Daniel 12

Daniel 12:1 ""At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the
sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is
found written in the book.""

Daniel was told that the king of the North would come to his end and then Michael would stand
up. As stated in the last chapter Augustus died in 14 AD, the reign of Augustus setup the Roman
Empire for the next fourteen centuries, succeeding Caesar’s took the name and titles of
Augustus Caesar. The Holy Roman Empire officially came to its end in 1453 AD when
Constantinople was taken by the Turks. However the king of the North came to his end in the
holy land in 1291 AD when the last Roman province of Acre was taken. Michael, the Arch angel,
is described as being the great prince who stands watch over the sons of Daniel's people. The
sons of Daniel's people are the sons of the remnant of Israel who had returned from the
Babylonian exile. In the time of Saladin the remnant of Daniel's people was the tribe of Judah.
The time of trouble began with the European crusades into the holy land. Daniel is told that his
people, the remnant of Israel, would be delivered during this time of trouble. Saladin died in
1193 AD, but before he died he made a peace treaty with King Richard the Lionheart. As a
result of this treaty many of the Jews returned to Jerusalem. The Palestinians were also able to
return to their home land.

Daniel 12:2-4 ""And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like
the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars
forever and ever. 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.""

This prophecy tells Daniel that ‘many’ of his people would be resurrected during this time of
trouble. This tells me that this is the first resurrection of the one hundred and forty-four
thousand children of Israel, as described in the Revelation. In this resurrection only ‘many’
would awake as opposed to the end of days when all the dead will hear His voice and come
forth from their graves, (John 5:28-29, Revelation 20:1-15). In Daniel’s resurrection we are told
that some would not be saved in fact they would be shamed and receive everlasting contempt.

The SDA theology on the other hand tells us that the first resurrection hasn’t happened as yet
and that it is only for the good or just, then the millennium starts and is followed by the
resurrection of the evil dead at the end of the thousand years. But nowhere in the Bible does it
state that there is a thousand years between the resurrection of the good and the dead. What
we do have is a thousand years between the first resurrection and the second resurrection, and
SDA theologians have assumed that one is for the good and the other is for bad even though in
Matthew in particular we are told that both the wheat and tares will grow together until the
harvest.
Even though the Crusaders and Muslims were killing each other they both have promoted
religion and the knowledge of God did increase throughout the known world from the end of
the dark ages and onwards. Missionaries ran to and fro across the known world spreading the
good news requesting that people repent and worship the one and only true God. It was about
1454 AD when the Gutenberg press was invented that Bibles began to be available to the
common people for the first time which enabled many to read the true word of God and thus
their knowledge of God did increase.

Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the
waters cover the sea.”

Daniel 12:5-7 "Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the
other on that riverbank. And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of
the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" Then I heard the man clothed in
linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to
heaven and swore by him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time;
and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be
finished."

Once again we have the time period - a time, times and half a time. This period of time is the
same 1260 years as mentioned earlier in Daniel 7:25, (31 - 1291 AD). This time period is also
mentioned in Revelation 11:2, ".... the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for
forty-two months." So we have a time period stretching from the end of Augustus’ reign and
the coming of the Messiah to the end of the dark ages. Trouble started in Jerusalem when the
Muslims took over Judea and neighboring countries, but these people where descendants of
Abraham and heirs to the promise. The real trouble started when The Holy Roman Empire
began ‘holy’ crusades into the holy land. The first crusade into the holy land was started by
Pope Urban II in 1095 AD. The last crusade ended with the defeat of the province of Acre in
1291 AD, and ended almost two hundred years of ‘holy’ crusades.

In the middle of the thirteenth century the infamous Genghis Khan ravaged the holy land. Israel
was impoverished and the land became desolate again. The holy people would have been
completely shattered as Saladin had only just freed them from the grip of the Crusaders
allowing them to return to their home land.

Daniel 12:8-10 "Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the
end of these things?" And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed
till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do
wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.""

Daniel is told that the words are sealed up until the time of the end. The time of the end for the
Israelites started with the coming of the Messiah and the introduction of the new covenant.
Daniel was told that many of his people would be saved, but many would not.
Daniel 12:11 ""And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of
desolation is setup there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.""

Here I would like to introduce the SDA theology. Most preachers on the subject tend to leave
out the first part of this verse, ‘And from the time the that the daily sacrifice is taken away.’
They instead start their theology by stating that the 1260 year time period ended in 1798; then
they subtract the 1290 years from 1798 and they get 508 AD.

“They evidently felt justified in making this shift because they had no fixed event for the
beginning date of the 1335 years, which had rather been figured back from “1843” to
approximately A.D. 508.”
{VII Closing Section of Daniel 11; Periods of chapter 12, SDA Bible Commentary, 2005}

The start date for this prophecy is clearly stated in verse 11 as it was in Daniel chapter 8, I do
not know why SDA theologians dismiss the importance of these few words.

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away ….”

According to SDA theology, Clovis the first king of France took away paganism in 508 BC.
However in Daniel 8 the ‘daily’ that was taken away was supposedly paganism as well. So why
didn’t they start this prophecy at the same date of 457 BC? These two prophecies should be
started at the same date because they both describe the same event. Rome took away the daily
sacrifice of the Jews in 66 AD and they destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.

“Daniel’s book closes with the mention of two prophetic periods – the 1290 days and the 1335
days. Verses 11 and 12. The 1290 days or years might well have begun with the alliance of the
church and state under King Clovis of France in 508. From that important event the time period
would reach to the time of the end, 1798. The 1335 days, being an addition of 45 days or years,
could bring us to 1843, when the great advent awakening reached its height.”
{Unfolding Daniel’s Prophecies, Roy Allan Anderson, page 179}

Roy Allan Anderson doesn’t seem convinced either as he uses the terms, ‘might’ and ‘could.’
What has a king of the Franks got to do with the Israelites anyway? Nothing! He’s not even
associated directly with the papacy which is surprising when considering previous SDA
theology. According to historical accounts Clovis instigated the first council of Orleans which
was a gathering of all the Gallic bishops to reform the church and to create a strong link
between the church and the state, but this happened in 511 not 508. According to SDA
theology Clovis is seen as defeating paganism through his defeat of the Vandals in 508, but by
this time paganism had infiltrated the very roots of the papacy and it was there to stay. Clovis
didn’t defeat paganism at all, perhaps in his own life he may have. History does tell us that the
Roman emperor Anastasius I recognized Clovis as being the king of Gaul in 508 and Clovis may
have been baptized at Christmas in 508. Clovis was the first Germanic king to convert to
Catholicism and paved the way for Catholicism to flourish throughout Europe, but what has
that to do with Daniel and his people the Jews? Nothing.
Now here’s the main problem with the SDA theology; the ‘daily’ that is taken away here is the
same ‘daily’ that was taken away in Daniel 8. The Miller solution then was to start Daniel 8 on
the same start date as Daniel 9, 457 BC. Do the SDA theologians start this prophecy on the
same date? No! Secondly, we have ‘the abomination of desolation,’ being setup. Logically SDA
theology must identify this abomination as the papacy and that it represents the ‘transgression
of desolation’ from Daniel 8.

“The daily has already been shown to be, not the daily sacrifice of the Jews, but the daily or
continual abomination, that is, paganism.”
(Daniel and the Revelation, chapter 12, Closing Scenes, Uriah Smith, page 341}

The abominations of the Jews caused the desolation of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Abominations in
this case refer to the continual sinning of God’s people. All through the Old Testament we have
the evidence that the Israelites continually sinned against the holy covenant. Just looking up the
word ‘abomination’ we get 72 occurrences and the word ‘abominations’ we get 74 occurrences
in the Old Testament KJV. That’s 146 occurrences of the word from which we can get an
understanding of what it would have meant to Daniel.

God dislikes sacrifices and the Israelites were offering enormous amounts each and every day.
That is why God desired to reprove His people and why he decided to take away the daily
sacrifices.

Isaiah 1:11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am
full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.”

The majority of the Jews did not receive the Savior or the new covenant so God had to devise a
way to take away the daily sacrifice spiritually and physically from the lives of His people.

The abominations of the Israelites are defined in the Old Testament in the books of Leviticus
and Deuteronomy, in particular, and on most occasions they are defined as something done
against the covenant; be it false worship, idolatry, eating unclean animals or anything done
against the word of God.

Ezekiel 16:48-50 “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her
daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister
Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters,
neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and
committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.”

Deuteronomy 18:12 “For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and
because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
Christ identified the ‘abomination of desolation’ as the Roman army standing outside
Jerusalem. The historical event which most closely followed Christ’s resurrection was the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD when the Roman army stood outside the walls of Jerusalem
and fulfilled this prophecy. To then apply these terms to the papacy is frankly spitting in the
face of Christ, but that is exactly what Uriah Smith and many other SDA theologians/preachers
do.

“The "daily" desolation was paganism, the "abomination of desolation" is the papacy. But it
may be asked how this can be the papacy; since Christ spoke of it in connection with the
destruction of Jerusalem. And the answer is, Christ evidently referred to the ninth of Daniel,
which is a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, and not to this verse of chapter 11, which
does not refer to that event.”
{Daniel and the Revelation, chapter 11, Uriah Smith, page 283}

Uriah says that Christ is mistaken and really meant for the ‘abomination of desolation’ to be
found in Daniel chapter 9, but there is no ‘abomination of desolation’ in chapter 9. If Christ says
that this ‘abomination of desolation’ as spoken of by Daniel the prophet in Chapter 12 is an
army standing outside Jerusalem, then shouldn’t we believe Him over a mere mortal. In Daniel
11:31 it was Antiochus IV and his army standing outside Jerusalem which fulfilled that
‘abomination of desolation.’ Christ then applies the same term to a future event which would
happen after His resurrection. What event was as similar as that applied to Antiochus? It has to
be the Roman army standing outside Jerusalem and the destruction that followed in 70 AD.

