Daniel Chapter 12

Daniel

chapter 12: Time of the End

Daniel 12:5-7

Then I, Daniel, looked, and there stood two others, one on this side of the bank of the river, and one on the opposite bank.

One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, "How long will it be to the end of these wonderous things?"

The man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying that "It will be for a time, times, and half a time. When he will have completed breaking the power of the holy people, all these things will be finished."

There at the banks of the Tigris river, Daniel saw other angels standing opposite each other on either side of the river. This is a good-sized river, not just a meandering stream. This verse supports 1Peter 1:8-12, as it implies that even the angels are not fully informed about how the prophetic promises of God will be fulfilled and are eager to learn.

"Even angels long to look into these things."
-- 1Peter 1:12b

The phrase "a time, times and half a time" means 3-1/2 years. It represents a single year plus a dual (two years) plus half a year. The Bible always refers to years of 360 days in length, making this a time period of precisely 1260 days. Other time periods given to Daniel refer to 1290 days and 1335 days, which seem to be other stages of development in the end times events before the beginning of the millennium rule of Christ brings perfect peace.

The angel who was speaking to Daniel throughout this vision is floating above the river. He tells Daniel that the coming of the Messiah will take place "when the power of the holy people has been finally broken." This suggests that they are at the end of all hope in a human sense. At the Battle of Armageddon, though a short event that will be ended by the sudden return of Christ and the heavenly host, the remaining believers will meet total military defeat, no longer able to resist physically the juggernaut gathered against them. The Bible says that the battle would promise to be so completely devastating that if it weren't for the coming of the Messiah "no life would be spared." Could that mean a world at the brink of nuclear annihalation?

Daniel 12:8-10

I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My Lord, what will be the outcome of these things?"

He answered, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.

Many will be purified and made spotless and refined through trials, but the wicked will continue to do evil. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

Daniel is concerned about the Jews and wants to know how these events will ultimately end in any kind of hope for the Jewish people. The angel answers that many Jews will be saved, but not all of them. It is distressing that so many Jews, called as a nation by God and rescued so often by His mighty hand from certain destruction could be atheists or agnostics. Yet even in the last days, with spiritual revival sweeping through Israel and millions turning to the truth of God's promises, many of God's own people -- those with whom He has a deep covenant relationship -- will remain spritually cold.

Daniel 12:11-13

From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolate set up, there will be 1,290 days.

Blessed is the one who waits for and comes to the end of the 1,335 days.

But go you your way till the end happens. For you will rest, and arise to receive your allotted inheritance at the end of the days."

Daniel is told about three different time periods in the entire account given to him about the last seven years. Nobody is exactly sure of what these times represent, so we can't build doctrine on them. The most common views appear to be:

1290 days are decreed from the time that the daily sacrifice is ended until the coming of the Messiah at the Battle of Armageddon. There is a possibility that the abomination that causes desolation is set up on December 25, as this represents the same day it was put in place by Antiochus IV and now has far more significance since at that time there was no Christian or Jewish meaning to the day.

1260 days are decreed from the time of the idol placed in the Holy of Holies to the Messiah. This would allow a period of exactly 30 days from the end of the sacrifice to the day the idol is set up.

The third time period is 1335 days, which is another 45 days from the day the sacrifice is abolished. Many Bible teachers believe that a month and a half is assigned to officially inaugurate Christ to his position on the physical throne of David for the millennium rule of peace promised in Scripture. However, this is difficult to reconcile with the text. Notice that the angel tells Daniel that those who wait until the full 1335 days are complete will be blessed. If the Messiah comes before that time is complete, they no longer have a choice during those final 45 days so why would they be especially blessed by waiting? Perhaps the "waiting" portion of that passage refers to everything that comes before the last 45 days. This 1335 day period is far from clear and we must wait until God brings more enlightenment before we can fully understand it.

The book of Daniel ends with a promise of resurrection and reward, a fitting end to one of the most remarkable books in the Scriptures.

I hope you have enjoyed this study. Check out the timeline in the "Resources" section. If you wish to teach this material to a Sunday School class, feel free to use the downloadable PDF files, also listed in the Resources section.

The long wait

We often get impatient as we await the final "Day of the Lord," especially when we see our world and our nation fall into spiritual decay and increasing wickedness.

But think about how long the wait has been for some believers. The first-century Christians were convinced that Jesus Christ would return in their lifetime, yet nearly two millennium later we are still waiting.

The key is to ask what we're doing with that time. Are you using every day to bless those around you? Or are you selfishly hoarding the knowledge you have, keeping it to yourself rather than sharing it with the unsaved, and wishing that Jesus will return so you can get out of this messy world?