…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:1-3
The description of the end times given in Daniel does not make for light reading. It’s easy to see the signs for that coming time around us even now, with a global pandemic and divided nations just a couple of the issues we’ve faced in 2020.
But there is hope for everyone who believes in the Lord. At this time of year, we like to think of the appearing of the Bethlehem star; as Christians, we can take courage because the light of God’s love has come to us, and we will bask in its glory forever. As well as that, the light transforms our lives, helping us to also ‘shine as lights in the world’ as we hold fast to Christ until he appears (Phil. 2:14-16).