“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:1 – “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Daniel 12:1 describes a “time of trouble, such as never has been”. Revelation portrays the same climactic crisis through its trumpet and bowl judgments and the final war against the saints. Revelation 12:7 – “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back.” In Daniel 12:1 we are told that this time will surpass anything Israel or perhaps any other nation has ever experienced. Jesus, in Matthew 24:15-28 confirms what the messenger prophesied to Daniel. There will be a time of trouble.
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION – MATTHEW 24:15-28 – JESUS’ WARNING
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
The prophet Daniel is told that Michael the archangel is “the great prince who has charge of your people”. In this instance the charge is of God’s people, the Jews, which, in Daniel, portrays Michael as a mighty angel who directly engages Satan and his demonic forces. The conflict in Daniel is ultimately about Israel and Israel’s guardian during this spiritual warfare is Michael. In Daniel Chapters 10 to 12 Satan unleashes his assault on Israel. Michael is a mighty defender. In Jude 9 Michael is not fighting the “prince of Persia” or the “prince of Greece”, powerful demonic rulers as in Daniel 10 but Satan himself. 9 “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” This was a direct confrontation between the two highest-ranking beings on opposite sides of the spiritual battle, Michael and Satan, a spiritual battle that has raged from Genesis to Revelation. Revelation 12 reveals Michael’s decisive victory in heaven:
SATAN THROWN DOWN TO EARTH – REVELATION 12:7-11
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
In the book of Daniel God has assigned the special protection of his people to this mighty Archangel. Daniel 12 says Michael is the protector of Israel but, more specifically, “everyone whose name is found written in the book”—that is, the faithful among God’s people. Revelation shows that Michael will have a key part in protecting the people of Christ in the last days. God assigns real spiritual guardianship over His people. God’s people are never abandoned, even in the fiercest of spiritual warfare. Every time Michael appears, he is fighting, protecting, or standing up for God’s covenant people against hostile spiritual powers.
“BUT AT THAT TIME YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED”
God’s protection of His people for Himself is one of the most consistent, unbroken threads running from Genesis to Revelation. Out of all humanity for instance, He set aside Noah and his family for Himself. After Elijah’s victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah expected national repentance, instead, Jezebel sent a death threat, and he fled over 100 miles to Beersheba, then into the wilderness for 40 days. Elijah would cry out to God “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” God assured Elijah “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
During this time in the wilderness Elijah was guided by “the angel of the Lord”, an angelic messenger sent by God to strengthen Elijah. The 7,000 were His faithful remnant, those that God Himself preserved when the rest of the nation had turned away. In Daniel 12:1 God is assuring Daniel that in “The Time of the End” His people, God’s people, “shall be delivered”. Satan will not prevail and Michael the archangel, “the great prince who has charge of your people” will defeat Satan’s efforts to destroy the Jewish nation. Even during times when the nation of Israel as a whole had strayed, there was always within the nation of Israel God’s remnant. Throughout the course of human history there will always be a remnant people regardless of earthly circumstances. In the Old Testament, the remnant refers to the people of Israel who survive the periods of apostasy and remain faithful to their God. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah speak of God gathering His people from exile and restoring them to His covenant relationship. In the New Testament, the remnant includes both Jews and Gentiles who have faith in Christ. Paul teaches in Romans 11:5 that “at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.” The preservation by God of a people for Himself is God’s promise to preserve a faithful people. Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly promises to preserve, protect, and fulfill His covenant with a faithful remnant, those who remain loyal to Him even in times of judgment, exile, or apostasy. Even when the world turns away, God ensures His remnant is spared. God’s promises to His remnant include preservation, protection, provision, covenant loyalty, mission, and enduring faithfulness. These promises span Old and New Testament history, showing that no matter the circumstances, God remains faithful to those who choose Him. His remnant is central to His covenant promises and reflects His enduring faithfulness. Specifically in Daniel 12:1 the remnant referred to are those that Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people, will protect from Satan and his efforts to destroy those that will not follow him. They are “everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.”
