Daniel 12 is a continuation of Daniel 11 in which Daniel receives a prophecy of future events for Israel from an angel, perhaps Gabriel. The prophecy is given to Daniel in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia. It includes details regarding four future kings of Persia and then the kingdom of Greece, which would eventually defeat the Persian Empire.
DANIEL 11-12
Particular details are given regarding the evil Greek king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the precursor to the Antichrist. In Daniel 11:31, we see Antiochus commit the first abomination of desolation in a Jewish temple. “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.”
The reference to “the time of the end” in Daniel 11:35 indicates there has been a jump into the future from the time of Antiochus. The chronological gap between Antiochus (vs. 21-34) and the end time (vs. 36-45) was common in the Old Testament. Many prophecies concerning the first and second coming of Christ, though presented together, were separated by thousands of years in their fulfillment.
Starting with Daniel 11:36, the prophecy has shifted from Antiochus to the Antichrist. The timing for vs. 36 is the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week (Daniel 9:27), at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (see Matthew 24:21). Daniel also writes about this in chapter 9. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).
We’re now discussing the man of whom Antiochus Epiphanes is our clearest model, the Antichrist, called ‘the king’ here. Notice the similarity between Daniel 11:36 (“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god”) and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (“And that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God”).
Daniel and Revelation are the two bookends of the end times. We see the Antichrist’s death in Daniel 11:45. However, in Revelation 13:3, we see his “deadly wound” is healed. This is the A.C.’s imitation of Christ’s resurrection. Daniel 12:1-2 follows chronologically after the events of Daniel 11:45. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Daniel 12:5-13 is a vision Daniel experienced that included three’ persons.’ Two were angels, and the third was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ (the man clothed in linen). Daniel had a conversation with these ‘persons’ regarding the end times. First, one angel asked the man in linen, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” The man in linen said, “It shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” This is an antiquated way of saying 3.5 years. Daniel was confused, so he repeated the question to the man in linen.
The Lord said, “Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go your way till the end be: for you shall rest, and stand in your lot at the end of the days” (Revelation 12:9-13).
The Lord even articulated the exact duration of the 3.5 years in days. We know from Daniel 12:11 that there will be 1,290 days from the Abomination of Desolation (mid-Tribulation) until the end of Daniel’s 70th week (of Daniel 9:24-27). We also know from Daniel 12:12 that something significant will occur on the 1335th day after the A.O.D. “Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”
At the end of the 70th week of Daniel, the true King of Kings and LORD of Lords, Jesus Christ, will return as the “Man of War” (see A Man of War: The Lord is His Name (rev310.net)) and destroy the Antichrist, false prophet, and their evil forces, as described in Revelation 19:11-21. “These two were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:21).
REVELATION 20
In Revelation 20:1-6, we see the final events of Daniel’s 70th week. These events should occur within the 45 days between the 1,290th and 1,335th day of Daniel 12:11-12 or shortly afterward. The first event mentioned is recorded in Revelation 20:1-3. An angel comes down from heaven with a great chain in his hand. He lays his hands on Satan and binds him with the chain. He places a seal on him and casts him into the bottomless pit so that he should no longer be able to deceive the ‘nations’ (sometimes this word is translated as Gentiles) until a thousand years are fulfilled. After that, he will be loosed for a ‘little season.’
The last event to be mentioned within the 45 days is the resurrection of the Tribulation saints/martyrs who were “beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” These 1,000 years with the saints reigning with Christ is known as the Millennial Kingdom.
Also, at the start of the Millennial Kingdom, Old Testament Jewish saints will be resurrected according to Daniel 12:2a, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life…” All of this is part of the first resurrection. The pre-Tribulation Rapture is also part of this first resurrection.
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). Likewise, the second part of Daniel 12:2 says, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake… to shame and everlasting contempt.” These include the unrighteous unbelievers from all ages. This is the second resurrection. “Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on 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” (Revelation 12:6).
