Daniel 12.1a-The Prophecy of Michael’s Intervention on Behalf of the Nation of Israel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday August 19, 2014
Daniel: Daniel 12:1a-The Prophecy of Michael’s Intervention on Behalf of the Nation of Israel
Lesson # 370
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 12:1.
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)
Daniel 12:1 transitions from the account of the Antichrist’s character and his actions during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week to a description of the elect angel Michael’s actions during this same period.
“At that time” is composed of the composed of the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh), “at” and its object is the articular form of the noun ʿēṯ (עֵת) (ayth), “time” which is followed by the articular third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hî(ʾ) (הִיא) (hee), “that.”
The noun ʿēṯ means “time” in the sense of a period of time and the articular construction of the word is anaphoric meaning it is pointing back to the period of time described in Daniel 11:40-45 which we noted is the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
The noun ʿēṯ is the object of the preposition bĕ, which means “during” since it indicates that something occurs during the time indicated by its object.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase means that “during” the end time, which is the last three and a half years of the seventieth week, the elect angel of God, namely Michael will arise who is Israel’s angelic defender Satan’s attacks.
The articular third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hî(ʾ) is used in a demonstrative sense and means “this” referring to the noun ʿēṯ and thus refers to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
Its articular construction is anaphoric indicating that the pronominal suffix is pointing back to the noun ʿēṯ and that they are both referring to the same thing.
“Michael” is the proper name mî·ḵā·ʾēl (מִיכָאֵל) (me-kaw-ale´), which 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).
“The great prince” is composed of the articular form of the noun śǎr (שַׂר) (sar), “prince” which is modified by the articular form of the adjective gā·ḏôl (גָּדוֹל) (gaw-dole´), “great.”
The singular form of the noun śǎr means “commander, leader, ruler” referring to Michael and the articular construction of this noun is functioning as a possessive pronoun meaning “your” indicating that this elect angel speaking to Daniel is describing Michael is “your” (Israel’s) ruler.
The noun śǎr is modified by the articular form of the adjective gā·ḏôl which means “great” in the sense that Michael is distinguished from his fellow angels since God delegated him authority over Israel to protect her from Satan and the kingdom of darkness.
“Who stands guard over the sons of your people” is composed of the articular participle form of the verb ʿā∙mǎḏ (עָמַד) (aw-mad), “who stands” which is followed by the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al), “over” and its object is the noun bēn (בֵּן) (bane), “the sons of” and then we have the noun ʿǎm (עַם) (am), “people” which is modified by the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix ʾǎt·tā(h) (אַתָּה), “your.”
The verb ʿā∙mǎḏ literally means “to stand watch” in the sense of a soldier taking up his position as a guard and expresses the idea of protection and is employed with the preposition ʿǎl to express the idea of authority over others.
Therefore, the verb expresses the fact that not only does Michael serve as a protector of the Jewish people but that he also exercises authority over them.
The noun bēn means “citizens” since it pertains to persons who are member of a particular ethnic group and nation and here it is used as a designation for those people who descended racially or biologically from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob emphasizing their national identity.
The noun ʿǎm is in the singular and means “people” in the sense of a large group based on various cultural, physical and geographical ties and refers to a large group that is larger than a tribe or clan but smaller than a race.
This word speaks of a national entity and specifically the nation of Israel which is indicated by the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix ʾǎt·tā(h), which means “your” referring of course, to Daniel.
The noun bēn is also the object of the preposition ʿǎl which means “over” since it functions as a marker of authority indicating that Michael has been delegated authority over Israel by God.
“Will arise” is the verb ʿā∙mǎḏ (עָמַד) (aw-mad), which means “to come to defend, to come to protect” since it pertains to driving danger or attack away and expresses the idea of waging an effort to counteract or repel an enemy attack.
This would indicate that during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week while Antichrist and Satan are persecuting Israel, the elect angel Michael who rules over Israel will defend Israel against the attacks of the Antichrist which are inspired by Satan and his kingdom.
Daniel 12:1 “Now, during this particular period of time, Michael, your great ruler, who stands watch over the citizens of your people, will come to defend.” (My translation)
The angel’s prophetic statements here in Daniel 12:1 are directly linked to his prophetic statements in Daniel 11:36-45.
Daniel 11:36-39 describe the character of the Antichrist whereas Daniel 11:40-45 speak of his actions during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
Now, the prophetic statements in Daniel 12:1 describe God’s response to the actions of the Antichrist in the sense that God will send Michael to defend Israel from the Antichrist’s Satanically inspired attack against the Jewish people.
Therefore, the prepositional phrase “during this particular period of time” indicates that the prophetic statements in Daniel 12:1 run coterminous with the events described in Daniel 11:40-45.
In other words, the events predicted in Daniel 12:1 coincide chronologically with the events predicted in Daniel 11:40-45.
The angel describes Michael as “your great ruler, who stands watch over the citizens of your people” which means that God has delegated authority to Michael over the Jewish people in order to defend and protect them from the attacks of Satan and his kingdom.
The prophetic statement in Daniel 12:1 should be compared with Revelation 12:6-9 since both passages deal with Michael’s actions in defending Israel from the attacks of Satan and the Antichrist.
Also both passages deal with Israel being persecuted and attacked during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
Revelation 12:1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman (Nation of Israel) clothed with the sun (Represents Jacob), and the moon (Represents Rachel and Leah) under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Represents 12 Sons of Jacob) 2 and she was with child (Represents Jesus Christ); and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon (Represents Satan) having seven heads (Represents 7 great Gentile world empires: (1) Egypt (2) Assyria (3) Babylon (4) Medo-Persia (5) Graeco-Macedonia (6) Rome (7) Future Revived Roman Empire) and ten horns (10 Ten European Confederacy, i.e. Revived Roman Empire), and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven (Represents fallen angels) and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child (Jesus Christ), who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. (NASB95)
Until this point in the Tribulation, Michael never lays a hand on Satan but at this point in the Tribulation, however, Michael gets to do what he undoubtedly has longed to do for millenniums; he gets to boot Satan out of heaven.
The Lord foresaw the defeat of Satan in heaven.
Luke 10:18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” (NASB95)
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” 13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (NASB95)
The kingdom of darkness has waged war against the nation of Israel from its inception since God in the Old Testament sought to establish His kingdom on the earth through the nation of Israel and He will do so again but successfully during the millennial reign of His Son Jesus Christ.