Passage
“Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will stand. And there will be a time of distress such as never happened since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
Nearby Context
Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will stand. And there will be a time of distress such as never happened since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to reproach and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:3 And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "time", "michael", "great", "prince", "stands", "guard", "over", and "sons". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "michael", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The next verse adds "And many of those who sleep in...", so "time" and "michael" should be read forward into that movement. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "time" and "michael" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.