Audio Download

DANIEL 12:1-13 For the Words are Sealed and Closed up Till the Time of the End!!

[Study Aired February 28, 2022]

Dan 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. 
Dan 12:2  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. 
Dan 12:3  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. 
Dan 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. 
Dan 12:5  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. 
Dan 12:6  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? 
Dan 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. 
Dan 12:8  And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 
Dan 12:9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Dan 12:10  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.
Dan 12:11  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.
Dan 12:12  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
Dan 12:13  But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

Chapter 12 starts with the statement “At that time shall Michael stand up”. The question is what time is being referred to here? To understand what time is being referred to, we need to go back to chapter 10 of Daniel which is the introduction to the prophecy of both Daniel chapter 11 and 12 regarding what will happen to the elect in the latter days. We, the elect, are the ones of whom the ends of our world are coming.

Dan 10:14  Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

So, we, the elect, are the ones to whom this prophecy in chapter 12 is applicable.

Dan 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.

As we indicated in a previous review, the name Michael means “Who is like God?”. It is Jesus who is like God. He is the great prince who stands for the children of His people. The statement “the great prince who stands for the children of thy people” means that Jesus Christ dwells within His people as the word “standeth” means to abide or dwell according to Strong’s Dictionary.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The coming of Jesus into our lives to dwell in us is herald by His judgment which is the time of trouble mentioned in verse 1.

Mal 3:1  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
Mal 3:4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
Mal 3:5  Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

This time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation is the period of the judgment that we, the elect, must go through to learn righteousness.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 
Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

The time of trouble or judgment begins when we see the abomination of desolation in our temple which is our bodies. This abomination of desolation is that man of sin or the old man occupying the throne of our hearts and minds.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The statement in verse 1 of Daniel 12 that everyone found written in the Book at that time shall be delivered, is to let us know that it is through judgment that we, the elect, whose names are written in the Book of Life, are saved. It is the elect that must first go through judgment here on earth before the rest of humanity.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

This time of trouble is also described vividly in Isaiah where the Lord destroys His vineyard which represents the elect. God’s way of salvation is through the destruction of the old man through judgment.

Isa 5:1  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
Isa 5:2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
Isa 5:3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
Isa 5:4  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
Isa 5:5  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
Isa 5:6  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Isa 5:7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

Dan 12:2  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.

This verse is talking about the resurrection from death. As we know in the Book of Revelation, there are two resurrections – the first and the second resurrection. The first resurrection is for God’s elect which will take place just at the time the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. That is the resurrection to everlasting life for the elect.  After a period of a figurative thousand years comes the second resurrection which is the resurrection to shame and everlasting contempt which is the lot of all humanity except the elect.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Dan 12:3  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. 

They that “be wise” are the Lord’s elect. They will shine as the brightness of the firmament. The word “shine” here means to admonish or teach according to Strong. Thus, it is referring to the role of the elect in teaching all humanity to know Christ. This teaching is likened to the brightness of the firmament which means that everyone will come to understand the word of Christ just as the brightness of the firmament is obvious to all. That period is the lake of the fire age when the whole of humanity will come to understand the words of Christ. That is the time that we, the elect, described as desolate in this life, shall give birth to many as all humanity (many) shall turn to righteousness. The righteousness, here being likened to the stars in verse 3, means that all humanity will be clothed in the righteousness of Christ just as we see the stars reflecting the light of the sun which represents Christ.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Dan 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.

This verse is to let us know that Daniel, representing the prophets of the Old Testament, was not meant to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. What these prophets spoke and saw were all for us, the elect, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

According to verse 4, the time of the end is characterized by an increase in knowledge. The time of the end started with the disciples of Jesus, and it was during their lives that knowledge of the kingdom of Heaven increased as they understood the kingdom’s mysteries. We, His elect, are following in the footsteps of all the Lord’s disciples ahead of us as our eyes are being opened and our ears are hearing!!

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Contrary to this exponential increase in the knowledge of the Lord, many shall not be given this privilege of knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of God. The statement in verse 4 of Daniel chapter 12, that many shall run to and fro, is referring to all humanity (except the elect) who will wander throughout the earth but shall not find the truth of the word of Christ.

Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Dan 12:5  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.

