Friday, February 14, 2014

Daniel 12 - The Time of the End

Watch Chuck Missler's video on Daniel 12.

Read Daniel 12 and then Revelation 12 because they cover some of the same subject.

Chapter 12 concludes the literary unit of chapters 10-12, which has one unified message:
Chapter 10 is the introduction to that vision. It focuses on the people giving the vision.
Chapter 11, Verses 1-35 focus on events that were future to Daniel, but past tense to us.
Chapter 11, Verses 36 through the end of Chapter 12, focus on events future to us.

J. O. McClurkan: “... there is an awful time coming, the darkness of which will overshadow all the tempestuous epochs of the past, and might very appropriately be termed the world’s midnight.”

(Daniel 11:40-45) "Then AT THE TIME OF THE END, the king of the south will attack him, and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots, cavalry, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape. He will conquer many countries, and Egypt will not escape. He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants. "But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy many as he goes. He will halt between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents there, but while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and there will be no one to help him.

(1) "*At that time **Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a ***time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of  ****your people whose name is written in *****the book will be ******rescued.

  • *At that time alludes to the period just described in 11:36-45 - Antichrist's reign of terror at "the time of the end".
    • Matthew 24:21: For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:3 : When people are saying, "All is well; everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape.
    • “That time” is the time that the “king” of 11:36-45 does his evil work during Daniel’s seventieth week—the Tribulation. He will come to his end by the victory of Messiah.
  • **Michael: Revelation 12:7-9: Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. This great dragon -- the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world -- was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
  • ***time of anguish:
    • Zechariah 13:8-9: Two-thirds of the people in the land will be cut off and die, says the LORD. But a third will be left in the land. I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"
    • Jeremiah 30:7 In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end, they will be saved!
    • Matthew 24:21 For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again
    • Mark 13:19: For those will be days of greater horror than at any time since God created the world. And it will never happen again.
    • Revelation 7:14 : And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows."Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
    • 1. It will be a time of Judgment on Apostate Christendom.
      2. It will be a period of special desolation.
      3. Antichrist will be world dictator.
      4. The False Prophet will complete the Trinity of hell: (1) Satan (2) Antichrist (3) False Prophet
    • This time of anguish clearly relates to the Jew, as also does the Lord's prophecy, recorded in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. It will be the climax of God's governmental dealings with that people, who rejected and crucified their Messiah. In the tribulation, there will be not only terrible evils, proceeding from both man and Satan, but the outpouring of the wrath of God, as revealed in Revelation 16. As Christians, we have the assurance that, 'God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Thessalonians 5: 9 KJV).
    • Jewish people have known many a time of trouble through their history. From the horrors at the fall of Samaria and Jerusalem to the terrors wrought by Antiochus Epiphanes, to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, to the persecutions from the church during the Dark Ages especially the inquisition and expulsions (the "church" invented the yellow star of the holocaust not Hitler), to the pogroms of Europe and Russia, to the 20th Century Holocaust, it often seems that all Israel's history has been a time of trouble. Yet this time of trouble will be different. This will be a worse time of trouble than Israel has ever seen before.
    • The Jew has always been a target of Satan. He has sought to destroy them because he knew that God has ordained to accomplish His purposes through this nation and brought Christ through them. If Satan could eliminate every Jew on the planet, he would win because all prophecy would prove false and God prove to be a helpless liar.
  • ****your people:
    • This prophecy has to do with Israel and the Jews, not the church, though the Gentile world would become involved.
    • Israel and especially Jerusalem today is already the center of attention, and of much scorn from its neighbors and the rest of the world. That region will host the most horrific conflict of human history - Armageddon!
  • *****the book:
    • The Book of Life:
      • Philippians 4:3: And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
      • Revelation 3:5: All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
      • Revelation 13:8: And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made.
      • Revelation 17:8: The beast you saw was alive but isn't now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from before the world began, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died.
      • Revelation 20:12,15: I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. ... And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
      • Revelation 21:1-3,27: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ... Nothing evil will be allowed to enter -- no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty -- but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
    • We learned in Daniel 10:21 that there is in God’s library a book called The Book of  Truth.
    • Revelation 5:1,7 tells of a scroll on which the events of the end time are recorded,.
  • ******rescued:
    • Were faithful Jews rescued when Antiochus IV erected the abomination of desolation in the holy of holies? No.
    • Were the faithful Jews rescued when Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple? No (but the Christians had fled).
    • Were the faithful Jews rescued during the Middle Ages when the Roman church killed so many (along with thousands of faithful Christians) ? No.
    • Were the faithful Jews rescued from the holocaust under Hitler? No.
    • So, this is a future event.
    • Romans 11:25-27: I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud and start bragging. Some of the Jews have hard hearts, but this will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. Do you remember what the prophets said about this? "A Deliverer will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel from all ungodliness. And then I will keep my covenant with them and take away their sins."

