Daniel 12:1-13
The End Times
1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
Daniel 12 is like a tightly woven book where every chapter seems perfectly planned...The idea in verse 4—that people will travel everywhere and knowledge will increase—is the global stage manager who starts the book in chapter one for the ultimate events described in the rest of the chapters...Without a modern, fast-moving, interconnected world, the crisis and global actions described here simply couldn't happen on the massive scale the prophet predicts...
The Global Network is necessary for a Global Distress (12:1-2, 4)...The "End Times" can only be a global crisis if the world is connected globally...Think of it like this: if a devastating sickness (a "distress") broke out, how fast could it spread?...In Daniel’s day, it would take years; today, it takes days because of constant air travel and movement...Look at how news stories and even viruses get around the world so quickly..The prophecy says "many shall run to and fro," meaning travel, trade, politics, and especially conflicts are no longer local; they are instant and planetary...Our highly connected world, where a stock market crash in one country affects the entire globe, is the only place where the unparalleled time of distress in Daniel 12:1 becomes possible...This connection allows one single event to truly affect every nation, setting the stage for the dramatic rescue by Michael, the great prince...
Knowledge is the Key to Spiritual Understanding (12:3, 9-10)...The most exciting part of the increase in knowledge is how it helps us spiritually and to grow spiritually...Daniel was told to "roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end" because the true meaning was hidden until the right time...When knowledge is increased (12:4), it allows the "wise" (12:10) to finally unlock and understand these complex truths that God holds...The massive increase in historical facts, archaeological finds, and language details—all available at our fingertips thanks to the internet—gives serious Bible students the tools they need to interpret prophecy like never before...This technological explosion allows the wise to grasp the signs of the times and, most importantly, to "lead many to righteousness" (12:3)...This global network isn't just for business or travel; it’s the path God uses to purify His people, separate the wise from the wicked, the sheep from the goats, and spread the final Gospel message globally before the great resurrection (12:2)...
Daniel speaks of the precision of the Sealed Prophecy through the specific time codes: the "time, times and half a time" (3.5 years), the 1,290 days, and the 1,335 days...Daniel himself admitted, "I heard, but I did not understand."...He had the locked treasure chest, but he didn't have the key...The increase of knowledge at the time of the end is precisely what allows us to look back at history and find the anchor points, like the "abomination that causes desolation" or the "abolished daily sacrifice," that start these prophetic countdowns...In short, the hidden nature of the prophecy is lifted by the global advancement Daniel predicted....
The Unlocking Mechanism is twofold with both our world's history and Context...This "unlocking" will work in two ways...First, the increase of knowledge lets us Look Back with amazing clarity...Before the internet, records needed to identify the starting points of these time prophecies were buried in old, scattered libraries...Now, in today's world, a diligent student can access thousands of years of compiled historical data in minutes...This speed helps the wise (12:10) to accurately search history for the anchor points needed to start the prophetic countdowns...Second, the increase of knowledge allows us to Look Around and understand the global context...The prophecy of a crisis that affects every single nation, and the idea of a worldwide false system, made little physical sense in Daniel's ancient world...Our highly connected world—where news, technology, and finance are all linked—is the only historical setting where a crisis could genuinely affect humanity for 1,290 days universally...
The Purpose of Understanding can an will be a blessing for some...By making all this historical data and context accessible, the sealed prophecy is finally revealed...The wise in verse 10 are not just the smartest people, but those who use this incredible access to information (the key) to search for and truly understand the Spiritual Truths (the treasure)...This understanding is much more than a history lesson; it is a blessing (12:12) because it helps lead to purification and refinement (12:10) in our own lives...The ability to understand God’s Plan allows believers to prepare, stand firm, and "lead many to righteousness" (12:3)...Ultimately, Daniel 12 shows that God is perfectly in control of human history...He planned for this period of unprecedented speed and information (12:4) to make sure that when the final events begin, His people are ready, spiritually equipped, and globally connected to finish the mission and receive their eternal inheritance (12:13)...This tightly woven book where every chapter seems perfectly planned is God's Plan and shows us from the early days of Daniel that He is and has been always in control...
