Overview of Daniel Chapter Twelve
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday July 31, 2014
Daniel: Overview of Daniel Chapter Twelve
Lesson # 369
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 12:1.
Daniel chapter 11-12 record Daniel receiving from God through an unidentified elect angel the final great prophetic revelation of his life.
He received this fourth and final great prophetic revelation from God in 536 B.C. during the third year of the reign of Cyrus king of Persia as we noted in our study of Daniel chapter 10.
So Daniel chapter 12 continues this prophecy which began in chapter 11 by presenting the prophecy of the last 1,335 days, which includes the last three and a half years of Daniel’s seventieth week, the Second Advent of Christ and the establishment of His subsequent millennial reign on the earth.
In Daniel 12:1-3, we have the prophecy of Israel being delivered from the power of the Antichrist and Satan by the intervention of the elect angel Michael who is the elect angel who personally defends the nation of Israel from Satan and his kingdom.
Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” (NASB95)
“Michael” is an elect angel who is the angelic ruler over the nation of Israel and Daniel 12:1 says that Michael stands guard over the Jewish people.
His name means “who is like God?” and poses a rhetorical and negative question, one demanding a negative answer meaning “who is like the God? No one!
This is significant for this angel’s very name and presence stands as a rebuke and refutation to Satan’s boast in Isaiah 14:14b, “I will make myself like the most High,” i.e., “I will be like God.” Michael, the archangel, is the guardian of the nation of Israel (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9).
In Daniel 12:1 he is called the great prince and in Jude 9 he is “the archangel,” i.e., first or chief of the angels.
Michael defends the Jews in the tribulation from the wrath of Satan (Revelation 12:7).
In Revelation 12:1-8, we read of “Michael and his angels,” i.e. those under his authority, thus, it appears that Michael became the chief commander and leader of the holy angels after Satan’s fall.
During the midway point of Daniel’s seventieth week, Michael the archangel and his legions of elect-angels will expel Satan and his legions from heaven (Rev. 12:7).
“A time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time” is a reference to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week which is prophesied about in Daniel 9:27 and will be terminated with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
“And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued” refers to the deliverance of those Jews who have exercised faith in Jesus Christ as Savior which will take place at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Daniel 12:2 speaks of the resurrection of regenerate Israel at the Second Advent and the resurrection of unregenerate Israel for eternal condemnation which will take place at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Daniel 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (NASB95)
The Old Testament associated confident expectation of resurrection with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
In Daniel 12:2, the resurrection of Old Testament believers is seen to be an event subsequent to Daniel’s Seventieth Week when Antichrist is reigning.
“Your people” is a reference to the nation of Israel since Daniel was a member of it and the statement “everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued” refers to those born-again Jews who will be rescued from the Western and Eastern Confederacies at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
The statement “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life” teaches that those born-again Jews who died will be raised from the dead subsequent to the nation of Israel’s deliverance from the Tribulation period.
The statement “but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” refers to those non-believers in Israel who will raised from the dead subsequent to Israel’s deliverance by the Second Advent of Jesus Christ but in contrast to the believers, they will suffer eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:4 teaches that subsequent to the Second Advent of Jesus Christ when Satan is thrown into prison for a thousand years, both Jewish and Gentile believers who died for the cause of Jesus Christ during the Tribulation period will be raised from the dead to reign with Christ during His millennial reign.
The chronological order of events in God’s resurrection program: (1) The humanity of Christ in hypostatic union (Matthew 28; Mark 16:1-14; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-9). (2) The Church at the rapture, which takes place prior to Daniel’s Seventieth Week (1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Philippians 3:21). (3) Old Testament believers and Tribulation martyrs at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which ends Daniels’ Seventieth Week (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4). (4) Every non-believer in human history will be raised from the dead at the Great White Throne Judgment of unbelievers at the end of human history (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:11-15).
So there will be two judgments conducted by the Lord Jesus Christ immediately after His Second Advent and just prior to His millennial reign.
In fact, only believers will be living at the start of the millennial reign of our Lord as a result of these judgments.
Those Israelites and Gentiles who reject Jesus Christ as Savior are removed from the earth whereas those who trust in Him as Savior will enter the millennium.
The judgment of those Israelites who survive the Tribulation is referred to in Ezekiel 20:33-37 and Malachi 3:2-6 whereas Matthew 25:31-46 speaks of the judgment of those Gentiles who survive the Tribulation.
The chronology of prophesied events by our Lord in Matthew 24 and 25 indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge Israel immediately upon returning at His Second Advent and then after this He will judge the Gentiles.
