Sermon for Saints Triumphant – Sunday November 14, 2021
Calvary/Marquette ● Soli Deo Gloria

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Daniel 12:1-3 – NKJV
“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. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.3 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.*

In the Name of Jesus, the Christ,
Who has saved us by His death,
Who will raise us to life eternal,
Dear Fellow Redeemed in His Blood –

Let’s face it, being a Christian today doesn’t seem to carry with it much of a benefit...at least not to those outside the faith. Humanly speaking, we can understand why.

In the eyes of many human beings the history of Christianity is one of sorrow and death. It began when Jesus was treated like a common criminal, condemned and put to death by crucifixion. He wasn’t the last one to die either. There is a long list – more than we even know – of people who have been made martyrs simply for confessing Christ. In fact, it is believed that only one of Jesus’ disciples died of old age...the rest were persecuted and killed in, shall we say, inventive ways.

The letter to the Hebrews offers a few examples of what happened to some for being Christians (11:35b-38):

“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”

We can understand why the world around us doesn’t think that sounds so good. In fact, they ask, “Why would anyone want to be a Christian?”

There are times when – in weakness of faith – we might wonder the same thing. If we don’t, surely some of our persecuted brothers and sisters in other countries do! In times like these we need to remember ‘the distant triumph song.’ We have not lost, but the victory is already ours in Christ Jesus. Therefore, be assured, no matter how bad it looks for Christians, for us, the LORD God promises that His people will be delivered from distress, delivered from death and delivered for eternal life.

We ask that the Spirit of God bless our study of Holy Scripture and so strengthen and embolden us. “Sanctify us by the Truth, O Lord, Your Word is Truth.” Amen.

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The book of Daniel offers examples of the distress that comes upon those who trust in the LORD God. There are a couple of examples that stand out: The account of the fiery furnace and that of the lion’s den.

We live in a country where our religious liberty is protected. It was different for the captives in Persia. King Nebuchadnezzar didn’t allow the captive Jews to worship the LORD, but in supreme pride demanded that they bow down to an image of himself. In fact, he declared that if anyone disobeyed, they would be put to death in terrible fashion -- thrown into a burning fiery furnace.

Three believers - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - respectfully disobeyed the king. As a result, they were thrown into a furnace so hot that that those who pushed them in were killed in the process (Daniel 3:22).

We think nothing of bowing our heads in prayer. We do it without fear – in church and in our homes. It was different for the captives in Persia. When King Darius took the throne, he thoughtlessly decreed that if anyone prayed to anyone -besides himself - for 30 days he would be cast into a den of lions.

Daniel – respectfully disobeyed the king. He was cast into a den of lions.
Terrible, right? Yes. Yet in both cases, God delivered his people from their great distress. He delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego so that not a hair was singed and they didn’t even smell like smoke (Daniel 3:27). Daniel didn’t even get breathed on or nipped...and it wasn’t because the Lions weren’t de-clawed or satisfied (Daniel 6:24).

God delivered them from their distress. While much of Daniel’s book is sober and somber, the closing chapter offers to believers a final word of cheer. For while Daniel foretold that great tribulation was to come for God’s people and many would in fact be killed...the LORD promised to protect and deliver them from their distress:

“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.

When the Prophet Daniel begins with the words, ‘at that time’ he refers to the final distress at the end of the world. Even as God had delivered His people in time past from their enemies, so in the future he would do the same. In fact, He names the warrior who stands watch over God’s People – Michael. However, this Michael is no human warrior or prince, but the Archangel Michael, one of two named Holy Angels in Scripture.

It was this supernatural warrior of God who with his angels cast Satan out of heaven when he rebelled against God in the beginning. In the book of Revelation that event is briefly described (Revelation 12:7-9):

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Likewise, at the end of the world, the Archangel Michael will stand watch over God’s People...for there be a time of trouble such as has never been since any nation existed.

These words remind us of the words that Jesus spoke during Holy Week.

It was after telling his disciples that the temple would be destroyed (not one stone left on another), He described the troubles to befall the inhabitants of Jerusalem at the hands of the Roman Army. Jesus said it would be a time of great tribulation for Jerusalem unlike there had ever been before.

It would be like the still greater distress to come upon Christians at the end of the world.

Well, that’s not good. Tribulation never is fun...but don’t run away because you see storm clouds. Our God – who knows all things – tells us what will come of the storm.

Stand firm in the face of the storm because the Spirit of God reveals:

...at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.

It’s true that our Savior Jesus endured death, separation from God bearing our sins. He did it so that we would never have to face the same. He did it so that we could be assured, that even though we die, we will live. Our names are written in the Book, the Book of Life.

Even the worst of times cannot forcibly separate the people of God from Christ, the Savior. The LORD God promises us through the Prophet Daniel that His people will be delivered from their distress, even from the greatest distress. When the battle wages long and all seems lost remember what the Spirit of God directed the Apostle Paul to write (Romans 8:35-39):

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

After all, our Jesus didn’t only die...He also arose from death the third day. He proved His power over death. He will deliver you and all of God’s people from the dust of the grave, the dust of the earth:

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

It should help us to remember that God directed Daniel to write these words to comfort believers. The word ‘many’ doesn’t limit the Resurrection, but looks at it as a great multitude. These words are not meant as a general description of all of the events of the Last Day. They are meant to comfort those who remain and who are faced with the distress that comes at the end of time.

Still, we can’t help but tremble when we hear Jesus describe the events that will take place (Matthew 24:4-14):

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

These things are not meant to frighten us, but to remind us that Jesus is Coming! In fact, we may die before or even during the distress that is coming. Our names may be added to the list of Christians who died because of Jesus.

Shall we be afraid? No. Let us ‘laugh to scorn the gloomy grave’ (TLH 206:9). Jesus has defeated death. Jesus, who rose from death the third day Himself comforts us from Scripture, saying (Revelation 1:17-18):

“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of the grave and of Death.

Those who die trusting in Jesus will arise to everlasting life. Those who in the heat of trouble reject Him will rise to everlasting shame and contempt. No matter how bad it looks, God’s people will be delivered from death eternal and delivered for eternal life.

3 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.

If the Lord doesn’t return first, in 10 short days it will be Thanksgiving. Many of us will gather with family and loved ones to celebrate the holiday and afterward to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ Birth. We look forward to these things, to seeing family again and spending time together.

For some who have experienced loss, the holidays lose their luster. We feel sorrow for our loss, for the separation. People say that’s just part of life. It isn’t. Death wasn’t part of God’s plan for humankind or this world.

God’s promises that eternal glory will follow the storm and the darkness of death.

Our celebration need not be sorrowful. While we are left with sorrow, those who die believing in Jesus experience no sorrow and neither will their joy conclude after the holiday. They won’t experience the doldrums that follow the holidays, because they are with the LORD Jesus. I do not say this to make you sorrowful, but because far better days, endless days are coming.

3 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.

We will one day join them. We will meet the Savior face to face, apart from sin, apart from death.

No matter how bad it looks, remember the Distant Triumph Song...be assured that God’s People will be delivered from great distress and from death eternal...for eternal life. Amen.