Introduction

Few will contest that the book of Daniel is concerned with the end times.¹ It is an eschatological book dealing with “times and seasons” (Dan 2:21).² Throughout, it presents periodization of the future, including both prophecies of specific durations, such as 3,5 times (Dan 7:25; 12:7), the 2300 evenings and mornings (Dan 8:14), and the seventy weeks with its subdivisions (Dan 9:24-27); and also prophetic eras or periods defined by specific content, such as the “time of the end”³ and “the appointed time of the end” (Dan 8:17, 19).⁴ Yet, most of these references and all specific time calculations are found in the section of Daniel often labelled Daniel B, commonly called the prophetic part, or by some the apocalyptic part, depending on their definition of apocalyptic literature.

This fact should cause us to reflect on the relationship between the narrative part in chapters 1-6 (Daniel A), and the prophecies in chapters 7-12 (Daniel B).⁵ The narratives of the first part of the book all take place at the time of the Babylonian and the Persian empires, while the apocalyptic prophecies, though shown to Daniel in the same period, point to events which were to him yet future. Is the first part then to be understood as didactical-historical only, and is the second part simply a group of originally unrelated visions which at a later stage was attached to the name Daniel because he was known from the court narratives and thus through his notoriety was perceived to possess a certain authority?⁶

Among the questions raised in such a comparison between the two parts is the difference in the depiction of Daniel. In chapters 1-6, the main character is an “all-knowing” prophet who on behalf of God reveals divine secrets and proclaims God’s commands, God’s judgments and/or mercy to pagan rulers (Dan 2:19-45; 4:15-24; 5:13-28). But from chapter 7 and onwards, Daniel is portrayed as an emotionally struggling visionary, disturbed, confused, and even in distress by the scenes he is given to see (Dan 7:28: 8:27; 12:8-13).

This paper contends that the book is a carefully structured whole, and that the two major parts belong closely together and mutually enlighten each other. The paper aims to show how the reversal of the role of the main character Daniel serves to characterize the people of God at the appointed time of the end, and that this characterization by bringing together theological perspectives from the whole book is of major significance for anyone who seeks to understand the didactic function and purpose of the book of Daniel.

The paper will first briefly address the question of the structure of the book and the progress of events in the book. Next, it will highlight the link between Daniel A and Daniel B via three significant examples. With the structure of the book and these examples as a background, the paper will then discuss the reversal of the role of Daniel and present central features which characterize God’s people of the eschaton.

Structure and Genre of Daniel

The book of Daniel is characterized by three major transitions, in language, general genre, and authorial perspective. A closer look at these transitions will reveal that the perceived clear-cut division of the book into two parts needs some modification. First, while chapters 1 and 8-12 are in Hebrew, the remainder in Aramaic, the transition to the Aramaic section does not happen from the beginning of chapter 2, but occurs with the reply of the Babylonian wise men to Nebuchadnezzar in 2:4b.⁷ Secondly, while the narratives are found in chapters 1-6, this part of the book does not correspond precisely to the language division: the apocalyptic prophecy of chapter 7 is evidently closely linked to the preceding narratives. Further, the narrative section itself contains a major prophetic outline in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2. Similarly, the prophetic part of the book contains a historical review of the past in the prayer in 9:4b-19. The third transition happens in the course of the vision report in chapter 7 which opens in the voice of third person (7:1-2),⁸ but ends in first person (7:28).

Already these brief observations point to a more complicated structure of the book in which the various parts interact on many levels. In the structure suggested below (table 1),⁹ the commonly accepted chiastic structure of the Aramaic chapters from 2-7 is presupposed.¹⁰

TABLE 1: Structure of Daniel

A few observations may help to affirm the presence of this structure. The two chapters of introduction, chaps. 1 and 7, each contain topics central to the subsequent sections. Chapter 1 presents the historical setting, the temple vessels, and the young Jews; chapter 7 introduces the visionary style of the second part of the book, the animal imagery, and the feature of an angelic interpreter. The two parts are bilingual: the Hebrew chapter 1 introduces a chiasm in Aramaic, the Aramaic chapter 7 introduces a chiasm in Hebrew. Sections D and D’ fit perfectly on the top of C and C’ in which Babylon is judged; these two visions are concerned with more details relating to the dominating kingdoms in the period after the end of the Babylonian empire, and they both take the Persian kingdom as their starting point.

