Daniel 12

Daniel’s last vision reaches its climax: after a time of great distress, God’s people are delivered and the dead rise, some to life and some to shame. Daniel is told to seal the book, and a heavenly figure swears by the eternal God about how long the trouble will last. The book ends with a promise to Daniel himself: he will rest, and rise to his inheritance.

Daniel 12:1

The vision runs on from chapter 11 into a final season of unequalled trouble. Michael, the angelic guardian of God’s people, stands up for them. Those whose names are written in God’s book are rescued. God knows His own, and none of them is lost in the storm.

BSA: delivered (“rescued, saved, escape”): The word carries the sense of a real rescue out of danger, not merely surviving it. stands watch (“guards, protects”): Michael is pictured as a protector standing guard over God’s people.

Hebrew: יַעֲמֹד (ya’amod, H5975) — “will stand up.” The Hebrew speaks of Michael ‘standing’, like a defender taking his place in a crisis. The same verb is used for the guardian standing at his post.

See also: Daniel 10:21; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 12:7.

Daniel 12:2

This is one of the clearest Old Testament promises of resurrection. Those who sleep in the dust will wake. Death is not the end for anyone. Some rise to everlasting life, others to shame. Every person’s future is fixed beyond the grave.

BSA: sleep (“are resting, are deceased”): Death is described as sleep, which suggests that waking follows. contempt (“abhorrence, hatred”): The second outcome is a lasting revulsion, a sobering picture of final rejection.

See also: Acts 24:15.

Daniel 12:3

The wise are those who fear God and live by His truth. Those who turn many toward righteousness will shine like the stars. Faithfulness that looks small or costly now is honored forever. Bringing others to God is the most lasting work there is.

BSA: lead (“turn, justify”): The word means turning people around toward what is right, so it points to bringing others to God. brightness (“radiance, splendor”): The glory promised is a shining radiance, like the sky itself.

Hebrew: מַצְדִּיקֵי (matsdiqei, H6663) — “those who make righteous.” The Hebrew word is related to ‘righteous’ and ‘justify’. It points to helping others be set right with God.

See also: Matthew 13:43; James 5:20.

Daniel 12:4

Daniel is to shut up the words and seal the book. It is to be preserved safely until the end comes. Then many will travel about and knowledge will increase. Many read this as a search for understanding, and a fuller grasp of these things will come when the time is near.

BSA: seal (“lock and secure”): Sealing keeps the message safe and unaltered until God’s time. roam (“run to and fro, travel rapidly”): The picture is of restless movement, whether searching or hurrying about.

See also: Revelation 22:10.

Daniel 12:5-6

Daniel sees two heavenly beings standing on either bank of the river. A third figure, dressed in linen, hovers above the water. One of the two asks the question that every suffering believer asks: how long until these wonders are fulfilled? Heaven shares our longing to know.

BSA: dressed in linen (“clothed in linen, wearing white”): Linen marks a heavenly figure of purity and priestly dignity. wonders (“miracles, amazing events”): The coming events are marvels beyond human power.

See also: Daniel 10:5-6; Revelation 6:10.

Daniel 12:7

The linen-clothed man lifts both hands to heaven and swears by the eternal God. The trouble will last a time, times and half a time, usually understood as three and a half periods. It ends when the power of God’s people is completely broken. God sets the limit on their suffering.

BSA: swear (“make a solemn promise, take an oath”): The oath guarantees that this timetable is certain, because it rests on God Himself. shattered (“broken, dispersed”): God’s people are pictured as scattered and crushed before the end.

See also: Daniel 7:25; Revelation 10:5-6.

Daniel 12:8

Daniel is honest: he heard but did not understand. Even this faithful prophet did not grasp the full meaning of what he wrote. He asks what the final outcome will be. It is no shame to admit we do not understand everything God has said.

BSA: understand (“discern, comprehend, or grasp the meaning”): Daniel heard the words clearly but could not work out their meaning. outcome (“end, or final result”): He is asking where it all finally leads.

See also: 1 Peter 1:10-12.

Daniel 12:9

Daniel is told to go on his way. The words are closed and sealed until the end. The answer is not refused, only held back until the right time. Daniel is asked to trust God with what he cannot yet see.

BSA: sealed (“locked, hidden”): The message is kept secure until God chooses to open it.

Daniel 12:10

Hard times sort people. Some are cleansed, whitened and refined like metal in a fire. The wicked carry on in wickedness and do not understand. The wise do understand. Understanding here depends on a heart turned toward God, not only on a sharp mind.

BSA: refined (“to purify by removing impurities”): Suffering acts like a furnace that burns off impurity and leaves what is pure. spotless (“whitened, refined like silver”): The believer is made clean and bright.

See also: Psalm 12:6; Hosea 14:9; 1 Peter 1:6-7.

Daniel 12:11

A time marker is given. From the removal of the daily sacrifice and the setting up of the abomination that desolates, there will be 1,290 days. Daniel 8 and 11 describe a similar desecration of the temple. Christians understand the exact fulfillment in different ways. The point is that the evil has a fixed limit.

BSA: abomination (“idolatry, disgusting thing”): It is a detestable pagan object or act that defiles worship. abolished (“taken away, removed”): Regular worship is stopped by force.

Hebrew: שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquts, H8251) — “detestable thing.” This is the Hebrew word used for idols and what God finds revolting. It makes plain how deeply the defiling of worship offends Him.

See also: Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15.

Daniel 12:12

A blessing is given to the one who waits and reaches the 1,335 days. The number goes beyond the previous one, though its exact meaning is uncertain and Christians read it differently. What is clear is the call to endurance. Those who hold on through the long wait are called blessed.

BSA: Blessed (“happy, fortunate”): It is a deep happiness belonging to those who stay faithful until the end. waits (“patiently, earnestly”): The waiting is steady, hopeful endurance and not idle.

See also: James 5:11; Matthew 24:13.

Daniel 12:13

The book ends with a personal word to Daniel. He is to keep going to the end. He will rest in death and then rise to receive his inheritance when the days are complete. For the faithful, the grave is a resting place and not the final word.

BSA: rest (“settle down, remain in one place, cease from labor”): Death for the faithful is a rest from labor. inheritance (“allotted portion, lot, reward”): Each faithful person has a share set aside by God.

See also: Revelation 14:13; 1 Peter 1:3-4.