Are You Destined to Shine?

Have you ever listened to someone teach about the prophesy of Daniel?

If so, maybe you heard him try to unpack all the mysterious visions about bronze statues or dragons, with plenty to say about who the antichrist might be—and how to spot him, of course.

But perhaps you didn’t know that there’s a valuable gem buried in the text if you care to dig just a little.  It’s not written in code, nor is it a secret manuscript hidden somewhere.

It is, however, worth discovering and thinking about every day.

It’s probably the most literal account on record about a future resurrection of the righteous dead that was given to God’s people in the Old Testament of the Bible.  The NASB Translation reads:

“Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.  And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time.  And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.  Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of [the] heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”  [Dan. 12:1-3]  [my emphasis]

If I’m Jesus Christ’s faithful disciple, then I’m one of God’s people too.  But after reading this passage, it seems to me that what happens “at that time” is more important than when it does.

For example, I can easily identify the subject of being raised from the dead to be a common thread that has been woven into the texts of both the Old and New Testaments.  By his own admission, most of the apostle Paul’s ministry revolved around preaching about a future resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. [see: Ac. 24:15, 21]

[What is a “common thread?”  see: Common Threads are Common]

Not only that, the topic of God’s “book” never seems to lose its relevance throughout the letters and narratives of the New Testament, particularly in the Revelation given to “the disciple that Jesus loved” by the messenger of the Lord. [see: Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15]

But do you ever think about what it means to “shine” after being raised from the dead?

I do.

And sometimes it still reminds me of the blinding flash under Brian Dennehy’s eyelid in the movie Cocoon.  But that probably wouldn’t even come close.  I am, however, convinced that we can’t even begin to imagine the magnitude of the light that the Lord God is prepared to cast upon those He wants His creation to see when the righteous dead are raised.

[Why is light so important?  see: Get Light Headed!]

The text of the Book of Daniel suggests that the brightness of the resurrected body shall be a quality which will vary in intensity.  It also confirms that leading others is primarily a skill that’s developed by gaining insight—which is another developed skill in itself.

With this knowledge, I eventually have to decide for myself:

“How bright do I wanna’ shine?”