You Shall Rest and Shall Stand… At The End Of Days
“But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
If ever a man saw kingdoms rise and fall, it was Daniel. He was taken into captivity by the Babylonians as a young teen in the year 605/4 B.C. in the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah (Dan. 1:1, 2). This was the first of three occasions when Nebuchadnezzar came up against Judah. The final time was in 586 B.C. when he destroyed the city and the temple and took the rest of the people into exile. Life in Babylon was not easy for Daniel. He and his friends had to learn Babylonian, were supposed to eat Babylonian food, and even had their names changed. They suffered hardships and persecutions, yet they remained steadfast in their faith.
Over the years, Daniel rose in power and prestige among the Babylonians. He was an able administrator and governor in Babylon. He saw the Babylonians overthrown by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus and Darius in 539 B.C. (Dan. 5). He became a friend and favorite of Darius the Mede under whom he was thrown into the lions’ den where he was delivered by the Lord (Dan. 6).
Daniel is well known for his interpretation of dreams—the dreams of others and himself. His dreams focused on the present and future kingdoms. He saw the rise and fall of nations from Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. He also spoke of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ that would arise in the days of Rome (Dan. 7). Daniel was a godly man who was gifted by God to serve in a foreign land. In this regard, he is very much like Joseph in Egypt. He lived out his faith in hard and troubled times. Daniel 12:13 is the very last verse in Daniel, and it contains a personal promise for Daniel. He was to continue doing what he did until his death: “go your way till the end” which was to be his “rest” until he should “stand in his allotted place at the end of the days.”
This corresponds to Daniel 12:2: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This verse promises resurrection from death. Some will have eternal life and others eternal judgment or wrath. “Sleep” in the Bible is often used as a synonym for death. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1Cor. 15:51–53). Paul is speaking of the resurrection change that will occur to those who are alive when the Lord returns, and to the resurrection of the body from the grave for those who have died.
When Daniel 12:13 speaks of Daniel going to his rest, it is referring to the rest of sleep or death. It is also clear in Daniel 12:2, 13 that death is not the end. Daniel is going to stand in his allotted place at the end. He will rise when the Lord comes. Daniel 12:12 mentions a time period of 1,335 days. This seems to correlate with “till the end” and with “at the end of the days” (Dan. 12:13). Daniel is full of time periods, both literal and symbolic. He mentions “a time of trouble,” “till that time,” “at that time” (vs. 1); “forever and ever” (vs. 23); “until the time of the end,” (vs. 4); “how long shall it be till the end,” (vs. 6); “for a time, times, and half a time,” “comes to an end,”(vs. 7), “until the time of the end,” (vs. 9); “from the time,” “1,290 days,” (vs. 11); “1,335 days,” (vs. 12); “till the end,” and “the end of the days” (vs. 13). Scripture seems to indicate that the names which are written in the book (vs. 1) correspond to the names written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27). Only these will enter the Kingdom of Christ. Those whose names are not in the book rise to judgment and perdition (Rev. 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15). This takes place at the end. Daniel was to go his way until the end.
Everybody has an interpretation of these time periods in Daniel. In this chapter, Daniel also desired to know what they signified, but was told to “shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end” (vs. 4). He asked in verse 8 what the outcome would be of these things, but was told in verse 9 to “go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” Sometimes rash speculations about time, especially end times, leads us further into labyrinth ways, as Calvin was fond of saying. The point is that for Daniel, he was to continue what he was doing. His own death would occur, but he would rise at the end to everlasting life, and since he most certainly was one of “the wise,” he would “shine like the brightness of the sky above” (verse 3). Those who believe in the Lord and wait for his promises, in particular, the promise of the Lord Jesus to come for his own and deliver them are blessed (see vs. 12).
Resurrection is what takes place at the coming of Christ (1 Cor. 15:23; 1Thess. 4:13–17). It is interesting to note that Paul connects the resurrection of the saints with “then comes the end” when the kingdom is delivered to God after destroying all opposition. (1 Cor. 15:24). The end comes with the coming of the Lord. Until that time occurs, Jesus “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25). The last enemy to be conquered will be death itself (1 Cor. 15:26).
Resurrection is about life—new life. It is literally “life out from among the dead.” There obviously is something very powerful at work in the resurrection. It is bringing to life that which was dead. The Bible asserts that only God has this power. It is true that some things have some sort of regenerating power, but that is not a power to deliver from death, but rather a new development within life itself. An infant who is alive grows into childhood, and then into adulthood. It is the same life, yet we see different stages of development. We see this when we consider caterpillars and butterflies. They are inextricably linked in the process of their metamorphosis. But resurrection is new life from something without life. A corpse does not have life. You cannot give it life. So resurrection is a demonstration of God’s sovereign ability and power. Paul speaks of the“power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10). This power is seen when our Lord comes for us. Philippians 3:20, 21 says: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (see also 2 Cor. 4:14; 1 Thess. 1:10). In 1 Corinthians 6:14, Paul makes it clear that “…God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power” (also Col. 2:12).
Resurrection is not only about new life given by the power of God, but also about a new body. Paul tells us that“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom 8:11). This is a new constitution because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom (1 Cor. 15:50; Eph. 6:12). Paul says that it is folly to try and explain what kind of body this is (1 Cor. 15:35). It is the opposite of perishable, mortal, corruptible, weak, and natural (1 Cor. 15:42–49). It is a spiritual body like Christ’s. Resurrection is also about hope (Acts 23:6; 24:15; 26:6–8). This was the message to Daniel: “Go your way till the end” (Dan. 12:13). We do not grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Christ is our hope. Creation itself hopes for change, even as we wait for the redemption of our bodies, and in this hope, we are saved (Rom. 8:23, 24). The end of resurrection is that we shall stand in the presence of God like our Lord, as it is for Daniel.