The End of the Jewish
Latter Days (Daniel 12)
Chapters 10 through 12 all
record Daniel's vision of Jewish latter days. Chapter 10
was an account of the events and circumstances leading up to the
vision. Chapter 11 begins with the actual vision of prophecy
which deals with the Destiny of the Jewish people as the
commonwealth of God. Historically, chapter 11 covered
significant events in history as they effected the Jewish people
from the time of Cyrus of Persia until about the turn of the
millennium which saw the Roman Empire's rise to power.
Historically by the end of chapter 11, Jesus Christ was alive on
earth. Chapter 12 covers the final events which were
significant to Daniel's people, and closes with the final
destruction of Jerusalem and the end the Jewish nation as a
commonwealth holding of God.
The Jews were no
longer the chosen people of God. They were chosen from the
beginning to bear the lineage of the Messiah. Jesus Christ had
come, the old covenant had been fulfilled and nailed to the cross of
Christ. The new covenant had been revealed, established and
confirmed. Jesus Christ had ascended back to heaven and all
that remained was for the Jewish holdouts who refused to accept
Jesus Christ to have their temple worship forever taken away.
This was accomplished with the utter and complete destruction of the
temple without which there could be no Levitical worship. With
the removal of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem, God
placed His final closing exclamation mark on the Jewish nation and
Mosaic system of worship with such completeness that the restoration
of it could never be accomplished without direct divine assistance.
Such assistance has not been forthcoming in the past 2000 years.
The premillennialists
have altogether a varied view of both chapter 11 and 12 of Daniel.
It is not the purpose of this study to provide an exhaustive study
of all the different beliefs associated with Daniel's last vision.
Daniel explains to whom this vision applies in words that cannot be
misunderstood unless one approaches them with some kind of
preconceived beliefs. It is the belief of this Bible student
that by simply assigning this vision to whom the text identifies as
the ones to whom it pertains, one need not spend a great deal of
wasted time and effort in misguided interpretations.
Daniel 10:14
Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy
people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
KJV
Daniel's people were
the Israelites, or the Jews as they came to be called. This
entire vision applies to Daniel's people. The Jewish nation
ceased to exist after 70 AD therefore this vision applies to
Daniel's people prior to that date. 2000 years after the Jewish nation was
destroyed is not the latter days of Daniel's people. There are
descendants of Daniel's people alive today, but Daniel's people as a
nation is what is obviously in view in this vision.
Premillennialists say
that God is yet to fulfill the land promises made to the Israelites.
To answer that, one need only look as far as Joshua 21:43-45, "And
the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto
their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And
the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware
unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies
before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.
There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken
unto the house of Israel; all came to pass." Inspiration
went out of its way to lay these facts out in terms easy to
comprehend and impossible to misunderstand. There should be no
argument or dispute from such a declaration from scripture.
This is important
because premillennialists believe that God has some earthly designs
for the Jews sometime in the future. All of these earthly
designs involve the establishment of some kind of earthly kingdom
with Jesus reigning on earth for a period of a thousand years.
One of the main contentions in support of this doctrine is the
belief that God still has to fulfill the land promises to the nation
of Israel. According to Joshua, this has already been
accomplished.
While on earth, Jesus
made some very significant references to the forthcoming kingdom
which He was to rule. In Mark 9:1, Jesus declared, "Verily
I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which
shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God
come with power." Was Jesus mistaken? Is there
anybody that was in attendance with Jesus that day that has not
tasted of death?
During Christ's mock
trial before His crucifixion, Pilate interrogated Him at which time
Jesus was asked if He were the king of the Jews. Jesus
answered Pilate with these words as recorded in John 18:36, "My
kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then
would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:
but now is my kingdom not from hence". In Luke 17:20-21,
our Lord made this statement concerning His coming kingdom, "The
kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say,
Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you".