THOSE WHO ARE WRITTEN IN THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE
After the hallowing revelation in Daniel 11, Daniel is assured by Gabriel the heavenly messenger “But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” God will rescue all those who truly belong to Him. Gabriel is telling Daniel that those whose names are recorded in God’s heavenly book of life, will during this final unparalleled time of distress be delivered. In Daniel, “your people” refers to faithful Israel, the covenant people Daniel represents. But by the time of the New Testament, this category expands to include all who belong to God through faith.
Daniel 12 introduces the book of life as God’s perfect knowledge that He knows who the faithful are. The concept of the book of life is not a new concept here in Daniel 12. Exodus 32:32–33 – “But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.” In Psalm 69:27-28 David appeals to God for justice toward those who were persecuting him. “Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.” Malachi 3:16 speaks of “The Book of Remembrance” – “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.”
This concept of the “Book of Life carries over into the New Testament. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:3: “Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” The writer of Hebrews in 12:23 mentions the “assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” John in Revelation 12:12 – “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” He continues in Chapter 12:15 – “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” In Revelation 21:27 “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” John here expands this into the Lamb’s Book of Life; the decisive record used at the final judgment to determine who enters the New Creation.
THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD TO THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE
Daniel 12:2-3 – 2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:2–3 describes the final resurrection, the eternal division of humanity, and the glorification of the faithful. It is one of the clearest Old Testament passages teaching of a bodily resurrection, a final judgment, and the eternal reward of the righteous. This resurrection is universal, whether believers or unbelievers, whether saved or lost for the entirety of human history. Those of faith will rise to eternal life, the rest that are unsaved to eternal torment. Old Testament saints are now in Heaven but were not always. Before Christ’s death and resurrection, they were not yet in Heaven but in Sheol the place of comfort often called Abraham’s bosom or Paradise. Jesus clearly states this in John 3:13 – “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” This “no one” includes all who lived before Him, meaning no one entered the highest heavenly dwelling until after His ascension. Christ opened Heaven for the redeemed and brought the righteous dead with Him. After Christ rose and ascended, He brought them into Heaven. The souls of God’s remnant people of all history are with Him now, while their bodies will be raised at this future resurrection.
This will happen after the “time of trouble” when Michael arises up against Satan. It is at the End Times, the climax of human history when God brings final deliverance. In Daniel 12:2, “who sleep in the dust of the earth” refers to all humans who have died, both righteous and wicked, who will be raised by God at the final resurrection, some to eternal life, others to eternal judgment. Those that are awakened from “the dust of the earth” definitely points to a bodily resurrection. This will be all those who have died from the time of the fall forward, whether believers or unbelievers, whether saved or lost. This is confirmed in John 5:19-29 by Jesus:
THE AUTHORITY OF THE SON – JOHN 19-29
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
John 5:19-29 is a discourse where Jesus asserts His divine authority to give life and to judge. He ties resurrection to hearing His voice and doing good and thereby responding to Him in faith. All the dead will one day be raised. Some will be raised to life, and others to condemnation. This confirms that every person who has ever lived or will ever live falls into one of these two categories. The final confirmation of this truth is by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46.
THE FINAL JUDGMENT – MATTHEW 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
GOD’S REVELATION TO DANIEL IS SEALED – DANIEL 12:4
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
The speaker throughout this chapter is the heavenly messenger, Gabriel who has been speaking to Daniel since Chapter 10. He instructs Daniel to preserve the words of the book of Daniel and seal what has been recorded and revealed. The book is sealed and nothing will ever be added or subtracted from this book. Jesus in confirms that all Scripture is sacred and therefore God seals His Word. Matthew 5:17-20 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus affirmed that God’s Law has lasting divine authority. Even the smallest detail in Scripture is important and will remain unchanged. Jesus’ promise is based on the surety that God will ensure the text remains intact until all is fulfilled. For whoever changes or teaches contrary to the Word of God “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Isaiah 40:8 – “The Word of God Stands Forever” “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Psalm 119:89 -“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” Isaiah 55:11 – so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
All Scripture is God’s Word and is eternal and God breathed. When God ordered Daniel to seal his book it was to certify it as God breathed through Daniel. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
“HOW LONG SHALL IT BE TILL THE END OF THESE WONDERS?” DANIEL 12:5-13
Daniel 12:5–13 is the climax of Daniel’s last vision, where Gabriel the “man clothed in linen” (the angelic figure) reveals the timing of the end and the nature of the final events. This passage is directly linked to Revelation’s opening and closing visions, forming a prophetic bridge between the Old and New Testaments.
