Welcome to this Daily PBJ devotional. Read 2 Samuel 22, Daniel 12, and 1 Timothy 4. This devotional is about Daniel 12. 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. And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars for ever and ever. But 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. Then I, Daniel, looked, and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river, and one on the opposite bank. One 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? And 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. I heard, but I did not understand, so I asked, My Lord, what will be the outcome of these things? Go on your way, Daniel, he replied, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many 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. And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1290 days. Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1335 days. But 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. This is God's word. This chapter is the final chapter of the book of Daniel, and the end of the interpretation of Daniel's vision from chapter 10. The prophecy ends with a great promise, but it also leaves Daniel and us a bit disappointed. First, the promise. Verse 1 of Daniel 12 promised that after the unprecedented human distress, Your people, everyone whose name is found in the book, will be delivered. This refers to believers who survived the Great Tribulation and reigned with Christ in his millennial kingdom. See Revelation 20 verses 4 through 6. Verses 2 and 3 here in Daniel 12 describe the second resurrection and final judgment that's also described in Revelation 20 verses 11 through 13. After the final judgment, those who have been redeemed by Christ will enter into His eternal kingdom. Compare verses 2 and 3 here in Daniel to Revelation 20, verse 14 through Revelation 21, verse 8. Daniel 12, 3 records the great promise. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens. And those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars, forever and ever. This is the promise of eternal life with our Lord. The disappointing aspect of this passage is that we don't know when it will be fulfilled. In verse 4, the angel told Daniel to roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Daniel wanted to know more specifics. His question in verse 8, what will the outcome of all this be, is a request to know more details about the prophecy. The angel gave him some specifics about timing in verses 11 and 12, but Daniel would not live to see it happen, according to verse 13, which says, As for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and then, at the end of the days, you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance. even for us who have more information about these events from Christ himself and from John in the book of Revelation. But even for us there's quite a bit of interpretation involved in handling these passages. Why then does God give us so many details about these end time events without telling us all the details we would need to know about them? The answer is that he wants us to trust him. God wants us to understand that there will be rewards in the last days. Those who are wicked, as verse 10 describes them, will receive shame and everlasting contempt when the end comes. Those whose names are found written in the book, as verse 1 says, who are wise, as verse 3 says, who are purified, made spotless and refined, they will receive eternal life. We don't need to know when or how the Lord will accomplish these things. What we need to know is that He does promise to accomplish them. and that we will be rewarded if we trust in him and wait for them to be fulfilled. So, let this encourage you. Jesus is coming back. He will establish his kingdom. He will raise those who have died in Christ and those who have died not in Christ. Those who have died not in Christ will be judged. The rest of us will enter his kingdom. Let that encourage you today, and let that use the time that you have to lead others to righteousness, as this passage says, because there will be rewards in Jesus' kingdom for those who do that. If you found this devotional helpful, go to my website, dailypbj.com slash subscribe. Enter your email address there, and starting tomorrow, you'll receive an email from me every day containing a link to the daily scripture readings, so you can be reading God's word every day, as well as a link to these devotionals, so I can help you apply God's word to your life every day. 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