Daniel 12

In Short

While the other chapters of Daniel mainly concern the prelude to the 3.5 years Endtime, Daniel 12  shows most of the details concerning the Endtime itself. (1) The important role the archangel Michael will play in the rescue of God's people. (2) The unprecedented terror, suffering and oppression that humanity will have to deal with. (3) The deliverance of God's people, those that will have put their faith in Messiah. (4) The death and resurrection of many - for some a resurrection to life, for others to damnation. (5) The importance of those that know God's prophetic word and that are able to enlighten others about the soon return of Jesus Christ. (6) The 3.5 year duration of the 'great tribulation', being the duration of the shattering of the power of the holy people - their barred access to and worship in their sacred place. earlier prophecies, in Daniel 8 and Daniel 9. It shows how the cooperation of 'the king with the fierce countenance' of Daniel 8 with the empire will lead to the desecration of the holy place and to the outbreak of a great war in the Middle East. It shows how the 'overspreading of abominations' of Daniel 9:27 will culminate in a extremely provoking affront to the Muslim world, bringing the wrath of both Egypt and Iran in full force upon the state of Israel. This, in turn, will lead to the destruction of Iran. Therefore the desecration of the holy place will continue as long as the empire exists, that is for 3.5 years after the start of it. (7) Two exact day counts are given to the day that danger will either have diminished (1,290 days) or will have completely gone (1,350 days).

 

Explanation:

The 'at that time' with which Daniel 12 starts, refers to the last 6 verses of the previous chapter. These verses contain 3 very important events at the start of the Endtime.

(1) The honoring by 'the king' (the leader of the state of Israel) of 'the god of fortresses' (the US and its president as the heir of Rome) in 'the strong fortifications' (the Al Aqsa Mosque, the stronghold of Islam). (Dan.11:39). This event is called 'the abomination of (or: that causes) desolation'. It is the starting point of 'the great tribulation'

(2) The attack of Israel from the South and from the North, in which the 'king of the North' (Iran) will prevail. (Dan. 11:40-42)

(3) The king king of the North will overstretch and will be deserted by Russia and China and be taken out by the US empire. (Dan. 11:43-45)

 

So, the abomination of desolation will start the great tribulation but in that time, Daniel's people will be delivered. That will partly happen through archangel Michael, who will stand up in protection for his people. At the very start of the 3.5 year Endtime, the rescue of God's people is seen in 'the white horse' of the first seal (Rev.6:1,2), which corresponds to 'the great wings of the eagle' (Rev.12:13,14) that would bring 'the woman, the persecuted Palestinians of Gaza and the West-Bank out of harm's way. This could also be linked to Zechariah 14:3-6, where the Lord Himself will act on behalf of his oppressed people that are on the run for their enemies, as was the case in the days of old, when the Lord battled for his people and destroyed the Egyptian armies. See more in this video.

 

However deliverance of the severely oppressed people in the holy land won't directly mean a total deliverance worldwide. For after the rescue of the woman - the Palestinian people in the land - Rev.12:17 states: 'And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.' The rescue of Palestinians in the holy land will happen shortly before the start of the Endtime. The Endtime is called 'Jacob's trouble' for the Palestinian Jews will be severely persecuted worldwide with all those that stand with them.

Total deliverance for all persecuted people won't come before the return of Jesus Christ, when the dead that were killed during the great tribulation will be raised and be either judged or reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4). Or, as Daniel 12 states it: 'And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt' (Daniel 12:2). And the reign with Christ is stated in verse 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.'

Among these 'shining as stars' are also the 144,000 which cannot be touched and which will enter the millennial kingdom as the direct followers of the Lamb (Revelation 14:4).

 

Before entering in more details on the Endtime, especially the duration of it, the historical account of the vision is given. The angel Gabriel

 

The most difficult sentence of the chapter is the last part of verse 7:  '...that ... for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have concluded to scatter the power of the holy people, all these ... shall be finished'

This is an answer to the question: 'How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?'

 

How is the 'and when he shall have concluded the scatter of the power of the holy people' to be read? It is a very strange sentence amidst '...that ... for a time, times, and an half; ... all these ... shall be finished'

 

Without this mysterious sentence, the meaning would be clear: It will take time, times and an half until the end of 'these wonders. Question: How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? Answer: for a time, times and an half...all these shall be finished.

 

But then there remains the question: 'And when will these 'time, times and an half' start?' This time indication doesn't mean anything without the knowledge of the starting point. That is where the mysterious sentence comes in: 'when he shall have concluded to scatter the power of the holy people'.

 

Some translations imply that the 'when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people' will be at the end of time, times and an half and not as we state here, at the beginning. There are at least two difficulties with that:

(1) The start of the 'time, times and an half' is still unknown, which makes the time indication meaningless

(2) Other parts of scripture show a rescue operation of God's people during the second half of 'the week' or of 'time, times and an half' - as seen in Dan.12:1, Rev.12:13-17 and many parts of Zechariah.  This would contradict the possibility of scattering the power of the holy people.