The rest of Revelation 20 (7-15) is a parenthetical insert John used to carry his discussion on the destinies of Satan and the unsaved to its ultimate conclusion after the 1,000-year reign of King Jesus. John did this several times in the Revelation narrative to help complete a thought. In Rev. 21, John returned to the beginning of the Millennium to describe the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. This is my personal opinion and other Bible teachers such as Jack Kelley.
REVELATION 21
In one of his commentaries on Revelation, John Walvoord writes, “Difference of opinion has existed as to whether the new Jerusalem thus described refers to the millennial period or the eternal state.” He goes on to say that he believes the more traditional view is correct in that Rev. 21:1 follows Rev.20:15 in chronological order, and the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven at the end of the Millennium and the start of Eternity. In this article, I will give evidence on why I believe the non-traditional view is correct. For decades I was a traditionalist in this matter and believed Jack was wrong on this theory. However, after much research, I have concluded he was right all along.
Let’s assume that Revelation 21:1 takes up where Revelation 20:6 ends, at the first resurrection of the Tribulation saints/martyrs. This is at the very beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. These Tribulation martyrs have just been resurrected and translated (verse 4). Those beheaded during the Great Tribulation will assist the Church saints in reigning with Christ on Earth (Rev. 20:4).
Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven after the Second Coming, perhaps on the 1,335th day of Daniel 12:12. “Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” While Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem in the sky above the Earth, Revelation 22:1-5 describes life on the new (or remade) Earth during the Millennial Kingdom.
Rev. 21:1 is about as close to a direct quote of Isaiah 65:17 (and Isaiah 66:22) as you can get. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). Isaiah 65:17 says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
ISAIAH 65-66
The context of Isaiah 65:18-25 is clearly describing the Millennial Kingdom on Earth. There is no debate on the timing of these verses, as everyone agrees that they are referring to the Millennium and not Eternity. Let’s go back and examine the whole chapter and get some background information. In Isaiah 65:1-7, the LORD talked about Israel’s past sins and iniquities. In verses 8-10, God predicted the Jews’ future blessings. Verses 11-12 describe the fate of the wicked, while verses 13-15 contrast the blessings of the faithful to the judgment of the wicked.
Isaiah 65:16 refers to the blessings of God to those who believe in Him. “That he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.”
Isaiah 65:17 says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” In the last part of this verse, God tells Isaiah, “and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” I believe vs. 17 is referring to the last sentence regarding the former troubles of the rebellious Israelites. Many prophets had warned the Jews about a future catastrophic time known as the Day of the Lord. Through other prophecies, they also knew about a regathering for the remnant of the Jews and the restoration of the people and land of Israel.
In Isaiah 65:17, God is telling the Jews that after the calamitous “Day of the Lord” (as it was known in the Tanakh) and the destruction of the heavens and the earth, He would create (make or form) a new (or fresh) heaven and Earth from their ruins. The Jews did not know about a 1,000-year kingdom of a Messiah until John wrote about it in Revelation. They only knew about a kingdom that would ultimately derive from the seed of David that would last forever.
In hindsight, after reading the Book of Revelation, we can now look back and determine if God was referring to the start of the Millennium or the start of Eternity when he said, “I create new heavens and a new earth.” Why would God bring up the Eternal Kingdom at this point and immediately in the next eight verses talk about the Millennial Kingdom?
The next two verses in Isaiah 65 refer to Jerusalem (on Earth) and its inhabitants. “But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying” (Isaiah 65:18-19). When God said “I create Jerusalem a rejoicing,” He meant he would make the conditions for Jerusalem to be joyful. The most famous verse for the Millennium Kingdom is Isaiah 65:25. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, says the Lord.”
Isaiah 66:7-24 also describes the return of the Jewish exiles to Israel (and Jerusalem) and life during the Millennium. Isaiah 66:10 and 23 reiterate Isaiah 65:17: “Rejoice you with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her: For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.” The Jews in Isaiah’s day (and later) would have read these verses and believed God would make new heavens and a new earth after the Day of the Lord. I agree with them. However, not in the same way that God created the heaven and the earth in the beginning (out of nothing).
