For part one, click here: Has “the resurrection of the just” already occurred? (Part one)
Another important passage in which we find the resurrection of the just referred to is Revelation 20:1-10. Here’s how these verses read in the CLNT:
And I perceived a messenger descending out of heaven, having the key of the submerged chaos and a large chain in his hand. And he lays hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Adversary and Satan, and binds him a thousand years. And he casts him into the submerged chaos and locks it, and seals it over him (lest he should still be deceiving the nations) until the thousand years should be finished. After these things he must be loosed a little time.
And I perceived thrones, and they are seated on them, and judgment was granted to them. And the souls of those executed because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who do not worship the wild beast or its image, and did not get the emblem on their forehead and on their hand- they also live and reign with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead do not live until the thousand years should be finished.) This is the former resurrection. Happy and holy is he who is having part in the former resurrection! Over these the second death has no jurisdiction, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will be reigning with Him the thousand years.
Notice that the resurrection of the martyred saints is both implied (“they also live and reign with Christ a thousand years”) and explicitly affirmed (“This is the former resurrection”).
That the events described in these verses will follow chronologically from the events described in the previous chapter is evident from the following scriptural considerations:
1. The time period that’s in view in these verses will involve the reign of the saints with Christ (Rev. 20:4-6).
2. It is after Christ has returned to earth that the saints will live and reign with him (Matt. 19:28-30; Matt. 25:31-32; Luke 18:29-30; 22:28-30).
3. The time period that’s in view in these verses will not transpire until after Christ has returned to earth (Rev. 1:7; 19:11-21).
We also know that, among those who will be resurrected to live and reign with Christ for a thousand years will be those who were executed for not worshipping the wild beast or its image, and who did not “get the emblem [of the wild beast] on their forehead and on their hand” (Rev. 20:4-5). Since the martyrdom of these saints will take place during the forty-two months during which the “wild beast” will have “authority to do what it wills” (Rev. 13:1-8), we know that the former resurrection is going to occur after this time. And since it’s the eon-consummating event described in Revelation 19 (i.e., the return of Christ to the earth) that will put an end to the saint-persecuting reign of the “wild beast” (and thus end the time period during which the saints will be persecuted and suffering martyrdom), we can conclude that the events described in Rev. 20 follow chronologically from the events described in Rev. 19.
Now, there are some students of Scripture who, while accepting this understanding of the chronological sequence of events referred to in Revelation 19-20, nevertheless understand what John wrote concerning the resurrection and reign of the saints in a non-literal, figurative way. That is, they understand John to have been referring to something other than an event involving the resurrection and reign of the martyred saints. In response to this view, the same point made concerning Christ’s words in John 5 (see part one of this study) can be made here as well: In order to justify a figurative understanding of “the former resurrection” (and the related reign of the resurrected saints with Christ), the following should be true:
1. A literal interpretation of what John wrote results in some degree of absurdity, or contradicts some known truth.
2. A figurative interpretation of what John wrote brings some degree of clarity (or provides some degree of explanatory power) that a literal interpretation does not.
But there is nothing absurd about there being a literal resurrection of the saints referred to in Rev. 20, a literal reign of these saints with Christ, or a literal period of a thousand years during which these resurrected saints will reign with Christ (and during which Satan will be bound and prevented from deceiving the nations). The literal reading makes good sense. And rather than contradicting some other scriptural revelation, it’s in accord with what’s revealed elsewhere in Scripture concerning “the resurrection of the just.”
Not only does a literal interpretation of the former resurrection not result in any absurdities or contradictions, but a figurative interpretation fails to bring greater clarity to the text, and creates problems that simply don’t exist when the text is understood literally. For example, in his commentary on Revelation, one proponent of a figurative interpretation – Andrew P. – wrote the following in support of his understanding of what the words “a thousand years” represent:
“Throughout the Bible, one thousand often symbolizes completeness. For example, when God says, “every wild animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps 50:10), this doesn’t mean that he owns every forest animal and only 1,000 hills worth of cattle; it means that he owns all the cattle, along with all the forest animals.”[i]
Even in the more common translations, there’s no reason to understand “a thousand” as non-literal. A literal understanding of “a thousand” doesn’t make the statement false. By emphasizing the fact that “the cattle on a thousand hills” belong to God, the clear implication is that all cattle belong to God. Thus, there is no reason to understand “a thousand” figuratively here. It should be noted, however, that the expression “the cattle on thousand hills” may not be the most literal and accurate translation of the Hebrew. Consider, for example, how Psalm 50:10-11 is translated in the CVOT:
For Mine is every animal of the wildwood, and domestic beasts by the thousands on My mountains. I know every flyer of the heavens, And the mammal of the field is before Me.
