I don’t know about you, but my natural tendency is to try and really understand what is written. I am asking “What exactly does this mean?” I’ve got questions!
And I think we can find answers.
In chapter 11 verse 40 we read, “At the time of the end”, and by chapter 12 verse 4 the description of this end-time, well, ends. In those 9 verses we learn:
1. There will be a huge battle.
2. People whose names are written in the Book of Life will be delivered.
3. Those “who sleep in the dust of the earth” shall awake, i.e. resurrected.
4. Some will go to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt.
5. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars.
Those 5 points line up with other prophecy in the Bible. Revelation, chapter 16 tells us of a huge battle in a place in Hebrew called, Megiddo. We translate it Armageddon.
We know that Jesus has won the victory, yet we also know that as the enemy, Satan, is retreating, he is involved in what is a classic “rear-guard action”. As the enemy is retreating to utter defeat, he is trying to take as many of God’s children to damnation with him. It all comes to a head in Armageddon.
How does Satan take God’s children to damnation? By getting as many people as possible to reject Jesus. The battle is huge.
This teaching is not some fringe theory. We so often quote John 3:16, and we should. We should also read John 3:16-21.
And this connects to point number 2: The Book of Life.
The Book of Life is one of the ways the Bible talks about knowing exactly who it is that believes in Jesus; their names are written in it. Scripture speaks of names written in books, as long ago as Exodus and the Psalms. The Book of Life is mentioned at least 14 times.
The point: Living Life is serious business. You need to go in the right direction. You need to follow True North. Getting Lost doesn’t mean you are simply late to your destination. It means you end up at a completely different destination—in this case Eternal Damnation.
And by the way, if you are a person that points people to True North, if you turn many to righteousness, you will eternally shine like a star.
As we come to the end of Daniel, we come to these biblical truths. Daniel is a serious book. God inspired Daniel to write all of it as he is confronted by a powerful world, with its own point of view. God’s point of view is a bit different.
Today, as you come to the end of Daniel, perhaps you have you questions. Amid our unanswered questions, can you embrace God’s direction to Daniel? Daniel is not told “how long”, he is told, “Blessed is he who waits” and he is told “…go your way to the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place…”