5. Then I saw two men standing by a river, one on each bank.
6. One of them asked the angel who was standing further upstream, “How long will it be until these amazing events come to an end?”
7. The angel raised both hands towards the sky and made a solemn promise in the name of the Eternal God. I heard him say, “It will be 3.5 years. When the persecution of God's people ends, all these things will have happened.”
8. I heard what he said, but I did not understand it. So I asked, “But, sir, how will it all end?”
9. He answered, “You must go now, Daniel, because these words are to be kept secret and hidden until the end comes.