Daniel 12: In the Last Days—Abomination of Desolation

Daniel and Revelation, Doctrine, Feature, Phil Harris

PHIL HARRIS | Seeker of Truth |

Introduction

While this is the last chapter of the book of Daniel, we need to keep in mind that it is part of a single vision beginning with chapter ten. We must not take any one part of this vision without considering how it fits in with the whole of the vision. In fact, let’s consider what the angel said to Daniel when he came to reveal what would happen in the last days:

“…and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”—Daniel 10:14

There are three things to take note of in Daniel 10:14:

  1. “Your people” means this vision concerns the nation of Israel—Daniel’s people. We can’t apply “the church” to the designation “your people” because Daniel was the one receiving these insights. Furthermore, the church had not yet been born. From Daniel’s perspective when this prophecy was given, two things were hidden from view. The first was the new creation called the Church which began at Pentecost with the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirt after the risen Christ ascended to the Father. The second hidden thing was that in God’s plan of salvation, Gentiles were to be included by being grafted into God’s blessings along with believing Hebrew people.
  2. “In the latter days” refers to the period of time Jesus identified as the “latter days” in Matthew 24:21—the Great Tribulation. This is the last week of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy of Daniel chapter nine.
  3. “For days yet to come” implies a long time after Daniel has died. Since it has been at least twenty-five hundred years since the giving of this vision, we could be living near the fulfillment of this vision—although we cannot know for sure, and we are never to try to set dates! We can, however, take Paul’s words to heart:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.—Romans 13:11-12

Michael Prince of Israel

“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.”—Daniel 12:1

At a time (of trouble), otherwise known as the great tribulation in the New Testament, Michael the great prince of the Hebrew people will arise and protect them from destruction. Specifically, he will protect and deliver those whose names are recorded in the Book of Life. 

John the Revelator refers to this time of trouble when Israel will be protected: 

But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.—Revelation 12:14

In the context of Revelation 12, the woman—who gives birth to the child who is taken up into heaven—is Israel. The reference to her receiving the “wings of the great eagle” may be a reference to Daniel’s vision of the angel Michael coming to the aid of his people.

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.—Daniel 12:2

This  verse is is one of the clearest references in the Old Testament to a future resurrection. We learn in Revelation 20 that there will be a resurrection of saints which will precede a resurrection of the condemned who will be judged at the Great White Throne. God was telling Daniel that He had not forgotten those who trusted Him; they have a future of eternal life. Those who do not trust Him also have a future, but theirs will be “shame and everlasting contempt” (see Revelation 20:11–15).

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.—Daniel 12:3

Christians differ about the sequence of the final events. God has not explicitly revealed all the details of coming events. Some, including me, believe that when the tribulation begins, the church—the Body of Christ—will already have been raptured to be with the Lord. Nevertheless, Daniel would not have had any knowledge of that detail because he lived hundreds of years before the Messiah came, completed the atonement for sin, and created one “new man” in Himself: the church. (See Ephesians 2:14, 15.)

We who are on this side of the cross have the added benefit of John’s visions in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 14:1–3 we see the 144,000 Jews identified in Revelation 7 as representing every tribe of Israel who are sealed for protection before the tribulation decimates the earth. Here we see them praising God before His throne in heaven. They have God’s name on their foreheads, and they have been redeemed from the earth. They are the ones who will shine like stars into eternity along with those who respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ:

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. (Revelation 14:1-3)

Close and Seal the Book

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.”—Daniel 12:4

In Daniel 10:21 the angel says, “But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth,” and then in Daniel 11:2 he says, “And now I will show you the truth”. The truth that The angel reveals to Daniel is what we read in Daniel 11. This chapter is full of prophecies that were all in the future for Daniel. Today, most of them have already been fulfilled and can be confirmed by history. The prophecies contained in verses 36–45, however, have not yet come to pass.

The last thing Daniel records from the book of truth concerning the “time of the end” is that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”.

Here Daniel shuts up the words and seals the book of truth. These details will unfold in the future as God determines the times. 

Back to the Bank Of the Tigris River

With the sealing of the Book of Truth and the conclusion of the vision, the one speaking to Daniel in the remainder of chapter 12 is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.—Daniel 12:5

Throughout the giving of this vision Daniel has been on the west bank of the Tigris River ,a short distance from the city of Babylon. At this point Daniel sees two others, one with him and another over on the east bank of the river. The “two others” are most likely angels with one of the two asking a question in the next verse.

