Dan 12 | EE | STEP | ‘At that time Michael will come’, the same man said. ‘He is the great angel who is good to your people. There will be a time of very great trouble. It will be the worst time since God made man. Then God will save those among your people whose names are in his book.

Daniel 12

Trouble and the time when dead people come back to life

1 ‘At that time Michael will come’, the same man said. ‘He is the great angel who is good to your people. There will be a time of very great trouble. It will be the worst time since God made man. Then God will save those among your people whose names are in his book. 2 Many of those who have died will come back to life again. God will give life that will never end to some of them. But some will be ashamed and have no honour for all time. 3 And those who are wise will shine like the bright sky. Those who help many people to obey God will shine like the stars always. ^{▼▼12:3 Verses 1-4 This is the rest of what the man told Daniel. This is about the end of the world.}

Daniel must close the book and he must keep it secret

4 Now you, Daniel, do not change this message. Close the book and keep it secret until the end. Many will try to learn more about this.’

An angel says that the surprising things will finish after three and a half years

5 Then I, Daniel, looked up and I saw two other people. One of them was on this side of the river with me. The other one was on the other side of the river. 6 One of them spoke to the man who was wearing white clothes. He was beyond them over the water. He asked him, ‘How long will it be before these surprising things end?’ 7 The man who was wearing white clothes lifted up both his hands towards the sky. I heard him make a promise by God, who lives always. ‘It will end after three and a half years. Then the enemies who fight against the power of the holy people will stop. And that will be the end of all these events.’

The angel tells some more things to Daniel and he tells Daniel about God’s promise to him

8 I heard his words, but I did not understand. So I said, ‘My lord, how will it all end?’ 9 ‘You go now, Daniel’, he said. ‘This message will remain secret until the end comes. 10 God will make many people holy and good. But evil people will continue to do things that are wrong. Those bad people will not understand what God wants. But wise people will understand. 11 From the time that there is no sacrifice each day there will be 1290 days. That is from the time that they put the thing that God hates in his house. 12 The people who wait in a patient way for 1335 days will be happy. 13 You yourself must be patient and you must continue until the end. You will die. But then you will live again. And then you will receive the good things that God has promised at the end of time.’