In the middle of chapter twelve we read that the wicked will have trouble understanding this knoweldge...The core difference between having lots of data and information (verse 4) and having true spiritual understanding (verse 10) is huge...God gave Daniel this incredible detail about understanding being sealed and then unlocked...But the wicked will not understand these things (Daniel 12:10)...The verse "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end...Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked...None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand."...This means that understanding Bible prophecy is not about being the smartest person in the world or having the highest IQ; it's about being the most willing to change and trusting God...The world is now full of increased data and knowledge (verse 4)...Everyone everywhere, both the wise and the wicked, has access to the same books, the same historical facts, and the same global news feeds...So, if everyone has the information, what’s the difference?...The difference is the heart, not the head...
The Wise are and will be "Refined": Daniel 12:10 says the wise are those who "will be purified, made spotless and refined."...These people are seriously seeking God and are willing to let Him change their character...Think of a metal being refined: the fire burns away the trash (impurities) to make the metal pure...The wise are using the increased knowledge—like studying the Bible and connecting current events to prophecy—to examine themselves and become better people...Because their heart is focused on Truth and righteousness, God gives them the special spiritual insight, like a secret code key, to see what the wicked miss...The Wicked are "Blinded": The wicked "will continue to be wicked."...They have the exact same information, but they refuse to let it change them...Their selfishness, their ego, pride, or focus on evil acts acts like a spiritual blind spot...It’s like having the key to a treasure vault but refusing to use it because you're happy with the small, worthless things you already have...They are mentally capable of understanding, but their moral choice to live selfishly and wickedly acts like spiritual static, blocking the clear signal of God's Truth and the Truth they are reading...
The Purpose of Knowledge is their Final Choice...It is a choice of Good versus evil...The ultimate purpose of this unlocked knowledge isn't just to start a countdown clock; it’s to give everyone a final, clear chance to choose sides...The "wise" use the information to purify themselves and lead others to righteousness (verse 3)...The "wicked" see the same powerful evidence but either laugh at it, twist it, or ignore it completely because it conflicts with their desire to "continue to be wicked."...In the end, understanding Daniel’s prophecy is not an intellectual challenge; it is a moral choice that reveals the true condition of a person's heart...
Daniel's last verse is “As for you, go your way till the end...You will rest.”...This is God telling the elderly prophet, essentially, "Your job is finished."..."Go your way till the end": This meant Daniel should live out the rest of his natural life...God was saying, "You don't need to stress about these sealed prophecies or what happens next...Just keep living faithfully."..."You will rest": This is a direct promise of peaceful death...Daniel would die and "rest" in the dust of the earth, a common biblical phrase for sleeping in the grave until the resurrection.“...and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”...This is the great future promise, which ties directly back to the resurrection mentioned in verse 2 where it is written that: multitudes who sleep... will awake)..."At the end of the days you will rise": This guarantees Daniel's participation in the first resurrection...It’s the moment when he will be awakened from his "sleep" in the grave to receive everlasting and eternal life..."To receive your allotted inheritance": This is the ultimate reward. "Inheritance" means the everlasting life, righteousness, and glory promised to all the faithful and wise who were delivered...For Daniel, it’s his specific, guaranteed share in God's eternal kingdom...
This helps us see the The Big Picture...What this means for us today is that our faithful work—like the diligence one shows at church or regular reading of the Bible, regular praying to the Father, and trying to practice Jesus' teachings—is not in vain, even if we don't fully understand every detail of the future...God is telling Daniel (and us): "Keep walking faithfully until your life's end, and I guarantee your reward."...It reassures us that even though the prophecy was sealed, Daniel’s personal salvation and final reward were perfectly secure, just as the inheritance of every one of God's faithful people is secure...
Let us pray that when this happens we will be wise and the condition of our heart pure...Let us respond to all this data, information, and evidence of God's Word by letting it burn away our own imperfections, leading to purity and genuine righteousness in our hearts...