The End Times
At that time, the time of the end,...
At that time, the time of the end, God will rescue his people and defeat every enemy—even death.
1“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
2And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.† 3Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens,† and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.†
4But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”
7And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised 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, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.”
God withheld exactly how and when all this...
- God withheld exactly how and when all this would finally end. Daniel would not see the end (12:13); his job was to finish out his life in faith.
- purified, cleansed, and refined: God would use violent and terrifying times to improve the moral and religious character of his people (cp. 11:35).
- Being wise includes having insight into God’s ways and walking accordingly. The wicked will not understand or change their wickedness even if the vision is explained to them.
8I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”
9“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.
the sacrilegious object that causes desecration: See 8:13–14,...
- the sacrilegious object that causes desecration: See 8:13–14, 23–26; 11:29–35. See also study note on 9:27.
- God’s people must wait and remain faithful when the events of the end come.
- 1,290 days . . . 1,335 days: Some interpreters see these numbers as relating to specific events in the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Others see them as purely symbolic. The number 1,290 equals 43 lunar months of 30 days each, which is approximately 3½ years in the solar calendar. This might represent the final half of the final “set of seven” (9:27). The number 1,335 might represent simply an extra 45 days of waiting until the end. Those who endure the whole time, and then some, will see God act on behalf of his people.
11And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13But as for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and then you will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”