This final study in our verse by verse review of the book of Daniel was given by Pastor Barry Forder on 18th July 2021 at Calvary Portsmouth’s family service.
Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
In the closing verses of chapter 11 we witnessed a coming world ruler, a coming world religion, and a coming world war. Now we told of the forthcoming Great Tribulation as spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)[this will be half way through Daniel’s 70th week] Then let them which be in Judaea [this must therefore apply specifically to the Jews] flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop [again, this applies to the Jews who have their patios on their rooftops] not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter [because the travelling conditions in Israel are very difficult in the winter], neither on the sabbath day [this is only applicable to the Jews, who still keep the Sabbath to this day]: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be [Jeremiah called this ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jer 30:7)] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake [this has to refer to the Jews because the Church will be with the Lord in heaven by now] those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” [Jesus concludes by warning of coming false Christs and coming false prophets, cf. Rev 13] (Matt 24:15-24)
As Gabriel is always seen bringing a Messianic announcement, so Michael is always seen in conflict regarding Israel.
Daniel 12:2
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel is now told of the coming resurrections; Jesus spoke of the resurrection of the just (Luke 14:14), and the resurrection of damnation: Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28-29)
According to the Apostle Paul, the resurrection of the just is not a single event, but rather a category comprised of various separate events: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end…(1 Cor 15:20-24)
In Revelation 19, we find that the resurrection of the just is complete: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them [this is the Church – see Rev ch 4], and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; [notice that these martyrs don’t yet have resurrection bodies – thus they cannot be the Church because the Church receive their new resurrection bodies at the time of the Rapture cf. 1 Cor 15] and they [i.e. both the church and the martyrs] lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Rev 20:4-6). Thus the completion of the first resurrection and the ‘resurrection unto damnation’ are separated by a period of 1000 years during which time Christ will reign on the earth on the throne of David (Luke 1:32).
Daniel 12:3
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:14-15)
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16)
“…Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt 13:43)
Daniel 12:4
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Many have understood this to mean, that in the last time, general knowledge and understanding will be increased – and certainly we have seen a technological explosion in the last 100 years unlike anything the world has previously seen. However, in the context of this verse, it is the book that Daniel is to seal, until the time of the end, at which time, knowledge of the book will be increased.
Never before in the history of the Church has the Church had access to such a wide range of Bible study aids as we do today; from computer programmes to commentaries; from teaching videos to Bible conferences. And what is the result? God has raised up people who have dedicated their lives to the ministry of the word, and in so doing have ‘stumbled’ upon prophecies being fulfilled in our time, scriptures that have confused generations past, now being understood. Knowledge of the Word is indeed increasing in these days. And the most incredible part of it is that the Holy Spirit may choose to show you something that no one else has yet seen. It is however important to remember that anything we may ‘discover’, as we read through God’s Word, will never contradict the rest of scripture.
Daniel 12:5-6
5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
The angel has now finished talking to Daniel, and as Daniel looks up he now sees two angels, one on each side of the river. Yet in the midst of the river, ‘walking on the water’ Daniel sees the ‘man clothed in linen’ whom he had previously seen in a vision at the beginning of chapter 10. We have already put forward the case that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus (see notes on Dan 10:5-9); and here we not only see Him walking on the water, but also being asked a question – by an angel – that only God could possibly know- the future.
It is interesting, that the angel started, back in chapter 11, by telling Daniel that what he was about to reveal was all recorded in the scripture of truth. Now the angel himself wants to find out more, thus showing that the angel knew only what had been revealed to him up to this point.
What I find provocative is that, even though this angel had access to the scripture of truth, he had to go to, what I believe is Jesus, to really understand. It is the same for us; we have the scripture of truth, yet only by going to Jesus and through His Spirit can we understand – for the things of God are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14).
Daniel 12:7
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
This man clothed in linen tells the angel, and Daniel overhears, that this period of time will last for three and a half years, i.e. the Great Tribulation as we have already noted. The angel is also told that Antichrist will be allowed to continue in order to break the power of the Jews. This is one of the main purposes of the ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’, to bring God’s judgment on the Jews until the seek Him and repent. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” (Hosea 5:15)
Daniel 12:8
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
It is not clear whether Daniel is addressing the man clothed in linen, or the angel who had been speaking to him; I suspect that it is the man clothed in linen, for the answer in the following verses would seem to have been more that the angel would have known (based on verse 6).
Daniel 12:9-10
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Once again Daniel is told that these words are ‘closed up’ until the time of the end. That clearly implies that at the time of the end they will be understood. We however are now living in the time spoken of, and as we read God’s Word, those of us who have been purified by the blood of the Lamb and our sins made as white as snow, are seeing the pieces of the jigsaw falling into place at an incredible pace.
There really is no excuse for any who call themselves Christians to not have at least a basic grasp of these things as we head toward the finishing line.
