“YOU WILL STAND UP”

18, 19. (a) What did the angel mean when he foretold that Daniel would “stand up” in the future? (b) Why would Daniel have been familiar with the resurrection hope?

¹⁸ The book of Daniel closes with one of the most beautiful promises God has ever made to a human. Jehovah’s angel told Daniel: “You will stand up for your lot at the end of the days.” What did the angel mean? Well, since the “rest” he had just referred to was death, the promise that Daniel would “stand up” at some later time could mean only one thing—resurrection!b In fact, some scholars have asserted that Daniel chapter 12 contains the first explicit reference to resurrection to be found in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Daniel 12:2) In this, though, they are wrong. Daniel was very familiar with the resurrection hope.

¹⁹ For example, Daniel no doubt knew these words that Isaiah had recorded two centuries earlier: “Your dead ones will live. A corpse of mine—they will rise up. Awake and cry out joyfully, you residents in the dust! For . . . the earth itself will let even those impotent in death drop in birth.” (Isaiah 26:19) Long before that, Elijah and Elisha were empowered by Jehovah to perform actual resurrections. (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37) Even earlier, Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, acknowledged that Jehovah is able to raise people up from Sheol, the grave. (1 Samuel 2:6) Earlier still, faithful Job expressed his own hope with these words: “If an able-bodied man dies can he live again? All the days of my compulsory service I shall wait, until my relief comes. You will call, and I myself shall answer you. For the work of your hands you will have a yearning.”—Job 14:14, 15.

20, 21. (a) Of what resurrection is Daniel sure to be a part? (b) In what way is the resurrection in Paradise likely to take place?

²⁰ Like Job, Daniel had reason to be confident that Jehovah would actually yearn to bring him back to life one day in the future. Still, it must have been deeply comforting to hear a mighty spirit creature confirm that hope. Yes, Daniel will stand up in “the resurrection of the righteous ones,” which will occur during Christ’s Millennial Reign. (Luke 14:14) What will that be like for Daniel? God’s Word tells us much about it.

²¹ Jehovah is “a God, not of disorder, but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) It is evident, then, that the resurrection in Paradise will take place in an orderly way. Perhaps some time will have passed since Armageddon. (Revelation 16:14, 16) All vestiges of the old system of things will have been cleared away, and preparations will no doubt have been made to welcome back the dead. As to the order in which the dead will return, the Bible offers this precedent: “Each one in his own rank.” (1 Corinthians 15:23) It seems likely that when it comes to ‘the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous,’ the righteous will be brought back first. (Acts 24:15) In that way, faithful men of old, such as Daniel, will be able to help in the administration of earthly affairs, including the instructing of billions of “unrighteous” ones brought back to life.—Psalm 45:16.

22. What are some questions that Daniel will no doubt be eager to have answered?

²² Before Daniel is ready to take on such responsibilities, he will surely have some questions to ask. After all, regarding some of the deep prophecies entrusted to him, he said: “I heard, but I could not understand.” (Daniel 12:8) How thrilled he will be to understand these divine mysteries at last! No doubt he will want to hear all about the Messiah. Daniel will learn with fascination about the march of world powers from his day down to our own, about the identity of the faithful “holy ones of the Supreme One”—who persevered despite persecution during “the time of the end”—and about the final destruction of all human kingdoms by God’s Messianic Kingdom.—Daniel 2:44; 7:22; 12:4.

DANIEL’S LOT IN PARADISE—AND YOURS!

23, 24. (a) How will the world in which Daniel finds himself resurrected differ from the one he knew? (b) Will Daniel have a place in Paradise, and how do we know?

²³ Daniel will want to know about the world in which he will find himself at that time—a world so unlike that of his day. Gone will be every trace of the wars and oppression that marred the world he knew. There will be no sorrow, no sickness, no death. (Isaiah 25:8; 33:24) But there will be an abundance of food, plentiful housing, and fulfilling work for all. (Psalm 72:16; Isaiah 65:21, 22) Mankind will be one united, happy family.

²⁴ Daniel will definitely have a place in that world. “You will stand up for your lot,” the angel told him. The Hebrew word here translated “lot” is the same as that used for literal plots of land.c Daniel may have been familiar with Ezekiel’s prophecy on the apportioning of the restored land of Israel. (Ezekiel 47:13–48:35) In its Paradise fulfillment, what does Ezekiel’s prophecy suggest? That all of God’s people will have a place in Paradise, even the land itself being apportioned in an orderly and just manner. Of course, Daniel’s lot in Paradise will involve more than mere land. It will include his place in God’s purpose there. Daniel’s promised reward is guaranteed.

25. (a) What are some prospects of life in Paradise that appeal to you? (b) Why can it be said that humans belong in Paradise?

²⁵ What, though, about your lot? The same promises can apply to you. Jehovah wants obedient humans to “stand up” for their lot, to have a place in Paradise. Just think! Surely, it will be a thrill to meet Daniel in person, along with other faithful men and women of Bible times. Then there will be countless others returning from the dead, needing instruction so as to know and love Jehovah God. Picture yourself caring for our earthly home and helping to turn it into a paradise of infinite variety and undying beauty. Think of being taught by Jehovah, learning how to live the way he meant mankind to live. (Isaiah 11:9; John 6:45) Yes, there is a place for you in Paradise. Strange though Paradise may sound to some today, remember that Jehovah originally designed mankind to live in such a place. (Genesis 2:7-9) In that sense, Paradise is the natural habitat of earth’s billions. It is where they belong. Reaching it will be like going home.