According to the teachings of Jesus, the kingdom of God is not going
to be a physical thing which we can point to and declare its
presence. It is a spiritual kingdom and not an earthly one,
which resides within the hearts and minds of mankind. This is
not the kind of kingdom the Jews were hoping for. They wanted
to be set up as authority figures for the whole world as the chosen
children of God. This kingdom Jesus was teaching didn't suit
their liking at all so they rejected it. premillennialists
today are ignoring the same teachings of Jesus that the disbelieving
Jews of the first century rejected. They, like the Jews are
still looking for a physical kingdom which is never going to exist
on this earth. Premillennialism
at its core is as wrong as the Jews who rejected Christ way back in
the first century.
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.
We need to focus on
the first words of this verse; "And at that time".
Not 2000 years in the distance future or any other whimsical period
of time down the road of time, but AT THAT TIME. This
section of Daniel's final recorded vision is set in the same time
period as the former and cannot be separated from it.
"shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people"
This is the second
time Michael has been mentioned. We saw a previous reference
to him in Daniel 10:13 where he was referred to as one of the "chief
princes" and again in Daniel 10:21 where he was referred to as "your
prince". Michael is a key player in the plans of God as
evidenced elsewhere. In Jude 9 he is identified as an
archangel which means a chief angel. In Revelation 12:7, we
see a battle scene with Michael in a conflict against Satan who was
represented as the Dragon. Here in this vision, we learn that
Michael stands for the children of Daniel's people. It is
obvious from this and other passages of scripture that heavenly
beings are active in the purpose of God for mankind.
By standing up, this
means that Michael is going to become directly active in the affairs
of the vision. Daniel's vision has only one event left to
conclude the latter days of the Israelite nation as the commonwealth
holding of God and that is the destruction of the temple in
Jerusalem. By associating Michael with this event, we can be
assured that the entire affair is being carried out per the
instructions of God. The destruction of the temple and the
city of Jerusalem was carried out under the direct supervision and
oversight of one of God's chief angels.
The exact role of
Michael in this affair remains a point of conjecture, however we can
infer from this account that the destruction of Jerusalem was
something that figured in to God's overall plan and that its
execution according to that plan was left in the hands of one of His
most trusted servants.
"and there shall
be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time"
First of all, it must
be noted here that Jesus Christ, while discussing the impending
destruction of the temple to His disciples directly alluded to this
phrase in Daniel's vision as recorded in Matthew 24:21, "For then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be". The
connection between Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:21 cannot be
reasonably denied. Both accounts tell of a time of tribulation
unparalleled both in the past and in the future.
From Daniel's
perspective, the destruction of Jerusalem was going to be worse than
anything he had ever witnessed. Keeping in mind that Daniel
lived through the first destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar
and was an eyewitness to some of the devastation. And now he
is told that the one yet to come is going to be worse. And
indeed it would, because after the initial destruction in Daniel's
time, the temple and the city would be rebuilt, however, after the
destruction yet to come, there would be no rebuilding.
Josephus wrote of the
devastation in the "Wars of the Jews". In book six, named
'From the Great Extremity to which the Jews were reduced, to the
Taking of Jerusalem by Titus', he provides a detailed account of the
suffering which the Jews underwent during that period of time.
The devastation of the siege
leading up to the destruction of the temple and the city lasted
about five months and was horrible beyond belief. Thousands died of
starvation. When the Romans finally broke into the city, the sight
of so many corpses shocked even hardened soldiers. The slaughter of
the Jews was so extensive that several fires were extinguished by
their of blood (Josephus, Wars 6.8.5).
Josephus recorded that 1,100,000
Jews were killed in Jerusalem, and that some 97,000 others were
taken as slaves into captivity. It has been estimated that some
1,337,490 Jews in Jerusalem and in areas adjacent to Judaea died by
famine, by the sword, by burning, and by crucifixion (Wars 6.9.3-4).
Josephus expressed the view that the human suffering as a result of
this holocaust exceeded anything known to man previously (Wars,
Preface, 4; 9.4).
"and at that time
thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written
in the book."
Those who had
accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah and were faithful would be
delivered from the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus warned his
disciples of the coming destruction as recorded in Matthew 24.
Those "found written in the book" is a reference to
Christians who have their names written in the Lamb's book of life.
Those Jews who had become followers of Jesus Christ would be
delivered from the destruction spoken of in Daniel's vision.
