In the previous post, I considered waiting and the appointed end. There is another part of Daniel’s answer that I want to examine before moving forward: the shattering of the holy people’s power.
What does it mean when those who belong to Jehovah are overcome? Can their suffering be mistaken for evidence that the power opposing them has prevailed completely?
The power of the holy people
In Daniel 12:7, the completion of the events is connected with the shattering of the holy people’s power. The LSB’s footnote identifies the underlying word translated “power” as “hand.” Read Daniel 12:7.
That brings me back to the hand imagery we have followed: being given into another’s hand, destruction in a ruler’s hand, and the limits of the authority someone holds.
Here, the people are still described as holy while their power is being shattered. The suffering itself does not establish that they have ceased to belong to Jehovah.
Overcoming has an “until”
In Daniel 7:21–22, the horn wages war against the holy ones and overcomes them. The account continues until the Ancient of Days comes, judgment is given in their favor, and they receive the kingdom. Read Daniel 7:21–22.
I do not want to overlook either part. Their defeat within the conflict is real, and the passage carries their story beyond it.
Later, the chapter describes the holy ones being worn down and given into the ruler’s hand for a bounded period. His dominion is then removed through judgment. Read Daniel 7:25–27.
The ruler’s ability to harm them does not give him authority over the final outcome.
This also changes how I consider visible strength. If I judge only by who appears powerful at a particular moment, could I misunderstand whose cause will stand?
When the witnesses finish
A related sequence appears in Revelation 11:7–12. When the two witnesses finish their testimony, the beast makes war against them, overcomes them, and kills them. People celebrate their deaths.
Then life from God enters them, and they stand. Their enemies witness what follows. Read Revelation 11:7–12.
The celebration rests on an outcome that does not remain as the observers expect.
I see a comparison here with Daniel: opposition, overcoming, and an outcome beyond the apparent victory of the hostile power. I want to preserve that connection without assuming that every group or interval in these passages is identical.
What can an apparent defeat tell us?
This returns me to our earlier discussion of Jesus being delivered into hostile hands. We considered the difference between what people intended and what Jehovah accomplished.
These passages invite a similar question about how I assess an outcome before the account has reached its end.
They do not explain the purpose of every instance of suffering. They do show why the power to wound, silence, or overwhelm someone cannot by itself establish righteousness or final authority.
As I continue studying the abomination and the powers associated with desolation, I want to keep reading beyond what those powers appear able to accomplish.
Threads to Follow
The hand and power of the holy people.
Being given over and remaining holy.
The “until” attached to the horn’s success.
The witnesses’ completed testimony and restored life.
Judgment and the removal of destructive dominion.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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