And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
I heard the man in white robes standing over the river raise both hands toward heaven and swear by the One who lives forever: 'This will last for three and a half years. When the strength of God's people is completely broken, then all of this will finally be over.'
Even the darkest seasons have an expiration date, God's got the timeline.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Daniel, the prophet receives apocalyptic visions during the Babylonian exile, which served as a message of hope for the Jewish people facing foreign domination. This specific verse describes an angelic figure swearing an oath about a period of intense tribulation for God's holy people, often interpreted as referring to the persecution under the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century BC. These visions emphasized God's ultimate control over history and the eventual restoration of His people.
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