Jewish believers
historically took refuge at Pella, southeast of the Sea of Galilee,
before the Roman legions had encompassed Jerusalem; and they were
able to do so on the basis of the advance warning and information
here given in Daniel, furthermore and more imminently supplied by
Jesus’ more detailed projections regarding that event some forty
years in advance in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 19:41-44 and chapter
21. Especially see Matthew 24:2 and 15-21, Luke 19:41-44 and
21:20-24.
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.
There is no shortage
of speculation as to the meaning of this fragment of the prophecy.
One cannot help but associate it with the resurrection of the just
and of the unjust on that great and final day of the Lord which
signifies the end of all things physical. And it would be
wrong to emphatically declare that the final resurrection is not in
any way in consideration here. Certainly we know from other
scripture that the events detailed here will take place on the last
day. The very words of Jesus affirm this to be the case as
recorded in John 5:28-29, "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." It is impossible to read
the text of this verse and not associate it with the events
associated with the final judgment yet to come.
It is the nature of
apocalyptic language to speak of literal events in figurative
language and to lay out these events in less than a chronological
manner. The book of Revelation is ample evidence of this as it
jumps back and forth in time and speaks of future events that will happen
in past tense form. There are a number of ways one can look at
this passage, however, consistency demands that we look at it in the
context of the destruction of Jerusalem and try and draw some
parallels between the text and that event.
Apocalyptically
speaking, the spiritually dead Jews
were to come to life as believers in Jesus as the Messiah, while
those who rejected Jesus are destined to suffer “shame and
everlasting contempt". Verse 3 has language which helps us
keep this vision in the proper focus.
The resurrection in
view here can be directly compared with the resurrection spoken of
in Revelation 20:6 which is in reference to Christian baptism, "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." Those
who believe in Jesus as the Messiah will submit to Christian
baptism and be figuratively resurrected with Christ (Colossians
2:12; 3:1), to walk in "newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
It is this Bible student's conviction that verse 2 of Daniel chapter
12 is an apocalyptic allusion to Christian baptism and the
resurrection of the new birth process associated with it.
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.
And here are the
words that help to keep us from identifying the former verse with
the day of final judgment. On the day of the Lord, there will
not be any turning of many to righteousness. On that day, the
opportunity for turning will have passed. The wise who accept
Jesus will "shine as the brightness of the firmament".
Paul wrote of the brightness of Christians to the Philippians in
chapter 2:V15, "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".
Christians were commanded by Jesus to let their lights "so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
The connection with
this context of Daniel's vision and Christians under the new
covenant is compelling and it follows well with overall flow of the
vision being about the events in the lives of Daniel's people
leading up to and concluding with the coming of Christ and the end
of the Jewish nation as the commonwealth holding of God. The
Mosaic system was fading away and the Messianic system was being
ushered in. Gentiles and Jews alike would be ushered into the
new spiritual kingdom as equals and all nations would be given the
opportunity for salvation through Christ.
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.
Daniel was here told
to record the vision in words, to write it down and protect it,
taking whatever necessary steps required to see to it that the
recording of it be kept and preserved so that it would be available
for future generations up to, including and going beyond those who
would live at the time of Christ and see the fulfillment of this
vision. It is well evident that the instructions to guard and
preserve the message refers to all of the writings of Daniel
concerning his prophetic visions.
"many shall run to
and fro"
Many generations will live and die through the course of these
visions. Many will run, many will strive, many will live and
many will suffer in the years to come. This is a reference to
the number of people living through the centuries of time that will
come to pass though the latter days of Daniel's people.
"and
knowledge shall be increased."
These visions written
in apocalyptic language are shrouded in mystery and hard to
understand for those living before Christ came. The knowledge
required to make the connections in this vision will be given by
Christ when he came to bring focus to these prophecies with
additional clarity in Matthew 24:15-21,
Mark
13:14-27
and Luke 21:20-24.
