Daniel has a hard time understanding this answer. He says so to the man in the linen. We can understand more of it today, based on what we know from ongoing revelation and the ongoing work of God in history. We also see here how important the increase of knowledge is that we read about in Daniel 12:4. Here you see that the increase of knowledge helps us and also encourages us in faith.
God’s answer contains a clear encouragement for God’s people. We read of a set time, times, and half a time.
In this regard, see also the explanation of Daniel 7:25. There we have seen that these three-and-a-half times are equivalent to the forty-two months, the three-and-a-half years in Revelation 13:1–18.
This number is half of the perfect number seven. That number indicates that God will accomplish his purpose perfectly. The dreadful power of the antichrist does not get beyond half of what he aims to achieve. He doesn’t get past this while the Lord is accomplishing his divine purpose through everything. Those three-and-a-half times indicates that Satan, in his persecution of believers, will not achieve his goal—not by a long shot. Christ continues to rule and preserve his church through everything in history. The believers will even reign together with him.
At the moment when things threaten to become too much for God’s children, the Lord intervenes. Then the Lord Jesus will return. Then will happen what the Lord Jesus says about the time of the great tribulation in Matthew 24:22, And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Here you see the great encouragement for God’s people. The Lord will not allow his people to perish. The Lord puts a stop to the impending destruction and annihilation of Christ’s church.
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”