Daniel 12:1-12--The Time of the End

Daniel 12:1-12
English Standard Version

The Time of the End
12 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.

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The prophecy we studied last time has both a "near" fulfillment and a "far" fulfillment.  That is to say, one facet of it has already been fulfilled, but another facet of it remains to be fulfilled.  There will be a time in the end called the time of Jacob's Trouble, also known as the Tribulation.  The world leaders will try to destroy the people of God (both the Jews and the Christians).  It will be worse than any other persecution that has happened in the past.  Yet, once again, the LORD will deliver His people from the hand of these wicked rulers.  After this, the dead will be raised to either eternal life or everlasting shame and contempt.  Those whom the LORD has made righteous will shine like the stars of the heavens and be given the wisdom of God.

Daniel was not to trouble himself with these things though because there would be many years before these things would come to pass and things would continue to go from bad to worse during that time.  Only when things are as bas as they were in the days of Noah when every inclination of man's heart was always evil all the time will the end come.  The end will also not come before there is a remnant from every tribe, tongue and nation.  So, the gospel will go forth to the whole word, and then the end will come.  Yes, as time progresses knowledge will increase, but wisdom does not necessarily increase with it.  Men will invent many more ways to be evil and the world will become even more connect as man will be focused on going to and fro throughout the whole earth

Daniel then finally realizes there are others there with him--I assume these are other heavenly beings as Daniel indicated that none of his human companions could see or hear the vision.  One of the other men asks the question that Daniel has probably been longing to ask--"How long until these things happen?"  The man clothed in white linen who sat above the waters who had been speaking to Daniel swore by God's holy name that this time of Great Tribulation would only last for three-and-a-half years.  It will seem as if the Antichrist and the kingdom of this world will be successful, and at what seems like the last possible moment, God will intervene and destroy the wicked and save the righteous.

Daniel then asks the LORD again to explain the end of these things, but the LORD tells him to go his way and not concern himself with it anymore.  The end of the book has been written but he need not concern himself with it right now because it is far off.  The words of this book will be sealed up so that only the righteous will be able to understand them, and they will make sense to the people whom God will give understanding to that they are living through the prophecies recorded in this book.  The same kind of promise is given for the book of Revelation.

Many will try to purify themselves, but be unsuccessful.  Only the LORD can purify us to make us ready for heaven.  There are no amount of good works that we can do to be accounted as righteous in the final judgment.  All those who depend on their own righteousness will be counted among the wicked and will perish, yet the wicked will be kept from understanding the words of this prophecy so that they do not try to repent at the last minute to avoid the judgment that they deserve.  Only those with the spiritual wisdom and discernment that come from God will see the words of this prophecy and understand the times that they live in.  They will not fear because they know that they are citizens of the kingdom of God, and that can never be taken away from them.  All the world can do is help them enter into the blessings that have been prepared for them a little bit sooner.

God gives Israel a very specific clock to follow, though we're not exactly sure from the descriptions here what this clock is counting down to.  Each half of the tribulation would be three-and-one-half prophetic years, that is, 1,260 days.  We seem to have an extra 30-day month here in the timing of 1,290 days.  There is speculation that I think is founded that this time will be what is required to clear all the dead bodies, bury them and restore Jerusalem and the Temple.  Then, there is another 45 day period after this (a total of 75 days after the end of the time of the seven-year tribulation period with the Antichrist setting up his image and breaking the peace treaty in the exact middle of the seven years) that something else will happen.  Some people speculate this will be when the Land is given back to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the Millennial Kingdom begins.  Whatever it is, God wants the Jewish people to be ready for it and He gives them a very specific timeline so they don't miss it.

This is where the book ends, but the book of Revelation has much to day about the questions that remained unanswered for Daniel.  John is shown the New Jerusalem that is the place God is preparing for His people (it seems a lot like what Ezekiel saw with the heavenly Temple).  God will fulfill all of His promises both to His people and to the wicked--salvation for those who belong to Him and judgment for those who choose to reject Him.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.