For a similarly-worded translation, see the New American Bible Revised Edition. According to these translations, God was simply declaring that the thousands of domestic beasts on his mountains belong to him. Understanding “thousands” as a literal number doesn’t make this statement false; the emphasis is simply on the large number of domestic beasts there are on God’s mountains (all of which belong to him).
Consider, also, the following remarks on Psalm 50:10 found in Ellicott’s Commentary:
Literally, mountains of a thousand, an expression for which there is no analogy, but which might conceivably mean, “mountains where the cattle are by thousands;” but surely the LXX. and Vulg. are right here, in rendering “oxen” instead of “a thousand,” and we should read “hills of oxen.”
Regardless of whether the text should read “mountains where the cattle are by thousands” or “hills of oxen,” Psalm 50:10 need not be understood as supporting the view that the number “1,000” was being used figuratively here.
Another point that can be made is this: in Psalm 50:10, both the “cattle” and the “hills” (or “mountains”) in view are clearly literal cattle and literal hills/mountains. According to Andrew’s view, it’s the number “1,000” that’s being used figuratively to mean “all” (or “the full number of”). In other words, if “1,000” is being used figuratively in Psalm 50:10 to mean “all” (or “the full number of”), then the literal meaning is that the cattle on “all the hills” (or “the full number of hills”) belong to God.
With this point in mind, we’re not told that the time period during which the resurrected saints will reign (and during which Satan will be bound) is a thousand days, weeks or months. We’re specifically told that it’s “a thousand years.” Thus, if we’re to understand “a thousand hills” in Psalm 50:10 as meaning “all the hills” (or “a complete number of hills”) – and if “a thousand” is being used in the same figurative way in Rev. 20 – then we ought to understand “a thousand years” to mean “all the years” (or “a complete number of years”). However, the fact that it makes no sense to say that the martyred saints lived and reigned with Christ “all the years” (or for “a complete number of years”) should lead one to question the validity of the view that John was using the number “1,000” in a figurative way.
Andrew goes on to say: “One thousand years” can refer to a period as short as a single day (2 Pet 3:8; cp. Ps 90:4) or as long as eternity (Ps 105:8).”
But “one thousand years” doesn’t “refer to…a single day” in these verses. In fact, in both of these verses, the idea being expressed requires that the number “1,000” be understood literally. We’re certainly not being told that a day is as a “complete” period of time, or that a day is as “all time.”
Nor does “a thousand” refer to “a period…as long as eternity” in Psalm 105:8. Here’s how this verse reads in the CVOT:
“He remembers His covenant for the eon, the word He enjoined on a thousand generations…”
Just as “the eon” referred to here isn’t an endless duration of time, so “a thousand generations” isn’t an endless number of generations. “A thousand generations” likely refers to the number of generations of Israelites that there will be during the eons of Christ’s reign over the house of Jacob (which will include both the eon to come and the eon of the new heavens and new earth). That is, it refers to the number of generations there will during the future period that will begin when Christ returns to earth and restores the kingdom to Israel. Concerning this future time of Christ’s reign, we read the following in Luke 1:32-33 (CLNT):
“And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for the eons. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
These eons of Christ’s reign over the house of Jacob will end when Christ delivers up the kingdom to God/subjects himself to God so that God may be “All in all.”
Andrew went on to say,
The “thousand years” (Gk: chilia) of Rev 20 doesn’t refer to the duration of time, but is symbolic of the totality of Satan’s defeat and the vindication of the saints during this period, as recognized by most commentators.
