Daniel Chapter 12/Commentary

Daniel Chapter 12

12:1 “Now at that time”: This phrase makes us look back to the section we’ve just read.

Remember these sections (Daniel 9-12) have to do with what will happen to Daniel’s people, that is, Israel. “Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise”: This is a reference to God’s providential protection of His people in a time of exceeding affliction. “And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time”: Some feel that this time of intense tribulation is when Antiochus persecuted God’s people, others feel that it refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. We know that Daniel’s prophecy in chapter 9:26 does refer to such a destruction, for Jesus endorsed the application of Daniel 9:26-27 to the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 25:15. Some argue that the expression “a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation” can only refer to some great tribulation at the end of time.

Yet the apostle Paul taught that when Jesus comes again, He is not coming during a time of complete global upheaval, rather He is coming during a time that men would be feeling peaceful and safe (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). It should be noted that similar language is used when God destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C., “And because of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again” (Ezekiel 5:9). This appears to be proverbial language to express the utter horror of the whole affair. Finally, Jesus told us that the great tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24:21 would occur before the generation passed away in which Jesus lived.

12:1 “And at that time your people everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued’: The “book” referred to here is God’s book of life (Malachi 3:16; Isaiah 4:3). The rescue under consideration is not necessary a physical deliverance from suffering, for such suffering does arrive, but rather they would be saved. If this is the destruction of Jerusalem, then the faithful will be delivered because they had listened to Jesus’ forewarning and left at the proper time (Matthew 24:15-16).

12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but others to disgrace and everlasting contempt”: Is this the resurrection at the last day?

First of all this is not a verse that premillennialists can use for the supposed rapture, because the resurrection in the above verse includes both good and the wicked. The rapture theory has the righteous being raised seven years before the Old Testament faithful and those killed during the supposed great tribulation, and 1007 years before all the wicked. Secondly, the context “at that time” is not speaking about the end of time. The book of Daniel (chapters 2, 9-11), consistently only takes us up to the time of the Roman Empire. Some view this resurrection as 1

referring to the events that would occur in the time of Antiochus, to the arousing of many to defend their country. The Old Testament does use the imagery of a resurrection to refer to a spiritual rebirth, such as Ezekiel chapter 37: “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people” (37:12), and where being resurrected refers to the nation being brought back to their land (37:13). When Jesus came, those Jews who accepted Him found everlasting life, but those who rejected Him only brought condemnation upon themselves.

12:3 “And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven”: Those who have insight are those who are wise, that is, people who fear the Lord (Psalm 111:10), and remain faithful to Him. I believe this passage refers to those Jews who convert to Christianity and who become the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16; Philippians 2:15 “that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world”. Therefore, this will be time that tests men and it will equally be a time for leadership. People who can get their minds off themselves will see beyond the moment and see the long term goal.

12:3 “And those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever”: Notice this verse follows the “resurrection” mentioned in verse 2. There will be no need to convert anyone after the last day, therefore this verse implies that the resurrection of verse 2 is not the resurrection at the end of time. Rather, this resurrection is followed by leading many to righteousness, that is, preaching the gospel to the lost (Mark 16:15-16). We should observe that men and women with “insight” understand the value of personal evangelism and that God feels that such is an important part of being a Christian.

12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time”: This does not mean that Daniel is to “hide” the prophecy but rather that He is commanded to stop writing. In addition, this expression stands for not only the completion of the book, but the preservation of the book as well. The reader should be aware that this book was to be sealed up, for the things it predicted were a couple of centuries in the future. In contrast, John the writer of the book of Revelation, was told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” (22:10). Therefore, the book of Revelation is not talking about things that would happen centuries from when it was written. Again, the “end time” of Daniel is not the end of the world, but rather the end of the Jewish age, the same period of time referred to as the “last days” in the New Testament (Acts 2:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2).

12:4 “Many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase”: Some see this as a frantic search for the meaning of these prophecies in the coming centuries or, that men will gain a lot of knowledge but the true knowledge and certain knowledge is contained in this book. Others say that in the coming ages, those who searched these prophecies and see their fulfillment will obtain a much clearer view of what was revealed through Daniel. It could be a message of assurance to Daniel, and these prophecies would not be lost, their meaning would not remain 2

obscure, but in the centuries to come they would be studied, appreciated, and understood by the faithful (see Luke 10:24). There is going to be a lot of movement and turmoil in the world.

