Daniel chapter 12, verses 3-13. Notes I used to lead Bible Study

Those who have insight will shine

I have so many thoughts running through my head on this subject. Let's break it down in simple terms. Why do some of us get what is going on around us, while others, still espousing the same old worn out rhetoric, say, we have been looking for Christ for over 2500 years and he hasn't come back, so stop talking about His soon return. My own pastor told me that prophetic teaching about end times are peripherals and apparently we shouldn't waste any time on teaching about what is coming. Others, just will not get understand, they don't want to. And yet, there are those words - "Those who have insight will shine.

What did Daniel learn?

Daniel 12:3 NASB "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Is God being selective about whom he allows to understand, or is it that he only accepts the wise? I don't believe either is the case, but he certainly knew who would demonstrate the desire to understand and not call the tumult going on around us which is so definitely aligned with scripture, mere peripherals, and not worthy of our time.

The book of Daniel is considered an apocalyptic book due to the imagery; imagery that would make no sense, in some cases, for thousands of years.

There is, however, a massive clue that we should never lose sight of, and that is the fact that Daniel was meant for a Jewish understanding, as is the Revelation written by John. The major impact seen in Daniel has to do with a region heavily influenced by the Persian and Assyrian empires, and how the descendants of those people are to be the major players in the end times. Sure, there are others wishing to play a role; we see them under the guise of the beast of Babylon; but know this, their end will come. Keep in mind, that without Ishmael and the descendants of Noah, there would be no other players in this end game.

• “Those who have insight..”

The phrase, those who have is the Greek word sakal and means to act wisely. "To act wisely" has many implications. 

The word insight is also the word sakal; having been declared twice, therefore implies a special emphasis or importance to the Jewish mind. Alternate words are comprehend, consider, and discern.

One might say that those who have insight and instruct will shine brightly, or, Those who are prudent or behave themselves wisely, will comprehend.

• “ those who lead the many to righteousness”

The word lead can be read as: lead to righteousness. We do that through the act of appropriate teaching. Sadly, I find appropriate teaching to be rare anymore.

The prophet Micah spoke of teaching.

Micah 4:1-2 NASB And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it. 2) Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The KJV of Daniel 12:3 substantiates this idea of teaching,

“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.”

It matters not which translation you use, the theme is the same.

The“they” we see in the KJV are the learned in the ways of God; those wise in the word; the skillful in or with the word, OR, it could merely be the obedient that will turn many to righteousness. Effectively, this will be the Jews.

• “and they that turn many to righteousness”

The problem is that God wanted this from Israel the entire time.

The prophet Jeremiah tells us that Israel's teachers did not listen to God and therefore Israel turned their backs on Him.

Jeremiah 23:21-22 NASB "I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. 22) "But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.

But the day is coming when Israel will take the teaching lead God longed for.

Zechariah 8:23 AMPC+ Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the robe of him who is a Jew, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

Common sense and scripture tell you that these are Jews who are doing the teaching.

2 Corinthians 3:16 KJV Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. ("It" referenced here is the nation of Israel.)

And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth

Isaiah 25:7-8 NASB And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. 8) He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

Note that these “turn many to righteousness..” This should be markedly easier as God lifts the veil off of, not only Israel but the nations as well.

What time frame are we talking about?

My immediate response was the Millennial reign, however, I have come to understand that that is incorrect. Daniel 11:33-35 NASB gives us a bit more insight when it says, "Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

Daniel 11:33-35 parallels Daniel 12:10, but we will get into that momentarily.

Since dying during the Millennial reign for the follower of Messiah is a non-issue, why would Daniel 11:35 play a role in our thinking? It shouldn't, therefore, this refining and purging are happening during the time of wrath, and that is exactly the purpose of the seven years.

Why is this even an issue?

Because we do not believe that God has his hand in everything, whether good or evil; it's an issue because we can't handle that an uncountable number continue to come to Him, and, it is an issue because shows mercy to uncountable numbers by the methods he chooses, calling all those who come His own.

Daniel 12:4 KJV 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.

Daniel is told to shut up the words, and seal the book; why?

Daniel 8:25-26 KJV And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. 26) And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

The words that Daniel received applied to the distant future and would make no sense until those nations arose; nations whose national emblems, in many cases, match the apocalyptic imagery Daniel saw. And, there is the introduction of a demonically driven killing machine, passing itself off as a religious ideology, unlike all others would arise in 640 AD called Islam.

