DANIEL 12 FAITHFUL TO THE END
Chapter 12 is a continuation of the story of the climax of the ages. Daniel’s visions have not brought easy answers. He was told, “The wicked will continue to be wicked” (10) and distress continues to be the lot of the God’s people. The previous visions looked forward in hope to the Lord’s ultimate victory over evil but at the moment it seemed a long way into the future. We might be tempted to ask, as Daniel did of the angel, ”How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” (6). The workings of the hand of God remain mysterious until the time when we no longer “see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor 13:12).
As the end-time draws near history will move in a series of dramatic events according to a pattern known in advance of the Creator God. Everything that is old and evil will finally pass away in cataclysmic happenings that will shake all foundations. Only that which is of the will of God survives. For the unbeliever, it will be a time of turmoil and uncertainty, when, as Jesus foretold, "Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world" (Luke 21:26). But what about the believer? Jesus went on to say, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (28).
Daniel was similarly reassured. He was told "Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise" (1). We can thank God for the unseen angelic forces who at God’s command watch over his people, and here the reference is to faithful Israel. At the end of the age, as at every period of human history, there will be a remnant who are faithful to God in the midst of an apostate race. The Lord their God will protect them in their hour of need, even as he had looked after Daniel in some of the desperate situations he’d been in, for example, in the lion’s den. This is especially true in:
THE END TIMES
The Jews are God’s people, although largely unbelieving at this time, but he will not allow the chosen race to be obliterated. Many a despot down the ages tried to annihilate the nation, including Hitler’s "final solution", but have failed to do so. Why is this? God’s response is that the gospel will be made known throughout the day of grace. The Jews repeatedly hardened their hearts to the message of salvation through Jesus the Messiah but God used Israel’s time of rebellion to show mercy to the Gentiles as well. He is seeking a “remnant” of believing Gentiles and Jews and continues to do so until the full number of both races are brought into his kingdom. God covenant commitment to Abraham that he “will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on earth will be blessed through him” (Gen 18:18) will be fully discharged.
Daniel was told, "There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then" (1). The angel called it the worst period of distress that the Jews had ever seen. It will be a period of unparalleled distress, in all likelihood, "the Great Tribulation" foretold by Jesus (Matt 24:21), and in the book of Revelation (7:14). Jeremiah saw it in terms of "the time of Jacob’s trouble" (30:7). Its purpose is to bring to a climax the persecution and hardship they have endured over the centuries as a result of the rejection of their Messiah. It will be so severe that Jesus himself declared that if those days were not curtailed, no one would be left alive in Israel (Matt 24:22).
The essential message of the book of Daniel is to give comfort to the people of God. None of his elect, those who by the grace of God put their trust in him, will be lost. They may leave this earth in death which is the lot of humanity, but the glory of God’s revelation is that "multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake ... to everlasting life" (2). Daniel’s visions envisaged the problem of the multitude of individuals who had been brutally martyred at the hands of wicked men. It was inconceivable that the God of justice and love could be satisfied with any ultimate triumph that left his faithful ones in death. We know how and why this will happen following the resurrection of Jesus: because he lives, we shall live also.
We are given a splendid picture of the glorious reward of those "whose name is found written in the book" (1); surely, "the book of life" referred to in the New Testament (Phil 4:3). They, the "wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens" (3). But there’s a further category of the wise, those who are not merely saved but who also serve in God’s kingdom: "those who lead many to righteousness" will be further rewarded - they "will shine ... like the stars for ever and ever" (3). What a wonderful incentive to serve the Lord in this life so as to be blessed for ever.
Reward for the wise, but it’s not only the wise who will awake. Daniel was told that there would be "others to shame and everlasting contempt" (2). The day of the general resurrection of the dead reminds us of the great Judgement Day. Until that time God allows evil to persist side by side with the good, as we know from the parable that Jesus told of the wheat and the tares. God is the righteous judge and sin will not go unpunished. People may receive some punishment in this life, but the final reckoning will take place at the great white throne depicted in the book of Revelation (20:11). For those who haven’t had their sins forgiven through trusting in the atonement of the Cross of Christ, it will truly be a day of shame. There was no more to be said, apart from a final instruction to be:
FAITHFUL TO THE END
The angel finished his prophetic utterance with a statement, "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" (4). He’s telling Daniel that there’s no more to be added to the revelation of future history, but what has been given will be a mine of information as to God’s providential purposes. Even though Daniel and his people did not understand these end-time prophecies because they belonged to a far-off age, they were of great comfort to them. They gave assurance that God would ultimately deliver the people of God and fulfil the covenant promises. They are there for our encouragement to persevere in faith, but not to speculate as to details withheld. In the fulness of time what is only an outline will be become a reality.