12:5 “Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river, and the other on that bank of the river”: The river here is the Tigris.

12:6 “And the one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river”: That is the one who was hovering over the river.

12:6 “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”: The statement “these wonders” may refer to the events in 12:1-3. Eight times in these chapters “the end” has been mentioned (11:27,35,40; 12:4,6,8-9,13).

12:7 “And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of thee river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever”: This messenger swears by the name of the Almighty God as an indication of the solemn significance of the announcement to be made.

12:7 “That it would be for a time, times, and half a time”: This is often interrupted as 3 ½ .

Some feel that since 3 ½ is half of seven (the number that signifies perfection), that this number symbolizes a time that shall not be complete or last forever.

12:7 “As soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed”: Some see this as referring to the persecution of God’s people in the days of Antiochus IV, and the claim is made that the time that Antiochus IV first removed the daily sacrifice from the Temple until Judas Maccabeus purified the Temple was a little over 3 ½ years.

Others feel that the “shattering of the holy people” refers to when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and that this is the termination of everything written in Daniel. One should note that in the book of Revelation, Rome persecutes the church for the same period of time (Revelation 12:4; 11:4; 12:6; 11:2; 13:5). Premillenialists see this verse as teaching that a future Anti-Christ will persecute the nation of Israel for 3 ½ years.

12:8 “As for me, I heard but could not understand”: Daniel stood almost 400 years removed from the events being predicted to him. The temple had not even yet been rebuilt and many Jews were still in Persia, yet Daniel was extremely anxious to understand (Luke 10:24 “many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them”). Daniel may have thought, “You mean the vision ends with my people being broken?” He needs explanation. Surely this is not the end of the story (McGuiggan p. 188).

12:9 “Go your way, Daniel”: Daniel is not given an explanation.

12:10 “Many will be purged, purified, and refined”: This is similar to verse 3. The faithful will profit spiritually from the coming periods of persecution (Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1:6-8). “Here he is told that trouble means purification for many. Daniel is being told: ‘It’s all going to work 3

out right. You know the good will be blessed and you know the wicked will be punished. That’s all you need to know’” (McGuiggan p. 188). There is a warning here to the unbeliever and the unfaithful, without God there is no improvement, without conversion, one simply remains in wickedness. In addition, troublesome times do not profit the unbeliever, but the righteous know what to do with persecution and hard times. Once again, this is a time of testing, some will fail the test, and increase in wickedness, but others will see that what Daniel wrote was happening! They would build their faith and build of the faith of others as well.

12:11 “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days”: The regular sacrifice was taken away when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple (Daniel 11:31). The “abomination of desolation” is mentioned by Jesus as being when Rome surrounded Jerusalem in A.D. (Matthew 24:15; Luke 21:20-22; 9:26-27). A period of 1290 days is used to describe this time period, which is basically the same period of time as time times and half a time. Premillennialism teaches that this verse applies to 3 ½ years before the Second Coming. The problem with this idea is that this period of time starts when the regular (Jewish) sacrifices are stopped. To argue that another Temple (with God’s approval) will be established and the Jewish sacrificial system instituted near the end of time goes against everything the New Testament teaches about Jesus being the final sacrifice, and the complete inability of animal sacrifices to forgive sin (Hebrews 10:4). Why reintroduce a system that God said in the New Testament was obsolete? (8:13) In the book of Revelation, Rome will persecute the church for 1260 days (Revelation 13:5). In both instances the faithful are being told that the oppressor who might appear to be unconquerable (after all he is able to stop the sacrifices), has only as much power as the Lord allows. As to why Daniel mentioned 1290 days instead of 1260, in the Old Testament the Jewish people did add 30 additional days every three years to the calendar to bring it in line with the solar year.

12:12 “1335 days”: 1290 days is the measure of the oppressor’s power. If a man remains faithful throughout that period he out waits the oppressor and will be blessed.

12:13 Daniel is not told to worry. He will die and not see the events that would fulfill this vision but he would not be forgotten. “Daniel was a prophet, and one day when the time was right he would be called to take that place. Jesus, in making mention of Daniel, began the awakening.

When Jerusalem fell, Daniel stood up and was acknowledged! Jesus warned that that is what would happen even as Daniel had said” (McGuiggan p. 191).

4