The English word ‘create’ in Isaiah 65:17 and 66:23 is a translation from the Hebrew word ‘bara,’ and can also mean make, form, shape, or fashion. The Hebrew word ‘yasar’ is translated as form and is closely associated with the word ‘bara’ or create. Take, for example, Isaiah 45:18, “For thus says the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.” The word ‘create’ can also mean ‘form,’ and that is what God will do to the heavens and the earth at the beginning of the Millennium. He will form or make a new heaven and Earth out of the destroyed heaven and Earth of the Tribulation.
The English word ‘new’ is a translation from the Hebrew word ‘hadas,’ which means ‘new,’ ‘new thing,’ or ‘fresh.’ It refers to the time Jesus called the renewal of all things in Matt. 19:28 and Peter mentioned in Acts 3:21. I submit that the new heavens and Earth are not ‘new’ but ‘fresh’ as in remade or remodeled. The same could be said of a new heart and a new spirit, as mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26. The word fresh could be substituted, so the verse would say, “I will give you a fresh heart and put a fresh spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Also, it is the same concept for the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living saints at the time of the Rapture. We are not getting new bodies, but our earthly bodies made out of earthly elements will be changed to heavenly ones. “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). The Lord will use our original DNA and restructure it to take on a new or fresh body made for Eternity. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
REVELATION 21
Here is how Jack Kelley describes the “new heaven and earth” of Revelation 21 and 22: “According to Romans 8:19-22, the creation itself has been writhing and groaning, waiting for the Sons of God to be revealed so it could finally be liberated from its bondage to decay. The judgments of the Great Tribulation served in part to prepare the earth for its restoration. In all probability, its orbit and axis will have been returned to their original configurations, bringing again the worldwide sub-tropical environment likely enjoyed by our first parents.
The vast oceans, silent witnesses to the enormity of Noah’s flood, will be hoisted back into the outer atmosphere, restoring the water vapor canopy that protected early man and allowing the return of long life spans they experienced (Isaiah 65:20). The sea floors will be elevated and the mountains lowered, and Earth will once again resemble the Garden Planet it was when Adam came on the scene. Its atmosphere will no longer be the haunt of demons, and the heavens will have been purified of Satan’s rebellious minions forever (Rev. 12:7-8).” {1} Revelation 21-22 – Grace thru faith
The word “sea” in the Bible is associated with large bodies of salt water, such as oceans and seas. Here is an interesting theory regarding there being “no more sea” in Revelation 21:1: The Greek word for sea, ‘thalassa,’ is derived from a root word, ‘als,’ meaning ‘salt’ and in the Bible almost always refer to either the Mediterranean or the Dead Sea. Both are saltwater bodies, and both appear to be made fresh by the water from the Temple according to Ezekiel 47:8 and Zechariah 14:8. It’s possible that John wasn’t referring to the oceans at all but to these two seas being made freshwater bodies.
Revelation 21:2 says, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The big question is, does this occur at the beginning of the Millennium or at the start of Eternity? I wrote about this in a previous article. “Why would the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, be described as a bride adorned for her husband at the end of the one-thousand-year reign of Christ? After all, it would have been 1,000 years since the marriage of the Church to the Lamb in heaven (Rev. 19:7-8), which occurred right before the Tribulation was over.
Why would the New Jerusalem be called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” after 1,000 years of Jesus’ reign on Earth? That’s an old bride! It is because the marriage of the Lamb to the Church has just recently occurred in heaven during the latter stages of the Tribulation, and the New Jerusalem (with all the Church) is coming down at the start of the Millennium. The marriage supper of the Lamb mentioned in Rev. 19:9 will take place shortly after this on the earth with the Old Testament saints and Tribulation martyrs attending as the friends or guests of the bridegroom.
I believe this marriage supper of the Lamb is mentioned in Isaiah 25:6-9, “And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” {2} Millennium or Eternity :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready
We will examine Ezekiel 47 and the rest of Revelation 21 and Revelation 22, including the tree of life, in Part II.
Randy Nettles