Daniel 12:7-13

Daniel 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.

 

Now Gabriel takes a pose and shows that he is not answering the question on his own but is swearing by the Lord Jesus that the answer that he will give comes from the Lord Jesus Himself.  The time frame which Gabriel gave the other angel was time, times and a half.  The time frame would come out to 3 ½ years if a literal time frame was taken but the number here is symbolic.  It represents the entire New Testament period. 

 

Revelation 11:2 (KJV)   But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

 

Revelation 13:5 (KJV)   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.

 

Going back to Daniel 12:2, the great resurrection will take place at the end of the New Testament period and that is when evil will face its final judgment and will be cast into the lake of fire and then the New Heavens and the New Earth will be created.  Revelation 13:5 teaches us that Satan will have the authority to blaspheme and speak great things for 42 months, or the whole New Testament period until he finally faces his ultimate destination which is eternal Hell.

 

Daniel 12:8

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

 

Then Daniel knowing that the vision he was seeing was in the future had asked the Lord for understanding because what he had seen did not fit into what he knew or had presently seen in his lifetime.

 

Daniel 12:9

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

 

The reply came to Daniel that the words are closed and sealed until the time of the end, which we know now that it is the time from the cross to the last day.  Daniel’s job now was to record the vision but not understand it at this time.  Luke 10:24 (KJV)   For I tell you, that many prophets and kings 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.  Daniel was one of the prophets who desired to look into those things which were fulfilled at the time of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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.

 

The time of fulfillment of the end of the world will be thousands of years past Daniel’s time and in the meantime what must take place will be worldwide evangelism.  Those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will become saved and with their sins forgiven and removed they will be considered purified and made white.  There is one thing that goes along with being a believer and that is the Lord tries the righteous.  Psalm 11:5 (KJV) The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

 

The wicked shall continue to be wicked right to the end of time because as the non-elect they will not have salvation.  Revelation 22:11 (KJV)   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.  Those who are wicked will not understand what happens to a person when they become saved.  The wicked will just call them “religious fanatics” and discount them as useless individuals.  They will have no concept of Heaven and worse, they will have no fear of Hell.  The wise, or those who are saved, because they study and understand the Bible will understand what will happen to the unbelievers and will be very cognizant of their eternal future in Heaven.

 

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.

 

The daily sacrifice will no longer be valid since the Lord Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice for sin.  Once Jesus went to the cross, the rituals and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law were no longer effective but void because Christ had fulfilled all aspects of the Mosaic Law.  No longer were sins covered in the feasts and sacrifices, now sins were removed only through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.   The daily sacrifice in the temple had continued to 70 A.D. which means from 33 A.D. to 70 A.D. the sacrifices were invalid and not accepted by God for payment of sins.   In 70 A.D. the Roman army completely sacked Jerusalem which means that the Gentiles had defiled the holy land and desolated it.  Since there were Gentiles they were looked at by the Jews as an abomination.  As for the 1290 days, we know that 1260 days would be the New Testament period which was also referred to as 42 months and time, times, and a half.  As for the other 30 days, there is a small time period at the end of the New Testament period where Satan will be allowed to deceive the nations for the final time and that would be represented by the other month or 30 days bringing it to 1290 days.  The final 30 days is another symbolic time period which shows it will be significantly shorter than the whole New Testament period.

 

Revelation 20:7-8 (KJV)   And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,  {8} And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

 

An interesting verse appears in Zechariah 11:8 concerning three shepherds which will be cut off in one month, and also how they hate God and God hates them.  It can only be a reference to Satan and his hatred for God and to God for His hatred of sin.

 

Zechariah 11:8 (KJV)   Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

 

In Revelation 20:10, we see three that have deceived the nations of this earth.  Satan, the beast, and the false prophet.  Three evil shepherds which have deceived the nations and caused havoc have now been cut off in one month.

 

Revelation 20:10 (KJV)   And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

 

Daniel 12:12

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

 

The 1335 days in this verse would be another symbolic number because trying to fit it into some type of historical time frame would be futile.  For every one that you can think of there would be another one that the time frame would fit.  The 1335 days is a symbol of the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus which would include His crucifixion and resurrection.  Notice the verse states that a person is blessed if he waits for the 1335 days.  The Jews were looking forward to the coming of Messiah and then there were those Jews who were born that were able to come to the 1335 days like the Apostles, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and even many Gentiles who believed.  All those who became saved were blessed greatly by the 1335 days. 

 

Psalm 34:10 (KJV)   The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

 

Psalm 37:34 (KJV)   Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

 

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.

 

In reference to the information that Daniel just received, he was told to go his way, that is, he was to go about his daily duties until the time that his physical body would give out and he would die.  Death is considered rest for the believer but he was also assured, as all believers are, that he will stand in his lot at the end of days, that is, he will partake in that great resurrection of the just and will have a place in Heaven for eternity.

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