Dan. 12:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:14-21, “Justification” in the OT (5)

There is one more thing that we learn in the OT about justification.  First, the brothers in Genesis illustrated the problem.  They could not clear themselves. Then Job and his friends raised the issue of man’s hopelessness, a problem reiterated in Psalms and in the prophets.  Third, through Isaiah God has revealed the provision that He is going to make.  The Holy and Righteous One will bear the iniquities of the guilty.  A just recompense will be made that satisfies God. 

There are two uses of the Hebrew term in Daniel.  The first is in 8:14, where it says that after 2300 days (3 1/2 years) the sanctuary shall be cleansed.  In this context, the sanctuary, of course, is the building, the temple in Jerusalem.  Daniel is in Babylon; the temple has been destroyed because of Israel’s idolatry.  But at the beginning of Christ’s earthly reign the sanctuary will be usable again.  That is, God will dwell in and with the people of Israel.  Because it refers to the building the NKJV translates the term “cleansed.”  But the word is “justified” or “cleared.”  Remember, in temple worship everything that was used, from the altar to the pots and pans to the building itself, had to be atoned for; they were holy to the Lord.

But for the Body of Christ, the interesting passage is 12:3: 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.  Dan. 12:1-3 speaks of the future resurrection when Christ returns to reign on the earth.  There are two kinds of resurrection events: one to everlasting life, called the “first resurrection” in Rev. 20:4-6; and one to shame and everlasting contempt (Rev. 20:11-15).

According to Daniel, two things characterize those raised in the first resurrection: they are those who were wise and those who turned many to righteousness, which is our term, “justification.”  God is the one who justifies; this is what we have learned.  Yet, those who are justified become servants of God so that others might be justified. 

The context of Dan. 12 indicates this refers to the time preceding the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom. Thus, it could fit the 7-year tribulation period, when we believe that the 144,000 Jews chosen to serve Christ may serve as witnesses to the world (Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5).  But it can also fit the present age.  As Christians, who enjoy the blessings of the New Covenant, blessings based on being justified (vindicated, cleared in God’s sight, so that He remembers our sins and iniquities no more), we have been given the ministry of reconciliation, which makes it possible for men to become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).  This ministry is one of announcement, telling people what God has done in Christ.  He is no longer laying their sins to their account.  He welcomes the sinner into a relationship with Him, the Creator.