass as family entertainment. I was watching when you had a golden opportunity to talk about your God, but instead you made excuses that the timing wasn’t right. I listened in on your conversation with a friend who was taking God’s name in vain, and what did you do? Nothing. You, a saint? Don’t be ridiculous."
And sometimes we have no choice but to agree. We are not very saintly. We are not holy. We are anything but perfect. If we don’t get help in a big hurry, any mention of our names and saints in the same sentence is a waste of time.
That is why the prophetic words of Daniel are so important and so encouraging. God allowed Daniel to accurately predict the events of world history. God revealed to Daniel that a time of great distress was coming into the world. But his inspired prophecy also gives us a promise, the promise that for God’s people a day of deliverance is on its way.
"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people will arise" (1). In order to understand Daniel’s prophecy, we need to get a handle on two things. First, what does Daniel mean when he says " at that time?" The context tells us that Daniel is talking about the Last Day, the day we call Judgment Day, when the world as we know it will come to an end.
The second question we need to answer is: Who is Michael, the prince who protects God’s people. This is actually not the first mention of Michael in Daniel. In chapter 10, Daniel reports that he fought against satanic forces at work in the kingdom of Persia. And from other places in Scripture we know that Michael is an archangel of God, a messenger sent out to carry out God’s will in the world. And he will return on the Last Day.
In and of itself, this fact is not very comforting. Angels are powerful creatures, but they are not strong enough to save us. What IS comforting about Michael’s coming on the Last Day is that he won’t be alone.
Listen to Jesus’ description of the Last day: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory" (Matthew 25:31). Michael will descend along with all the angels, but they won’t be the only ones. They will be in the company of the Lord himself. Jesus will come down and sit on his throne as the judge of all.
Daniel’s prophecy picks it up from there: "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt" (2). When Jesus returns with his angels, the dead will be raised from their graves and they will be judged. Some will be taken up into heaven. Others will be banished to hell.
Again, the thought of eternal death does not hold out much comfort. But for believers, Jesus’ second coming will be a joyful day because we know that he came once before. Jesus will return in glory, but we know that he has already come in humility. Jesus will come again to judge, but we know that he has already come to save. Jesus will not condemn us on the Last Day because he died to take our sins away. Instead, he will welcome us into heaven as saints because he has made us holy.
How can we be sure? Why can we be certain? Because we have it in black and white. "But at that time your people-everyone whose name is found written in the book-will be delivered" (2). Because God has created faith in our hearts, because we believe that Jesus is our Savior from sin, our names have been written in the book of life. There is no doubt. There are no questions. Therefore, the Last Day will be a day of deliverance.
In our church body, we stress the preaching the law. On a regular basis, pastors remind people that they are sinful. They need a Savior. Hell is a real place, and people will go there.
If sermons fail to address some areas as much as others, perhaps one doctrine that gets slighted is the concept of heaven. After all, heaven is a real place too, and people are going there. If heaven is the place where we plan to spend eternity, do we talk about it enough? Do we all think about heaven on a daily basis? Do we think about heaven very much at all? If not, why?
Maybe its because heaven will be so glorious, so amazing, so awesome, that we can’t put it into words. In the sermon hymn for today, the writer admits: "I know not, oh, I know not/ What joys await us there/ What radiancy of glory/ What bliss beyond compare." Perhaps we don’t discuss heaven in great detail because we can’t. The passages that describe what heaven will be like barely scratch the surface. God tells us just enough to let us know that heaven is definitely where we will want to spend eternity.
Maybe there is another reason. And there is something we can do about this one. Have you ever been to a funeral where you overheard people say things like this about the deceased: "He lived a full life," or "She made the most of her time on earth?" These statements may be true, but they don’t give much comfort to those left behind.
When we attend a Christian funeral, we don’t console ourselves by saying: "It’s too bad that so-and-so died, but at least he’s in heaven." We recognize that the saints who have died have indeed triumphed. We don’t have to feel sorry for them because they are wearing the crown of glory for which we all strive. They have finished the race. They have won the prize. They are waiting for the rest of us.
Last year on Saints Triumphant Sunday, Pastor Leyrer preached on the second lesson from I Thessalonians (4:13-18). In those verses, Paul describes the Last Day in detail. What I remember about that text isn’t Paul’s vivid description. I was struck by his closing statement: "Therefore encourage each other with these words" (18).
Those words of comfort really apply to all passages that talk about Judgment Day, and this text is no exception. The words of Daniel are words of encouragement for all the saints of God who live on this earth. God does not hide the fact that we are living in times of great distress. But God has also promised that a day of deliverance is on its way. As we look to the skies and eagerly wait for our Lord’s return, as we look forward to a joyful reunion with all the saints triumphant in heaven, let this be our prayer: "Come quickly, Lord Jesus." Amen.