Daniel 12:1: “At
that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.
And 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.
This is a continuation of Daniel 11. The angel Gabriel is
still talking. “At that time…” What time are we looking at? It is easy to say
after the antichrist is killed. If we look at it with that perspective, then
the question then becomes “What is the time of trouble to follow?” We know that
the one who kills the antichrist is Jesus. And we know from Zechariah that when
the people of Israel behold the one who they pierced, they shall all weep alone
in repentance.
So it doesn’t fit really well that Israel will have to
suffer another persecution after the antichrist has been slain. What time are
we speaking of, then? Well, I think it’s fair to look to other places in
Scripture that speak of Michael arising. We indeed find in Revelation 12 that
Michael kicks Satan out of heaven right as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble is
starting.
This is where I sit on the issue. I think that Gabriel is
recapping. This is a quick summary before going into more detail beyond the
Tribulation.
Jesus quotes Daniel 12 in Matthew 24:21. He makes the
exact same statement that this last days persecution of Israel will be like
nothing else that mankind has ever seen or faced before. It will never happen
like this again after that. Jesus even adds that if it weren’t for God cutting
the days short, then no one would survive.
We find this verse end with a promise that those who God
has written their names in His book of Life will be delivered. This is a
fearful time, but it isn’t something to walk in fear about. God is still in
control. He is still the one who is governing the outcome.
Daniel 12:2: 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.
This should also remind you of something Jesus spoke
about. This is plastered throughout the New Testament. Almost every book of the
New Testament talks about a day where everyone will be judged.
Daniel 12:3: 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.
Here is where I want to bring up that statement I made
earlier in Daniel 8. The stars that Satan casts to the ground and tramples on
are the wise. Remember that the wise in Daniel 11 are those who have the Holy
Spirit to direct, lead, and teach them. The wise are those who have already
accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and hear His voice. These wise people will
“shine like stars.” We’ll see in Revelation 12 how Satan casts a third of the
starry hosts down to the earth. We’ve often heard it quoted and translated that
these stars are angels that have rebelled with Satan and now are demons.
I’m not so sure that this is the case. A lot of the time
in prophetic Scripture, the stars are symbolic of the saints. This even goes
all the way back to Genesis. Joseph’s dream of the sun and moon and the 11
stars bowing before him was translated as the 11 stars representing Joseph’s 11
brothers. The sun and moon were his father and mother. From thence onward, we
see stars representing saints every time. So for it to represent angels only
one time in Revelation seems very questionable.
Daniel
12:4: But you,
Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
These are the final words of Gabriel.
Daniel 12:5: Then
I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream
and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters
of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above
the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward
heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times,
and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people
comes to an end all these things would be finished.
Okay, so we have now another repeat. Back in Daniel 7
we’re told that the amount of time that the saints will be handed over to the
antichrist will be “time, times, and half a time.” This follows the feasts of
the year. From Passover to Passover is one time: a year. So a time, two times,
and half a time is 3 ½ years.
Remember that the number given in Daniel 7 relates to the
amount of time that the antichrist kills the saints. Here in Daniel 12, the 3 ½
years relates to how long the antichrist rules and reigns (the time of Jacob’s
Trouble). So from the time that the antichrist starts to persecute Israel and
the saints to the time that Jesus returns is 3 ½ years. We will see in Revelation
that 1,260 days (or 42 months) is mentioned for how long Satan persecutes
Israel.
This is important to remember, because we’re going to find
other numbers in Daniel 12 that don’t add up to 42 months or 1,260 days.
Daniel 12:8: I
heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the
outcome of these things?” He
said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time
of the end. Many shall purify
themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act
wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall
understand. And from the time
that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes
desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335
days. But go your way till the
end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of
the days.”
You can see here where we have different numbers. This
number game is up for grabs. I don’t have absolute answers. One of the things
that I wonder about is whether there will be a short period of time between
when the sacrifice is cut off and the antichrist persecutes Israel. I wonder if
maybe the reason why there is 1,290 days from the time the sacrifice is cut
off, but 1,260 days for the persecution of Israel is because there will be a
month where the antichrist will occupy Israel and will give Israel the choice
to bow down and follow him or to suffer his wrath.
This isn’t definitive, but only a thought. I don’t think
that anyone can give definitive answers, but I think that that should start you
on your way. As far as what does it mean, “Blessed are they who last until the
1,335 days?” This one is another one that I don’t know. Another guess is that
maybe this is when the antichrist is destroyed.
Maybe the antichrist is killed after 1,335 days, but the
1,260 days represent when the antichrist hears the news from the north and east
that disturbs him (Daniel 11:44). I’m not entirely sure. This might also be why
Jesus said that only the Father knows the time, day, hour, etc of when Jesus
will return. This strange prolonging of days does make it puzzling, but when it
comes closer to the time I think it will become more obvious as to what this
actually means.
At the end of Daniel, we have a promise made to Daniel
that he will be resurrected. So the book of Daniel ends with the resurrection
from the dead. This is the Millennial Kingdom. We don’t have any particular
verses to help us understand that, but I can only assume that since Daniel is
quite a saint that he will be one to make it into the first resurrection.
If the first resurrection is what the Millennial Kingdom
is referred to in Revelation 20, then that must mean that there will be a
second resurrection. So whether this verse specifically means the first or
second we can’t be sure. What we can be sure is that if the book of Daniel has
already been fulfilled (as many scholars believe), then we are living in the
time of the resurrection (literal, not spiritual).
The book of Daniel and the fulfillment of it could no more
be placed back in the 1st century as the resurrection of the dead is
placed back in the 1st century. We find from the whole commentary of
Daniel 11 into 12 that Gabriel starts back in Daniel’s time and ends at either
the first or second resurrection. The judgment of the dead has been hit on. The
killing of the antichrist has been hit on.
So I challenge you to read for yourself and come to your
own conclusions before reading books. Before you read the commentaries, think
for yourself. Come to your own conclusions. Many times when you read and study
something out for yourself you will find that the book will give you the
translation. You won’t need to search outside of the very book that you are
reading. Cross referencing can give you a lot of bigger picture, but sometimes
the best thing to do is to start with what you are reading and let the author
say what he intended to say.
I end this brief commentary on Daniel with encouraging you
to read any prophetic Scripture in its own immediate context. But I also want
you to know that many times the prophets expected that what they were
prophesying about was also intended for the last days. Much of what Isaiah says
has specific prophecies for his time. But much also seems to go beyond his time
and into something bigger.
Use common sense and practicality. If you can’t translate
something as literal, then you can look for the spiritual implication. But if
you can translate it as literal, then it is probably to be taken as literal.
That is where most of the confusion comes from when Bible scholars try to
comment of prophecy. If it hasn’t happened, then it must be failed.
Doesn’t it make more sense that if it hasn’t happened that
it must be referring to something beyond the immediate context? If Isaiah
prophesied that Tyre will become desolate, and that obviously hasn’t happened
yet, then there must be some future event to fulfill that prophecy. The person
who was supposed to destroy Tyre has passed away a long time ago. So we must
expect that he was a type and model (as all of the nations’ kings are).
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