12.5 - Discussion of Daniel 12, verse 11-13

>>> Verses 11 and 12: The timescale about the 1260 days is as, for example, given in Daniel 7 verse 25: “He will try to change their religious laws and festivals, and God's people will be under his power for three and a half years”= 1260 days.

We arrive at “1290 days” taking the time without offering and 30 days for the restoration of worship; this is 1260 + 30= 1290 days. The restoration of worship will take time, see Ezequiel 39 verse 7:

 “I will make sure that my people Israel know my holy name, and I will not let my name be disgraced any more. Then the nations will know that I, the Lord, am the holy God of Israel”. The 30 days represent this restoration time.

1335 days is 1260 days + 75 days for purification of the land. See Ezequiel 39 verse 12: “It will take the Israelites seven months to bury all the corpses and make the land clean again”. … Also the return and reunification of Judah with the ten tribes of Israel will need time before the full and complete worshipping can start again.  See Ezequiel 37: 15-28, where it talks about Judah and Israel in One Kingdom: “…...“Mortal man,” he said, “take a wooden stick and write on it the words, ‘The kingdom of Judah.’ Then take another stick and write on it the words, ‘The kingdom of Israel……”.

Also see Zechariah 10 verses 6-10: “…….I will call my people and gather them together….” And in addition see Zechariah 14: 8-21.

At the end of verse 12 of Daniel 12 it says that we have to remain faithful until the 1,335 days are over. See also Matthew 25 verses

1-13, where we read about the Parable of the Ten Young Women: “……Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour”. 

>>> Verse 13: This verse mentions that at the end Daniel will die, but he will rise again. This rest of Daniel is only for his body, but not for his Spirit, because for the Lord we all are alive. See Luke 20 verse 38: “He is the God of the living, not of the dead, for to him all are alive”. 

12.4 - Discussion of Daniel 12, verse 5-10

>>> Verses 5 and 6: This situation is similar to the one described in Genesis 18 verses 1 and 2 where we read: “The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day,   he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them”. Also here in Genesis we see three men, one of them being the Lord Himself. In the vision of Daniel there is also the appearance of the Angel, (the Lord Himself?), with the two men standing by a river, one on each bank. Daniel and Abraham have many things in common: namely their tremendous faith and their intercession for others in their prayers; Daniel for his people Israel and Abraham pleading for Sodom and for Lot.

>>> Verse 7: For a discussion of the three and a half years, when the persecution of God's people ends, see under chapter 8.3 of this blog and its discussion of Daniel 9, verse 27.  At the end of those three and a half years, also the total of the seventy “yearweeks” of Daniel 9 verse 24 will be ended.

>>> Verses 8 and 9: In verse 8 we read that Daniel asks: “But, sir, how will it all end”.  The question: “how will it all end”, is not answered, see under verse 4: The book was to be closed.  However Daniel receives the promise that he will be there at the end of time and receive his reward. 

>>> Verse 10: In this verse it says that many people will be purified. It is because through all this, God acts causing purification, also in today’s Israel. See John 15 verse 3: “You have been made clean already by the teaching I have given you”: Purification through suffering.  But those who fear God will see the Lord’s hand in all of this and receive strength. See Matthew 5 verse 8: “Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!” and Mathew 24 verse 13: “But whoever holds out to the end will be saved”.  Also 1 John 3 verse 3: “Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure”. 

12.3 - Discussion of Daniel 12, verse 3 and 4

>>> Verse 3: This verse begins to say that the wise leaders will shine with all the brightness of the sky. The question here is: Who is wise, who is intelligent?  We read in Proverbs 1 verse 7; “To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord.  Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn”. This means that, to be wise or to have knowledge, you must first fear the Lord. The same we read in Proverbs 9 verse 10: “To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding”. Also see Proverbs 15:33, Psalms 111:10, Psalms 112: 1….. ¡ What a consolation for simple people like us!...

Such “simple”,- wise -, people will “shine like stars lighting up the sky”, it says in Philippians2 verse 15: “… so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky”.  Very similar words as the words used in this verse 3 of Daniel 12: “The wise leaders will shine with all the brightness of the sky” 

>>> Verse 4: It says in this verse: “close the book and put a seal on it until the end of the world”. In other words, it was hidden for Israel at that time, because it reached too far and it was to be hidden until the end comes …see verses 8 and 9. For us counts however Revelation 20 verse10, where it says: “And he said to me, do not keep the prophetic words of this book a secret, because the time is near when all this will happen”. We live in that time now: the end times. Therefore “many will study and the understanding will increase”. 

12.2 - Discussion of Daniel 12, verse 2 

>>> Verse 2: In this verse it says: “…..Many of those who have already died will live again: some will enjoy eternal life, and some will suffer eternal disgrace”.  The first resurrection and the second death, are being seen here as one event, while there are a thousand years between them, (See Revelation 20 verses 4-6, 14, and 15: “Then I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given the power to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been executed because they had proclaimed the truth that Jesus revealed and the word of God……... They came to life and ruled as kings with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over.) This is the first raising of the dead. Happy and greatly blessed are those who are included in this first raising of the dead. The second death has no power over them; they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they will rule with him for a thousand years….  Then death and the world of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire. - This lake of fire is the second death.-  Those who did not have their name written in the book of the living were thrown into the lake of fire”). 

