12:1
We now come to the final chapter. The angel Michael is mentioned again. There are things going on in the heavenly realms that we do not know about. We need to have the right attitude to this. We should not forget that there are angelic forces at work on our behalf, but at the same time we should not get obsessed about them. “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.” “But at that time your people shall be delivered.” We need to be aware of both these facts, the time of tribulation, and the certainty of deliverance. Deliverance does not mean an easy time of it, nor being raptured out of trouble. “Everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” There are obvious parallels with Revelation. There we have a time of great tribulation, we have the salvation of God’s people, and we have the Book of Life.
12:2
This verse is perhaps the clearest talk of resurrection in the Old Testament. NIV has “Multitudes of those who sleep in the dust”, ESV has “Many of those who sleep in the dust”. The Hebrew word is actually “many”, but it serves a rather different meaning than our English word, and “multitudes” is probably a better translation. All people will be raised, including unbelievers, but what we are raised to depends on our faith, or lack of, in Christ. Those who believe will be raised to eternal life, but others to “shame and everlasting contempt”.
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