Builders of Faith

Builders of Faith Explorer II:  Exploring End-Time Prophecy

Lesson 11—The Time of the End

1.    How is the phrase “the time of the end” in Daniel to be understood?

“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him….  He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown….”  Daniel 12:40-41.  “At that time Michael shall stand up…And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation….  And at that time your people shall be delivered….  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake….”  Daniel 12:1-2.

Answer:  First, it is a period of time in which several things will take place.  Second, since a resurrection occurs near the end of this time period, it is clear that “the time of the end” is a period of time relatively near to, and which ends with, the Second  Coming of Jesus (although that event is not specifically mentioned here).  It is, therefore, not the time of some evil power’s end at just any time in world history.


2.    Is the phrase “a time, times, and half a time” in Daniel 12:7 a reference to the time of Daniel 7’s little horn’s activity or to something else?

“…and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.”  Daniel 12:7.  “…Then the saints shall be given into his hand [of the little horn] For a time and times and half a time.”  Daniel 7:25.

Answer:  First, it is clear that Daniel 12:4-13 is an epilogue to the prophetic section of the book of Daniel (chapters 7-12) because those verses echo five aspects of the prophecies from chapters 7-11, as seen in the following chart:

Elements Repeated in Daniel 12                  Earlier Usage Elsewhere in Daniel

“the time of the end” (verses 4, 9)                      Daniel 8:17; 11:35, 40

“a time, times, and half a time” (verse 7)           Daniel 7:25

Purified, made white, refined (verse 10)            Daniel 11:35

the daily taken away (verse 11)                         Daniel 8:11; 11:31

the abomination of desolation (verse 11)          Daniel 11:31

Second, Daniel 12:7 above speaks of God’s people’s power being completely shattered, with the emphasis on the word power—their work or service for God.  In the end-time crisis, their power to work for God and have significant influence will not be shattered, for they will be part of the global effort to win many to show loyalty to God through their honoring of the 7th-day Sabbath.  However, when applied to the literal period of 1,260 years (as in Daniel 7:25), this prophecy fits perfectly.  Therefore, we conclude that this period of 3 ½ times is the same period as that in Daniel 7:25 and applies to the Papal Church persecution of the Middle Ages, from 538-1798, as we have shown in Lesson #5.


3.    When did the time of the end begin?

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.  Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others….  And one said to the man clothed in linen…, ‘How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?’  Then I heard the man clothed in linen…and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the  power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.  Although I heard, I did not understand.  Then I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the end of these things?’  And he said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.’”  Daniel 12:4-9.

Answer:  It is clear from the immediate context that “all these things” is a reference to those things that take place during “the time of the end”.  Verse 7 makes it clear that this time period begins when the 3 ½ times (or 1,260 years) ends.  Therefore, the time of the end began in 1798 and will end at the Second Coming of Jesus.


4.    Looking at the events during the time of the end, who is the King of the North?

“Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.”  Psalm 48:2.  “For you have said in your heart:  ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”  Isaiah 14:13-14.

Answer:  The compass direction of the north is associated in the passages here with God’s Kingdom in heaven.  Even a quick reading of Daniel 11:40-45 tells us that this King of the North is an evil power—a power that wants to usurp God’s authority.  In ancient times, Babylon attacked Judah from the north, coming up along the Euphrates River and then down from the north into Judah.  In Revelation, from our study in Lesson #10, Babylon is spiritual Babylon, representing the Papal Antichrist primarily and all other false religions who follow her.  Therefore, here in Daniel 11:40 onward, the King of the North is false religion led by Papal Rome in the end-time.


5.    Who is the King of the South in this prophecy at the time of the end?

“And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt…and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.  Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.”  Daniel 11:8-9.  “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him….”  Daniel 11:40.  “And Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?  I do not know the Lord….’”  Exodus 5:2.

Answer:  The entire prophecy in Daniel 11 is the story of an ongoing battle between the King of the South and the King of the North.  The original King of the South is mentioned early in the chapter as Egypt—undoubtedly because Egypt had to attack Israel from the south.  But since the King of the North is spiritual, not literal, during the time of the end, then we are looking for spiritual Egypt here as well.  Literal Egypt was best known in Scripture for the time of the exodus, when Pharaoh was openly defiant against God.  Therefore, the King of the South during the time of the end represents the modern forces of secularism, humanism, and atheism—openly hostile to all religion.


6.    What does the Glorious Land represent in this prophecy?

“He [King of the North] shall also enter the Glorious Land….”  Daniel 11:41.  “Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion…, The city of the great King.”  Psalm 48:2.  “On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land…flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.”  Ezekiel 20:6; see also verse 15.

