“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book . . .” Daniel 12: 1, NRSV.
Merciful God, We come before you in gratitude. Thank You for meeting with us to study Your holy Word. May we be better people when we are through studying today. This is our prayer in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
This text belongs to the genre of Scripture known as eschatology, or, “time of the end” Scripture. I wish to establish a difference between the time of the end, and the end of time. Certain natural signs, mentioned in the Gospel according to Matthew (24: 29), and again, in Revelation 6: 12, 13, marked the beginning of the time of the end: ” When He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.” It is significant how these signs all happened in the order they were predicted:
The Great Lisbon Earthquake: November 1, 1755. One of the greatest earthquakes, I believe, in history. It certainly was the greatest of its time. There were no instruments available to measure the quake, but it was estimated as having a magnitude of 8.6-to 9.0. It occurred about 09:40 that morning. There were three distinct aftershocks. Over 400,000 people died. It was the big “GONG” that marked the beginning, of the “time of the end.”
The Dark Day: May 19, 1780. That day began as any other. By 09:00 or 10:00 a.m. it became so dark that the birds returned to their nests. The story is told of a doctor visiting a patient who said he lifted his white handkerchief before his face and could not see it even though it was only a few inches from his face. The church bells began to ring, and people made their way toward the churches. Many believed that the end of the world had come. That evening when the moon came out it was like a big red spot of blood in the sky.
The Falling of the Stars: November 13, 1833. The biggest rain of meteors, ever, began on the night of November 12 and continued into the wee hours of the morning of November 13. All across the country spectators bore testimony to the brightness caused by this extraordinary display in nature. Many described its brilliance as, “the brightness of noonday.” One witness said that the brightness produced was enough for him to read his newspaper. With these extraordinary signs in nature, God was announcing to the world, that the time of the end had begun.
“At that time Michael . . . shall arise.” I believe that this statement, at one time or another, can be applied to the life of everyone who have come to put their trust in God. In the time of need, we have a Rock that we can run to! For this reason the child of God is not afraid to be living during the time of the end, or, at the end of time.
While it is true that no one knows the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will return, we do know that His coming is near! After these signs in the heaven, we read in verse 14, of Revelation 6, “The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand? Yes my friend, we are living between the sixth and the seventh seals, “a grand and awful time.” The end of time. But Michael the Savior, is our friend! And at that time, “the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise.” Therefore, there is no need to fear!