All this time Daniel was by the river Tigris. When the angel had finished speaking, Daniel looked up and saw two more angels standing by the riverbank. One of them asked the question that was probably occupying Daniel’s mind, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled? (6). We are curious to know what lies ahead, aren’t we? The answer was given with a gesture of both hands uplifted as if in parting and with a sworn statement to guarantee its truth, "It will be for a time, times and half a time" (7). This has been taken to mean three and a half years that the temple lay deserted in the time of Antiochus, but probably it’s ultimate fulfilment is in the length of the Great Tribulation, who knows? Certainly, it left Daniel puzzled, and he asked, "What will the outcome of all this be?" (8).
Daniel’s enquiry was left unanswered. He was merely told that it was for the time of the end, so there was no need for him to have a detailed understanding for what was in the distant future. He had been given the principles, and there was no more to be said. We too must be prepared for the same kind of waiting, confident simply in this: that when the end comes we will know that we are experiencing what has been foretold. These prophecies are in the Bible, not to help us calculate exactly, but to help us recognize the times and not be caught unaware. Many books have been written arguing the case for the Lord’s Second Coming at precise dates but those days came and went leaving the authors embarrassed and bringing disrepute to the exposition of Scripture.
Daniel is warned to be steadfast as he waits: "Go your way," he was told (9). He must continue to be faithful, risking unpopularity if need be, but trusting only in God. The days ahead would be perilous, wickedness would flourish, but only those who had a wisdom imparted from the Lord would have a real understanding of God’s purposes. The trouble coming on the earth would be a warning to those living, with the “wise” repenting and turning to the Lord. The psalmist tells us: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding" (Psa 111:10). This will give us an ability to discern what is phoney from what is genuine.
We need a heavenly wisdom to choose paths that lead to life, to identify what is false, and to know what God is saying. We hear so often of cults whose charismatic leaders have a huge following and are leading many astray. The only sure way is to know the mind of God, and to walk our earthly pilgrimage in the light of his Word. Jesus told the Parable of the Ten Virgins to stress the need for wisdom as the end-time approaches. All of them had the opportunity to get oil for their lamps, but half of them neglected to do so with disastrous consequences (Matt 25:1-13).
The angel’s reference to periods of days when the daily sacrifice was abolished and the desecration of the temple may refer back to the time of tribulation under Antiochus, or it may be looking forward to a greater tribulation. The angel refers to a period of 1290 days, that is three and a half years plus an extension of 45 days, no doubt to the period of tribulation of the last days before the return of Christ. It’s an encouragement to those enduring distress that the time is limited. But the thrust of the message is however long the days of tribulation last, those who persevere to the end will be blessed.
The final message to Daniel is: "Go your way till the end." The aged prophet is dismissed, probably meaning that the end of his life is near. What a word of assurance it is: "You will rest, and at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance" (13). He would rest in death but would rise again and receive the reward from his God who he had served to faithfully.
This is a fitting finale to the prophecy. Its pages have encompassed several thousand years, seen the rise and fall of many empires, lifted the veil on heaven itself, but now it addresses the individual servant of God. It affirms God’s control of history and gives a glimpse of the resurrection and the eternal security of those whose confidence is in God.
We can thank God for preserving Daniel’s prophecy. May we learn to trust his and our Lord, to follow his example, until God calls us into his "rest". The call is to remain faithful, to continue in the faith as we began, in the same way that the apostle Paul urged the believers in Corinth, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain!" (1 Cor 15:58).
The book is a wonderful reminder that the present age is not all that God has in store for mankind. There’s another age coming beyond the present one when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign in righteousness and holiness on earth (Isa 11:9; Zech 9:12). We look forward in hope to the coming Messianic age and pray for its coming. History is “God’s Story” and we can see how it has unfolded. It gives us confidence as we anticipate his faithfulness in the promises that still remain unfulfilled.
Warren Wiersbe tells a story of when he was a young man preaching on the last days with all the events of prophecy clearly laid out and perfectly planned. At the end of the service an older gentleman came up to him and whispered in his ear, “I used to have the Lord’s return planned out to the last detail, but years ago I moved from the planning committee to the welcoming committee.”
Let’s be like the Christians at Thessalonica to whom the apostle Paul wrote: "You turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven" (1 Thess 1:9,10).
(The preparation of the series of studies of the book of Daniel was greatly assisted by reference to "The Lord is King" by Ronald S Wallace (IVP) and "The Climax of the Ages" by Frederick A Tatford (Oliphants))
