Becoming Wise and Shining as Stars till and Beyond the End, Past. Kumuyi

Text: Daniel 12:1-3

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).

Does this surprise you? At the time of the flood, when the Tower of Babel was built, Joseph in Egypt, the children of Israel in Egypt, and the wilderness, and at the time of Jesus Christ, and even in our times today, a ‘time of trouble’.

Everywhere you go, trouble has always been there, but there will be a time of the climax of trouble. And thank God you have Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and in all your troublous times, the Lord will show up for you, and clear all your troubles away. He will calm all the storms in your life and family even today. “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).

Those who sleep in the dust are those who have died and are buried. And he is talking about the day of Resurrection. Some to everlasting life, those written in the Book of Life, while others to shame and everlasting contempt, they were not born again, and do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ while on earth. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). Pray that you will be wise unto salvation. There are many people and philosophers of this world that are not wise, for they don’t know the Lord. Tonight, you want to see how to turn from being foolish to being wise, and from darkness to a shining light.

POINT 1. THE TIME OF TROUBLE (TRIBULATION) BEFORE THE END

Daniel 12:1; Psalms 50:15-23; 2 Chronicles 15:3-7; Isaiah 33:2,14-17,24; Mark 13:8,10; John 14:1-3,27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8,11-13

Anybody living here in any age or generation without any trouble. The world is a place of trouble, and as people go on to the end of time, there will be a climax of troubles on Earth. “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalms 50:15). Maybe there is trouble in your life now, in the day and night, the Lord says stop looking at your troubles and call upon Him, and He will deliver you. The question is why do we have trouble? “Now for a long season, Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:3-7). Israel had been for a long time with the True God, a teaching priest, and without law, they acted lawless. And as a result of this, trouble came unto them. But when they turned unto the Lord in their troubles, HE was found of them. They forsake the law of the Lord and trouble came unto them. But as we turn unto the Lord, your own time of trouble will be over. “O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: he thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble” (Isaiah 33:2).

He is our Salvation in time of trouble. And you will survive. “And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24). When you repent and turn unto God, the Lord will forgive you and take your troubles away. “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers’ places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. And the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mark 3:8,10). There will be troubles as we come to the end of the age, but the gospel of grace and God, we must preach that gospel even in the time of trouble, and as we give our lives to Christ, dangers, sickness, and premature deaths will pass over you. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:1,27). As you believe in God and Christ, He leaves and gives you His peace even in times of trouble. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,” (2 Thessalonians 1:7). When Christ Who is your Redeemer give you His salvation and rest, all your troubles are gone. To you who are troubled in life, come to Christ, have rest with us, and have the peace of the Lord.

POINT 2. THE TRIUMPHANT AND THE TRANSGRESSORS AT THE END

Daniel 12:2-3; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15-16; Philippians 3:20-21.

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:2-3). Two kinds of people. Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus knew God, but the rich man, a Jewish that called Abraham’s father, but no relationship with God. Both of them died and were buried sleeping in the dust. Lazarus’s soul and spirit were carried into the bosom of Abraham by the angels, and while the rich man was in hell, he saw the spirit and soul of Lazarus with Abraham. And on the day of Resurrection, the body in the grave, and the soul will come together to give the whole man – soul, spirit, and body. And it will either go to the place of everlasting life or everlasting contempt. You can make your choice today where you will spend eternity.

You will make the right choice, Jesus will be your Saviour, and when the day of Resurrection, you will raise up and go into everlasting joy in Jesus’ Name. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). There is the resurrection unto life and another one unto eternal damnation. If you are going to be all right, come before the Lord, and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. And you will get to heaven, for the salvation of the Lord will come to you.

POINT 3. THE TREASURE “TILL THE TIME OF THE END”

Daniel 12:4,9,13; Proverbs 8:33-36; 23:15,23,26; Jeremiah 23:22,6; 2 Corinthians 10:12; Matthew 13:40-43; 25:1-13

Those that endured are the treasures of salvation, of Christ, and the people that the Lord is looking for when He comes. The people that endure unto the end, praise the Lord for grace and mercy will never leave your life. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). They are wise, turned from sin unto the Saviour, and turn many people unto righteousness as well. “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:33-36). The wise hear and listen to instructions of God’s word to obey and do them.

It is as we come to the Lord, and give ourselves to Him in repentance and salvation, that we become wise. “My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:15,26). You become wise when you surrender your heart unto the Lord. “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish” (Matthew 25:1-2). The wise will have extra oil, grace, and love, while the foolish don’t have the extras, that they went to the wise to give. But we cannot share the grace of God. The foolish missed the opportunity to go with the Lord, the door was shut when they got there. This is the day of grace, of His love for you to call upon the Lord for salvation. Today, the door of grace is still open for you, and the Lord will forgive you today.

To watch the video, clique here. https://youtu.be/D_wKmUlfDZo

Please Read  also”The Wonders of Perpetual Promise and Provision for All.