| dc.description.abstract | Although scholars are in a consensus to see the presence of the time of tribulation
provided in Dan 12:1, they have various interpretations on the historical settings of the time
of trouble in its historical stage. There is an obvious deficiency in the investigation of the
theological significance of the time of tribulation in Dan 12:1 and its reciprocal
contributions to the major theological themes in the book. There is also a need to establish
the relationship between the time of trouble given in Dan 12:1 and some other NT passages.
Chapter 1 provides the various available opinions of scholars. The major concerns
here are in regard with the historical settings of the time of tribulation of Dan 12:1 such as
the time, agents, scope, location, nature of the issue, purpose, and duration. Chapter 2 offers
an exegetical study of the time of tribulation in Dan 12:1. Before presenting it, this study
provides three principles of interpretation that are important to this study. Following these
steps, this study determines the basic historical settings of the time of tribulation in Dan
12:1. Chapter 3 investigates the major theological implication of the time of tribulation of
Dan 12:1 to the major theological themes of the book. Chapter 4 discusses the similar
expression time of trouble found in the NT passages.
Finally, the summary and conclusion of this study bring some major findings. Based
on the evidences submitted in this work, it can be concluded that the time of tribulation
given in Dan 12:1 is still in the future. To be more specific, it is before the end of the history
of the world at the second coming of Jesus. The location is not limited to the land of
Palestine; instead, it will transpire around the world. The agents of the time of tribulation are
both Michael who is Jesus Christ and the end-time wicked people. The time of tribulation
which is instigated by Michael involves the angels and even natural resources. The scope of
this time of tribulation is also both upon the end-time God’s people and the end-time wicked
people; and thus, it is universal. The nature of the issue of the time of tribulation is a
religious matter rather than a political controversy. The duration this time of tribulation is
relatively short; it is between the closing work of the heavenly evaluative judgment and the
final destruction of the wicked that gives a way for the final deliverance of God’s people.
The theological study of the time of tribulation passage in Dan 12:1 exhibits that the
time of trouble is directly related to some other major theological themes of the book of
Daniel. Both of the theological theme of the time of trouble and some other theological
themes of the book play an important role to the overall theology of the book. It is found
that all major theological themes of the book of Daniel meet together in Dan 12:1 to make
this passage becomes the core and even the climax of the theology of the book. Thus, Dan
12:1 is the clearest text in the OT that reveals the future eschatological time of trouble.
The counterpart of the time of tribulation passage in Dan 12:1 is found in the NT in
Rev 7:14. The former gives it in a more general manner while the latter prepares it in a more
detailed way. It is evident that almost all of the major historical settings of Dan 12:1 are
found also in Rev 7:14. Thus, the two texts are parallel and the clearest passages in the OT
and NT in explaining the approaching time of tribulation. | en_US |