Answer:  The Glorious Land is the land of joy and the glory of all lands.  It is the land of Palestine in general or sometimes Jerusalem in particular.  In a spiritual sense during the time of the end, we shall better understand its application as we continue our study here.


7.    What does the Glorious Holy Mountain represent in this prophecy?

“And he [King of the North] shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain….”  Daniel 11:45.  “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.  Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.”  Psalms 48:1-2.  “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.  Then Jerusalem shall be holy….”  Joel 3:17.  “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven….”  Hebrews 12:22-23.

Answer:  The glorious holy mountain was originally equated with Mount Zion and earthly Jerusalem.  But the book of Hebrews identifies Mount Zion as the heavenly Jerusalem (New Jerusalem), where God’s faithful church is registered.  Therefore, during the time of the end, the Glorious Holy Mountain that the King of the North eventually goes after must be the faithful saints who refuse to go along with the Papal Sunday.


8.    At the time of the end, which power attacks first, and who eventually wins a major victory?

“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him [King of the North]; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.”  Daniel 11:40.

Answer:  In the context of Daniel 11, there is no third party; so the fight is between the King of the South and the King of the North.  The text is clear that the King of the South first attacks the King of the North in the time of the end.  In general terms, we can trace that “attack” historically with the rise of the (1) Enlightenment, with its elevation of human reason above divine revelation, (2) Darwinism, with its emphasis on finding natural explanations for the “creation” of life, and with (3) Higher Criticism, with its skepticism of both the supernatural and the history of the Bible, and so on.  The earliest of these developments occurred just before the time of the end and expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries.  After World War II, we have been living in the era of post-modernism, where there are no absolute truths, at least in terms of moral and ethical behavior.  Truly, we live in an era when the forces of spiritual Egypt (secularism, humanism, atheism, and so on) are engaged in an assault on any religious world view.  Specifically, we are reminded of the French Revolution, begun in 1789, which gave the world most of its terrible “isms”.  Near the end of the French Revolution, the Papacy itself was attacked with the forcible capture of the Pope by one of Napoleon’s generals in 1798, ending the 1,260 years and beginning the time of the end.  But verse 40 tells us that eventually the King of the North will triumph.


9.    What new arena does the King of the North enter in Daniel 11:41?

“He [King of the North] shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown….”  Daniel 11:41.

Answer:  The Glorious Land must be different in some way from the “glorious holy mountain” because the King of the North enters the former but comes to his end before he can enter the latter (verse 45).  Since the “glorious holy mountain” in this prophecy represents the more precise location of God’s end-time people, the Glorious Land must represent the general area in which God’s people operate.  Figuratively, this would mean that it here represents the religious arena.  This, in turn, strongly suggests that the first victory of the King of the North in verse 40 was of a more political nature—as a prelude before embarking on a more explicit religious campaign, beginning in verse 41.  Historically, since the time of the end began, the major communist nations have clearly been the most avowedly atheistic and secular nations in character.  It seems apparent that such communist nations must fall before an expressly religious movement can unite the world’s governments against God’s faithful saints.  More significantly, we now know that the Papacy played a prominent behind-the-scenes role with the American president in the 1980s in helping to topple the communist governments in Eastern Europe and the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.  In fact, one Bible scholar predicted the demise of communism on the basis of this prophecy in the early 1950s.  It seemed ludicrous at the time; but we are seeing this part of the prophecy being fulfilled.


10.    Who do Edom, Moab, and Ammon represent in the time of the end?

“He [King of the North] shall also enter the Glorious Land [religious arena], and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand:  Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.”  Daniel 11:41.

Answer:  By the way, the reference to other countries in the Glorious Land confirms our view that the nations and peoples in this prophecy are not literal and geographical, but symbolic, because those literal nations no longer exist.  In the context of the end-time, Isaiah 11 says that Edom, Moab, and Ammon will be on God’s people’s side (verse 14).  Therefore, these three nations represent those who will be converted to the truth during the final crisis.  So the encouraging news is that while large numbers will be falling in line behind the Papacy to honor Sunday, significant numbers of those currently outside God’s faithful people will join with the latter to honor God and His true Sabbath!


11.    What infuriates the King of the North, and how does he respond to it?

“But news from the east and the north shall trouble him [King of the North]; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”  Daniel 11:44.

