Daniel 12:1-4 (ESV)

[1] “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. [2] And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. [3] And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. [4] But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Some have said that the Jews did not have a concept of life after death. Their understanding of the Kingdom was earthly and national. An everlasting kingdom was to be understood as applying to the Jews as a people, not to individuals. That idea hardly fits with Daniel 12 however. The angel’s message to Daniel included the promise of deliverance for those “whose name shall be found written in the book” (Dan 12:1). That sounds an awful lot like Revelation 20:11-15. “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). The message further promised, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan 12:2). That sounds exactly like what Revelation 20 describes. It fits perfectly with the teachings of Paul and other writers of the New Testament. One cannot read Daniel 12 without realizing that life after death, and a kingdom not of this world was clearly in the minds of God’s people.

Daniel didn’t understand everything he heard, and God told him that “the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” (Dan 12:9). Daniel’s visions in the last few chapters sounds so much like John’s vision recorded in Revelation that I sometimes wonder if Daniel and John didn’t see the same things, but Daniel didn’t record it all. In Daniel 12:4 he was told to “shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.”

So how should we live in light of End Times prophecy? I know some who have become obsessed with knowing every little detail of these prophecies. Others have decided that they are just too vague, complicated, or scary. They tend to avoid scriptures like these in Daniel, or the book of Revelation. Yet God gave us these prophecies. How should they impact our lives? Daniel was told, “But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days” (Dan 12:13). These prophecies will be fulfilled. When they are, the world will know that God is God. Until then, we are to continue living. End Times prophecies should motivate us to trust God. They should motivate us to walk faithfully with our God. They should not frighten us, overwhelm us, or become our obsession. “Go your way till the end” God says. And in your going, Jesus said that we are to be making disciples (see Mt 28:19).

Know that as dysfunctional as our world has become, it is not out of control. God knows exactly what will happen, and he has a plan. We can trust him. In the meantime, get on with the life and calling of God on your life. In your going, make disciples, because, “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand” (Dan 12:10). We may not know which people will purify themselves and, and which will continue to act wickedly, but we have been entrusted with the gospel, the Good News that makes all the difference.