A COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11-12 A COMPARISON WITH DANIEL 8-9 Overall, Daniel 11-12 is a milder version of what happens during the appointed time of the end. Instead of the temple being destroyed in Daniel 8-9, it is only profaned in 11-12 by the setting up of an idol in the holy place (11:31; 12:11). The "abomination of desolation" is certainly a reference to the abomination of idols since the Hebrew word for abomination has this specialized meaning (2 Ch 15:8; 1 Ki 11:5,7; 2 Ki 23:13,24; Isa 66:3; Jer 7:30, 32:34; Ezk 20:7,8,30; Da 11:31, 12:11; Ho 9:10; Zec 9:7). Instead of destroying the Holy Land in 8:11 cf. Lk 21:23, the little horn only parcels out the Holy Land for sale (11:39). Instead of destroying the city in the scenario of 8-9, he only moves against it in 11:39. Earlier, he had been seen growing exceedingly great toward the south and toward the east (8:9). This too has been greatly softened (11:29,30). Most importantly, the people are illustrated to be more faithful in chapters 11-12 (11:32,33,35; 12:2,3,10) so that the Messianic kingdom and the resurrection of the righteous actually occurs with the advent of the Anointed One. In contrast, the outcome of the vision in chapters 8-9 is mysteriously silent and only the failure of the people to respond to the divine calling of 9:24 and of their rebellion is mentioned (8:12,23; 9:24-27). So instead of death and complete destruction coming as a flood in chapters 8-9, chapter 11 portrays an effort by the little horn to seduce the people by flatteries (11:30,32), where those who acknowledge him are made rulers over the Jewish people (11:39). In this version of the end, the regular sacrifices are abolished for the sole purpose of setting up and substituting in its place, the idol abomination. This is clear from 11:31 cf. 12:11. Because of the unanimous apostasy in Daniel 8-9, there was no need to impose idolatrous worship by an enemy prince. The possibility that time could be shortened and that this was God’s intent, was well expressed by the seemingly abbreviated vision of Daniel 8. And a closer look at the word translated "decreed" in Daniel 9:24 supports this interpretation, although not easily. The word occurs just this once in the Hebrew Bible. To ascertain its meaning, we are left to depend on post-Biblical Hebrew and early translations. If we do this, we find a perfect endorsement of our thesis. The common meanings are: "to determine," "to decree," "to cut," "to cut off." And in the range of early translations, LXX has krino, "to decide," "to judge," etc. Theodotion’s version has suntemno, "to shorten," "to abbreviate," etc. and this same meaning is reflected in the Vulgate reading abbreviare. (Taken from the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary on Daniel 9:24). We conclude that the vision of Daniel 8 adds major detail to the longer scenario and, at the same time, introduces, by subtle hints, the shorter variation: Daniel 11-12. While Jesus is recorded as giving both possibilities, the New Testament writers seem to have accepted only one: "He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth" (Romans 9:28 KJV). THE LITERARY STRUCTURE AND THEMATIC HEART OF DANIEL 11 The 11th chapter of Daniel records a revelation commonly thought to be shrouded in impenetrable mystery. Many wonder at, and even doubt, Daniel’s own claim that "he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision" (10:1). True, this text does not imply that Daniel understood all the details of the vision but it does demand that he did grasp the essence of the message. Unfortunately, the meaning of the whole vision, as Daniel saw it, is often lost sight of and obscured when we focus on the mass of in-depth details expressed in each verse. We must step back and look for the larger picture, just like we do when putting together a jig-saw puzzle. If we do this, it takes only a little analysis to recognize the over-all structure of the chapter. Daniel 11 notes the rise and fall of many kings that control the position of dominance. Witness this in verse 2,3,4,5,7,13,18,19,20,21. This rapid development seems to stop with the vile king introduced in verse 21. At this point something quite different happens. The events in the prophetic drama of Daniel 11:21-45, taken together, appear to refer to the actions of a single individual that continues in the narrative, without successor, to the end of time. This literary fact must be important and corresponds to another observation: This "power" parallels the little horn of Daniel 8. Before we exhibit this
parallel, let us recall that the little horn is referred to as a single entity. In the
angelic explanation of Daniel 8, this "power" is called "he" or
"his" thirteen times. In 9:26,27, he is called the "prince" who is to
come and the "one" who makes desolate. In addition, this little horn is
naturally represented as a single individual because he has human characteristics. He is
shrewd and deceitful, insolent and skilled in intrigue. We should not be surprised
therefore that Daniel 11 retains this same "man for little horn power"
representation. We now outline the entire career and life story of this tyrant prince.
THE "LAST" KING OF THE NORTH 9:26 The prince who is to come 8:23 A king will arise, insolent. 8:23 Skilled in intrigue.
8:25 And through his shrewdness he will cause
deceit to succeed by his influence. 8:25 He will destroy many while they are at
ease.
8:25 He will even oppose the Prince of Princes.
8:11 It removed the regular sacrifice from Him,
and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 9:26 The people of the prince will destroy.