As I sat in church one recent Sunday morning, I had a thought triggered by the Pastor's excursion into the book of Colossians chapter one; the point, spelled out in the first chapter, is our hope defined in our relationship with the Father.

The angel Michael tells Daniel to go on his way for the prophecy/mystery/understanding has been sealed until the end of time. What then is, or was the end of time?

Since Daniel had previously been told that there would be seventy weeks of years until the Messiah would come as expected, and, we know that the 69^th week has come and gone, could we then say, that the end has come?

What if we added Joel 2 into the mix?

The prophet Joel tells us that in the last days that God will pour out His spirit on all flesh. Since Peter, on the day of Pentecost, declared this prophecy (at least this aspect) fulfilled, and, we have had momentary glimpses of His spirit being poured out, then are we in the last days?

The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Colossae, said, in chapter 1:26, that the mystery is now revealed to His saints. I get it, there is always a context and it seems to apply to the riches of glory now made known and available to the Gentiles. But, aren't the riches of glory the hope that we long for?

Sure, much of our hope applies to our life in and with the Father, but, doesn't having an understanding of how we get there and what the path that leads to eternity looks like, play a role in understanding this hope? 
How do you hope for something you don't understand? Good question, but that theme alone played a major role in lives of our fathers. An example:

Hebrews 11:8 NASB By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

But we have a road map to help us with our understanding, don't we?

Unlike Daniel and all the saints who passed on before say 1948, we who are in Christ have the road-map (prophecy.)

Matthew 24:32 NASB "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;”

This is Israel being talked about and the process began when Israel became a nation in 1948. If I apply this thinking to the book of Daniel, virtually every chapter is an aspect of that road map. The disciples had asked specific questions and one of them was, what would be the signs indicating His return. The “parable” of the fig tree was an aspect of Jesus' answer.

Allow me to add that, we are not in the dark and as disciples ourselves, it is given to us to know. We have no excuses. You can find these references in Luke 8:10; Matthew 13:11, and Mark 4:11-12.

Daniel 12:9 KJV And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Apparently, God did not wish for this information to be understood until the end. Considering that some of us are finally getting an understanding, then perhaps we are here.

If I could use only one clue it would be the fig tree.

Matthew 24:32-34 NASB "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33) so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34) "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

• • many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."
    Whether this means people will be able to move around quickly in airplanes, or it applies to those who pursue varied sources of knowledge, I am not sure.
    
    

    knowledge. An alternate reading suggests "calamities" or "wickedness" shall be increased, a reading supported by the LXX. The difference arises from the very slight difference between the Hebrew letters for "d" and "r," daleth and resh, which are often confused, in Hebrew a change from hadda’ath to hara’oth, as discussed in the CB margin. If the alternative readings "apostatize" and "wickedness" are correct, this passage becomes strikingly similar to the New Testament prophecies of Paul (**2Th_2:3; **2Th_2:7, 1Ti_4:1, 2Ti_3:1-5), "except there come a falling away first" (2Th_2:3) and "And then shall that Wicked be revealed" (2Th_2:8). The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury

    
    
    While I am not able to see where this idea of calamities or wickedness comes from, I do see this subtlety in the Strong's concordance.
    
    

    dah'-ath From H3045; knowledge: - cunning, [ig-] norantly, know(-ledge), [un-] awares (wittingly).

    
    
    The idea of an ignorant cunning or knowledge unawares is disturbing, to say the least. The prophet Amos, it seems, upholds this idea when he says, they will go, … but they will not find it (this knowledge.)

Amos 8:11-12 NASB "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. 12) "People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.

The annoying aspect of this is that many will say Amen to the passage, refusing to hear the negative side of its connotations, and continue to preach falsely: the character of God; fail to demonstrate His nature; refuse to show people His never ending mercy, and befuddling the truth by valuing tradition rather than the Word of God.

Daniel 12:5-6 CJB “Then I, Dani'el, looked; and I saw in front of me two others, one on this bank of the river and the other on its other bank. 6) One of them asked the man dressed in linen who was above the water of the river, "How long will these wonders last?"

• “the man dressed in linen who was above the water of the river”

This is the same description that we saw in Daniel 10:5.

Daniel 10:5 AMPC+ I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz.