Daniel 12:11-12
11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
We are now introduced to a seventy-five-day period that separates the end of the Great Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. During this interval various events are to occur:
- The removal of the Abomination of Desolation
- Antichrist is resurrected (firstfruits of the second resurrection)
- Antichrist & False Prophet cast alive into the Lake of Fire
- Satan bound for the Millennium
- The resurrection of the tribulation saints
- The setting in place of the thrones for the saints (to rule with Christ)
- The judgement of the living Gentiles (pro-Semitic sheep & anti-Semitic goats)
The Seventy-Five-Day Interval
The removal of the Abomination of Desolation:
As we have already seen, the event that marks the start of the second half of Daniel’s 70th week (i.e. the Great Tribulation) is Antichrist’s breaking of the covenant with Israel and his placing of the Abomination of Desolation in the holy of holies. From this point, we are told that the Great Tribulation will last exactly 1260 days (Rev 13:5 / Rev 12:6 / Dan 7:25 / Dan 12:7). However in verse 11 we are told that, after Antichrist has been destroyed at the end of the 1260 days, there will be an additional 30 days (taking us to the 1290th day) where the Abomination of Desolation will be allowed to remain in the Temple. Quite why this is we are not told, however, it will serve to underline the incredible contrast between the now lifeless image that people have worshipped for three and a half years, and the King of kings, the Creator of all things, who is without beginning or end, whom the people dwelling on the earth had willing rejected in favour of their useless idol.
This again shows the utter foolishness of mankind and the futility of worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator – who is blessed forever –Amen! (See Rom 1:25).
Antichrist is resurrected (firstfruits of the second resurrection):
During the Great Tribulation, Satan will have succeeded in establishing a counterfeit trinity, with Satan as the father, Antichrist as a psudo-son, and the False Prophet as a type of the Holy Spirit. God will allow this charade to play out to its conclusion where Antichrist will be resurrected, as the firstfruits of the second resurrection (the resurrection of damnation), only then to be thrown alive into the Lake of Fire along with the False Prophet. We have already see in Daniel 7:11 (cf 2 Thes 2:8), Antichrist will be killed by Christ at the battle of Armageddon; however, just as Christ descended into Hell (Sheol) for a short time (Eph 4:8-10 / Psalm 16:10), so will Antichrist be killed and his soul go down into Hell for a brief time. This is prophesied in Isaiah 14:1-11: “For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.”
Thus those in Hell will marvel that this mighty world ruler, who deceived the world with his miracles, has become like they are, helpless and weak.
Antichrist & False Prophet cast alive into the Lake of Fire:
As the above passage in Isaiah continues we read in verse 19-20 “But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.” (Isaiah 14:19-20). Whilst Antichrist’s soul will go down into Hell, his body will not be buried but, presumably, will lay dead for the world to wonder, only then to be raised again and cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20).
Satan bound for the Millennium:
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Rev 20:1-4)
The resurrection of the tribulation saints / The setting in place of the thrones for the saints:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years…this [completes] the first resurrection.” (Rev 20:5)
“I beheld till the thrones were [set in place]” – see notes on Dan 7:9
The judgement of the living Gentiles (pro-Semitic sheep & anti-Semitic goats):
There are two clear passages that detail the judgment of the living nations who survive the Great Tribulation; the first is in the book of Joel: “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.” (Joel 3:1-3)
The second passage is well know, although it is often overlooked that the basis of the following is how the nations have treated Israel – Jesus brethren, according to the flesh.
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matt 25:31-46)
All of the above events will therefore occur after the 1260 days of the Great Tribulation, but before the commencement of the Millennium, which itself will begin after the 1335th day; hence blessed indeed will be those who come to the 1335th day as they will then enter into Jesus’ Millennial kingdom. We should be mindful of these things the next time we pray ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven’!
Daniel 12:13
But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
In other words: ‘keep on going in the way you have known; don’t give up and you will receive your reward in the end’.
What was Daniel’s way?
From the time as a young teenager, when he was carried away from all he had known to the awe and splendour and sensual pleasures of Babylon, Daniel had just one way of living: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Dan 1:8). This incredible man serves as a challenge and an inspiration to all of us; a man who “went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Dan 6:10)
Daniel did not just ‘talk the talk’, he really ‘walked the walk’, even though it could have cost him his job, and more importantly, his life. Yet where now are those who tried to take his life in chapter six? We don’t even have a record of their names; yet of Daniel we are told he was a man ‘greatly beloved of God’ – and that is recorded in the Word of God for eternity!
Jesus said:“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you”. (John 15:18-19) “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt 10:32)
Therefore, may we ‘walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God’; and may we live lives walking ‘worthy of the calling wherein we are called’. For we were bought at such a high price: ‘therefore let us glorify God in our bodies, and in our spirit, which are God’s’. Let us purpose in our hearts to be like Daniel, who, as we have seen, knew the scriptures and lived his life according to them, rejecting the fleeting pleasures of sin so as to not be entangled in them, that we may please the One who has enlisted us as a soldier in His army. And ‘let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’ (Col 1:10 / Eph 4:1 /1 Cor 6:20 / Heb 11:25 / 2 Tim 2:4 / Gal 6:9).
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Heb 12:1-2)
May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.