8:10 The host and stars fall to the earth.
8:11 It even magnified itself equal with the
Commander of the host. 8:12 It will perform its will and prosper.
9:27 one who makes desolate, even until a
complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the desolate. 8:24 And his power will be mighty, but not by
his own power. 9:26 Even to the end there will be war; even
until a complete destruction. 8:24 And he will destroy to an extraordinary
degree. 8:25 He will be broken without human agency.
Ramifications The prophetic events in this scenario do not reach beyond the divided Grecian empire. We argue as follows: Daniel 11:4 refers to the kingdom of Greece being broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, i.e., north, west, east, and south. Clearly, these are the four fragment kingdoms of Greece mentioned in Daniel 8:22. Chapter 11 then continues the explanation and explicitly refers to the northern and southern kings in verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 25, 29, 40, and verse 40 refers to the end time. At that time the enemy prince, who is so clearly identified as the king of the north, brings great devastation to neighboring kingdoms. Since the prophecy appears as a continuous whole without any "gaps," and since grammar demands that the vile prince is a single individual, then our conclusion, as stated above, follows immediately from the rationale of our hermeneutic. All major schools of prophecy agree in their interpretation of the first 13 verses of Daniel 11. But starting with verse 14 great confusion results. We therefore examine the rest of this chapter from our perspective, labeled, Contextual Realism. 15 Then the king of the North will come, cast up a siege mound, and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. 16 But he who comes against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17 And he will set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be on his side. The identity of the king in verse 16: "He who comes against him" is the king of the north, the same "he" who came against the king of the south in verse 15 See the N.I.V. Verse 16 simply elaborates on the verse preceding it. After this king of the north stumbles and falls, to be found no more, a successor takes his place. He is shattered (11:20). The next king in that line (11:21) has no successor for he is the end-time enemy. He continues until the end of the chapter and is identified as the king of the north in verse 40, in perfect agreement with our interpretation of verse 16. We now return to the current king of the north. 18 Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him; moreover, he will repay him for his scorn. 19 So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more. A = Confrontation
between the king and commander at the coastlands. The text implies a chronological sequence A < B < C. 20 Then in his place one will arise who will send an oppressor through the Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be shattered, though neither in anger nor in battle. The Hebrew expression, "a few days" designates a very short time (Gen 27:44, 29:20). After this king is quickly taken out of the way, his successor in the next verse becomes the new king of the very same kingdom: the kingdom of the North! 21 And in his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue. This king is the little horn of Daniel 8. Note the parallel to 8:23: A king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue. And notice the small beginnings of the little horn (8:9 NIV). This despicable person, not in line to be king, comes to power from obscurity. 22 And the overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant. This verse presents a picture of a powerful army being overwhelmed and defeated by the superior forces of the despicable king of verse 21. This does not happen as soon as he comes to power, as is evident upon reading vss. 21,23-25, but it corresponds perfectly with what he does later in the 40th verse. Verse 22 is simply a parenthetical remark which tells us that the individual in verse 21 is the one that "will destroy to an extraordinary degree" (8:24) in a great flood of destruction and that he is the one who "will even oppose the Prince of princes" (8:25). Evidently the great Messianic Prince was to be shattered by a flood (9:26). The despicable king of the preceding verse is therefore specifically identified as the terrible little horn of the vision of Daniel 8. Note: this only confirms our suspicion, if not exegesis, that "he" (the great antichrist) has been formally and appropriately introduced. 23 And after an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. 24 In a time of tranquility he will enter the richest parts of the realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him. Recall Daniel 8:9 where the little horn starts out small then grows exceedingly great toward several directions, and that the southern direction is mentioned first. Now consider the parallel of this in 11:21-25 (skip 22). These verses describe more fully the beginnings of this horn: how he becomes king without lawful right to the throne, how he gains power through alliances and deception, how he takes advantage of the fact that it is a time of tranquility, how his small force of people become a large army, how he grows in strength and courage until he is ready to fight the king of the south. And notice how verse 25 is in perfect character with the little horn: His boldness and ambition leads him to stir up all his strength and courage against a more powerful opponent. The little horn has a "large army;" the king of the south has "an extremely large and mighty army." But through the cunning and shrewdness of the little horn, the king of the South is defeated because of schemes devised against him. The following two verses elaborate on this trickery. 26 And those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will overflow, but many will fall down slain. 27 As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time. 28 Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he shall work his will and return to his own land. 29 At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened, and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. Verse 28 brings our attention to the glorious victory of the little horn just accomplished by his first attack on the king of the south. This statement of fact is repeated for emphasis: "He will return to his land with much plunder" and "he shall work his will and return to his own land." We are also told that his heart becomes set against the holy covenant. The little horn’s second strike against the south is unlike the first. It proves unsuccessful. A fleet of ships from Kittim come against him. It is then clearly stated that because of this defeat and unexpected intervention by a power he could not overthrow, the tyrant prince becomes infuriated, retreats and vents his anger and rage against that which his heart opposed — the holy covenant. 32 And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 33 And those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, for many days. 34 Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. 35 And 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. 36 Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. 37 And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. 38 But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and treasures. 39 And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price. In Daniel 8, the angel Gabriel mentions that the little horn "will destroy to an extraordinary degree" (8:24). In Daniel 9, he tells us what follows the destruction of Jerusalem: "Even to the end (of the world), there will be war; desolations are determined" (9:26). The next verse repeated this by Hebrew parallelism: "there will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction" (9:27). Since Daniel 8 and 9 focus on the seventy weeks, this great war was only alluded to. The angel now elaborates.