If, as already noted, “a thousand hills” should be understood to mean “all the hills” in Psalm 50:10, then consistency demands that the figurative meaning of “a thousand years” should be “all the years” in Rev. 20. On the other hand, if “a thousand years” doesn’t refer to a duration of time, then what does Andrew mean by “this period?” To what “period” is he referring? If “a thousand years” in Rev. 20 simply means “completely” or “fully” (and has no reference to a particular period of time), then the only period of time that could coincide with such a defeat and vindication would necessarily continue without ceasing. How could Satan’s defeat be “total” (or “complete”) if, after a temporary period of time (which Andrew went on to argue was approximately 62 years – i.e., from 70 AD to 132 AD), Satan was released and, through another group of unbelieving Jews, began violently persecuting the saints once again? A “total” or “complete” defeat is necessarily a permanent and lasting defeat (not one that continues for a mere 62 years, and which then ends with a state of affairs that requires yet another defeat that is more “total” than the previous one).
It would seem, then, that Andrew’s figurative interpretation of the “thousand years” in Rev. 20 puts him on the horns of the following dilemma:
1. If the expression “a thousand years” doesn’t refer to “the duration of time, but is symbolic of the totality of Satan’s defeat and the vindication of the saints during this period,” then any “period” during which Satan is totally defeated and the saints are totally vindicated would necessarily continue without ceasing (otherwise the defeat of Satan and the vindication of the saints wouldn’t be “total” or “complete”). A “total” defeat and a “total” vindication are permanent states of affairs. But since we’re told that the “thousand years” will end (Rev. 20:3, 7), it would mean that the “total” defeat of Satan and vindication of the saints ends as well (in which case they weren’t actually “total”). I doubt there’s anyone who could honestly say that this understanding of the words “a thousand years” makes more sense than (and should be preferred to) the literal understanding of what John wrote.
2. On the other hand, if “a thousand years” does refer to the duration of time for which Satan is bound and the martyred saints “will be priests of God and of Christ, and will be reigning with [Christ],” then we should understand the “years” referred to as being literal years (just as the “hills” of Psalm 50:10 are literal hills). However, when we combine this idea with the view that “a thousand” symbolizes “completeness” (or “totality”) in Rev. 20, then it means we’re being told that Satan will be defeated – and the saints will be vindicated – for “all the years” (or for “a total number of years”). Again, I doubt there’s anyone who could honestly say that this understanding of the words “a thousand years” makes more sense than (and should be preferred to) the literal understanding of what John wrote.
The “souls” of the martyrs, which were previously described in Rev 6:9-11, are now depicted as participating in the judgment on their persecutors, and “coming to life and reigning with Christ.” This imagery is elsewhere used in the New Testament to describe the spiritual resurrection that takes place at the moment of salvation (John 5:24f; Eph 2:5f; 5:14). However, in this case, it takes place after the death of the martyrs. Therefore, it most likely symbolizes the martyrs’ vindication at the judgment of their persecutors, and their rule (in Christ) over their persecutors.
But how could the vindication of the saints who were killed during the First Jewish Revolt be “total” (or “complete”) if their state of “vindication” involved remaining dead after being killed by their persecutors? Wouldn’t their vindication by God be greater if they were actually restored to life and actually reigned with Christ? Of course it would! A literal understanding of what’s being said in Rev. 20 expresses a much greater and more complete vindication of the saints than a figurative understanding. Being restored to life after being killed – and then being given a position of ruling authority within the kingdom – would vindicate the martyred saints far more than the state of affairs that Andrew says “totally vindicated” them (i.e., the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple in 70 AD).
Moreover, if the resurrection referred to in Rev. 20 should be understood as a figurative way of referring to the vindication of the martyrs, then what is being symbolized by the words, “they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will be reigning with Him the thousand years”? A literal resurrection would, of course, be necessary in order for martyred saints to be priests of God and of Christ, and to reign with Christ for a thousand years. Those who are dead cannot be priests of God and of Christ, and cannot reign with Christ. But if the former resurrection of Rev. 20 symbolizes the vindication of martyred saints who remained dead after being “vindicated,” how were they “priests of God and of Christ?” How did they reign with Christ while dead?
Andrew says that the resurrection symbolizes the vindication of these dead martyrs “and their rule (in Christ) over their persecutors” (emphasis mine). However, the former resurrection in which the martyrs are said to take part can’t symbolize their vindication and their reign with Christ, for their reign with Christ is referred to as something that’s distinct from their resurrection (with the implication being that their resurrection is what makes their reign with Christ possible). The same can be said with regard to the fact that the martyred saints “will be priests of God and of Christ.” This priestly function is just as much distinct from the resurrection of the martyrs as their reign with Christ.