The question asked was, “How long will these wonders last?”

Wonders is the Hebrew word pele and can also mean extraordinary things. Except for Lamentations 1:9, this term always appears in the context of God's words or deeds. It is used of God's actions among His people

Daniel 12:7 AMPC+ And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right and his left hand toward the heavens and swore by Him Who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half a time [or three and one-half years]; and when they have made an end of shattering and crushing the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

The short answer is three and one-half years.

What does this time period apply to? “when they have made an end of shattering and crushing the power of the holy people”

“They” are the followers of the Antichrist. The specific time involved is the last period of time 1260 into the seven years of God's wrath.

What do “they” do? Crush and shatter the power of the holy people. (The Jews)

The Word Study Dictionary explains the word power this way, “Literally, it implies the hand of a human being and occasionally the wrist. Metaphorically, it signifies strength or power.

What is it, an all inclusive destruction, or merely a handful?

Deuteronomy 32:36 NASB "For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.

Daniel 12:8-9 NASB As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?" 9) He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.

What events would Michael be talking about, especially since the things Daniel has been shown cover a vast expanse of time?

The context has more to do with Daniel 12:6,7.

Daniel 12:6-7 NASB And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?" 7) I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

Daniel asks, once again, for understanding, but the answer is disappointing, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.”

Daniel receives just a little more information.

Daniel 12:10 NASB "Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

• “ Many will be purged, purified and refined”

Purged is the Hebrew bārûr: A verb signifying to purify, or select.

I can see where those who struggle with the concept of predestination could struggle with this also. How do you know if you have been excluded from knowledge unless you try?

Again, I need to remind you that this is applicable to the time of judgment coming upon the world.

If that is exclusively the case, then what about what Peter wrote to the early church?

1 Peter 1:6-7 NASB In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7) so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

I will just say that the church is under a mandate to endure tribulations, which are an ongoing process of our life in Christ. I believe this happens because we are in Him, and therefore the target of the enemies attempts at the destruction of God.

Continuing on with Daniel 12:10 -

Purified - laben; a prim. root; to be white: - become white.

Revelation 3:18 NASB I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

And refined ṣārap̱: A verb meaning to refine, to test. This word describes the purifying process of a refiner, who heats metal, takes away the dross, and is left with a pure substance.

Being refined is a concept that the believer should be familiar with.

Job 7:17-18 NASB "What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him, 18) That You examine him every morning And try him every moment?

And in the Revelation we find this:

Revelation 3:10 NASB 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

• “ but the wicked will act wickedly..”

Wicked rāšā‛: An adjective meaning wicked, guilty, in the wrong, criminal, transgressor.

Will act wickedly rāša‛: A verb meaning to be in the wrong, to be guilty, to be wicked, to do wickedly, to condemn.

So, the wicked or guilty will continue to be guilty. Why is that?

• Because the time of purification is still active (the reference is still within the seven-years.) That means that Satan and a sin nature are still permeating people.

• And, people still have the right to choose how they will act.

Haven't we come to understand that God is merciful and does not want any to perish? True enough, but God also does all these things without subverting anyone's will, or freedom of choice.

• “ but those who have insight will understand”

Jesus told his own disciples that “it had been granted to them to understand the parables.” I desired to understand, always have, and finally, understanding came. Does this mean I have insight? Apparently, one promotes and works with the other.

Daniel 12:11 NASB "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

We understand that this will take place 1,290 days into the time of wrath and judgment. Since we now know that there are 1,290 days more, then those who are enduring the time of wrath still have at least 1,290 more days. A full seven years. But wait.

Daniel 12:12 NASB "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!

There are an additional 45 days added on to the end of the time of wrath. We have no direct explanation of this 45 days, however, there is a variable and that would be when Christ comes back, touches down on the Mount Of Olives, wages war with those who would fight against Him, and sets up the Millennial kingdom.

It seems as if God could do all these things with a breath, but apparently not in this case.

Daniel 12:13 NASB "But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age."

Once again Daniel is told to go his way. Perhaps this is another way of telling him to live out his life as none of this applies to him.

While the Jewish mind has no concept of the church or it's snatching away, Daniel is told that he will enter into rest and rise again for his allotted portion at the end of the age. This aspect is the synopsis for the hope that we long for.

When in the chronology of time does Daniel arise?