The structure further helps to clarify the significance of chapter 7. Regarding language, chapter 7 belongs to the first and Aramaic part. In genre, however, it belongs to the prophetic part. The chapter thus functions as the hinge of the book,¹¹ fitting with the fact that it, on the one hand, summarizes the themes of chapters 1-6, on the other hand, presents the basic features of the subsequent chapters 8-12.

When studying the structure of a text, readers observe it from the end and view it in its totality. Following the book of Daniel in its progress as the events it describes transpire, a number of connecting features also appear. While new chapters, for instance, at first glance may seem to introduce completely new stories, plots, or visions, often highlighted by a chronological marker, the book links consecutive chapters by a variety of linguistic, literary, or thematic means.¹² The narrative about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue is linked theologically and linguistically to chapter 1 by its emphasis on God as the “Great Giver” of power, wisdom, and favor in personal relationships.¹³ Nebuchadnezzar’s response to the dream in chapter 2 is clearly expressed in chapter 3 by his building of a statue completely covered with gold and articulated with irony in the narrator’s repeated usage of the Aramaic verb qum: the king “sets” up his statue (3:1, 2, 3, 5 etc.) in rebellion against the God who alone “removes and installs (qum) king” (Dan 2:21). The royal decrees¹⁴ bind chapters 3 and 4 together, and the condemnation of Belshazzar is pronounced with explicit reference (5:22) to Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion experience from chapter 4. The change to a new empire in chapter 6 makes readers ask whether history will repeat itself. Central themes of chapter 6 lead into the vision in chapter 7: the clash of empires; the changing (shenah, 6.8, 9; 7:25, cf. Dan 2:21) or unchanging law or laws (dat, 6:5, 8; 7:25); and worship and prayer (6:11-12 et.al., cp. 7:10, 13-14).¹⁵ The presence of the little horn is one of the many features connecting chapters 7 and 8. The prayer in 9:4b-19 and the subsequent angelic oracle in 9:20-27 evidently answer some of the fundamental pending questions from the visionary experience of Daniel in chapter 8.¹⁶

Along with the broad interlocking chiastic structure of the book, these chapter-connections testify to the contention that the seemingly disparate and stylisticly different parts of the book of Daniel are combined into a coherent whole. With its mix and combination of many genres Daniel belongs to what John J. Collins aptly labels the “complex apocalypse”:

The Jewish apocalypses commonly embrace various distinct literary forms—visions, prayers, legends, etc The complexity of the apocalypses has two distinct aspects. First, literary forms are used in a subordinate way within a larger whole—e.g., prayers and exhortations within a vision. Second, many apocalypses juxtapose formally distinct units which are not clearly subordinate to each other (e.g., the visions in Daniel 7-12 and the Similitudes of Enoch) Such complexity is the norm rather than the exception, at least in Jewish apocalypses. It cannot be adequately explained by source-critical theories. Even where independent sources are incorporated, we must still account for the composition of the final work. The complex apocalypse is a literary phenomenon in its own right.¹⁷

It follows from these observations regarding the coherence of Daniel that the characters of the book may undergo a development, and that their roles have to be assessed in light of the work as a whole. Contrary to common perception, for instance, the royal responses and decrees in the narrative section (2:46-49; 3:28-30; 3:31-33 and 4:34; and 6:26-28) are not identical.¹⁸ The kings experience a development, reflected in their decrees. Likewise, any portrayal of Daniel needs to consider the total picture of the book, both the narrative and the prophetic section.

Linking the Parts

Before discussing the significance of the reversal of Daniel’s role, I will look at three examples of connections between the two major parts of the book.¹⁹ It is not possible to be comprehensive. Yet these particular examples not only serve to illustrate the coherence of the book in connection with the stylistic, literary, and narrative transitions, they can also be viewed as building blocks for the characterization of the person Daniel in the book as a whole.

Visions and dreams

In Dan 2:1 king Nebuchadnezzar ”had/dreamed dreams”. This common Hebrew term for dream (khalom) is familiar to the reader who has just towards the end of the previous chapter (1:17) been told that God had given²⁰ Daniel the ability to understand “all kind of visions and dreams” (plural from khalom). As the language shifts, the realted Aramaic equivalent is consistently used for the king’s statue dream (khelem in 2:4-7, 9, 26, 28, 36, 45). However, when Daniel addresses the king, he refers more specifically to the dream as ”visions of your head” (Dan 2:28), using for “vision” the Aramaic equivalent khezu of the Hebrew khazon.