The Great War 40 And at the end of time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them, and pass through. 41 He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand; Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. 44 But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. The time of the end (verse 40) is said to come at the appointed time (8:19; 11:27,35). The appointed time refers to the terminus of the seventy weeks (9:24). Since the seventy weeks applies to the Jews, anything after this time should refer to the Gentiles. We see this here! The Jewish emphasis shifts to a more global view in verse 40. The tribulation now falls upon the world. 12:1 Now, at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress, such as never occurred since there was a nation, until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. "Now," "at that time;" until "that time;" and "at that time," is when "he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain." (History’s last event)! The great time of distress which continues until "that time" begins with the persecution in verse 33 and quickly escalates into the great war (verses 40-45). Final events were to develop rapidly. Jesus said, "When you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place," (verse 31) then flee to the mountains "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall" (Mt 24:15,21). So our exegesis is confirmed by paraphrase!
The identity of Michael is not explicitly given. He is only said to be "one of the chief princes" (10:13), one who did not dare pronounce against Satan a railing accusation (Jude 9). True, both Christ and Michael have said to Satan, "the Lord rebuke you" (Zech 3:2, Jude 9) and Christ and the archangel are rivals to Satan (Rev 12:7) but this does not prove that Michael is Christ nor does such an equivalence follow from 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It may be suggested. The standing up of Michael seems to be the act of God Himself. Scripture says: "The Lord arises to contend, and stands to judge the people" (Isaiah 3:13). "Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment to save all the humble of the earth" (Ps 76:8,9). All the humble, "everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3. And those who have insight will shine brightly like brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase. Notice here that both the righteous and the wicked were to come up in one resurrection. Such a scenario was to occur at the judgment on "the last day" (John 5:25-29, 6:39,40,44,54, 11:24, cf. 12:48; Acts 17:31 cf. 24:15), but this detail has been changed because of the introduction of the millennial reign in heaven. There are now two resurrections separated by a thousand years (Rev 20:5,6). 5 Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river, and the other on that bank of the river. 6 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 And 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. What are the wonders? Daniel was impressed with the wonders of the great war (10:1 NIV). These wonders last for 3 & 1/2 periods of time (verse 7). "And as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events," including the greater wonders of verses 1-3, "will be completed." This period of tribulation is the most significant literary connection between Daniel 11 and the fourth beast. The trampling by the fourth beast and the 3 & 1/2 year tribulation of Daniel 7 are here compacted and made to run together — to be fulfilled by the vile prince. Still, the dominion of the wicked power lasts right up until the judgment and, in both scenarios, the saints are vindicated by an examination of the books of heaven. This expresses the thought that Daniel 11 is an abbreviated version of the longer scenario of Daniel 2 and 7. 8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, My lord, what will be the outcome of these events? 9 And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 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. What will be the outcome of these events? The outcome is what follows the wonders of the great war and these last events are awesome: We have an investigation of the book of life (12:1); the resurrection (12:2); the deliverance and perfection of the saints (12:3,10); the running to and fro of those who lead the many to righteousness (11:33; 12:3-4); an increase of knowledge (12:4,10) and the unsealing of Daniel’s book (12:4). 11 And from the time that the continual sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days! 12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1335 days! 13 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. 1290 literal days after the time the daily sacrifices of the temple in Jerusalem were to be suspended were to reach to the end of the wonders. 45 more days were to transpire till the blessed event which is not identified. My guess is that it refers to the blessed hope of the New Testament — the second coming of Christ. The conclusion that Daniel contains two different versions of the end appears inescapable. This paradox is the root of the most fundamentally disputed points among students of prophecy, i.e., Does the book of Daniel describe the world as ending during the time of the divided Grecian kingdom (preterist) or at the end of the divided Roman Empire (historicist)? If you are familiar with both of these schools of prophetic interpretation, you might have noticed that the strongest arguments in support of the preterist view depend on chapters 8 and 11, and that the strongest arguments in support of the historicist position rest upon chapters 2 and 7. It is unfortunate that both of these schools ignore the rationale of the other! The rivalry prevents them from seeing the single thesis which unifies the incontrovertible facts and explanations as correctly held by each of the established schools of prophetic interpretation: preterist, historicist, idealist, and futurist.
The Author | The Seven Faces of Seventh-day Adventism | Christian Court Have
a question or comment?
|