Answer:  We have already seen that the north represents the direction associated with God’s Kingdom.  So does the east, for Ezekiel 43:1-4 says God’s glory comes from the east, and Revelation 7:2 identifies the east as the direction from which an angel descends to seal God’s people before the 7 Last Plagues.  Review Lesson #9.  The news that infuriates the Papal Antichrist must be the heavenly messages that go throughout the earth with the everlasting gospel and warnings against Babylon and its false Sabbath.  We will study those messages in our very next lesson.  In response to these messages, the Papal Antichrist gives his full attention to those messengers, and eventually seeks to annihilate them.  The Hebrew word for annihilate in Daniel 11:44 means “to consecrate or devote something to complete destruction”, usually used of sacrificial animals in the Old Testament.  This reinforces the view that the annihilation that the Papal Antichrist has in mind for God’s people who don’t go along with him is for religious reasons.


12.    What is the good news in Daniel 11:45 for God’s faithful saints?

“And he [King of the North] shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.”  Daniel 11:45.

Answer:  First, as a prelude to his attempt to destroy the faithful saints, the Papal Antichrist first establishes the “tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain”.  A palace is a symbol of political power, and the tents of his palace seem to refer to a political power’s army encampment.  Second, the reference to seas must be to a singular sea because nothing can be located between more than one sea and something else.  The word seas here must refer to the Mediterranean Sea geographically, in the poetic plural often characteristic of Biblical Hebrew.  The point is that the Papacy will set the entire world against God’s true people.  Finally, the good news is that the Papal confederacy “shall come to his end, and no one will help him.”  How that happens is the subject of our next question and answer.


13.    How does God deliver His faithful saints from the global Papal confederacy?

“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time.  And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.”  Daniel 12:1.  “…seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”  Revelation 15:1.  “‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen….’”  Revelation 18:2.  “Therefore her [Babylon’s] plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine.  And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”  Revelation 18:8.

Answer:  God sends a terrible time of trouble against the wicked forces of spiritual Babylon and her allies.  In this way, He delivers His own people by distracting the wicked and eventually destroying them.  In Revelation, God’s full wrath against Babylon and her wicked allies is called the 7 Last Plagues.


14.    To which resurrection is Daniel 12:2 referring?

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.”  Daniel 12:2.

Answer:  Most scholars attribute this resurrection to the general resurrection at the Second Coming of Jesus.  However, this cannot be true for at least three good reasons:  First, the Hebrew word for many in this text does not mean all.  Moreover, the same Hebrew word for many is used in verse 3, where it refers to those who are turned to righteousness; and certainly not everyone will be converted in the final crisis.  Second, the context of Daniel 12:1 means that those who are delivered are those who are delivered from the clutches of spiritual Babylon during the final crisis.  Thus, only those living at the end-time and are “found written in the book” are the subject of this deliverance.  So the resurrection in verse 2 is not part of this particular deliverance.  Finally, we have already learned in Explorer I, Lesson #22 and #23 that all the saved who have died will be resurrected at the Second Coming of Jesus, and that the wicked will be resurrected at the end of the millennium.  But in Daniel’s resurrection, some of the righteous and some of the wicked are resurrected in the same resurrection.  Therefore, this is describing a special resurrection for a special purpose.


15.    Who are raised in the special resurrection of Daniel 12:2?

“And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest….”  Matthew 26:57.  “Jesus said to him [Caiaphas], ‘It is as you said.  Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”  Matthew 26:64.  “Behold, He [Jesus] is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him….”  Revelation 1:7.  “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.  Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.”  Daniel 12:2-3.

Answer:  From the passages above, it appears that those most responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus will be resurrected to see Him come back in glory.  How poetic!  By extension of this principle, it may include representatives of the most wicked people who have ever lived as well, although we cannot know that for certain.  The clue in Daniel 12:2-3 is that those who turn many to righteousness is a reference to those living in the time of the end who are sharing their faith and loyalty to Jesus with others.  In other words, apparently those saved among God’s last-day church who died before the Second Coming will be raised to see Jesus come in glory.  That also seems quite poetic and just.  Then at the actual Second Coming of Jesus, all the other saved of all generations in earth’s history will be resurrected, as we have previously learned.


16.    When was Daniel’s book going to be fully understood?

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”  Daniel 12:4.  “…‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.'”  Daniel 12:9.

Answer:  The book of Daniel would not be understood fully until the time of the end, from 1798 onward.  Indeed, there was a significant religious stirring among some Christian believers in different parts of the world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the book of Daniel became the intense focus of these believers.  Bible societies were established in some key Protestant nations, and this helped fuel interest in the book of Daniel.  Of particular significance was the Advent Movement centered in the United States in the 1830s and 1840s, also called the Millerite movement after Baptist preacher William Miller.  Shortly after his movement soured, a remnant from that movement discovered the secrets of Daniel 8’s 2300-day prophecy and the beginning of the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment in the fall of 1844.  These lessons are part of that new movement.


