A Glorious End!
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Earthly kings may rise and fall, but in the end God’s kingdom will prevail, and He will rescue His people.
As a result of this lesson we want the students to learn that God is in control. There are challenging times in each segment of earth’s history, but God is always working for the good of humanity. He has a plan, even if we don’t always see it.
Supplies needed: pool noodles, mask (optional)
(Pro Tip: Always have pool noodles on hand. And right now they are the perfect social distancing game tool, plus they might be on sale now that summer is over!)
This is a twist on the game “Telephone,” but with social distancing! For this game have one student whisper a phrase into the end of the pool noodle while wearing a mask (This works, but actually whisper or it’s too loud. And, it’s more fun with the mask). The other person is listening at the other end of the pool noodle. Then have the listener repeat the phrase to another person the same way.
You can use one of these sample phrases, or any other random Proverb.
Using the list of situations below, pick a student or a team and show them the situation they are to act out. You can play in teams or just give everyone who wants to guess a turn to go.
Charade Ideas:
Noah building the ark
The serpent tempting Adam and Eve
Jesus turning water to wine
Joseph being tempted by Potiphar’s wife
Paul and Silas singing in jail
Daniel spending the night in the lions’ den
No matter what situation you used, ask the following questions:
What made your communication difficult?
What if you always had to communicate this way?
What role did guesswork play in your game?
How did you decide what to guess (or pass along)?
How might this type of game be similar to the way that God communicates with us?
Today we will be looking at the very end of the book of Daniel. In this section we will be dealing with the last dreams that Daniel received from God. If it’s the last words, or the last message, it is usually important, right? But, if you’re confused about these passages, you are not alone. Daniel was confused by the message he received as well. Our goal this morning is to remove a little of the haze that is around that passage. But remember, even if you don’t understand all of it, it’s okay. Keep studying!
Note to Leaders: There are a lot of rabbit trails in this section of Daniel, if you feel like going down these trails, feel free to grab a commentary and do some homework. This lesson guide will not be going that deeply into those issues. Instead, we will focus on a big picture look at why God gave Daniel this vision at this time. This is a good chance to invite students who want to go deeper into the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation into a midweek small group experience. If you are not comfortable leading that, there is probably someone in your church you can ask!)
Have you ever been really sad? Like sad for multiple weeks?
If you don’t mind sharing, can you tell us why you were so sad? (Leader: Have a story of your own ready to lead out with—maybe a story of your first break up, losing a friend, moving to a new town or a forced career change. After everyone who was willing has shared, thank them for their courage to share such a deep thing.)
Lament is a part of life. In fact, many lamentable things have been happening in the world lately.
If God created our emotions, what is the value of sadness and grief?
Can you think of a time where grief was helpful?
What role does our faith play in our grief?
Let’s read Daniel 10:2-3 together.
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
Daniel was mourning for three weeks! We are not sure why he was mourning. Perhaps it was PTSD from the lions’ den, or all of the crazy visions he received. A more likely reason is that he heard about the challenges that the returned captives were facing in Jerusalem. Whatever the reason, this was a deep sadness.
But let’s notice who was actually noticing Daniel’s sadness. Let’s read Daniel 10:10-12.
10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
What was the Angel’s description of Daniel?
What kind of encouragement might that bring during his sadness?
We have spent a lot of this book with some strange visions. What do you think of the phase “understand the words that I speak to you”? What does that tell us about God?
Does God seem mysterious to you? Why might that be a good thing? Why might that be a bad thing?
Do you think God sends messages today? How can we understand them?
For the last two chapters of the book of Daniel, we are shown a lot of the future. Historians have pieced together a lot of what God showed Daniel. It came to pass. God revealed to Daniel, in the middle of his lament for his people, that He would take care of His beloved. He knew the future. He knew the pain of sin, but that He had it covered and understood. Daniel is also shown, perhaps more clearly than any other prophet, the plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ and His victory over sin! Jesus’ beloved disciple John, in his book of Revelation, builds on this book to fill out that picture for us even more!
As we close I want to talk through the final verses of this book. Read Daniel 12:8-13.
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
What does this passage tell you about God’s reaction to our desire to know His plans?
Look over verse 10 again. What is the messenger saying to Daniel here?
Even knowing all of this, Daniel is told to be patient in verse 13. How might that apply to our lives? Where do you need to be more patient with God?
Take time to write out some things that God has revealed to you about His plan for your life. If you need some prompts, ask yourself the following questions:
Do I know my spiritual gifts? How might I use to bless others and fulfill God’s purpose for my life?
What am I passionate about? What gets me excited or motivated? How might God use those things?
What natural talents do I have? Are there things that come more easily to me than they do to other people?
What is my personality like? (Perhaps take a personality test.) Am I outgoing, introspective, etc.? How can God use my personality to guide His purpose for my life?
How have my life experiences influenced me? My joys and my pain? How might God use those things?
These questions are important, because just as God revealed to Daniel His plan for the future, God has a plan for you! But it’s really not about only you; God’s plan for you is that you will be a beacon of who God is to someone else! So take heart, even in your times of sadness and lament. You are not alone, God is near, and He has a plan.
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
Download Handout
The last portion of the book of Daniel is the least understood portion of the book. Many of the visions throughout the book seem to build on previous ones, adding new elements. The last one seems to add more details to the latter portion of the previous visions, including the end of the world. But Daniel received the message to seal up this vision until the time of the end. If we’re living in the time of the end, these little-understood visions will now be understood. If we’re not, then they won’t be.
If you want to look at the predictive elements of this part of Daniel, consult the Cornerstone Connections material for this week. Various commentaries on Daniel can also give you interpretations.
An RBS (Relational Bible Study) focuses on personal applications of the Scripture passage for us today. We’ll look at the last three chapters of Daniel in just one lesson. Chapters 10 and 12 are short, but chapter 11 is long. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to be present and to show us how to live out this portion of Scripture in the coming week and months.
When have you seen a rivalry that keeps going back and forth?
Read Daniel 10:1-21.
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”
18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”
20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
Read Daniel 11:1-45.
1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)
The Kings of the South and the North
2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.
5 “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.
7 “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.
14 “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16 The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.
20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.
21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.
25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.
29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.
33 “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
The King Who Exalts Himself
36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.
40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
Read Daniel 12:1-13.
1 “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 r will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
1. Why did Daniel mourn for three weeks (Daniel 10:2)?
2. Who communicated the meaning of this vision to Daniel?
3. Who is the “King of the South”?
4. Who is the “King of the North”?
5. Who is Michael?
6. What is sealed until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4, 9, 13)?
7. Where do you see political, military, economic, and religious conflicts today?
8. What do you know because of the book of Daniel? How does this affect your outlook and the way you live?
SUMMARY
With plenty of excitement and intrigue, and with dueling powers that indicate mighty political, military, and economic battles, Daniel 10-12 can tantalize one’s imagination. We also see indications of supernatural powers playing out through natural/human powers. It raises the question of who is involved in this great duel. Is it humans? Is it supernatural beings? What impact does the duel have on us? What role do we play?
Because we are on this earth, we’re in the action, and that includes human and supernatural engagement. Welcome to the duel! Followers of Michael win!
APPLICATION
Whenever there is a duel, it seems as if just two people battle to the death. But others watch and also play a role. We are more than spectators in this great duel of the ages on planet earth. Here are some ways to apply this to your life this week.
You may want to start on it together during Sabbath School. Have each youth mark which items are especially important to them.