Many things were kept secret but at the
time of Christ were revealed. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:4-5, "Whereby,
when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of
Christ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men,
as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit". This is yet another indicator that this vision is
in association only with the events leading up to and ending with
the coming of Christ as the promised Messiah. Knowledge which
had been kept secret and shrouded would be increased. There
would be a coming of understanding which had never been seen before.
Daniel 12:5
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.
Daniel noticed two more
figures standing on either side of the river.
Daniel 12:6
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?
And one of the new
arrivals asked the one standing on the waters of the river a
question. This is in all likelihood the same individual
introduced in chapter 10 who had been sent to make Daniel "understand
what shall befall thy people in the latter days" Daniel 10:14.
There were several heavenly visitors throughout the course of this
vision. The fact that he was standing on the water, combined
with Daniel's reference to Him as "my Lord" in verse 8 lends one
to speculate if this individual may have been a manifestation of
Jesus Christ but the next verse seems to put this idea to rest.
We see this individual swearing an oath by "him that liveth for
ever" in answer to the query which is an obvious reference to at
least one of the members of the Godhead.
"How long shall it
be to the end of these wonders?"
Oddly it was not
Daniel who first asked this question of the one revealing the
vision. Whether this was a prearranged thing to make sure the
following information was revealed or if the heavenly visitor was
just acting out of his own curiosity is something we may never know
this side of the judgment. In either event, the thing to focus
on here is "the end of these wonders" which are wholly
centered around what would befall Daniel's people in the latter
days. This vision has always been about Daniel's people, the
Jews. Any attempt to project this vision at this point any
further than the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is to take it
beyond what it claims to be. The following verse lends even
more credit to this vision being restricted to just the Jewish
people up to that event in time.
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.
The heavenly
messenger, standing upon the waters of the river holds up his right
hand and swears an oath by God that after a period of time, the
things mentioned thus far in the vision would be accomplished.
The period of time is not given in exacting years, and it could not
be. If this time period were exactly given, it would be
revealing too much information at the time. This would have
been information that the enemies of the Jews could use against
them. Apocalyptic language is like that. It is shrouded
in mystery in order to conceal the true message from all but to whom
it is written.
The period of time is
given as a "time, times, and half". When we add these
together, we come up with three and a half "times". Numbers had a
significant meaning to those living in old testament
times. This number appears in scripture in a variety of
forms. It is half of 7 which symbolizes the perfection of God on
earth. The number 3 1/2 symbolizes that which is incomplete or
unspecified. Since seven is complete, then three and one-half is
incomplete and represents something indefinite. This number also
appears disguised in different forms in scripture. In Revelation
11:2 it is represented as forty two months, which is 3 1/2 years.
In Revelation 12:6 it appears as 1260 days which is also 3 1/2
years. In Revelation 12:14 it appears as "time and times and
half a time" which is how it appears here in Daniel 12:7. The
reference in Revelation is undoubtedly an indefinite or unspecified
period of time. In Daniel 7:25 we read almost the exact same
wording when he is prophesying about the Roman Empire, "and they
[the saints] shall be given into his hand until a time and times
and the dividing of time." All of these forms of 3 1/2 are
symbolic of an indefinite or unspecified period of time.
"and when he shall
have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people"
Keeping in mind, this
is a vision given to Daniel, and Daniel, as well as every Jew that
would read it would have associated this reference to the "holy
people" as the Jewish people. It is also possible that
this is a reference to the Christians who were scattered across the
Roman Empire due to the destruction of Jerusalem. Keeping in
mind that there were many Jewish survivors of the destruction of
Jerusalem and they too were scattered all over the Roman Empire.
Both Jew and Christian alike were scattered as a result of the
destruction of Jerusalem, but this Bible student believes that this
reference is more in line with the Jews than the Christians.
The text says the "power of the holy people", which seems to
mean their power was broken and disrupted. Certainly this was
manifested in a dramatic way with the destruction of the Jerusalem
and the temple located therein.
Either way, there can
be no doubt this scattering of the holy people is a reference to the
70 AD destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman empire.
Daniel 12:8
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what
shall be the end of these things?
Daniel was hearing
the words but did not understand them, obviously grieved over
hearing that the "holy People" would be scattered.
