Study Desk

Sir, I am Daniel your servant. How can I talk with you? My strength is gone and it is hard for me to breathe."

He will take their gods and their metal idols and their expensive things made from silver and gold. He will take those things away to Egypt. Then he will not bother the northern king for a few years.

"The northern king's sons will prepare for war. They will get a large army together. It will move through the land very quickly, like a powerful flood. That army will fight all the way to the strong fort of the southern king.

The northern king will get another army that will be larger than the first one. After several years he will attack. His army will be ready for war. It will be very large and it will have many weapons.

"When the richest countries feel safe, that cruel and hated ruler will attack them. He will attack at just the right time and will be successful where his ancestors were not successful. He will take things from the countries he defeated, and he will give them to his followers. He will plan to defeat and destroy strong cities. He will be successful—but only for a short time.

Those two kings will want to make trouble. They will sit around the table planning their lies, but it will not do either one of them any good because God has set a time for their end to come.

"That northern king will attack strong fortresses with the help of this foreign god. He will give much honor to the foreign rulers who join him. He will put many people under their rule. He will make the rulers pay him for the land they rule over.

"But you, Daniel, keep this message a secret. You must close the book and keep this secret until the time of the end. Many people will go here and there looking for true knowledge, and the true knowledge will increase."

The man dressed in linen and standing over the water lifted his right and left hands toward heaven. And I heard him make a promise using the name of God who lives forever. He said, "It will be for three and one-half years. The power of the holy people will be broken, and then all these things will finally come true."

The one who waits for and comes to the end of the 1335 days will be very happy.

"As for you, Daniel, go and live your life until the end. You will get your rest. At the end you will rise from death and receive your share of the promise."

So Hosea married Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Hosea.

The Lord said to Hosea, "Name him Jezreel, because soon I will punish the family of Jehu for the people he killed at Jezreel Valley. Then I will put an end to the kingdom of the nation of Israel.

"Then the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will choose one ruler for themselves, and their nation will be too large for the land. Jezreel's day will be great!

She will run after her lovers, but she will not be able to catch up with them. She will look for her lovers, but she will not be able to find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband. Life was better for me when I was with him. Life was better then than it is now.'

"At that time I will make an agreement for the Israelites with the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the crawling things on the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the weapons of war in that land. I will make the land safe, so the people of Israel can lie down in peace.

Then the Lord said to me again, "Gomer has many lovers, but you must continue loving her. Do this because it is an example of the Lord 's love for Israel. He continues to love them, but they continue to turn to other gods, and they love to eat those raisin cakes."

So I bought Gomer back for 6 ounces of silver and 9 bushels of barley.

Then I told her, "You must stay at home with me for many days. You will not be like a prostitute. You will not have sexual relations with another man. I will be your husband."

After this, the people of Israel will come back and look for the Lord their God and for David their king. In the last days they will come to honor the Lord and his goodness.