Daniel 11; Daniel 12; Jude 1

1 In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him.

2 Now I will tell you the truth. "Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

3 Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants.

4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them.

5 "The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his.

6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times.

7 In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph.

8 He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,

9 who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.

10 "His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood,and will again wage war as far as his fortress.

11 Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North, who will raise a great multitude, but the multitude will be handed over to his enemy.

12 When the multitude is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph.

13 The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.

14 "In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail.

15 Then the king of the North will come, build up an assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist.

16 The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful landwith total destruction in his hand.

17 He will resolve to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him. He will give him a daughter in marriage to destroy it, but she will not stand with him or support him.

18 Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him.

19 He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and be no more.

20 "In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger or in battle.

21 "In his place a despised person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peaceand seize the kingdom by intrigue.

22 A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be shattered, as well as the covenant prince.

23 After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation.

24 During a time of peace, he will come into the richest parts of the province and do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time.

25 "With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him.

26 Those who eat his provisions will destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain.

27 The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.

28 The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; he will take action, then return to his own land.

29 "At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time will not be like the first.

30 Ships of Kittimwill come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant.

31 His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.

32 With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.

33 Those who are wise among the people will give understanding to many, yet they will die by sword and flame, and be captured and plundered for a time.

34 When defeated, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely.

35 Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

36 "Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished.

37 He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all.

38 Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses-a god his fathers did not know-with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches.

39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses with [the help of] a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.

40 "At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood.

41 He will also invade the beautiful land, and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of the Ammonites.

42 He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape.

43 He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.

44 But reports from the east and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.

45 He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.

1 At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape.

2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt.

3 Those who are wise will shine like the bright expanse [of the heavens], and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

4 "But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase."

5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other.

6 One said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long until the end of these extraordinary things?"

7 Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by Him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half [a time]. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.

8 I heard but did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?"

9 He said, "Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are secret and sealed until the time of the end.

10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

11 From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days.

13 But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, then rise to your destiny at the end of the days."

1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.

2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.

4 For certain men, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into promiscuity and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I want to remind you, though you know all these things: the Lord, having first of all saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe;

6 and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling.

7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them committed sexual immorality and practiced perversions, just as they did, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise defile their flesh, despise authority, and blaspheme glorious beings.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses' body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

10 But these people blaspheme anything they don't understand, and what they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals-they destroy themselves with these things.

11 Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah's rebellion.

12 These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts. They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn-fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots;

13 wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever!

14 And Enoch, in the seventh [generation] from Adam, prophesied about them: Look! The Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones

15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict them of all their ungodly deeds that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against Him.

16 These people are discontented grumblers, walking according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.

17 But you, dear friends, remember the words foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18 they told you, "In the end time there will be scoffers walking according to their own ungodly desires."

19 These people create divisions and are merely natural, not having the Spirit.

20 But you, dear friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

22 Have mercy on some who doubt;

23 save others by snatching [them] from the fire; on others have mercy in fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy,

25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen.