Dan. 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.

“at that time” – I believe this is referencing the end of the 70^th week and the reign of Antichrist as referenced in the last verse of chapter 11.

The messenger seems to have finished his explanation of Daniel’s vision. It was filled with bad things to be experienced by them in future years. He seeks to comfort Daniel by telling him that Michael, the special guardian angel of Israel, will be standing at their side in those terrible times. In fact, those times will be the worst Israel has ever experienced since being singled out by God to be a nation. That’s really hard to imagine as we look back over history, especially at the atrocities of Hitler toward the Jews in World War II.

The good news is that the Jews will not be destroyed as a people, and all those whose names are found in the book of life will be saved.

Maybe Michael will provide the supernatural protection for those that flee to the wilderness for the last 3.5 years of the 70^th week.

Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

There is a reference in Zechariah that indicates that a third of the Jewish people will come through the 70^th week and emerge as people of faith—the believing remnant.

Zech. 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Zech. 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Dan. 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.

“many of them” – I think this is telling Daniel that those of the Jews who die at the hands of Antichrist will be resurrected—some to everlasting life, and others to shame (disgrace, reproach) and everlasting contempt (aversion). I believe this verse is supported by the following verses in Revelation.

Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Rev. 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Dan. 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.

The wise are always associated with those that love God and righteousness and want to share their faith.

Psa. 107:43 Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Psa. 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Prov. 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

This verse is indicating that those who cling to their faith in God and His Word and prove it by their actions will be honored.

Matt. 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Dan. 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.

After writing the Revelation, John was instructed not to seal the book. Why? Because the time was at hand. It was relevant to the people at that time.

Rev. 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Daniel, however, is told to seal the book. Why? Because the time was not at hand; it would apply to a people in the distant future. The words for shut up and sealed indicate to close it and keep it hidden; this seems to be implying keep it safe, preserve it. The message of Daniel was not meant to remain sealed; it was only to be sealed until the time of the end. Personally, I think “the time of the end” references all time after the death and resurrection of Jesus—after the end of the 69^th week.

I usually hear the last part of this verse used to reference modern transportation and the huge advances in our knowledge of science and technology, and I don’t think you can say that is wrong since the reality of our day and age reflects the truth of it. I also believe it has a direct reference to the increased interest in “end times” and the ability to understand God’s plan since the “Revelation” given to John on the Isle of Patmos.

I was reading recently (early 2004) in Amos, and thought that a couple of verses applied here:

Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Amos 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

This is talking of a time when men will run to and fro and not be able to find understanding in the word of God. Daniel is speaking of a time when men will be running to and fro and knowledge shall be increased—they will find understanding of the word of God.

Dan. 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.

Daniel now looks and sees two other beings besides the messenger that is talking to him; one was on his side of the Tigris and the other was on the other side.

Dan. 12:6 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?

“the man clothed in linen” = the messenger talking to Daniel

“upon the waters” – I had certainly never noticed this phrase before. The Hebrew indicates that the messenger is now over the river (above, ascend). This would make another comparison to Jesus, who walked on water.

One of the two just seen asks Daniel’s messenger how long it will be before all the things of his vision are accomplished. The word “wonders” references a miracle, so maybe this is a reference to the preservation and restoration of Israel through the terrible times of the Antichrist as a miracle.

Dan. 12:7 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’s messenger raises both his hands to heaven and swore by God, “him that liveth forever,” that it would be 3.5 years. I think the timeframe is clarified by looking at the following verses in Revelation.

Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Rev. 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev. 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

When it looks like Antichrist has won, the “wonder” of God’s deliverance will put an end to it all.

Dan. 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

Daniel is hearing the conversation, but he doesn’t understand how it applies to his people. So he asks the messenger himself how all this is going to end.

Dan. 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel is basically told to forget about it. The full meaning of the message will not be understood until the end times.

Dan. 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.

During these end times, many Jews will be purified, made white, and tried. This is almost a quote of Daniel 11:35. It’s repeated, I believe, as an encouragement to Daniel, who has obviously shown his love for his people.

In spite of the terrible wickedness of the wicked, and their refusal to hear the truth, the wise will understand; they will continue to have faith in God and seek His righteousness.

Dan. 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.

I think we have to remember that the messenger is still answering Daniel’s question. He now references a very specific time designation. From the time that Antichrist takes away the right of the Jews to sacrifice in the temple and sets up his image in the temple until the end (v8) will be 1,290 days. This adds an additional 30 days to the 1260 days stated as the time of Antichrist’s reign of terror.

Frankly, this may be one of those things that only those who endure the last half of that 70^th week will understand. One thing I’ve heard is that this will be the time necessary for the sheep/goat judgment to determine who enters the millennial kingdom. Another article of interest explained the Jewish reckoning of time that required the insertion of a leap month every seven years. Needless to say, I am alert for further enlightenment on this verse.

Dan. 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

Now the messenger adds a special blessing for those who come to 1,335 days—45 more days beyond the 1290. Maybe this is when the Millennial Kingdom is actually ushered in and Christ takes His throne. At this point I am awaiting revelation from the Spirit regarding these last two verses.

I read a book online recently (4/04) by George Madray, The End. He has some interesting thoughts regarding these specified time frames. His premise is based on the prophetic significance of the feasts of Israel, and he believes that based on the festival typology Jesus will return on Yom Kippur. Since it was quite thought provoking to me, I am going to quote from the notes I made as I was reading his book.

“The passage in Daniel 12:11 gives us 1,290 days from the abomination, or 30 days past the Revelation of God as Jesus Christ on Yom Kippur,

Tishri 10. Thirty days was the traditional time of Jewish mourning, as seen in the way they mourned for the deliverer of Israel, Moses:

"The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over" (Deut. 34:8).

In the same way, they will also mourn for the deliverer of Israel, Christ.

"They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son" (Zech. 12:10).

The 45 days remaining (the days left to reach the 1,335 days of Dan 12:12) is for the judgment (or continuing judgment) of the sheep and goats. Those who will be blessed will be those who have the privilege of entering into the Millennial Kingdom. "He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’"(Matt. 25:34).

The goats are those who do not hear His voice and do not receive eternal life. This is what Jesus said when He spoke to goats on the very day of this feast (John 10:22-28)! It will be on this day that the judgment of the sheep and goats will end.

"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:40-43).

This takes us back to the parallel passage in Daniel:

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (Dan. 12:3-4).

As we saw, the 1,260 days run out at Yom Kippur, and 30 additional days are allotted for the mourning, to bring us to the 1,290th day. Then, the additional 45 days brings us to the 1,335th day. On the Jewish calendar, this will bring us to Kislev 25—the feast at Hanukkah. At least four times, God has used Kislev 24 as an important date in past Jewish history. In 520 B.C., the foundations of the temple were laid. In 168 B.C., the temple sacrifice was abolished. In 165 B.C., the temple was recaptured and cleansed. In 1917 A.D., Jerusalem was freed from Turkish rule. It will be in the future, on Hanukkah, that once again, we who will be there, will celebrate God’s cleansing—on the very day the celebration of the Temple rededication was inaugurated.

Those who reach the 24th day of Kislev will be blessed! The prophet Haggai also supports this day as the day when all present upon the earth are blessed by being allowed to enter the millennium: "From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month… From this day on I will bless you" (Haggai 2:18-19).

I have read some similar types of explanations previously, but thought this one was presented quite well. I will continue to look for enlightenment in this area.

(10/06) Jack Kelley at www.gracethrufaith.com poses another speculation/possibility worth considering.

“…several times we have been told that there are 1260 days from the Abomination of Desolation to the end of the Great Tribulation….3 times in the span of 23 verses (Matthew 24:42, 44, 25:13) Jesus said that those on earth wouldn’t know the day or the hour of His return to them in advance….If He appears in the sky on Rosh Hashanah…and if His first official act is one of judgment (Matthew 25:31)…then perhaps this judgment will begin on Yom Kippur, ten days after Rosh Hashanah. His actual appearance on earth could take place at a time known only to Him sometime between these two holy days. Suppose that 20 days are consumed in judging Israel and the Gentiles (Matthew 25:31-46) and cleansing the defiled Temple making it fit for use again….This scenario would make it 1290 days from the Abomination of Desolation to the rededication of the cleansed Temple….But then come 45 more days for a total of 1335. I suggest that this time may be necessary to set up the Kingdom. There’s a lot that needs to be done like crowning the Prince of Israel, organizing the priesthood behind the family of Zadok and teaching them their new duties, especially concerning the new cycle of Holy days (Ezekiel 44-46), positioning the New Jerusalem in its orbit around Earth, reassigning the tribal allotments in Israel (Ezekiel 45 & 48) and installing the governments of the nations. If things unfold as I’ve described them, and it’s a big ‘if,’ then 1335 days from the Abomination, the Millennial Kingdom will be officially inaugurated.”

Dan. 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.

Again, Daniel is basically told to forget about it. He doesn’t have to worry, because he will die a natural death and be resurrected to enjoy the blessings of the covenant.

Note: I had to use commentaries more than usual in this particular study, especially for the historical portion in chapter 11. I used Accordance 5.6.1 software by Oak Tree, Matthew Henry’s complete commentary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord & Zuck, and the Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald.