©Laura Haverkamp
Chapter 12:5-7 (ESV) - Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
Question to consider: In what other book do we see the LORD hovering above the waters?
It has been my contention that all of the old testament prophets were focused on the coming of the Messiah and the judgment of Jerusalem that would mark the end of the old covenant temple and beginning of the everlasting covenant in which our great high priest in the order of Melchizedek would serve us in the heavenly temple described in the last chapters of Ezekiel. I would encourage you to read my study of the book of Hebrews if you are unsure about this. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament in its entirety. We are no longer bound by its blessings and curses because Christ bore the curses upon Himself and gave its blessings to us in our baptism. We still memorize the ten commandments because as new creations in Christ, we desire to do the good works God has created us to do. When we fall short of these commands, we desire to repent and receive the promised absolution of Christ. This assurance is given to us every time we gather both in word and sacrament.
In today’s passage, Daniel saw two men on the banks of the stream and the LORD hovering above the waters. Hovering above the waters brings us back to the creation order of Genesis 1. The uniting of Jew and Gentile into one holy people points us to the new creation. The two could also be represented by the two witnesses in Revelation 11. The “someone” who posed the question, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders,” could be represented by the souls of the tribulation saints in Revelation 6:10 who asked, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
The time, times, and half a time may have corresponded to the 3 ½ years from the point in which the fourth beast “pitch[ed] his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain.” If so, the “shattering of the power of the holy people” would be the destruction of the temple. When the earthly temple came to an end, all of the tribulation of that time would be finished, and the church would quickly spread throughout the earth. Ultimately, the fourth beast was toppled, not by the sword, but by the Gospel of Christ.
This is why the prophet Micah declared, “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;” (Micah 4:1-3)
Dear heavenly Father, please help us to see that Your Anointed One could not have come at any other time in history. Teach us to love Your Law so that it can show us our need for Christ. Thank You for Your promise of forgiveness in Him. May we all join in saying, “Come Lord Jesus!” Amen.