17.    For God’s saints living in “the time of the end”, what is particularly important to remember?

Answer:  We should remember that we are a separate group from both the forces of secularism, humanism, post-modernism, and so on, and from the forces of false religion.  It is easy to identify with the basic Christian moral positions in the so-called “culture wars” because most of them are Biblical—that is, personal opposition to abortion, opposition to the gay lifestyle, and the general lack of morality in the world today.  But remember that we now know that one day soon, these secular values will lose out under the banner of united religious and political forces.  We cannot afford to get caught up in a political fight over these issues lest we are drawn into an alliance with spiritual Babylon.  Besides, we understand that a church-state union is always a dangerous combination, especially in the time of the end.  Also, we should remember that God is the judge of people, not us.  We should seek to love the sinner while condemning the sin.  At the same time, we cannot conscientiously ally ourselves with the secular forces either, lest we be misunderstood as also representing their unchristian values.  The now-dominant secular, humanistic culture is the prevailing world view.  But the day is coming soon when it will take a back seat to a religious world view again.  However, that religious world view will be dominated by false religion.  It’s a delicate position to be in, but we must do our best to remember not to get too close to either side politically.

 

Quiz for Lesson 11—The Time of the End

 

1.  What statements about “the time of the end” below are true? (2)

  It is a point in time when Jesus is first seen coming in the clouds of glory.

  It is the point in time when the evil power of Babylon will come to its end.

  It is a period of time relatively near the return of Jesus in which several events occur.

  It is the period of time when the forces of the North and South battle each other.

 

2.  When did “the time of the end” begin? (2)

  It began after the 3 ½ times ended in 1798.

  It began when the Pre-Advent Judgment began in 1844.

  It has not yet begun until war breaks out between North and South.

  It began when Papal Rome’s first phase of persecuting work ended.

 

3.  Which statements below about the King of the North in Daniel 11:40-45 are true? (3)

  The true King of the North is actually God in heaven.

  The King of the North in Daniel 11 is an evil power that attempts to usurp, or replace, God’s influence in the world.

  It is the European Union, which is in the Northern Hemisphere of the earth.

  Literal Babylon was the greatest King of the North in Old Testament times, but during “the time of the end”, we saw in Revelation that it was spiritual Babylon—false religion led by the Papacy.

 

4.  Which of the following statements about the King of the South in the time of the end are true? (4)

  If the King of the North is a spiritual power, then the King of the South must also be a spiritual power.

  Earlier in Daniel 11, the literal King of the South was called Egypt.

  The spiritual King of the South must represent spiritual Egypt.

  The King of the South represents the non-Christian religions of the world.

  The end-time King of the South represents the forces of secularism, humanism, atheism, and so on.

 

5.  At the time of the end, who begins the spiritual battle, and then who wins it? (1)

  King of the South—King of the South

  King of the North—King of the North

  King of the South—King of the North

  King of the North—King of the South

 

6.  In other words, the post-modern worldview of secularism and humanism will one day take a back seat to a new, prominent religious worldview. (1)

  True

  False

 

7.  Which of the following statements about the activities of the King of the North are true? (3)

  At first, he defeats the major communist nations of the world.

  When he enters the “Glorious Land”, he begins an explicitly religious campaign.

  Edom, Moab, and Ammon represent last-minute converts to the God of the Sabbath that the King of the North does not win over.

  He settles down to rule the world spiritually after he has gained all the supporters that he can.

 

8.  What does God do to deliver His faithful people from the global Papal confederacy? (1)

  He sends fire down from heaven to devour Vatican City.

  He begins sending the 7 Last Plagues on the wicked to distract them.

  He sends a great earthquake and great hail to defeat the wicked forces.

  He calls out from heaven, “It is done!”

 

9.  To which resurrection does Daniel 12:2 refer, and who are raised in it? (2)

  First Resurrection—all of the righteous dead

  Second Resurrection—all of the wicked dead

  Special Resurrection—the dead saints who had been part of God’s last-day movement to warn the world

  Special Resurrection—probably the most wicked opponents of God’s faithful people in history

 

10.  Which of the following things should God’s saints particularly remember during the time of the end? (3)

  We should remember that we are separate from both the King of the North and the King of the South.

  We should remember to join spiritual Babylon when they correctly go against personal immorality, but otherwise to remain neutral in the fight between the North and South.

  We should remember not to get caught up in a political fight over immorality and secularism so that we are drawn into an alliance with spiritual Babylon.

  We should remember that any support for a closer relationship between Church and State is support for spiritual Babylon.