The chronology of events listed in Matthew 24 and 25: (1) First three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Matthew 24:4-6) (2) Last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Matthew 24:7-28) (3) The Second Advent of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:29-30) (4) The elect angels will regather Israel (Matthew 24:31). (5) The Lord Jesus Christ will judge Israel (Matthew 25:1-30) (6) The Lord Jesus Christ will judge the Gentiles (Matthew 25:31-46). (7) Millennium.
In Daniel 12:4-13 we have the conclusion of the book.
In verse 4, we have the angel instructing Daniel to seal this fourth and final prophetic revelation of his life.
Daniel 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” (NASB95)
In Daniel 12:5-13, we have a dialogue between two elect angels and the preincarnate Christ in which the two angels ask the Lord questions about the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
Daniel 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. 6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7 I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 13 But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.” (NASB95)
The dialogue recorded in Daniel 12:4-13 is between two elect angels of God and the preincarnate Christ.
In Daniel 12:6, Daniel says that an unidentified elect angel spoke to the very same man dressed in linen who appeared in Daniel 10:4-7.
This man dressed in linen was above the waters of the river.
This unidentified elect angel asked this man dressed in linen a question, namely how long it would be until the end of these wondrous events recorded in chapters 10-12.
Daniel 12:7 records the man dressed in linen answering the question of this unidentified elect angel.
The man dressed in linen possesses a knowledge that transcended that of the other angels such as this unidentified elect angel and he even takes a divine oath.
This man dressed in linen has an exalted position above the waters suggesting he is superior to this unidentified elect angel.
Who is the man dressed in linen and who are the two angels?
First of all, the man dressed in linen appears to be the preincarnate Christ.
This is indicated by the fact that the apostle John’s description of Christ in Revelation 1:13-16 is very similar to Daniel’s description of the man dressed in linen in Daniel 10:4-7.
The description of the response to Paul’s vision of Christ by his traveling companions in Acts 9:1-7 is similar to the response of Daniel’s companions to the vision he received.
Furthermore, in Daniel 10:4-7, Daniel was not describing Gabriel because he had already appeared to Daniel in chapters eight and nine and he did not describe this angel in the same way as he does this man dressed in linen in chapter ten.
This implies that what Daniel is describing here in Daniel 10:4-9 is not a vision of Gabriel or any other elect angel but someone who is to be distinguished and is distinguished from the angels and is superior to them.
Interestingly, the gold belt around the waist of this unidentified man in Daniel 10:5 suggests that this person was a king or a judge since in the ancient world a gold belt was worn by wealthy and royal classes of people.
Therefore, in Daniel 12:4-13 we have a conversation between the preincarnate Christ and two unidentified elect angels of God.
Two questions are posed to the preincarnate Christ.
Both are related to the final three and a half years of the seventieth week.
The first “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” is a reference to the events recorded in Daniel 11:36-45.
This is clearly indicated by the Lord’s answer to the question since the preincarnate Christ makes a reference to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week by using the phrase “for a time, times, and half a time.”
This phrase appears also in Daniel 7:25 with reference to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week and corresponds to the “forty-two months” in Revelation 11:2 and 13:5 as well as the “1,260 days” in Revelation 12:6.
The last three and a half years of the seventieth week also corresponds to the last prophetic statement in Daniel 9:27.
The second question posed to the preincarnate Christ by one of the elect angels “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” is a reference to God’s program for Israel beyond the Tribulation.
Daniel knew that there would be a millennial kingdom since he received revelation regarding it as recorded in Daniel 2:44, 7:14, 22 and 27.
However, he had little information regarding the blessings of the millennial kingdom.
This information would be given to Israel through the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
This being said, in Daniel 12:11-13, the Lord does provide Daniel information which is in preparation for the millennial kingdom.
The question arises what is the meaning of the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days?
A comparison of Daniel 9:27, 12:11 and 13 teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ will conduct the judgments of the Jews and Gentiles for 45 days.
This is indicated in that Daniel 9:27 teaches that Daniel’s Seventieth Week is divided into two periods of 1,260 days (Daniel 9:27).
Daniel 12:11 speaks of 1,290 days from the time of Antichrist abolishing the sacrifice and setting himself up as God, which indicates that there will be a 30 day interval to cleanse the temple.
Then, Daniel 12:12 says that blessed is the person who attains to the 1,335 days, which gives us an additional 45 days beyond the 30 day interval, giving us a total of 75 days, which refers to the period in which the Lord will judge both Israel and the Gentiles to determine who will enter His millennial reign.
So there is a 75 day of preparation for the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
This will be needed because the earth will have been destroyed by God’s judgments.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the Lord will take some time to renovate His creation in preparation for His millennial kingdom.