The two other persons Daniel saw who were standing on the opposite sides of the river’s bank are there to let us know that what Daniel saw is firmly established and shall surely come to pass in the life of every elect of every generation.

Gen 41:32  And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

The river here is the water of life or the word of Christ. The two standing on either side of the river shows us a principle that helps us understand the truth of the word of Christ. That is, by two or three witnesses every word is established. This implies that we do not stand on one account of the word of Christ to make a doctrine. We must at least have a second witness to establish a scriptural truth or doctrine.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Dan 12:6  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?
Dan 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 clothed in linen is Christ, and He is the one who is upon the waters of the river. The word “upon” used here can mean “a part of” or “from” or “out of” according to Strong’s Dictionary (H4482). What this means is that Christ is the word.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The question was posed to our Lord Jesus Christ regarding the time that this time of trouble will end in our lives. In verse 7, our Lord provides us with the time frame regarding this time of trouble. He says that this time of trouble will last until the power of the holy people is destroyed. The holy people here refer to the elect, and the power of the holy people is the strength of the beast or the old man within us. The destruction of the old man is the end of this time of trouble, which is signified by a time, times and a half. What we need to understand is that symbolic times do not signify the date or duration of actual times, but rather that the period, whenever it may be and whatever it may be in actual years, is within the knowledge and authority of God to determine. Prophetic days, weeks, months, and years are not a code from which to calculate real time periods, but rather a symbol to stand in place of real time periods which are not for men to know in advance. This is what our Lord says about this matter:

Act 1:7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority.

The time, times and half certainly has meaning. The “time” represents a period of trouble in our lives. The “times” signifies the doubling of our trouble. In other words, our trouble is intensified or prolonged. The “half” means the cutting short of our tribulation. Our Lord Jesus told us that the period of tribulation will be cut short for the sake of us, the elect.

Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Dan 12:8  And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

As we indicated in verse 4, Daniel represents the prophets of the Old Testament who were not meant to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. What they spoke and saw was all for us, the elect, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Dan 12:10  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 many here refers to the elect who, through the time of trouble will be purified as they learn righteousness. On the other hand, the wicked will continue to grow worse.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

The statement that the wicked shall not understand means that it is not given to people of the world and our brothers and sisters in Babylon to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. It is only the few, called and chosen, who are privileged to know these mysteries.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Dan 12:11  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.
Dan 12:12  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

A symbolic period such as the 1,290 days or 1335 days as given in verses 11 and 12 indicates that this is a time or season “which the Father has fixed by his own authority” and it is not for us to know (Acts 1:7). The symbol certainly has meaning, nevertheless it is not a code for date setting. The number 1,290 gives us indication of the period in our lives that through our union with Christ (1 means unity), we come to witness the beast within, sitting in the temple of our hearts and mind (the number 2 stands for a witness) and are judged by  the Lord (9 is the number of God’s judgment) with the brightness of His coming.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The number of 1335 days also shows us the period of our lives that in union with Christ, we see the chastening grace of the Lord through faith as part of the process of our spiritual completion. Remember that the number 1 stands for union, the number 3 represents the process of spiritual completion through judgment and the number 5 means grace through faith. As verse 12 stated, it is indeed a blessing to go through this process of our spiritual completion through judgment as we come to understand the Lord’s grace through faith. This is what has happened to all the elect who had gone before us – they were perfected through suffering as they put their faith in Him who is able to keep them from falling and to preserve them faultless until that day!! For example, Paul came to realize that God’s grace is sufficient for him in spite of what he was going through!!

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Dan 12:13  But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. 

The statement “But go thou thy way till the end be” is to remind us that Daniel, like the Old Testament prophets, was not meant to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven and that they were actually serving us on whom the ends of the world are coming.

1Pe 1:10  Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
1Pe 1:11  inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
1Pe 1:12  It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

The statement “Thou shall rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” is to let us know the fate of Daniel, who represents the Old Testament prophets, at the end of the days. According to the scriptures, this is the lot of Daniel at the end of the days:

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

It is through us that Daniel and all the Old Testament prophets shall be made perfect!! What a wonderful plan of the Lord for us, His elect!!

May the Lord who has started this good work in us, surely bring it to completion!! Amen!! This brings us to the end of the review of the Book of Daniel.

In our next study, we shall start reviewing the Book of Exodus!!