 

We conclude that 'the 70th and last week of Daniel' will be characterized by much suffering of God's people, the period of 'Jacob's trouble' (Jer.30:7), and that the midpoint of the week will be the deepest low - a total scattering of their power - that is: what their religious hopes were based upon - Islam, Al Aqsa. This midpoint of the deepest low will prove to be a turning point from which God's people start to gain power again unto their final victory - as stated in connection to 'the white horse' - 'and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer' (Rev.6:2). The crown given to the white horse could very well be the recognition of Jesus as the Christ, the Savior, the King of kings, by his people, the Palestinians.

 

Another intriguing question about the strange verse 7 sentence is: 'Who is this mysterious 'he' that will 'scatter the power of the holy people'?' There is no person to be referred to in Daniel 12 itself. So one has to go over the other chapters. Then one comes across this mysterious 'he' again in Daniel 9:27 : 'And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.'

 

This 'he' is the prince of the Endtime phase of the Roman empire, the USA, that came forth from the old Rome amidst the ten nations of Europe, the remnants of the Roman empire that existed in 1776. This 'prince' or 'president' of the empire will 'at the midst of the weak cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease'. He will put a stop to religious activities on the Haram Al Sharif and institute the worship of himself. This is called 'the abomination of desolation'. It will enrage the complete Middle East and the two countries with respectable armies, Egypt and Iran, will obliterate the nation of Israel.

The Daniel 9:27 'midst of the week' (7 last years before Christ's return) corresponds to the 'time, times and an half' of Daniel 12:7. This shows that 'the scattering of the power of the holy people' will be accomplished at the midpoint of 'the week', at the start of the 'time, times and an half' and not at the end.

 

The taking over of the Haram Al Sharif by the empire through its Zionist proxy is a process that has been going on for decades, since 1967. By piecemeal steps by the empire's Zionist project, it will succeed in the end to realize a total annexation of the third most holy place in Islam. Examples of such piecemeal steps are the replacement of the American Embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition by the US of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the visits of ministers on the Haram Al Sharif and the continuing harassment of the religious compound by Jewish settlers. This will culminate in what the Bible calls 'the abomination of desolation'. It will happen while Christians - blinded by Zionism for decades - will still be waiting for the rebuilding of a Jewish temple in which they expect 'the abomination' to take place. On another page, we have explained why an abomination in a Jewish temple would be counterproductive to the empire, together with other arguments against it. Here, in Daniel 12, we see two other elements that point to an event that will concern Islam:

(1) The word for 'time, times and an half' is not the word for time or year, that was used in the same sentence in Daniel 7:25. There it was the word 'idān'. But here, in Daniel 12:7, it is the word 'môʿēḏ'. That word means 'appointed place', 'appointed time' or 'appointed meeting', which could very well be linked to the appointed religious ceremonies of Islam in the mosques of the Haram Al Sharif - religious ceremonies that will be halted for 3.5 years.

(2) In none of the five of the instances where the taking away of the 'daily sacrifices' was ordered (in history, Daniel 8, 11, and in the future, Daniel 12), the word 'sacrifices' is in the Hebrew text. Only the word 'daily' appears, which can also mean 'continually' and refer to all kinds of other things than sacrifices, like 'prayer', as in: 'prayer also shall be made for him continually (Psalm 72:15). So the 'continually' performed ceremonies and rituals, like the calling for prayer, 5 times a day,  and the Friday prayers will be halted and substituted by the honoring of an idol, that will represent the US-empire.

 

This is what is also spoken of in the last verses of Daniel:

¹¹ And from the time that 'the daily' (or 'continually')  shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

¹² Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

 

In prophetic language the 'time, times and an half' consists of 1,260 days. That number is found twice in the book of Revelation (Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6). But here the angel adds another 30 and then another 45 days to the count. What will happen during these last 75 days?

 

In Mathew 24, the Lord Jesus also speaks about the short period 'immediately after the tribulation of those days', in which the sun would be darkened and the powers of heaven shaken (Math 24:29). During the darkening of the son, people will see 'the sign of the Son of man (against the darkened sky, the stars will be seen and show a sign). During the shaking of heaven's powers, they will see Jesus coming down on the clouds with power and great glory. 

 

Linking this to the book of Revelation, the 'darkening of the sun' immediately after the tribulation could be the fifth vial, on the throne of the beast. This is an attack on the command structure and control center of the beast, the image of the beast, in Jerusalem by - who else? - Palestinian resistance. That would darken the empire because all residents of the empire will be linked to the control center. At the same time the sun will go dark. God is setting the world in total darkness. All eyes will be fixed on the sky, where they will see 'the sign of the Son of man'.

Then the sixth vial is poured out on the Euphrates, which will bolden the empire to direct all its armies toward the Middle East (Harmagedon), where they will meet their end.

The vials 5 and 6 could take the 30 days, the difference between 1,290 and 1,260 days.

 

The descending of the Son of man might coincide with the seventh vial, the enormous worldwide earthquake followed by devastating hail, completely destroying all residential area's and infrastructure.

The period of this seventh vial being poured out together with the last battle of Harmagedon might take 45 days, the difference between 1,290 and 1,335 days.

 

The darkening of the empire and the gathering of armies around Jerusalem might be a dangerous time. And of course the impact of the last earth quake, the massive hail and the battle of Harmagedon will also be very risky. One has to be cautious and dependent on the Lord to survive these days and to be blessed in order to enter the millennial kingdom, that will directly follow these frightful events.