It is a popular perception that these ecstatic experiences of the kings are in a different category than those Daniel later encounters. This is a misunderstanding. Chapter 7 employs exactly the same expressions for Daniel’s dream vision. Just like Nebuchadnezzar, ”Daniel saw a dream (khelem) and visions (from khezu) of his head” (Dan. 7:1). And just as for Nebuchadnezzar, we are informed how this happens “as he lay in his bed” (mishkab, Dan 7:1, cf. 2:28). A further detail adds to the similarity between the two experiences. In his prayer Daniel refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as the “king’s matter” (milah); likewise, he ends his report of his own dream in chapter 7 with the words, “Here is the end of the matter” (milah).

In short, the linguistic links in the depictions of the dream visions of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel respectively, each in one of the two major parts of the book, clearly place the two in the same category. Daniel thus from chapter 7 occupies a position as a recipient of prophetic dream visions similar to those Nebuchadnezzar had in the narrative section.²¹

Tests, Investigation, and Appointed Time

Similarities between chapters 1 and 8 in Daniel are often overlooked. In chapter 8 we return to the Hebrew language used in the opening chapter of the book. The perspective changes accordingly, and the two chapters share many features in vocabulary, themes, and the role of the characters or main groups.

In chapter 8, Daniel not only resumes the Hebrew language, but the wording itself reminds the reader of the opening of the book. The chapters are introduced by the exact same three Hebrew words, "In the third year of the reign of . . ." The similarity between the reign of Jehoiakim (chap. 1) and Belshazzar (chap. 8) is thus highlighted: both powers are but transitional.

In both chapters, attack on/desecration of the temple (by Nebuchadnezzar/the little horn) is a main focus: in chapter 1, Nebuchadnezzar brings the holy items, the vessels of the temple, into a pagan temple; in chapter 8, the little horn is trampling upon the continual service, bringing paganism into God’s holy temple. In both chapters the people of God and their identity is threatened: in chapter 1, Nebuchadnezzar attempts to 'Babylonize' Daniel and his friends, spiritually destroying them; in chapter 8, the little horn brings some of the stars/people of God down and trample upon them. Both chapters highlight that God ultimately is the giver of all power: God "gave" king Jehojakim into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (1:2: Hebrew natan); the host/army of the saints are "given over", that is, into the hand of the little horn (8:12: natan).²²

When it comes to the issue of time, it is remarkable that in both chapters, vindication takes place after periods of trial or testing and thereby further connects the narrative part of the book with central perspectives on time in the prophetic part. Chapter 1 twice contains the pattern of investigation after a set time period, first the test of the young Hebrews’ health after ten days of pagan-free diet, later the examination at the court of king Nebuchadnezzar after three years of education (1:14-15, 18).²³ The same pattern can be detected in chapter 8: the period of 2300 evenings and mornings (8:13-14) is followed by a period which in Hebrew is called moʿed (8:19). Variously translated, the expression “the appointed time” is most common in English. This is the period of judgment, justification and vindication, the historical equivalent of the sanctuary ceremony of the Day of Atonement. Several scholars have identified moʿed with the eschatological judgment when it is employed as an absolute term in singular.

This noun is formed from the verb yaʽad, to designate, appoint/make an appointment, meet with, or allocate (Exod 30:36; 2 Sam 20:5; Amos 3:3). Moʽed is predominantly a cultic term, and the plural moʽadim is the designation for the annual religious festivals in total (Lev 23:2 ff.).²⁴ These are the times Yahweh designated for special gatherings with His people in the sanctuary. In combined expressions, the word may be used with the ”tabernacle” (ʼohel) in the wilderness, the ʼohel moʽed (as in Exod 27:21; 40:2; 1 King 8:4), referring to the place where God reveals Himself to the people. It may otherwise point to the people invited to meet with God, that is the congregation itself (Num 16:2).²⁵ Thus it covers the range of times and places, when and where God invites the people to meet with Him.