I’m not sure what, exactly, Andrew had in mind when he referred to certain dead saints ruling “in Christ.” How do dead saints rule “in Christ” while they’re dead? It should be noted that John didn’t use the expression “in Christ” in Rev. 20:5-6. He wrote that the saints “live and reign WITH Christ,” and “will be reigning WITH him.” Whatever Andrew meant when he referred to the rule of the martyrs “in Christ,” I doubt he could satisfactorily explain the words that John actually used (“with Christ”) in the same exact way. The implication is that the reign of the martyred saints during the thousand years will be just as personal and actual as Christ’s own reign, and that these saints will be participants in the same reign that’s referred to in Rev. 5:10 (“Thou does also make them a kingdom and a priesthood for our God, and they shall be reigning on the earth”). Of course, those who are dead – even those who’ve died “in Christ” – can’t live and reign on the earth while they’re dead.
Raised “in the last day”
But when, during the coming eon, will the resurrection of those who shall awake “to eonian life” take place? Answer: In John 6:37-40 (cf. 44-45, 49-51, 54, 57-58), Christ revealed that he will be raising believers “in the last day.” Here’s how John 6:39-40 reads in the CLNT:
Now this is the will of Him Who sends Me, that all which He has given to Me, of it I should be losing nothing, but I shall be raising it in the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who is beholding the Son and believing in Him may have life eonian, and I shall be raising him in the last day.
Martha believed that her brother Lazarus would rise on “the last day” as well (John 11:24). But what, exactly, did Christ and Martha have in mind when they spoke of “the last day?” I believe they had in mind a certain prophecy concerning the resurrection of believers that’s found in the last chapter of the book of Daniel.
In Daniel 12:1-2 we read the following:
“In that era shall stand up Michael, the great chief, standing over the sons of your people. Then comes to be an era of distress such as has not occurred since there came to be a nation on the earth, till that era. Now in that era your people shall escape--all those found written in the scroll. From those sleeping in the soil of the ground many shall awake, these to eonian life and these to reproach for eonian repulsion.”
Significantly, Dan. 12:2 is the first verse in which the expression “eonian life” occurs in Scripture. In the Hebrew, the words translated “eonian life” are chay `owlam. In the LXX translation, the expression zoe aionios is used (which, again, is the same expression that’s translated “life eonian” in the Greek Scriptures). This is the only place in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures where the expression zoe aionios is found. And it’s reasonable to conclude that, in the Greek Scriptures, the expression zoe aionios is the inspired Greek equivalent of the Hebrew expression that’s used in Daniel 12:2.
Now, Scripture is clear that man was formed from the soil of the ground, and that it’s to the soil of the ground that humans return after they die. It’s also an indisputable fact that, in Scripture, dying can be described as “falling asleep,” while death can be referred to as “sleep” and being restored to life as “awakening” (or being “roused”). For example, in Job 14:10-12 we read the following:
“But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.”
For other examples where the dead are referred to as if they’re asleep, see Deut 31:16; 2 Sam 7:12; 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 11:43; 1 Kings 14:31; 1 Kings 15:8; 1Kings 15:24; 2 Chron. 28:27; 2 Chron. 33:20; Job 3:13; 7:21; 14:21; Ps 13:3; 17:15; 76:5; 90:3-6; Jer. 51:39; Isa. 26:14; Matt 9:24-25; Matt 27:51–52; John 11:11–14; Acts 7:6, 59–62; Acts 13:36; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 Cor. 15:6, 16-18, 20, 32, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13–16; 5:10; 2 Pet 3:4.
In light of these considerations – and in light of what’s revealed in the Greek Scriptures concerning the resurrection of the just, the coming eon and eonian life – we have good reason to understand the words of Daniel 12:2 as a prophecy of a literal, future resurrection of those who are dead. Notice also that, among those whom we’re told “shall awake,” it’s only those in the first group are said to awake “to eonian life.” The implication is that the second group who will be resurrected will not enjoy the blessing to which the expression “eonian life” refers (this, of course, is in accord with the fact that “the resurrection of the just” is the “resurrection of life” of which Christ spoke).