Keeping in mind that Daniel lived through the Babylonian captivity
where his people were carried away and scattered across the
Babylonian empire as slaves.
So he added his request for
understanding to the query made by one of the heavenly visitors
standing nearby. It was entirely understandable that Daniel
wanted further clarification. And we will see in the next
verse that Daniel's plea for further enlightenment was denied.
Daniel 12:9
And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end.
Daniel is told that
it is time now for him to be on his way. The complete
understanding of the words given him will not be revealed until the
time of the end. The end in view here being the scattering of
the holy people at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Daniel 12:10
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.
Many people through
the centuries are going to come to righteousness and they are going
to suffer persecution as well. Daniel is being told here that
a considerable span of
time is going to pass. Many people are going to come and go.
Some will be righteous and some will be wicked.
The wicked will
continue to be present and would not understand these things, having
no real interest to do so. Such was the case then and such is
the case today; 1 Corinthians 1:18-20, "For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are
saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the
scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world?"
Daniel 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.
Here is language
which positively identifies this vision with the destruction of
Jerusalem. Daniel would not have known the details of what was
coming, but he certainly understood what it meant to have the daily
sacrifice taken away. This is in reference to the continual
sacrifice which was offered by the Israelites (Exodus 29:37-39) with
only a few interruptions along the course of their history such as
the Babylonian captivity which Daniel was aware of, and when
Antiochus IV extinguished the flame and offered swine on the alter
in the temple.
"and the abomination that maketh desolate set up"
In this instance, the
abomination was the Romans within the temple itself. This was
the same language the God used to describe the prophecy of the
desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV and his army. The
Israelites would know what these words meant. They regarded
the inner chambers of the temple, behind the veil, wherein was kept
the mercy seat as the "most holy place" (Exodus 26:34-37).
Only the high priest would enter into that room and then for only
one day out of the year (Hebrews 9:5). Access to this room in
the temple was strictly forbidden to anyone else. The presence
of any unauthorized person in that room was an abomination, and it
rendered the whole sacrificial system of the Jews void. In
order to re-establish it, a whole system of purification and
sanctification had to be performed. Once the daily sacrifice
was extinguished and the inner sanctuary defiled, it was no light
thing to restore it to functionality.
Jesus directly
referenced this verse of scripture in Matthew 24:15 when He was
warning His disciples about the impending destruction of the temple,
"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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee
into the mountains". There can be no reasonable doubt that
this prophecy of Daniel is in reference to the destruction and
desolation of the temple in 70 AD by the Romans.
"there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."
Daniel was earlier
told in verse 7 that it would be for
"time, times, and half". When adding these up we have 3
and a half times. The text never said anything definite about
these periods of time in reference to days or years. It simply
left it as "times", which is a vague and indefinite
description. Daniel asked for further clarification and was
denied. Now here we have language which not only fails to give
any clarification but makes it even more nondescript.
When you add up one
thousand two hundred and ninety, you get the equivalent of forty two
month, or three and one half years. These periods of time are
used in these various forms elsewhere in scripture and they always
refer to an undetermined or unspecified amount of time. This
is no different. Literal days obviously are not in view here
so we must come to the understanding that this is a reference to an
unspecified period of time which will be revealed at the unfolding
of these events.
Daniel 12:12
Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three
hundred and five and thirty days.
Many have tried to
unravel the mystery of these added extra days and many have only
further confused it. Daniel has already been told that it
would be for a "time, times and half a time" for these things
to occur. It is a vague and unspecified amount of time for
which Daniel was made aware of. He was told of events to come
but the precise timing of them was shrouded in apocalyptic language.
To unravel the
mystery of these added extra days, we first need to recognize that
there are two separate events being predicted. The first was
to be fulfilled in 1290 apocalyptic days and the second one would be
in 1335 apocalyptic days. That is a difference of 45 days and
probably means nothing whatsoever to the actual time periods for
which it refers. These are apocalyptic time periods and are
unspecified periods of time. What is significant to our
understanding here is that there are two events noted herein.