In only a few texts in the Old Testament, moʽed is used in the absolute singular without being linked grammatically to another noun in the construct form. In some of these instances moʽed is clearly associated with God’s appointed time for judgment, the Day of Atonement in the sanctuary service.

“In particular, the small book of Lamentations understands Judah’s fall in 587/586 as a moʽed called upon them by Yahweh, and equates the element of cultic holidays which terrifies the godless—holy days which according to the language of the psalms bring about ruin for the wicked just as they do blessing for the righteous—with the destruction of the people as an enemy of God; the development of eschatological notions from a cultic context can be discerned here in an exemplary fashion (Lam 1:4, 15; 2:6ff, 22).”²⁶

So, the pattern set by the opening narrative in Daniel 1 with a time period of definite duration, followed by investigation/testing and subsequent victory provides a paradigm for the prophetic future of the end time, the “appointed time” when God’s people live during an era when God intervenes to judge and deliver. Using sanctuary language, the pattern occurs again in the closing chapters of Daniel, where mo’ed is connected to the theme of purification (11:35, cf. 12:9). The events in Babylon become a microcosm for the universal challenges toward the end of history.

Prayer Time

One of the main features in the characterization of Daniel is prayer. In both sections of the book, Daniel is portrayed as a man of prayer, a person engaged in an ongoing dialogue with God. The secrets of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream are revealed to him because he is praying (2:17-19). In contrast to the kings of Babylon and Persia, even when they do pray (4:34; 6:19), Daniel’s praying is positioned in the center of events (2:20-23; 6:11-12).²⁷

The prayer life of Daniel is not limited to the narrative part of the book. The most conspicuous prayer is found in the middle of the prophetic section (Dan 9:4b-19).²⁸ Though scholars in general have tended to disregard this prayer as genuinely belonging to the book,²⁹ it fulfills an important function, also in binding the two parts of the book together.

This becomes evident when comparing two significant prayer chapters from each part of the book, namely chapters 6 and 9,³⁰ in light of the spatial³¹ and temporal movements within the book. Two of each such movements are detected, as illustrated in the tables below:³²

TABLE 2: Spatial Movements in the Book of Daniel

The first spatial movement takes place on the level of history. The events in 1:1-3 bring us from Jerusalem to Babylon. Though remaining in the land of exile, we are given the inclination of the return movement directing us back towards Jerusalem. It is illustrated by the shift of languages that turn from Hebrew to the lingua franca of the empire, Aramaic, and then in 8:1 back to Hebrew, the language of the people of God.

The specific direction of this return movement towards Jerusalem is in particular indicated by the prayers in chapters 6:11 and 9 (vss. 2, 16-17), the only chapters beside chapter 1 where the city is explicitly named.³³

TABLE 3: Temporal Movements in the Book of Daniel

The first temporal movement takes place in two chronological sequences on the level of history. The consecutive chronological sequence of the narratives is broken with the introduction of the vision in chapter 7 where we are led back to the first year of Belshazzar. From this chapter, the visionary section has its own consecutive, chronological sequence. The juxtaposition of these two chronological sequences, the narratives and the giving of the visions, emphasizes the fact that the events of chapters 6 and 9 are simultaneous.

The second temporal movement takes place on a more universal level as it brings us from the time of the empire of Babylon down to the end of human history. This movement strengthens the previously mentioned thought that the events taking place in connection with the deportation to and the exile in Babylon function as a microcosm, mirroring the macrocosm of the end time.

For the particular purpose of this paper, the clear links between the prayer chapters 6 and 9 help binding the two parts of the book together. Daniel is in chapter 6 found in prayer turned towards Jerusalem (6:11-12). We are told that he prayed, but the specific content of his regular, intercessory prayer for Jerusalem is only known to us from the recorded prayer in chapter 9.³⁴

The Reversal of Roles

In the previous section three examples were provided in order to illustrate the connection between the two major parts of Daniel, the narratives in chapters 1-6 and the prophecies in 7-12. The examples were drawn from an assessment of genre, from observations of the language shifts of the book, and from the characterization of its main figure, three important perspectives in relation to the overall coherence of Daniel. It was shown that the dreams and visions of the pagan kings in the narrative section belong to the same category as Daniel’s dreams and visions in the prophetic section. It was further highlighted how events of the exile function as a microcosm of the macrocosm of the end time; the appointed time (moʿed) of the end time (8:19) is comparable to the experience of investigation and justification/vindication of Daniel and his friends at the royal court of Nebuchadnezzar (1:14-15, 18-20).³⁵ Finally, it was demonstrated that Daniel consistently in both parts of the book is portrayed as a man of prayer. The significance of these three illustrative samples for the characterization of God’s people in the end time will be my focus next.