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
On either side of the bank of the stream, the Tigres River, Daniel sees two “others”. These are two other angels besides Gabriel who has been with Daniel since Daniel 10:11. One of the angels asks, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” Gabriel answers him “that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.” Daniel, however, still does not understand and asks: “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” and Gabriel replies to him “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” What Gabriel was telling Daniel in verse 7 was that God would bring the final period of suffering to a close only after the power of His holy people has been shattered, and that this period will last “a time, times, and half a time”. It means three and a half years which represents a period of intense oppression of God’s people that God strictly limits. It is the same prophetic duration used in Daniel 7 and Revelation to describe the final period of persecution before God intervenes.
MANY SHALL PURIFY THEMSELVES AND MAKE THEMSELVES WHITE AND BE REFINED
Daniel 12:10-13 “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
SEPARATING THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.
Matthew 25:31-33 – 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”
As the Good Shepherd Jesus in Matthew separates out the sheep and the goats. This will happen “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” Jesus is making a final, eternal distinction between those who are God’s people and those who are not. Jesus in John 10:27-28 defines them as those who “hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” To them He will say 34 “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” These are those who Daniel 12:10 is referring to “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined.” On the other hand, “the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand.” These two people will be completely separated out when the Lamb’s Book of Life is opened. This will be the revelation of the eternal record of the redeemed who will be granted entrance into God’s kingdom. The wicked who have acted wickedly in the course of human history – their name will not be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life when it is opened.
11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
ABOMINATION THAT MAKES DESOLATE IS SET UP
Daniel 12 and Revelation parallel in many areas of end times prophecy: both describe a final period of unparalleled distress, Michael’s role in angelic warfare, sealed/hidden prophecy, resurrection of God’s people to eternal life and ultimately God’s triumph in establishing His eternal kingdom.
Daniel is given a chronological marker. The prophecy hinges on an identifiable “time” that God Himself sets, underscoring His sovereign control (Isaiah 46:9-10; Acts 17:26). This is not vague symbolism; it is an actual point in history that believers can look for with confidence in the accuracy of God’s word.
That being said it is important to understand the in Daniel Chapters 7-9 time is very rarely specific. Prophecy can be seen as relating to the specific time the Messenger is conveying to Daniel. Other revelations may be applicable to the time of Daniel yet also can be seen in an Old Testament historical context such as the Four Beasts of Chapter 7 or the Ram and Goat of Chapter 8. All of Chapters 7-9 can be views also as futuristic, end times prophecy.
THE FRAUD, PRIDE, AND TYRANNICAL KINGDOM OF ANTICHRIST, AS DESCRIBED BY DANIEL AND PAUL.1 WRITTEN BY IRENAEUS OF LYONS
By means of the events which shall occur in the time of Antichrist is it shown that he, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that, although a mere slave, he wishes himself to be proclaimed as a king. For he, the Antichrist, being endued with all the power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, nor as a legitimate king in subjection to God, but an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an apostate, iniquitous and murderous; as a robber, concentrating in himself all satanic apostasy, and setting aside idols to persuade men that he himself is God, raising up himself as the only idol, having in himself the multifarious errors of the other idols. This he does, in order that they who do now worship the devil by means of many abominations, may serve himself by this one idol, of whom the apostle thus speaks in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians: ” Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ” The apostle therefore clearly points out his apostasy, and that he is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped–that is, above every idol–for these are indeed so called by men, but are not really gods; and that he will endeavor in a tyrannical manner to set himself forth as God.
In closing Chapter 12 the Messenger tells Daniel “But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” Daniel should not try to definitively understand this but should rest assured that when the End Times comes and God’s purposes for His Kingdom are near Daniel will have his allotted place. This assurance is a promise that of all God’s remnant straight through to the time of trouble should count on.
- St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Five Books of St. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons: Against Heresies with the Fragments that Remain of His Other Works ↩︎
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