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?”—Daniel 12:6

Daniel hears both the question and the Lord’s response:

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.—Daniel 12:7

The Messiah lifted his hand to heaven and swore by his Father who lives eternally that  during “time of the end” the shattering of Daniel’s people (the “holy people”) would only last for a time, times and half a time which we understand to be three-and-a-half years. Considering the thousands of years the Hebrew people have been “shattered” throughout the known world three-and-a-half years is a very short amount of time.

“Shattering” (Strongs: H5310) means ‘to scatter, disperse, overspread, be scattered’. From the time of Daniel the Hebrew people have been scattered throughout the world right down to our present day. Yet the shattering of the Hebrew people will eternally come to an end. God will gather the Hebrew people securely in their own land. From a study of Revelation 20 we understand this to be the time of the Millennium.

It is also likely this will be when God fulfills the promise he made to Abraham:

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, …”—Genesis 15:18

Go Your Way, Daniel

I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.—Daniel 12:8-9

Daniel doesn’t understand and asks; “How will these things turn out”? The Lord gently, simply, says to  him, “Go your way Daniel, for what you’re asking is ‘shut up and sealed until the time of the end’”. Concerning what will happen to the Hebrew people, Daniel must be content with what God has been revealed thus far.

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.—Daniel 12:10

Daniel has just been reminded that there is to be no more revelation. What has been reveled and recorded is that there will be an “end of time” for Daniel’s people. The suggestion is that many will study and repent of their sins and be refined from the reading of this book. However there are others who will do so and not understand.

A contemporary of Daniel prophesied in Ezekiel 36:22-36:

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.—Ezekiel 36:27-29

Only by the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit can a person gain deep understand of the word of God, as we read in John 16:5-15:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.—John 16:13

While Daniel received the word of God directly from God, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit who gives us understanding of His written word.

Wait In Faith

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.—Daniel 12:11

We see this is a key verse of the whole vision because of the words of Jesus:

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.—Matthew 24:15-16

This is both a warning and a command from Jesus that the Jewish people who have been purified will obey. They will know by Jesus’ warning linked to Daniel’s prophecy when they must leave Jerusalem to avoid destruction. 

Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.—Daniel 12:12

Since the Book of Truth has been sealed, a full understanding of this verse is a mystery. However, what we do understand is that there is a blessing for those who simply wait in faith for the eternal destruction of the “abomination of desolation”, the Antichrist.

But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”—Daniel 12:13

Even Daniel must simply rest and wait for what God has promised him.

Summary

  1. This vision began in chapter 10 where “words” were revealed to Daniel that troubled him because they spoke of a “great conflict”. His response was to go outside of Babylon to the bank of the Tigris River to pray. After three weeks the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him above the river in all His holy glory. In shock, he retained no strength and fell asleep on his face. An angel, we are not sure who, came and said; “Daniel, greatly loved by God, I have come to explain what is to happen to your people in the latter days”.
  1. Chapter 11 covers the future history—beyond the life of Daniel—of the known world that would affect Daniel’s people. The prophecies in this chapter that culminate in the rise and fall of Antiochus Epiphanes (verses 41–35) have all been fulfilled except perhaps where Antiochus Epiphanes is the prototype of the coming Antichrist. This historical fulfillment testifies that what is still in the future will also be fulfilled. Sinners need to repent before it’s to late.
  1. Chapter 12 focuses on the end times tribulation which is the coming unfulfilled 70th week of the Seventy Week Prophecy of Daniel chapter 9. Michael the archangel is called the Prince of Israel because of his mission to protect and deliver the remnant of Israel from the Antichrist during the tribulation.
  1. Daniel is commanded to shut and seal the Book of Truth until the time of the end. In chapter 12 we no longer see the angel who was with Daniel. The Lord is still hovering above the Tigris, and two other angels appear, one on each bank with one asking “How will all this end?” The Lord answers the question by saying; “At the end of time, times and a half time the scattering of Daniel’s people will finally come to an eternal end”.
  1. At the time when Israel is no longer scattered throughout the world suggests to us of the time of the Millennium. It also would be when God fulfills the promise that Israel will rule from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates. While Daniel desired to know more, the Lord simply told him that he would stand in his allotted place at the end of days.

—All references unless otherwise stated are taken from the ESV.

 

Phillip Harris
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