The end time reversal

In the long oral,”dynastic prophecy” in Dan 11,³⁶ and in the encounters with heavenly beings which frame this prophecy (in chapters 10 and 12), the term maskilim, commonly translated as “the wise” or “the insightful” is repeatedly mentioned as a descriptor of the people of God or of a group within His people at the time of the end.³⁷ The identity of this group has been the focus of much critical discussion in the attempt to locate the group within the various fractions in the Maccabean period.

From a literary perspective, however, assuming the compositional date implied by the book itself, a different and theologically important perspective emerges. In chapters 11 and 12, the term maskilim applies to those wise persons who at and during the appointed time study and understand the visions and the prophecies of Daniel (see 11:33, 35; 12:3, 10). The same term was used in the opening of the book to characterize Daniel and his friends (1:4). To these four young Hebrews God “gave insight (haskil, the hiphil form of the verb sakal, be prudent, wise) in all literature (book, seper) and wisdom” - to Daniel God even gave the gift of interpreting “visions and dreams” (1:17).

So, in the end time, the wise people of God, the maskilim, take the same role that Daniel had in the narrative part of the book. Like Daniel was given wisdom (1:17, cf. 2:21) to understand the prophetic messages given to the pagan kings, God’s end time people is given wisdom to study and interpret the visions and dreams of Daniel. The role of Daniel is reversed from interpreter to recipient. The maskilim are the interpreters. Their “knowledge” or insight” (12:3, daʽat, cf. 1:4) has nothing to do with the growth of scientific knowledge towards the end of the world’s history; it is the prophetic insight arising from a study of God’s revelation through Daniel. Like Daniel possessed the wisdom to read the books of both pagans (1:4) and inspired prophets like Jeremiah (9:2), so the end time people of God will gain knowledge and wisdom in their study of Daniel’s prophecy, Daniel’s book (seper, 12:4). That this understanding in particular is related to the grand time prophecy of Daniel 8 and therefore defines this period as ”the appointed time”, the moʽed (Dan 8:19), is confirmed by the command to Daniel to ”hide/close” (from the verb satam) the words and ”seal the book” (12:4, cf. 12:9), a clear reference to the words in 8:26 where the angel told him to “hide/close” (satam) the vision of Dan 8 regarding the ”many days” of Dan 8:14.

Let me mention one more, small feature which links this final period of judgement in the end time to Daniel’s initial experience in Babylon. One of the terms used for “standing in judgment/ passing judgment” is the Hebrew verb ʽamad. In Dan 1:4, ʽamad is used to describe the competence of those students who will be able to serve the king, to stand in his court. At the end of the training period, some of them (see note 15) will “stand (ʽamad) before the king”, that is enter his service. They are in particular able to do so because they successfully have passed their final test or examination. When the students therefore at ”the end of the time period” were brought before Nebuchadnezzar (1:18), and Daniel and his friends were found to far exceed their fellow students, they were able to ”stand” (ʽamad) before the king. They had passed the judgment. A similar expression is used at the end of the book to describe Daniel, when the heavenly being exhorts him in 12:13 “to rest, and stand (ʽamad) up to” his lot at the end of the days. It would be too narrow a reading to limit the sense of ʽamad to the resurrection. It implies judgment, here with the positive connotation of deliverance. The sense of judgment is further strengthened in the chapter as a whole by the reference to Michael in 12:1. The judgment motif is dominant in the context: there is salvation for those who are inscribed in the book of life (12:1c), and the concept of ”righteousness” (12:3) also belongs to the language of the court. The small unit of 12:1-4 is introduced by the sentence, here quoted from NKJ, ”At that time Michael shall stand (from ʽamad) up, The great prince who stands (ʽamad) watch over the sons of your people.” Twice a form of this verb is employed, and one central thought of the text is that Michael in this final battle will be his people’s defender in court as well as in history.³⁸

Dare to be a Daniel: Characterizing God’s people of the eschaton

The conclusion of this study is that God’s people of the end time is identified with Daniel (and friends) of the narratives of the book. Daniel is a student of prophecy and the recipient of divine gifts to understand and interpret the prophetic visions of the kings. The maskilim during the “appointed time” of judgment are students of God’s prophetic word and interpreters of Daniel’s own dreams and visions.