A Jewish prophetic year equals 360 days and a Jewish month equals 30 days. So here we have 3
Jewish years and 7 Jewish months. The daily sacrifices were taken away physically when the
Romans stopped the daily sacrifice by force c.66 AD. The previously mentioned "time, time, and
half a time," equals 1260 years of prophecy, therefore, it is more likely that this prophecy is
referring to years and not literal days as well. However if the prophetic periods are literal days
then the evidence from history should be clearly there to see.

According to the historical accounts of Josephus in 66 AD the governor of Judea Gessius Florus
demanded funds from the temple treasury and the daily sacrifices were suspended and then
stopped by the Israelites because they refused to make a sacrifice for the Roman Emperor. An
army led by Cestius was then led against Jerusalem but for some reason they stopped near the
temple and then retreated. Many Romans were then killed in the retreat and the Jewish Zealots
took control of Masada and Jerusalem. Then in 67 AD Vespasian led another army against
Jerusalem but Nero died and Vespasian returned home to be crowned emperor. Finally Titus
Vespasian’s son led a huge army against Jerusalem in 70 AD and sacked the city. Some of the
rebels had fled to Masada and the last seige ended in 73 AD with the suicide of all the rebels at
Masada.

The daily sacrifice was taken away by the temple priests in May 66 AD. Vespasian leads an army
against Jerusalem in February 67 AD; this date marks the official start of the war with
Jerusalem. Galilee is taken by October 67 AD. Jerusalem was besieged on the 14 th of April and
the city finally fell in August, 70 AD. The last rebels committed suicide in Masada on the 15 th
April 73 AD.

Daniel 12:11 ""And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of
desolation is setup there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.""

May 66 AD + 1290 literal days = December 70 AD

The daily sacrifice was taken away by the priests in May 66 AD. The city finally fell to Rome in
August 70 AD not December. This means the prophecy cannot be referring to literal days.

Therefore as with previous prophecy in Daniel they must refer to years;

70 + 1290 years = 1360

I believe that Michael stood up to protect the holy land and Daniel's people in 1360 AD.

Daniel 12:1 "At that time Michael shall stand up, ...."

Daniel 12:12-13 ""Blessed is he who waits and comes to the one thousand three hundred and
thirty-five days. But you go your way till the end for you shall rest and will arise to your
inheritance at the end of the days.""

This verse is the catalyst for Miller’s theology and the second coming of Christ. He started with
1798 because that was the end of the 1260 years of the papacy and then he just added the
difference between the 1290 days and the 1335 days which is 45 years. 1798 + 45 = 1843.

These words should be interpreted as referring to a resurrection of some kind, because we are
told, "Blessed is he who waits and comes ...." And Daniel is also told, "".... go your way till the
end for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days."" Numerous
theologians/Christian historians have concluded the same and have tried to account for the
time period mentioned here and have come up with various dates for the resurrection and
coming of Christ, but few if any get it right.

The "end of the days," is referring to the end of the 1335 days. Daniel is told that he would arise
to his inheritance at the end of them. Some theologians like tell us that this is not a
resurrection, but some great event that occurred in 1843, but that is a mistake.

Daniel was a prophet of God; he had no deceit and was without fault before God. Daniel was
one of the 144,000 Israelites, (Revelation 7:3-4, 14:4-5).

Again we use the starting date of 70 AD when the ‘daily’ was literally taken away by Rome.

70 + 1335 = 1405
I believe that the first resurrection of ‘many,’ the one hundred and forty-four thousand
Israelites was c.1405 AD.

Daniel was specifically told that this is when his people would be delivered and this is the same
event described in Revelation 14:1.

Revelation 14:1 "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one
hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads."

Revelation 20:4-6 “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to
them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for
the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark
on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand
years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over
such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with Him a thousand years.”

SDA theologians think this is a future event because they believe we are spiritual Israel, but if
this prophecy was meant for everyone the prophecy would have stated it so like in the
Revelation.

Revelation 7:5-8 “And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-
four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed, of the tribe of Judah twelve
thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Gad
twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of
Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were
sealed, of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Zebulun twelve
thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of
Banjamin twelve thousand were sealed.”

This is the sealing of the 144,000 Israelites preparing for the first resurrection. Because they
were the only ones sealed they are the only ones capable of being resurrected in the first
resurrection.

Revelation 7:9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could
number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.”

The great multitude represents the people from all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues. The
Israelites that weren’t resurrected in the first resurrection are included in the second.
Revelation 7:13-14 “Then one of the elders answered , saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in
white robes, and where did they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to
me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.""

The great tribulation has to be the two world wars especially World War II when millions of
Jews were put to death. And notice they all washed their robes in the blood of the Christ. This
implies that they are all Christians. This is the second resurrection.

Matthew 25:31-34 “”When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him,
then He will sit on the throne of His glory.””

These are the recorded words of Jesus Himself and they tell us that when He came with all His
angels it was the start of His thousand year reign. I believe that this event happened c.1405 AD.

So what does this mean for us today? It means that the end of the millennium will be c.2405
AD. This is when Satan will be released to deceive the nations again. To some it may seem like a
long way off, but this date ties in extremely well with my dating for the cleansing of the
sanctuary in Daniel 8 of 2370 AD.