Persecution and Judgment

Daniel 12 constitutes the final part of the vision that has spanned the last three chapters. Chapter 10 dealt with Daniel’s encounter with a heavenly messenger. Chapter 11 focused on the rise and fall of empires, and the coming of a king that foreshadows a great evil king coming at the end of all things. It also focused on the evil destruction that poured out on those who serve God and, how ultimately God will judge the wicked for what they have done. Chapter 12 presents the other side of the coin. In the same way that there is judgment for those who oppress the people of God, there is hope of deliverance and new life for those who persevere.

Deliverance Promised: vv. 12:1
Chapter 12 continues the vision from chapter 11. It is refers to a time of great tribulation at the end of time. In the same way that the wickedness of Antiochus Epiphanes was a foreshadowing a future lawless leader, in the same way the persecutions suffered, during that time and later by other believers, will be insignificant compared to what will come at the end. God promises that he will rescue those who he has chosen and whose name is written in his book.
It is important to note that this does not always mean deliverance from harm or from death. We all must face death.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” God’s deliverance does not exempt us from that fate toward which we all are headed. It means that evil will not have the final say in our life or in the world. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were about to be thrown in the fiery furnace, they acknowledged that one way or another God was going to deliver them from the power of Nebuchadnezzar. He would do it either by saving them from the fire or by calling them to be with him.
Because evil will not have the last word, because God promises to deliver us, and because this life is not all there is, this is why we need not fear evil. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus told his disciples: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Many of us do damage to our soul (through succumbing to sin), because we are trying to avoid damage or threats to our body. Jesus says, your body is not all that is of you. It is not even the most important part of you. One day you will get a new one, but you keep the same soul. Your soul is much more important. Do not be afraid of threats to your body. Trust your soul to God, and he will rescue you.

Resurrection Promised: vv. 12:2
A further dimension to this vision is the idea that those who have died will be rise again. Believers are promised a new life. Others are raised to everlasting contempt. There are at least two important things worth noting in this passage. First, it is worth emphasizing that the Bible teaches a bodily resurrection from the dead. The reason this is important is because if you ask people today what the hope of Christianity is, many would respond something like: “To go be with Jesus when we die.” or “To go to heaven when we die.” While that is true, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “to be absent from the body” is “to be at home with the Lord.” When we die, we will go to be with God in heaven, but that is not the end. The Bible teaches that when Christ returns, a great resurrection will occur.
The idea that our souls will be re-embodied is powerfully pictures in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17. As you read the passage, try to keep track of where the “dead in Christ” are:
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
When Jesus returns, he will bring with him those who have died, and when they get here, they will rise. It is a somewhat difficult picture to form in our mind, but it is a powerful promise that unites God’s whole story of redemption. When God created the world, he said, “It was good.” They world we live in today is still the good creation of a good God. It is good but fallen. God he promises to redeem it. The resurrection is proof that God loves what he has made and will restore everything that sin has scarred. Romans 8:19-21 says:
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Creation groans in expectation looking forward to be set free from the slavery it is in because of our sin. James 1:18 says: He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creation.” This verse shows that what God did for Christ in raising him from the dead, he will also do this for his whole creation.
Perhaps the finest presentation of the central the resurrection plays in God’s plan comes at the end of the Bible when God describes what happens at the end of time. Revelation 21:1-5 says: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
Notice that it says I make all things new; not I will make all new things. God will fix everything sin has broken. He will wipe away every tear. There will not be any more death or any weeping. This is because all those things have passed away.

Confusion Promised: vv. 12:3-13
It may seem like an odd heading to end the book on, but Daniel ends with a final word to the author. The author and the angel discuss when, and how long from now these things will occur. Several of the numbers given in the book are repeated (time, times, and half a time). Some new numbers ones are added: 1290 days…or is it 1335 days? There is a place to study these numbers and symbols, but as we have said, it is not here. I kind of agree with Daniel that who says in verse 8, “I could not understand.” To which the angel simply responds, “go your way.” Which I take to mean: live your life, and trust God. The theme that has run through the entire book comes back to the surface: despite appearances, God is in control. When we focus on trying to unravel the mystery, we start bickering and arguing and dividing. God will win, and he will reward his followers with new life. We are encouraged to persevere.
How long? A little while longer.
Jesus told his followers very specifically that they would not be able to guess it, and they should stop trying.
Matthew 24:36 says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” I have heard people argue that though they cannot know the day or hour, they can know the month and year.
That misses the point of this passage. In the ancient world, hour did not mean a period of 60 minutes. It referred to a season of time. Jesus says you are not going to know the day, and you are not going to know the season. So focus on God and focus on being ready. He promises to return when we least expect it. Our job is not to unravel a mystery that he promises we cannot. Our job is to be found at our post when he returns.