But this identification with Daniel goes far beyond the mere interpretation of divine prophecies. Throughout the ages, readers of all confessional backgrounds have naturally read the narratives of the first part of the book as “hero”-stories which encourage believers to act like the young Hebrews in exile.³⁹ “Dare to be a Daniel” is a homiletic children’s song that aptly articulates a fundamental didactic message of these stories. On the basis of the observations and comments above, it is my suggestion that the juxtaposition of narratives and prophecies and the reversal of the role of Daniel is deliberately intended to provide a broader characterization of the people of God during the time of judgement.

To the question about the nature of the people of God in the eschaton, the book of Daniel therefore says, they are to be like Daniel and his friends. The characteristics of the heroes of the narrative part of the book are transferred to the maskilim of the appointed time of the end, the moʽed, the time of judgment.

My contention is that this aspect is far more important for the theology and interpretation of Daniel than any detailed calculation of the future. It permeates the book as a whole, and the focus in Daniel is less on the details of the eschaton than on the nature of the people of God during this final period of earth’s history. They are not only characterized by their insight into the prophetic word and what they teach and instruct regarding that word, but also by what they are as genuine wise persons.

To be truly wise is to be humble. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7 ESV). This humility is a fundamental trait of Daniel’s character. Standing before Nebuchadnezzar with the solution in hand, Daniel gives all glory to God (2:27-28). Standing before the last king of Babylon, Daniel disregards Belshazzar’s attempt to exhibit his power by the giving of gifts (5:17). Daniel acknowledges that all wisdom and all power belong to God and are His only to share (2:21, 23).

This wisdom of Daniel is not achieved by any inherent quality of his own, but through the study of Holy Scriptures (9:1-2) and his prayer life. Genuine wisdom brings the maskilim into close, personal intimacy with God. God’s people at the time of the end is to be characterized by a humility which only persons of genuine prayer are able to possess. Note in the table below the striking contrast between the two main characters of chapter 2:

Table 4: The Main Characters of Daniel 2

It is evident that being identified with the heroes of the narratives of the first part of Daniel, the maskilim are to be persons of integrity, loyal to the law of God like the four young Hebrews during their training period (chapter 1); courageous when facing an attempt to force them to worship an idol (chapter 3, cf. Rev 13:14-18); and upright and consistent when threatened with death for personal devotion to God (chapter 6).⁴⁰ But their power to take their stand by kneeling to God alone has its source solely in their personal friendship with and trust in the Lord. That is the very point of the three young Hebrews’ answer to Nebuchadnezzar’s challenge in 3:16-18, their “even if not”! Their decision to obey God does not depend on efficiency or success, but on trust.⁴¹

Being identified with Daniel, God’s people of the “appointed time of the end” are to be persons of prayer who both praise/give thanks (2:20-23) and send up their laments (9:4b-19). The long lament or penitential prayer in Daniel 9 includes confession, and in confessing, the wise does not say only, “they have sinned”, but admits frankly and honestly, “I/we have sinned” (9:5-6, 8, 10). In identifying with and caring deeply for the lost, for the apostate people, the wise therefore become intercessors.

My final thought on how the book of Daniel characterizes God’s people in the end time is that they are to be a people of waiting and hoping (Dan 12:13), fitting for those living when the Day of Atonement is taking place (cf. Ps 130).⁴² Waiting and experiencing the seeming delay is a central motif in the Old Testament and dominant in Daniel: the specific petition of the prayer in Daniel 9 is concerned with time,⁴³ “do not delay” or “do not tarry” (Dan 9:19; Hab 2:3-4). Jesus warns His people to wait with patience and wisdom, to “watch and pray” (Matt 25:13; 26:41). Daniel is given a promise that those who do, will be “blessed”, “happy is the one who waits” (Dan 12:2, CEB).

Let therefore us who are blessed to live during the “appointed time of the end”, be happy in Jesus.