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A Bible Study:
The Revelation to John
May 30, 2006
Daniel's Prophecies
A Study of The Revelation to John
By Bernie Parsons - May 30, 2006
A Study of Daniel Chapter 12
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 find but two references to Michael in the New Testament.
Jude1:9: “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
Revelation 12:7: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,”
Remember that Michael (which means “like unto God”) was mentioned in chapter 10 as being a chief prince who stood with the angel (bearing the answer to Daniel’s prayers) as he engaged in warfare with the kings of Persia. In 12:1, the great prince Michael was going to stand up for the children of Israel, of Judah, in “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time”. This corresponds to a statement made by Jesus, which further nails down the time frame of these events.
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.”
This Michael, who assisted the angel in Daniel’s time, is prophesied as being an important player in the “time of the end”. He is not human, as a human would have died long before that time.
The angel speaking to Daniel, as well as our Lord Jesus, both spoke of the same event. This allows us to see that the events of the “time of the end”, recorded in the book of Daniel, were the things that Jesus said would come to pass in the days of His generation. The time of trouble that Daniel foresaw was quoted by Jesus as referring to the events of the first century, including the destruction of Judæa, Jerusalem, and the temple!
Notice the following words from Daniel 12:1: “and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book”.
The “time of the end” was to be a time of deliverance for God’s people.
Romans 11:26: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
As we saw in Daniel 9:26, the “time of the end” of the temple in Jerusalem, would also be the time of the Messiah.
Let’s review some comments from Isaiah, in light of this new understanding of the “time of the end” and the emergence of the Messiah, the bringer of deliverance.
Isaiah 9:1: “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3: Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4: For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5: For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
Cross-reference the above to these verses from Matthew 4:
12: “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
13: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The eternal kingdom was to be established, as described in Isaiah 9:7. Daniel was told about this same eternal kingdom in:
Daniel 2:44: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45: Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
By now, the “time of the end”, also known as the “latter days”, is coming well into focus. It is the time of the Messiah, of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, the issuance of salvation (deliverance) from Jerusalem, and the establishment of the eternal kingdom of God. It would also be the time when the Law of Moses would be finished.
Acts 6:14: “For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.”
When did all of these events occur? In the first century AD! Now we have the specific time frame, which Daniel was told would not be for “many days”. In fact, the beginning of “the end” would not be until about 538 years after these things were told to Daniel!
Let’s return to the verses of Daniel chapter 12.
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.”
It was to be a time of unprecedented, and unparalleled trouble—which some refer to as the “great tribulation”! Jesus said that never had there been such a time of trouble, nor ever would be again. Truly, this is the great tribulation, the “great and notable day of the Lord”. It was the day of the Lord’s vengeance, in which His wrath would be poured out upon Israel first, and then upon the Gentiles, for their disobedience.
Daniel realized that all this was coming on the city because of their great sins against God. Israel had broken the covenant with God, and the curse of God, found in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, was upon them.
Daniel 9:11: “Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12: And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
13: As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
14: Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.”
This is the same scenario described by Jesus, as He told His disciples of the trouble that was to befall Jerusalem at the hands of the Roman armies.
Matthew 23:37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38: Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”
Looking again at Daniel 12, verse 2 this time:
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.”
Our hand-me-down doctrines from Roman Catholic and Protestant teachings include “The Judgment Day” and “The One Resurrection”. Yet, God has held many “judgment days” for various countries, empires, kings, and religious groups over the history of the world. There are also several resurrections mentioned in the Bible, especially in the New Testament. One that readily comes to mind, though, is found in the Old Testament:
1 Samuel 28:11: “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12: And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13: And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
14: And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15: And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.”
In the New Testament, there are found these accounts:
John 11:39: “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
40: Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42: And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43: And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44: And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”
Mark 5:35: “While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?
36: As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
37: And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
38: And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.
39: And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
40: And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
41: And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
42: And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.”
Acts 9:36: “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37: And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38: And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39: Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40: But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41: And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.”
And finally, something that strikingly parallels what Daniel was told in Chapter 12, verse 2.
Matthew 27: 50: “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51: And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52: And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53: And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
And let us not forget our own Lord’s resurrection. These examples conclusively put to rest the false notion of only a single resurrection for all time. That is a false doctrine.
Moving on to Daniel 12 and verse 3:
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.”
Jesus is described as the light of the world, and He compared the saints to the light of the world.
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: The same was in the beginning with God.
3: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5: And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
John 8:12: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Matthew 5:14: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
It is no wonder, then, that those who are wise enough to embrace the Messiah (Christ) are described as lights.
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 told to seal the book, because it was not until the time of the end. In Revelation, we see John being told that he was not to seal the book, because the time was at hand.
Revelation 22:10: “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”
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.
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?
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.”
Daniel, still shaken by what was being revealed to him, wanted to know when these things would come to an end. The angels discussed the time of the end for Daniel’s enlightenment. It would be for “a time, times, and an half”. There are various explanations given by different Bible students for this phrase, yet many agree that it is saying, “one year, two years, and a half”, or 3-1/2 years. It took Vespasian and Titus, working in tandem, roughly 3-1/2 years to finish the destruction of Judaea and Jerusalem, including the temple.
Daniel 12:8: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
9: And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
Daniel still was not able to understand the meaning. When he inquired further, he was told not to worry about it, because the meaning was sealed “till the time of the end”.
1 Peter 1:20: “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”
1 John 2:18: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
Hebrews 1:2: “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
Acts 2:16: “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Daniel was told that the abomination that desolates would come at the time of the end. Jesus said that the armies would surround Jerusalem, and the temple would be destroyed. It would be the time of the end, and it would occur in that generation to which He spoke. The apostles said that they were living in the last days, or the last times.
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.”
Matthew 13:13: “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14: And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16: But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17: For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
Revelation 22:10: “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
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.”
This is a period of roughly 3-1/2 years, the amount of time that Juadea was under siege by the Roman armies under Vespasian, and later, his son, Titus. The destruction was final in 70 AD.
Daniel 12:12: “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”
This is about 3.7 years, which means that anyone who survived the destruction of Judaea and Jerusalem had done well.
Mark 13:14: “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:”
Matthew 3:7: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”
Ephesians 5:6: “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”
Colossians 3:6: “For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:”
1 Thessalonians 1:10: “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Romans 2:3: “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
5: But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6: Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10: But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11: For there is no respect of persons with God.”
Revelation 6:16: “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:”
Luke 21:22: ”For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”
Matthew 24:22: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”
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 was told to go about his business, and not worry about these things. They would occur long after his death, where he would rest. He would be resurrected to give account of his life, along with all the rest, at the “end of the days”. What days are under discussion? The days of God’s vengeance upon the ungodly, which would be manifested in the generation of the Messiah, the Christ. The days when the Law of Moses would come to an end, and the temple, along with Jerusalem and Judæa, would be destroyed. The days of the establishment of the kingdom of God.
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