The next step in
unraveling the mystery is to go back and examine the preceding text
of the vision and try and determine of there are two events
described therein which can be separated from one another. The
scattering of the holy people was accomplished in 1290 apocalyptic
days. Here in verse 12, Daniel is told, "blessed is he that
waiteth, and cometh to the second period of time. There were
no blessings pronounced on those who were scattered. The
blessings were given to those who waited beyond the 1290 apocalyptic
days to the fulfillment of the second period of time.
The amount of time is
not significant in this context. What is significant is
that there are two time periods and that those who persevere beyond
the first to the second are the ones who receive the blessing.
So what went on that
dated beyond the destruction of the temple, the abomination that
made desolate and the taking away of the Jewish daily sacrifice?
What went on past that event that if endured resulted in the
blessings of God? Going back to the text in verse 10 we see
the words, "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried;
but the wicked shall do wickedly". Paying special
attention to the words "and tried" keep in mind that the
Romans who destroyed the temple were also instrumental in the
terrible Christian persecution.
"Blessed is he that waiteth"
Compare
this to Revelation 14:12, "Here is the patience of the saints:
here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus." The entire book of Revelation was written to those
Christians who would live through the terrible Christian persecution
by the Roman Empire. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD but the
trials of the Christians went on beyond that. It is this Bible
student's conviction that the period of time denoted in Daniel 12:12
is an apocalyptic reference to the Christian persecution of the
Roman Empire.
"Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the" second apocalyptic
period of time, parallels with Jesus words in Revelation 2:10-11, "Fear
none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil
shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye
shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I
will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall
not be hurt of the second death."
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.
Daniel is here told that the vision is over and that it is now time
for him to be on his way.
"for thou shalt rest"
Daniel is an aged man
at the revelation of this vision. He had labored diligently
throughout his captivity in Babylon. He worked with a number
of regimes from the top down and through it all, he remained a
faithful witness of God. Steadfast to the end, Daniel labored
his entire life for God's righteousness, the welfare of his people
and for the reestablishment of the temple in Jerusalem which had
been destroyed by his first captor, King Nebuchadnezzar, when he was
but a child in the courts of Judah. Daniel's earthly
time was drawing to an end and he is here told that his time of rest
is upon him. What remains for this noteworthy prophet is for
him to record the vision he has seen and take such steps to preserve
it for future generations. We have the book of Daniel today
which includes this remarkable vision of the events of his people in
the latter days of their status on earth as the chosen people of
God. So thereby we know that Daniel did indeed do as he was
instructed.
"and stand in thy lot at the end of the days"
What a comforting thing to hear from a heavenly messenger.
Daniel is comforted with the affirmation that at the end of days, he
would stand with the victorious. Daniel lived an extraordinary
life as a faithful prophet of God throughout one of the most
difficult periods in Jewish history. He suffered greatly, yet
with the grace and poise of a true man of God, he lived his faith
and remained faithful. He lived in such a way that his life
influenced the most powerful men on earth. Nebuchadnezzar was
the king of the richest most powerful Empire that had up to that
time existed on earth. Daniel's influence on Nebuchadnezzar
was evident in his writings.
The kings after
Nebuchadnezzar knew him by reputation and called on him at various
times when their own mystics failed them. Daniel resided and
served in the highest courts of the empires under which he lived his
whole life. he was respected and trusted by the most powerful
men on earth. One does not attain such a lengthy and notable
position unless one has the character which engenders that kind of
trust. Daniel's long standing station as a Jewish captive in
the service of the royal courts of the gentiles is a testament to
the character of this extraordinary man. Significant is the
fact that he was this trustworthy to a people who had destroyed his
home, destroyed his way of life, destroyed his way of worship to
God, turned him into a eunuch and forced him to serve them in a
foreign land. Daniel lived the life of a godly man even
in the face of the adversity he lived through. And now, he is
told that he would stand in his lot at the end of the days.
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 an find
instruction. Daniel never lost his hope; never lost his faith.
He never gave up on relying on and looking to God for the answers,
and never gave up on righteousness. In considering Daniel's
extraordinary career, let us look to the writings of Paul in
closing.
1 Corinthians
15:55-58
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The
sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as
ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