(2) Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will *rise up, some to **everlasting life and some to ***shame and everlasting contempt.

  • *rise up:
    • Since the ones being talked about by the angel to Daniel are Jews, this is a special resurrection of Jews who have died during the tribulation period - some of whom were saved and did not take the mark of the beast and some who did take the mark and accepted the false messiah who would come in his own name. This is not a resurrection of the church nor is it a general resurrection. The resurrection of the church would have already taken place when it was removed before the tribulation during the rapture:
      • 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16: And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.
  • **everlasting life: First occurrence of the term in the Old Testament, though the concept was understood by Job.
    • Job 14:14-16: If mortals die, can they live again? This thought would give me hope, and through my struggle I would eagerly wait for release. You would call and I would answer, and you would yearn for me, your handiwork. For then you would count my steps, instead of watching for my sins.
    • Job 19:26-27: And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God ! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
    • Revelation 20:4-6: Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God. And I saw the souls of those who had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years
  • ***shame and everlasting contempt: I think that everyone in this scene gets saved, only some will receive rewards in heaven and others will be barely saved as in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.) Notice the non-reward people get "shame and everlasting contempt". That is not the same as eternal damnation.
  • While many believe that the abomination of desolation and chapters 11 and 12 refer to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D., this verse should put that theory to rest. No resurrection occurred after that event. The same goes for the building of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. No, all of this is yet future.

(3) Those who are *wise will **shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever.

  • *wise: The word here translated WISE is the word used for INSTRUCTORS OR TEACHERS of others. It means wise in the sense of conveying the truth to others. Those who know the truth of God and instruct others therein shall shine as the brightness of the firmament.
  • **shine: Matthew 13:43: Then the godly will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!

(4) But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a *secret; **seal up the book until the time of the end. ***Many will ****rush here and there, and *****knowledge will increase."

  • *secret:
    • He is saying in effect "Daniel, you will not understand get this vision. But the people who live in or near the time of the end WILL understand it.
    • Daniel 8:26: "This vision about the twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings is true. But none of these things will happen for a long time, so do not tell anyone about them yet."
  • **seal:
    • Revelation 22:10: Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near.
  • ***Many: This is probably the "many" in verse 3 - the righteous.
  • ****rush here and there, and knowledge will increase:
    • The close of verse 4 with its statement, “Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase,” is difficult to translate; and commentators do not agree on its meaning. The familiar interpretation that this phrase refers to increased travel in modern days certainly makes sense, as never in the history of the world has there been more travel. However, in the context the search for knowledge seems to be the main idea. Montgomery interprets it in the light of Amos 8:12, “People will stagger everywhere from sea to sea, searching for the word of the LORD, running here and going there, but they will not find it.” John Calvin translated it, “Many shall investigate, and knowledge shall increase.” Leupold interprets the verse to mean, “Many shall diligently peruse it, and knowledge shall be increased.” In Hebrew, the word for “knowledge” is haddaáat, literally, “THE knowledge,” that is, understanding of this long prophecy. Some consider the sentence as referring to the eyes of a reader running “to and fro” in reading the Word of God. There is no question that there has been an explosion of interest in and desire to understand prophecies of the end times, especially since the World Wars and Israel's independence in 1940.
    • When studied in its context, Daniel 12:4 refers to the fact that during the tribulation period, many Jewish people will study the prophesies of Daniel and come to faith in the Messiah. In the ancient Near East, the custom was to "seal" an important document by impressing upon it the identifying marks of the parties involved and the recording scribe. A sealed text was not to be tampered with or changed. Then the original document was duplicated and placed ("closed up") in a safe place where it could be preserved. Gabriel therefore was instructing Daniel to preserve "the words of the scroll," not merely this final vision but the whole book for those who will live at "the time of the end" when the message will be needed.
  • *****knowledge: THE knowledge. Since the definite article is used, the text has in mind specific, not general, knowledge about something. In context, it can refer to nothing other than the understanding of the prophecies that Daniel was commanded to seal up until the end of time. In context, this passage is specifically saying that the Jewish people, as a whole, will not come to understand the prophecies of the book of Daniel until the end of time. The reason that they will not understand the prophecy is because of the spiritual blindness that currently exists among all Jews, except the elect remnant during the church age, when it comes to understanding even their own Old Testament. Paul tells us: "But the people's minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away." (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). That veil will be removed at some point during the tribulation period and Israel will come to understand the proper meaning of their prophetic Scriptures.

(5) Then I, Daniel, looked and saw *two others standing on opposite banks of **the river.

  • *two others: So, neither of these is the angel talking to Daniel.
  • **the river: Goes back to Daniel 10:4: On April 23, as I was standing beside the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.

(6) One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, "How long will it be until these shocking events happen?

(7) The *man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, **raised both his hands toward heaven and took this solemn oath by the one who lives forever: "It will go on for ***a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened."

  • *man dressed in linen: Daniel 10:5: I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.
  • **raised both hands: Revelation 10:5-6: Then the mighty angel standing on the sea and on the land lifted his right hand to heaven. And he swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, "God will wait no longer.
  • ***a time, times, and half a time:
    • Daniel 7:25: He will defy the Most High and wear down the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.
    • Daniel 9:27: He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the end that has been decreed is poured out on this defiler."
    • Revelation 11:2-3: But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in sackcloth and will prophesy during those 1,260 days."
    • Revelation 11:2-3: But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in sackcloth and will prophesy during those 1,260 days."
    • Revelation 12:6,14: And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to give her care for 1,260 days. ... But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle. This allowed her to fly to a place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.
    • Revelation 13:5: Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do what he wanted for forty-two months.

(8) I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, "How will all this finally end, my lord?"

(9) But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is for the time of the end.

(10) Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.

  • Revelation 22:11: Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness."

(11) "From the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and the *sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be **1,290 days.

  • *sacrilegious object:
    • The “abomination” of Daniel 11:31 is past while the “abomination” of Daniel 12:11 is future.
    • Matthew 24:15: "The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place" -- reader, pay attention!
  • **1,290 days: Why the extra 30 days? We seem only able to speculate.
    • The 11th verse reveals that Israel will have rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem and will have re-instituted Levitical order of sacrifice. When this is done, we know that Antichrist will exalt himself in their rebuilt temple and commit the abomination of desolation by causing the daily sacrifice to be taken away. This event will mark the beginning of the actual tribulation period, which we are told here will continue for 1,290 days. We know that Antichrist will continue for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. But here, thirty days are added to the tribulation period.
    • Perhaps Antichrist will announce the termination of sacrifices and the setting up of the abomination 30 days before he carries out those acts. Another option is that there will be a 30-day period between the time when Antichrist abolishes the regular sacrifice and the time when he sets up the abomination of desolation. Another possibility is that the 30 days will extend beyond the last three and one-half years. It will include the cleansing of the temple and possibly the judgments of Israel and the nations that Christ will execute when He returns.

(12) And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the *1,335 days!

  • *1,335 days: Why the extra 75 days more than 1,260 days or 45 days more that verse 11?

(13) "As for you, *go your way until the end. You will **rest, and then at the end of the days, you will ***rise again to receive the ****inheritance set aside for you."

  • *go your way:
    • What a way for a righteous man to come to the end of his ministry!
    • The Lord then dismissed the aged prophet. He was to go his way to the end. The Lord appears to have been viewing Daniel's life in sequence. First he would rest, in death, then he would rise again (cf. verse 2), and then he would receive his reward from God (cf. verse 3). His resurrection and reward would occur at the end of the age, namely, at the end of the times of the Gentiles.
  • Daniel's life is an inspired testimony to the way the godly man would strive to live, even to today. His life was recorded as an example by which all who would live godly lives after him could look to and find instruction. Daniel never lost his hope and never gave up on God.
  • **rest: This refers to his death after which he will "rest" until the resurrection.
  • ***rise again:
    • Job knew that his Redeemer was alive and that after worms had banqueted on his body he knew that he would see God (Job 19:25-27).
    • Christ declared that God was the God of the living and thus assures us that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are living (Matthew 22:32):
      • 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead."
    • Paul knew that he had a building eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1) and triumphantly declared that death would be swallowed up (I Corinthians 15:52-55) in victory.
  • ****inheritance set aside for you: 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me -- the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.


Above image from www.truthnet.org/Daniel/Chapter12/


Above image from www.spokanebiblechurch.com/study/Bible%20Walk%20Through/Daniel-briefing.htm


Above image from www.thesecondcomingofchrist.org/dan12_timelines.htm


Above image from www.thesecondcomingofchrist.org/dan12_timelines.htm

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