The End of Days

I really like the very last verse of the book of Daniel (Daniel 12.13) because it holds so much promise, for Daniel—and for every believer. Daniel will not see his own prophecies fulfilled. He will pass away. He will rest—a euphemism for death. What exactly the Scriptures mean by rest is not clear. I think it means the body will rest in the grave until the resurrection. The NRSV translates the second half of the verse as: You will rise for your reward at the end of days. This is not as literal as the ESV: you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days. However, I think the NRSV gets the point of the passage. There will come an end of days, and end of time, when God will finish up what he started. There will also come an allotted place, or a reward (NRSV) for Christ-followers. This is our hope. This is the promise. This is the end...and the beginning.