John 5 verse 24 says that the believers will not enter in the judgment. We read there: “I am telling you the truth: those who hear my words and believe in him who sent me have eternal life. They will not be judged, but have already passed from death to life”. It is because they already have “the Life”, and will “appear with Jesus”. See Colossians 3 verse 4: “Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory”. These are the “many” mentioned in the first word of verse 2. Hence: not all, only who have believed in Him.

12.1 - Discussion of Daniel 12, verse 1

>>>Verse1: This chapter starts in verse 1 by saying: “At that time the great angel Michael, who guards your people, will appear”. An explanation of the words: "At that time" and what happens at that moment is as follows:

A) - It is the time when the Antichrist breaks the peace pact.

B) - The time when the antichrist installs himself on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

C) -The time when the angel Michael throws Satan and his angels on the earth…, see Revelation 12 versiculos7-9: “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer.  The huge dragon was thrown out—that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth and all his angels with him”.

D) -The moment when the “awful horror” will appear at a holy place in Israel.  See Matthew 24 verse15: “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ of which the prophet Daniel spoke. It will be standing in the holy place”.

Also: 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 4:” He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God”. And revelations 13 verse 6: “It began to curse God, his name, the place where he lives, and all those who live in heaven“.

E) -The time when the great suffering of Israel starts, see Matthew 24 verse 21 and 22: “For the trouble at that time will be far more terrible than any there has ever been, from the beginning of the world to this very day. Nor will there ever be anything like it again. But God has already reduced the number of days; had he not done so, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, God will reduce the days”. This is the period of three and a half years, mentioned before. 

F) -The moment of the escape of Daniel's people: “those that are written in the book of the living”. See Exodus 32 verse. 32, Luke 10 verse 20, Revelation 3 verse 5: “Those who win the victory will be clothed like this in white, and I will not remove their names from the book of the living. In the presence of my Father and of his angels I will declare openly that they belong to me”. Revelation 13 verse 8, Revelation 20 verse 12 and 15: ” And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living….. Those who did not have their name written in the book of the living were thrown into the lake of fire”.  Many more places in the bible refer to these events. Verse 1 also mentions: “….Michael, who guards your people…..”. These are the people that are saved because they have believed in Jesus Christ as their savior, and this of course counts also for us. 

12.0- Daniel 12, 1-13, The time of the End

In Daniel 12 verses 1 – 13 we read:

“1The angel wearing linen clothes said, “At that time the great angel Michael, who guards your people, will appear. Then there will be a time of troubles, the worst since nations first came into existence. When that time comes, all the people of your nation whose names are written in God's book will be saved.  2 Many of those who have already died will live again: some will enjoy eternal life, and some will suffer eternal disgrace. 3The wise leaders will shine with all the brightness of the sky. And those who have taught many people to do what is right will shine like the stars forever.”

4 He said to me, “And now, Daniel, close the book and put a seal on it until the end of the world. Meanwhile, many people will waste their efforts trying to understand what is happening.” 

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 toward the sky and made a solemn promise in the name of the Eternal God. I heard him say, “It will be three and a half 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. 10 Many people will be purified. Those who are wicked will not understand but will go on being wicked; only those who are wise will understand.

11 “From the time the daily sacrifices are stopped, that is, from the time of The Awful Horror, 1,290 days will pass. 12 Happy are those who remain faithful until 1,335 days are over!

13 “And you, Daniel, be faithful to the end. Then you will die, but you will rise to receive your reward at the end of time.”

11.4b - Discussion of Daniel 11, verse 41- 45

>>> Verse 41: In the middle of the last “Yearweek”, the antichrist will conquer Israel and break the peace pact. See Daniel 9 verse 27: “That ruler will have a firm agreement with many people for seven years, and when half this time is past, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. The Awful Horror will be placed on the highest point of the Temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him”. At the end of this verse it says: “But the countries of Edom, Moab, and what is left of Ammon will escape”. The fact that these countries escape is logical, because the antichrist is the seed of Esau, which is part those countries.

>>> Verses 42 and 43: “all those countries”… We see here the vastness of his power. Libya and Ethiopia apparently go with Egypt. These ties are there also at this moment.

>>> Verse 44: Here we see that Ezequiel 38 and 39 (where the big battles from the North and from the orient are described), would fit in very well, when it says that: “news that comes from the east and the north will frighten him”. He will oblige (or convince) these powers from the East and the North to unite with him to gather the nations for the final battle at Armageddon. See Revelation 16 verses 12-16: “Then the spirits brought the kings together in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon……. “. 

>>> Verse 45: The antichrist will have his “headquarters” in Jerusalem and “the mountain on which the Temple stands”: Mount Moriah. But his end will be in Israel, with “no one there to help him”. This is because God will fight for Israel. See Revelation 19 verse 20: “The beast (antichrist) was taken prisoner, together with the false prophet who had performed miracles in his presence. …..The beast and the false prophet were both thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur”.  The end battle is being described in Joel 3 verses 1-15: “….…..The nations must get ready and come to the Valley of Judgment. There I, the Lord, will sit to judge all the surrounding nations……” And also Zechariah 14 verses 3-7, and Revelation 19 verses 11-21.