Daniel chapters 10, 11 and 12 are really one. Chapter 12 just continues the angel’s words explaining to Daniel the meaning of the visions he had seen earlier. People get mixed up in their understanding when they don’t realise this fact.
We want to take a close look at this final verse of chapter 11 and see the picture-story God has placed there for us. After the time of the cross, the prophecies have a spiritual meaning, and apply world-wide rather than to the LITERAL nation of Israel. So we see the King of the North taking a stand here. The words ‘plant the tabernacles of his palace’, in the Hebrew can mean that he will pitch his war tents. He is going to take a stand; and where is he standing?
Now people get all confused when they keep looking to the literal land of Israel for something to fulfill these words — but it has a spiritual and a world-wide meaning. The King of the North is spiritual Babylon — who is that? It is Rome and all the churches and world powers who join with her. Who are the ‘seas’? Seas represent people, nations and so on.
What does the ‘Holy Mountain’ mean? It means the true people of God. The ones that really have the truth and obediently live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You see truth as it is in Jesus, is like a Mighty Mountain. You may not like it and you may try to get rid of it. You may ignore it or fight against it in every way, but it just stands there like a mighty mountain. You will only wear yourself out and smash yourself to pieces if you keep attacking it. There is an interesting text in Luke.
Who is that Rock? It is Jesus and His Word. Jesus identifies Himself with His Word, so much so that he calls Himself ‘the Word’. So what does it mean to ‘fall and be broken’? It means that we come to Jesus through His Word, and when we really get a glimpse of Him we see our own wretchedness. We repent fully, we die to self and this is falling on the Rock and being broken. But Jesus lifts us up and gives us a new life in Him. We are born again with Christ living in us His obedient, victorious life. But the verse says that some don’t fall on the Rock and on these the Rock will fall—grinding them to powder. These are the ones who reject and refuse every effort God makes to get them to surrender and co-operate with Him in their salvation.
The King of the North in this prophecy has done this, and here he stands defying the Holy Mountain, the Rock — and it is about to fall on him. None shall help him; no-one can help him.
He has chosen his own wicked ways until even God Himself has no more that can be tried. Finally the Rock falls. In verse 44, it talks about ‘tidings’ that make this power angry. This is a message that comes from the people of God to the nations of the earth. It warns against what this power is trying to do, and tells people to come out of her. And it also tells that Jesus is about to return. Hebrew scholars say the verse should read ‘between the seas and the glorious holy mountain’. So here sits this wicked power between the nations of earth and God’s holy people trying to stop the message of God’s Holy Truth from reaching earth’s millions. But he comes to his end. Glorious promise! In the 1260 year prophecy, God’s people were ‘given into his (Rome’s) hand’. In the final time of trouble they will not be; instead the power comes to its end as it tries again to wipe out God’s children.
Daniel 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."
Michael stands up - Who is Michael? We know it is our mighty Saviour, Jesus. This is the name always used when He wars against Satan. He stands up for His people. There is another place where we see Jesus stand up; it is when Stephen was stoned (Acts 7) he saw Jesus standing by the Father’s throne. He wasn’t taking this sitting down! In AD 34, probation ended for the Jews as a nation (they can still be saved as individuals, of course).
When He stands up this time probation will close for the world! Everyone will have decided on the issues and will either belong totally to God, keeping all His Commandments, or be in total rebellion against Him following tradition and man’s authority.
Do you want to be among that number who shall have their names written in the book, who shall be delivered? Do you want the overcomer’s reward? The masterly temptations of Satan will overpower many who now profess to believe the truth. Their unworthy course of action, their denial of Christ, will make it necessary for God to blot their names from the book of life. But may it not be so with us. In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there will be no security for the transgressor of God’s law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of God’s Commandments. Jesus will be with His dear children who trust in Him and Satan cannot overcome them. Why is this coming Time of Trouble more terrible than any that has gone before? There have been many times of trouble and terrible happenings and persecution, what makes this so dreadful?
Always before God’s Grace — the mercy of God was still mixed with everything that came in history, because Jesus was still ministering His blood in behalf of sinful mankind. We don’t know how much we owe to this merciful Grace — without it life would long ago have been extinguished from this planet by the insane destruction caused by Satan and his nasty demons and the people who have his character. In Revelation 7:1 this mercy is pictured as four mighty angels holding back the winds of destruction. After Jesus leaves the sanctuary in heaven and no longer intercedes for sinners, there will be a time when there is no more grace available to the lost. Satan will have complete control over them. This is when probation has ended for this world (see Revelation 22).
Daniel 12:2-3 "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. 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."
Just before the actual coming of Jesus in the clouds of heaven, there will be a special resurrection, those who have been the worst persecutors of God’s children through the ages will be raised to watch in horror as Jesus returns, not now as a humble man, but as King of Kings. Remember Jesus warned the high priest about this in Matthew 26:
Imagine how terrible will be this sight to those wicked ones. But think how wonderful it will be for God’s dear children as they see Him coming and know that now they are forever free from those who want to force them to disobey their dear heavenly Father. Those wicked people will die three times, the earthly death, then, when they see Him come they will die of fright, and finally in the lake of fire they will die forever.
Daniel 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."
The angel told Daniel that his book was not going to be understood until the end of those great time prophecies in the book. Then ‘knowledge would be increased’. This knowledge doesn’t just mean worldly knowledge, it means understanding the book of Daniel. The Syrian Peshitta has this verse:
As the time prophecies were nearing their end, God’s Holy Spirit drew people’s attention to them, and helped them to understand what they meant. ‘Running to and fro’ does not just mean people traveling around, jetting here and there, it means to study the scriptures, ‘running here and there’ in the Bible and putting texts together to understand the great final message of the Book.
Time prophecies end: As the 1260 year prophecy and the 2300 year prophecy neared their end, people all over the world began to study the book of Daniel and learn the wonderful truths out of it. The prophecy was perfectly fulfilled. The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation as well as the other prophets in the Bible have special meaning for us now in the end times. God wants us to study and understand His messages to us.
Daniel 12:5-6 "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. 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?"
No less a person than the Son of God appeared to Daniel. This description is similar to that given by John when Christ was revealed to him upon the Isle of Patmos. Our Lord now comes with another heavenly messenger to teach Daniel what would take place in the latter days. This knowledge was given to Daniel and recorded by Inspiration for us upon whom the ends of the world are come.
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."
The ‘Man in linen’ is Jesus our High Priest, the heavenly beings asked him how long the wicked powers would persecute God’s true people. He answers with another prophecy of the 1260 years, which ended in 1798. You see, this power that is seeking now to get control of the whole world again, has already been rejected by God. They have had their time and did wickedly. It will seem like it is going to succeed again, but just when it takes control in the world and seeks to blot out God’s people, it will quickly come to its end. The ‘beast power’ may roar and pass his laws to force God’s people to break God’s Commandments — but they won’t do it — Jesus will give them power to stand for Him.
Daniel 12:8-10 "8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 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 wicked have chosen Satan as their leader. Under his control, the wonderful faculties of the mind are used to construct agencies of destruction. God has given the human mind great power, power to show that the Creator has endowed man with ability to do a great work against the enemy of all righteousness, power to show what victories may be gained in the conflict against evil. But when those to whom God has entrusted capabilities give themselves into the hands of the enemy, they become a power to destroy. When men do not make God first and last and best in everything, when they do not give themselves to Him for the carrying out of His purposes, Satan comes in, and uses in his service the minds that, given to God, could achieve great good. Under his direction, they do an evil work with great and masterly power.
Daniel 12:11-13 "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. 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 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."
Here we see 2 more time prophecies — the first is 1290 day/years: It is from the time when the ‘daily’ is taken away - this ‘daily’ or ‘continual’ desolating power is paganism (the word ‘sacrifice’ doesn’t belong there and is not in the Hebrew text, it was added by the translators). The ‘abomination of desolation’ power that would begin then to be set up is Papal Rome. It meant when Pagan Rome lost its power and Papal Rome began to be set up, the prophecy was to begin. This happened in 508 AD. 1290 years from that point comes again to 1798. Clovis, king of the Franks, dedicated his sword and his throne to the Papacy in A.D. 508, and then began the war against the three horns - the Goths, Vandals, and Heruli.
In 538 AD the last of them fell and the Papal horn was ruling the world. Then we see 1335 years, they start at the same place, 508 AD, and it comes to 1843. Jesus says there is a blessing on that year. What happened in 1843? Well the message of the time prophecies of Daniel were preached with great power. It was called the ‘Midnight Cry’ message.
Daniel ‘stands in his lot’; this means that at those times, and in our day also, the prophecies of the book of Daniel would be understood and do a great work in the earth. This happened in 1843. BUT it is also happening today. The final message to the world will have its great power from the time prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. Daniel and Revelation actually form one book given by Jesus. He gave the first part to Daniel and the second part to John on Patmos. May God bless you as you learn about the wonderful scenes in the Revelation.