Faith at the End of All Things

“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” (Daniel 12:13)

Faith in Difficult Times (Daniel 12:5-7)

Faith Until the Outcome (Daniel 12:8-12)

Faith and Perseverance (Daniel 12:12-13; Matthew 24:9-14)

Faith and Resurrection Hope (Daniel 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:3)

1. This weekend we conclude our series, “Daniel: Apocalyptic Imagination and Exile Faith,” by exploring the remainder of chapter 12. Begin your study by quieting yourself before God. Next, ask God to speak to you through His word before reading Daniel 12:5-13 aloud.
2. This passage concludes the vision that begin in chapter 10. Verses 5 and 6 bring us back to the sight that began Daniel’s vision of “the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river.” (Read Daniel 10:4-6 to remember the full glory of this angelic figure.) Two other angelic figures are here as well. What is their conversation about?
3. The lifting of the hands in verse 7 indicates a solemn vow. What does the angel above the waters say about the timing of this vision? This echoes something found in Daniel 7:25. What do you think this means?
4. What is Daniel’s question in verse 8? Why do you think Daniel asks this question? Do you ever have questions like Daniel here in verse 8?
5. In verses 9-10, what does the angel describe as occurring during this season “until the time of the end”?
6. Background: The angel responds in vss 9-13 with cryptic numbers (1290 days and 1335 days) that may relate either to the time until Antiochus IV, who desecrated the Temple in 167 BC, or to the final Anti-God figure at the end of human history, or to both simultaneously. In relating these numbers to the “time, times, and half a time” (7:25; 12:7) and the “2,300 evenings and mornings” (8:14), scholars have multitudes of models, but it is likely that this aims to remind us both that our understanding is limited and that God has destined an end for evil.
7. The final verse of the book addresses Daniel specifically, echoing words earlier in the chapter (12:1-2) about a final resurrection. Why might this be a fitting conclusion to the book?Verse 12 provides a specific blessing for “the one who waits for and reaches the end.” This echoes many verses in the New Testament, but specifically the words of Jesus found in Matthew 24:9-14. Reading both the words of the angel in Daniel and the words of Jesus in Matthew, what would you say is the biggest message here?
8. What is one thing that God is speaking to you through this study?

• Return and watch the entire Bible Project video on Daniel in order to help you put all the pieces together again.
• Read some verses on persevering through trials: Romans 5:1-5; Hebrews 12:1-3; James 1:2-4, 12; 2 Peter 1:3-11; Jude 1:24-25.