Deeper Reflection
Daniel is highly eschatological in its theological orientation: “in the latter days” (2:28; 10:14), “the appointed time of the end” (8:17, 19), “to the end” (9:26) and “until the end time” (11:35; 12:4, 9). Daniel gives us the prophetic-theological vision of world history (Dan 2, 7-12), and calls us to look at the world and live our lives eschatologically. Thus, biblical eschatology, not as abstract concepts, but as a theological and discipleship reality, must be in our dominant consciousness.A key element in Daniel’s eschatology is the expected suffering of God’s people. We are to live through our eschatological suffering with wisdom, as “those who have insight” (v.10). The Hebrew verb for “have insight” or “discern” (Dan 9:25) – sakal – occurs nine times in Daniel.²⁸ Daniel and his three friends are examples of people of sakal (Dan 1:4, 17). It is noteworthy that the antithesis of “the wicked” in Daniel is not the righteous, but the wise (v.10). But it is assumed that the wise are righteous, because however they are persecuted, they remain faithful to God until death (Dan 11:33-35). The “insight” that they have comes from God (Dan 9:22). Indeed, in the evil days, we are to “walk as wise” people by “understanding what the will of the Lord is” from His Word (Eph 5:15-17). These wise people of God “know their God” (Dan 11:32), and know – and thus, live by – God’s purpose for their suffering: To “be purged, purified and refined” (v.10). But being assured of and aligned to God’s purpose for our suffering does not exclude us asking, “How long?” (Dan 8:13; 12:6).

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²⁸ Daniel 1:4, 17; 9:13, 22, 25; 11:33, 35; 12:3, 10