How Will It End?

I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?” But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. [Daniel 12.8-10]

"How will all this finally end?" is a great question!

The answer Daniel received should make anyone who has followed these posts for any time now shiver to their bones.

Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. To be purified, cleansed and refined by trials, one must humbly resign himself to the Biblical understanding that these trials are physically, mentally, materially and emotionally painful things - they are curses for disobedience. The intended purpose of any curse is repentance. When arrogance is willfully put aside, a person is then able to repent - and as a result they will be purified, cleansed and refined. They will be redeemed from curses.

But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. The wicked will remain in proud denial of their need to repent claiming innocence. Most of these will sadly be religious people.

Only those who are wise will know what it means. "It" refers to the trials. Trials (curses) are only understood by wise people. Unwise people will miss the meaning of these trials because of their vast understanding of 'how the world works' - their unprecedented knowledge of physical laws, science and nature. In irony orchestrated as only God could do, the unwise will be able to explain trials ("what" happened) with amazing depth, while the wise will be able to not only explain trials in simplicity ("why" they happened), but furthermore enjoy miraculous relief from them without aid from the idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology.

Should the fact that Daniel's discourse with the "man dressed in linen" about "end times" not cause us to pay particular attention today? Should it not cause us to realize just how appropriate this Biblical record is to our generation? Should it not cause us to re-think our estimation of physical, mental and emotional hardships (curses) of our day AND TO REPENT?

Yes, yes, and YES!

The end will come for the unwise (unrepentant) in obliteration and eternal separation from God. The end will come for the wise (repentant) in power and deliverance from trials and ultimately, eternity in God's presence.

Father, forgive us of stiff-necked pride in our knowledge of how the world works. May our efforts not be to understand "how" things works as much as it is "why" they work as they do - and particularly so as it pertains to our trials - what the Bible defines as curses. Forgive us, Father. Purify, cleanse and refine us into the glorious bride You intend to bring unto Yourself. So be it.