But if that’s the case – that is, if those belonging to the second group aren’t going to be enjoying the blessing of “eonian life” – then the following must be true: At some point after those in the second group are resurrected, they’re going to be returned to the same lifeless state they were in before being resurrected. In contrast, it is those belonging to the first group who will get to remain alive for the duration of time to which the Hebrew word translated “eonian” refers.
Notice, also, that what’s said to be “eonian” with regard to the second group of people is “repulsion.” And this does not refer to something that those who will awake to “reproach” will be experiencing. The Hebrew term translated “repulsion” in Daniel 12:2 (deraon) is, significantly, the same term translated “abhorrence” in Isaiah 66:24. And just as this word has nothing to do with the conscious experience of the corpses in Isaiah 66:24 (it instead refers to the negative reaction of the living people who will be observing them), so the word in Daniel 12:2 should be understood as a description of how others (such as those belonging to the first category of people mentioned in this verse) will regard the second category of people mentioned in this verse. In other words, for those who will awake “to reproach for eonian repulsion,” that which will be “eonian” in duration is the negative attitude that others will have toward them.
That those who will awake ”to reproach for eonian repulsion” will, after being resurrected, be judged and then returned to a lifeless state is confirmed from what’s revealed in Rev. 20:11-15:
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Those whose names will not be “found written in the book of life” (and who will consequently be cast into the lake of fire and thereby undergo “the second death”) are those who we’re told in Daniel. 12:2 will “awake to shame and everlasting contempt.” It is these who are later described as consisting of “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable” as well as “murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars” (Rev. 21:8). It is while they’re standing before the throne and being judged that they’ll experience the “shame” referred to in Daniel 12:2. After being judged, however, they’ll be returned to the same lifeless state they were in before being judged. It is this event (i.e., their being returned to the same lifeless state they were in before being judged) that will be their “second death.” And it is during the time that they’ll be dead that those who will be enjoying the “life” referred to in Dan. 12:2 will regard them with “contempt.”
Now, in Daniel 12:5-7, we go on to read that the future time of unparalleled trouble previously referred to in v. 1 would last for “an appointed time, two appointed times and half an appointed time,” and will end “when the shattering of the hand of the holy people is concluded.”[ii] This prophesied time period was previously referred to in Daniel 7. In v. 23, we read that a certain king will “speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High…and they shall be given into his hand for a season and two seasons and half a season.” This period of time during which the saints will be persecuted by this ruler will continue until the authority of this wicked ruler is taken away, and the saints of the Most High receive the kingdom (Dan. 7:11, 18, 21-22, 25-27).
Thus, the day when the authority of this king is taken away and his kingdom is destroyed will take place immediately after the last day on which he will have authority. And according to Rev. 13:5, the ruler of the fourth kingdom (who is represented as a “wild beast”) will be exercising authority for 42 months (i.e., 3 ½ years, or 1,260 days; cf. Rev. 12:14). This means that the authority of this ruler is going to be taken away (and the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom) the day after these 42 months/1,260 days end.
It’s further evident from Rev. 19:19-20 that the authority of the ruler of the fourth kingdom referred to in Dan. 7 is going to be taken away (and his kingdom destroyed) on the day when the “wild beast” is arrested, and the armies of the kings of the earth are destroyed by Christ. This event – which will involve the removal of the wild beast’s authority and the destruction of its kingdom – will fulfill the prophecy of the image-destroying stone and the arrival of the kingdom of God on the earth (Daniel 2:34, 44-45).
So it follows from this that Christ is going to return to the earth immediately after the final 1,260 days of this eon have transpired. This is further confirmed by the words of Christ in Matt. 24:29-30. In these verses we read that, “immediately after the affliction of those days” (i.e., after the time of “great affliction” referred to earlier in v. 21, which will begin after the “abomination of desolation” is “standing in the holy place”), Christ will be returning to earth (v. 30).
