Connect Daniel 12:7 with Revelation's end-time prophecies about perseverance. Setting the Prophetic Scene • Daniel 12:7: “The man clothed in linen... raised both 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, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been shattered, all these things will be completed.’” • A heavenly oath guarantees the timeline and the outcome. Nothing is figurative guesswork; God gives a literal span and a definite finish. • The focus: a period of intense oppression that ends with deliverance and resurrection (vv. 1–2). Echoes in Revelation • Revelation 12:14 speaks of the woman preserved “for a time, and times, and half a time, away from the presence of the serpent.” • Revelation 13:5–7 describes the beast given authority “forty-two months” (the same 3½ years) to wage war against the saints and overcome them. • Revelation 11:2–3 measures the trampling of the holy city at “forty-two months” and the ministry of the two witnesses at “1,260 days.” • The identical duration links Daniel’s final oppression with John’s end-time visions. Why the 3½-Year Span Matters • Half of seven, the biblically complete number, signals an interrupted evil reign—God limits it. • It reassures believers that tribulation is neither random nor endless; it is precisely scheduled by the Sovereign Judge. Perseverance Described • Daniel: “When the power of the holy people has been shattered...” God allows weakness so that rescue is unmistakably His (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9). • Revelation 14:12: “Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” • Revelation 3:10 promises keeping the faithful “from the hour of testing that is coming upon the whole world.” • Revelation 2:10 urges, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” How Perseverance Looks in the Final Hour • Endurance under global hostility (Revelation 13:16-17). • Refusal to worship the beast or receive his mark (Revelation 14:9-11). • Steadfast testimony even at the cost of martyrdom (Revelation 6:9-11; 20:4). • Clinging to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:17). The Outcome God Guarantees • Tribulation ends right on schedule (Daniel 12:7; Revelation 10:6-7). • The shattering of the saints is temporary; resurrection and reward follow (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4-6). • Evil’s 3½-year frenzy gives way to Christ’s righteous reign of a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6). Encouragement for Today • God rules the stopwatch; no government, tribunal, or dictator can extend suffering beyond His decree. • Persecution is not a sign of abandonment but of prophetic fulfillment and coming victory. • The same Word that fixed the duration has also fixed the deliverance; trusting that Word fuels steadfast obedience now. |
    |