Daniel 12:1-13
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.
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 wisea shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
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.
5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bankb 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 uponc the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
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,d times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
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.
11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abominatione 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.
Daniel 12. follows immediately upon the preceding paragraph, and there should be no break between the two Chapter s. 1- 3 forms the ending of the revelation which the angel makes to Daniel, and describes the deliverance of Israel and the resurrection of the just.
Daniel 12:1. at that time: at the overthrow of Antiochus. the great prince: the guardian angel of Israel (cf. Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:21). in the book: i.e. the book of life (cf. Psalms 69:28; Revelation 3:5 et passim).
Daniel 12:2. The doctrine of the resurrection. The OT has no very clear or definite teaching about the future life. The idea of a resurrection appears first in a national sense (Hosea 6:2; Ezekiel 37:1). The resurrection of the individual is first enunciated in a post-exilic passage in Isaiah 26:19 *. where it is expressly limited to Israelites. The present passage is the earliest in which the resurrection of the wicked is definitely taught. Even here it is not universal (cf. the phrase many of them that sleep). everlasting life: this is the first occurrence of this phrase, which, however is frequently found in Apocryphal literature.
Daniel 12:3. wise: does not refer to intellectual gifts but rather to moral stability (cf. Daniel 11:33; Daniel 11:38). The martyrs and leaders of the people in its time of trial are here promised a counterbalancing weight of glory, to use the phrase of Paul.
Daniel 12:4. The closing of the vision. many shall run to and fro: this is usually taken to mean run to and fro in the book, i.e. diligently study and appropriate its teaching. Charles, however, thinks the text is corrupt and on the basis of the VSS translates, many shall apostatise and evils shall be multiplied upon the earth.
Daniel 12:5. Conclusion. The vision of the two angels who answer Daniel's inquiry as to the duration of the troubles.
Daniel 12:5. other two: i.e. angels. the river: Daniel 10:4 *.
Daniel 12:6. one said: i.e. one of the angels. to the man: the angel described in Daniel 10:5 f.
Daniel 12:7. a time, times, and an half: 3½ years (see Daniel 7:25; Daniel 8:14).
Daniel 12:8. Daniel fails to understand the answer and asks again, What shall be the final issue? but in Daniel 12:9 is refused any further explanation.
Daniel 12:11. continual burnt offerings. abomination: Daniel 11:31 *. 1290 days seems to be another way of describing the 3½ years. In Daniel 8:14 the number of days is given as 1150. How the discrepancy is to be explained is uncertain. Charles thinks that the numbers in Daniel 12:11 f. are later glosses.
Daniel 12:12. Why the 1290 is increased by 45 days or 1½ months, is not easy to explain. All that can be said is, that while the 1290 days are supposed to witness the cessation of the abomination, 45 more days are expected to elapse before complete blessedness is restored to Israel.