Another (related) reason for believing that Christ’s return to earth concludes the second half of the 70th heptad is as follows: After escaping from the deadly persecution of the “serpent”/”dragon” (i.e., Satan) and fleeing into the wilderness, we read that the “woman” referred to in Rev. 12 (who symbolizes the believing Jewish remnant who will be dwelling in the land of Israel at this time) is to be “nourished a season, and seasons, and half a season, from the face of the serpent” (Rev. 12:14). Again, this refers to a period of 1,260 days (v. 6), or 3½ years – i.e., the second half of the final heptad prophesied in Daniel 9. Since the people symbolized by the “woman” are to be protected from Satan for this exact period of time, it follows that they will no longer need the sort of supernatural protection they’ll be receiving in the wilderness after this period comes to an end. But the only reason this could be the case is if this period of supernatural nourishment in the wilderness is to end with Christ’s return to earth to deliver faithful Israel from her enemies and set up his kingdom (cf. Luke 21:27-28).
Now, keeping these points in mind, let’s now consider Daniel 12:11. In this verse we read the following:
“And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.”
Here Daniel is told of a period of 1,290 days that will follow the taking away of the “regular burnt offering” and the setting up of the “abomination that makes desolate.” Since this event will begin the time of “great affliction” referred to by Christ (Matt. 24:15-22) – and thus begin the final 1,260 days that will precede Christ’s return to earth – we can conclude that the 1,290 days referred to in Dan. 12:11 will consist of this period of time plus an additional 30 days (the implication is that “the regular burnt offering” will be resumed 1,290 days after it was taken away). In the next two verses (with which Daniel’s prophetic work concludes), we then read:
“Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 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.”
Here’s how these verses read in the CVOT:
“Happy is he who will tarry and attain to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days! Now you, go on to the end, and you shall rest and stand up for your lot at the end of the days.”
The “1,335 days” referred to in v. 12 are the final 1,260 days of this eon plus an additional 75 days. Apparently, something of great importance – and which those who will be alive at the time will be blessed to see – is going to take place on the 1,335th day. But what event could this be? The answer is provided in the concluding verse. After being told that he would “rest” (that is, die), it’s then revealed to Daniel that, “at the end of the days” (i.e., the days referred to in verses 11-12), he will “stand in [his] allotted place” (or “stand up for [his] lot”).
This is referring to Daniel’s resurrection (and, by implication, the resurrection of all faithful, believing Israelites). It should be noted that the noun translated “resurrection” in the Greek scriptures (ἀνάστασις) literally means, “a standing up” or “a standing up again,” and the verb from which this word is derived (ἀνίστημι) actually occurs in the LXX translation of Daniel 12:13.
Since Christ will be returning to earth immediately after the 1,260 days following the setting up of the “abomination of desolation” have transpired, we can conclude that the resurrection of Daniel (and, by implication, all of the saints of Israel) will take place 75 days after Christ’s return to earth – i.e., the last day of the 1,335 days spoken of by the messenger (which is “the end of the days”). The day with which the prophesied 1,335 days conclude – the day in which Daniel will “stand up for [his] lot” – is “the last day” of this future period of time. It is this day that I believe Christ and Martha had in mind when referring to the day in which Christ will raise believers.
[ii] In v. 6 the messenger asks, “How long until the end of these astonishing things?” The Concordant Version reads, “Until when is the end of the marvels?” The word translated “astonishing things” or “marvels” in this verse is the Hebrew word pele', and appears only here in the book of Daniel. However, it’s derived from the Hebrew word pala', which is found in Daniel twice.
Significantly, both occurrences of the word pala’ refer to actions involving the wicked ruler of the prophesied “fourth kingdom” who will be persecuting the saints among Daniel’s people (and who, in Daniel 11:36, is referred to as “the king who does as is acceptable to himself”). In Daniel 8:24 the word is used to describe the “marvelous” or “astonishing” way in which this ruler will “ruin and prosper and deal” during his reign, and in Daniel 11:36 the word is used to describe the “marvelous” or “astonishing” blasphemies that he will be speaking against God during this time.
Thus, the “astonishing things” or “marvels” referred to in the celestial messenger’s question in Daniel 12:6 should not to be understood as positive in nature (and most likely would not have been understood by Daniel as such). Rather, they have to do with events involving the persecution of the saints during the final 3 ½ years of this eon (which in Daniel 12:1 is referred to as “an era of distress which will come to pass such as has not occurred since there was a nation on the earth, until that era”).
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