November 15, 2015
First Reading: Daniel 12:1-3
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111515.cfm
History moves inexorably toward a climactic conclusion. Sometimes we don’t feel the momentum and every day feels like a repetition of the last. Yet other times, we feel like we are on the cusp of a new era as events unfold around us. The Bible does not present a cyclical view of the universe, as if everything just kept repeating. Instead, it offers us a linear view of history, with a real beginning, a definite trajectory, and a conclusive end. So much of the time we are stuck in the here-and-now, maybe only looking a few years ahead. Yet God invites us into his perspective regarding time, where the story that we are living in the midst of will finally be brought to a close. That end is not likely to be a nice, quiet affair. Rather, as we can see from human history, it will probably shake things up. The Bible frequently describes the end in terms of war, famine, pestilence, conflict, and division. In this Sunday’s first reading, we get a glimpse of the climactic close of the age and what will happen afterwards.
Who is Michael?
The passage from Daniel 12:1-3 presents “Michael, the great prince” (RSV). He will come as a great deliverer of God’s people. Now Michael himself is often celebrated in Christian art—the heroic, sword-wielding archangel, who makes for a great boys’ All Saints Day costume. Yet Michael is mentioned very few times in the Bible – here in Daniel (10:13, 21; 12:1), and then again in Jude 1:9 and Rev 12:7. Michael is one of the seven archangels. Wait! There are seven? Well, Catholic tradition normally only recognizes three: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael—the only ones mentioned in the biblical text. Yet Tobit 12:15 calls Raphael “one of the seven holy angels,” a thought which is revisited in Revelation 8:2, 6, which also mentions seven angels. Non-biblical traditions have identified the names of the other four angels as Uriel, Sariel, Ramiel, and Raguel (though these are uncertain and disputed). Michael’s name in Hebrew means “Who is like God?” His very name is a provocation, a taunt to God’s enemies. The Church invokes Michael’s protection in the context of spiritual warfare. Both in Daniel 12 and Revelation 12, Michael is depicted as leading the angelic armies in battle, so he can help us in combat too.
Which Battle?
Daniel 12 depicts a battle, but context makes it difficult for us to parse exactly which battle we’re talking about. The previous chapter spoke at length in cryptic terms about the Maccabean revolt, the persecution of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his downfall. The very end of chapter 11 describes the fall of a certain king, who could be identified as Antiochus, but many identify this king as the anti-Christ. So Daniel 12 could either be referring to the battle at the end of time or to the battles of the Jewish revolt against Antiochus in the second century BC. However, if it does refer to the Maccabean revolt, that would not be all that surprising since angelic forces show up to aid the Jews in this time (see 2 Macc 3:25-26; 10:29; 11:6). Either way, God sends Michael to the aid of his people in the midst of combat. If this is the same battle mentioned in Revelation 12:7, then we can identify it with spiritual warfare.
Rising Up After the Battle
Normally those who die in battle remain on the battlefield, their bodies waiting for someone to come and bury them. Yet in this battle that Michael leads, those who fall on the battlefield will rise again. One the one hand, this equates with Ezekiel’s prediction of the resurrection of God’s people as they return to the Holy Land, when he has the vision of the dry bones that come to life (Ezek 37). Yet on the other hand, in Daniel 12:2, we find that not only God’s people, but also his enemies rise from the dead. Some rise to be judged. Others rise to be vindicated. This concept of a final resurrection with divine judgment might seem perfectly biblical, yet it only develops late in the Old Testament era. For example, 2 Macc 7:9 states, “the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws” (RSV). Also, Isaiah prophesies, “Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise” (Isa 26:19). By the time of the New Testament, we find the doctrine of the general resurrection being taken as a given. Martha tells Jesus regarding Lazarus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). Jesus himself expands the teaching:
The hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28-29)
Both the just and the unjust will rise from the dead. All will then be judged by God and some will receive condemnation, while others will receive commendation. Catholics actually believe in two judgments: the particular judgment (which happens right after death) and the final judgment (at the end of time). Most of the judgment scenes in the Bible describe the final judgment.
Shining with God
Here Daniel 12:3, we see the two fates that the Bible constantly holds out to us. On the one side, we could receive eternal life, blessing, and the glorious presence of God, whereas on the other, we could receive judgment, disgrace, and separation from God. It is a stark choice. We cannot sit on the fence forever, but must reach a decision for or against God. If we choose him, then Daniel promises that we will share in God’s radiance: “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dan 12:3). Rather than an endless repetition of an unstoppable cycle, the future looks bright indeed.
