Daniel 12 Dynamics
Daniel is likely the most disparaged book of the Bible. Its author, the prophet, presented highly significant, far-into-the-future events so accurately that the unbelieving world finds them impossible to accept. The naysayers declare that all such fulfilled prophecy was cobbled together long after Daniel’s time and somehow put into the biblical canon to falsely make us believe the prophet was accurate.
Author Ray C. Stedman, in his study, Introduction to Daniel, writes the following:
Why such a strong attack against Daniel? Simply because Daniel contains more fulfilled prophecies than any other book in the Bible. In New Testament prophecy, Daniel is referred to more than any other Old Testament book. Marxist governments have prohibited preaching from passages like Daniel because they tell God’s words on the course of history, where He and His people win.
All we have to do is to pay attention to the news at any given hour today to know why this hatred of the book of Daniel is so virulent.
The hatred for Daniel’s people–Israel—is so prevalent at this late hour of this dispensation (the Age of Grace) that a large portion of our nation has lost its collective mind. They have become totally reprobate, as Paul prophesied in Romans 1:28. The haters have become mad and upside down in their ability to reason when it comes to the much-hated Israel. Anti-Semitism is at a level even greater than at the time of Hitler’s rise to power.
I say the noise of hatred for Daniel’s people, the Jews, is greater in volume than at the time of the Nazis because anti-Semitism is not confined to any one nation today. It is worldwide, and its chief instigation comes from the fanatical, satanic wickedness within Islam.
The Islamic regime of Iran is one such faction that does all within its power to murder as many Jews as possible. The following report gives an idea of the hatred Daniel’s people face at this present hour.
In a stark warning to Israeli travelers abroad, a senior National Security Council (NSC) official warned in a conversation with The Jerusalem Post that the Islamic Republic has engaged in an “unprecedented removal of restraints” regarding terror plots abroad, shifting from cautious proxy warfare to direct, “dirty,” and unfiltered attempts to harm Israelis globally.
The senior official described a dramatic shift in Tehran’s modus operandi. Following a series of intelligence and military blows sustained by the regime, Iran is no longer operating solely through layers of deniability.
“We are seeing an Iranian removal of restraints that is almost unprecedented,” the official stated. “No proxies, no filters. Where they can act, they act. Whether with brazen determination or in a ‘dirty’ manner. It is a fundamental change in approach because they feel they have nothing to lose right now, given what they have absorbed.” (“Senior official warns about global Iranian violence,” Jerusalem Post, March 9, 2026)
Daniel, near the end of his life, was perplexed at all the prophecy he had been given. He wanted desperately to know the fate of his people. He had witnessed through the words of the angel Gabriel extremely powerful prophecies about things his people would face in the future.
No doubt he was given a vision of some of the hatreds we see taking place at this moment across America and the world.
Daily, the news tells of jihadi attacks in American cities and cities across the globe. Now there is warning of “sleeper cells” of Israel-hating Islamic terrorists who were allowed into this nation in the previous presidential administration. These, we’re warned, will be released to do their evil in a murderous rampage once the orders are issued by, for example, the Iranian regime’s ayatollahs.
Rather than mainstream news organizations and Democrat Party mouthpieces coming against the anti-Israel Muslim interests in America, these rant incessantly against Israel. They accuse Jews of being the genocidal agents against Palestinians. They accuse Israel of causing Muslims to righteously, in defensive efforts, foment Islamic anti-Semitism and violence.
News media, Democrat Party activists, entertainment leftists, and university students and faculty across the US promote and cheer chants from Israel-haters such as “Free, free Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free!” But there is no such support from mainstream media and the others for ninety-seven million Iranians oppressed by the Iranian revolutionary regime since 1979. There is no collective commiseration for the reported fifty thousand Iranians who opposed the regime and were slaughtered by the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp.)
Daniel’s final words expressed his great concern about what will become of his people–the Jews. After appealing for an answer in what must have been an agonizing desire to know, the Heavenly Being told him the following.
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth 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 thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).
This seemed to make the old prophet’s worry meter register his concern even more intensely.
“And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” (Daniel 12:8).
Daniel’s appeal must have become even more anxiety-ridden. The Heavenly Being that spoke to him must have been Jesus Christ in a Theophany—His preincarnate position—because the word “Lord” was capitalized.
“And he said, Go thy 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” (Daniel 12:9-11).
The Lord, who spoke to the old prophet in answer to Daniel’s question, then told of the seven-year Tribulation period, giving specific terms about the number of days when all would be finished. Then the Lord said the following:
“But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).
We are, I’m convinced, witnessing the dynamics wrapped up within this prophecy. I believe those who are “wise” (according to Daniel 12:11) in terms of being “watchers,” as in Mark 13: 37 and Luke 21: 28, are being given insight about what Daniel wanted to know.
We’re seeing the build-up toward the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week). For us, the book that was closed to Daniel has been opened.
Those dynamics have Daniel’s people–Israel—at the very center of things while we watch these issues and events unfold. It all points to a soon-coming moment when Jesus will step onto the clouds of Glory and call all believers to Himself.
You want to be “Rapture ready” when the Lord shouts, “Come up here!” Here’s how:
“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10: 9-10).
–Terry
What’s the Big Deal About the Middle East War?
Typically, it’s just students of Bible prophecy who chime in on the prophetic implications of Middle East wars.
But what makes the current conflict all the more noteworthy are the many other voices chiming in on its messianic overtones. I can’t remember another time when I’ve heard so many divergent voices as to what a conflict involving Israel might signify for the end times.
Messianic Perspectives from All Sides
Near the start of the current war, the U.S. troops heard that their mission in the war against Iran was preparation for Armageddon and Jesus’ return. What’s happening now might be setting the stage for the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel, but not for the great battle that doesn’t occur until the end of the Tribulation period.
What’s also intriguing is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statement that Israel “will make it to the return of the Messiah, but this will not happen next Thursday.” Why did he say “next Thursday”? Perhaps he was referring to the rabbi who said the battle for the Strait of Hormuz signified that the Messiah would come “next Thursday.” He based his bold assertion on a five-hundred-year-old Jewish prophecy.
Iran itself is obsessed with its own messianic aspirations. Although we don’t know if he’s alive or dead at this moment, the heir apparent to the role of Supreme Leader in Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, believes he has a key role to play in the return of the Mahdi, the twelfth Imam, who, according to Muslim eschatology, will rescue Iran and rid the earth of Israel, the Jewish people, and the United States in one great climatic battle.
If the current Iranian leaders agree that this war is that final conflict, they will not give up, no matter how bleak things look, because they are waiting for their messiah to intervene and win the battle.
I find it more than a little significant that all three major players in the current Middle East war view it as prophetic in some way.
We also see God’s hand in the current conflict, but for far different reasons.
What Might Be the Prophetic Implications for the Gog/Magog War?
The matter that interests Bible prophecy students like me is how this war might impact the Gog/Magog battle described in Ezekiel 38-39. These chapters tell of a future invasion of Israel by what many prophecy experts believe will be an alliance of Russia, Turkey and Iran, accompanied by other nations such as the Sudan and Libya. The ties between these countries are especially strong; something that had never happened before the past several years.
I believe the current warfare is setting the stage for this future invasion based on these observations.
First, if there is regime change in Iran, I believe much of the nation will remain devoted to radical Islam, and with it, the annihilation of Israel. There are upwards of one million believers in the country, but they will be gone if the Rapture happens first, which I think is likely. Although multitudes of Muslims in the country oppose the current government, the vast majority of them will remain loyal to the dictates of a radical spiritual leader even if he’s not the head of their government. When the time comes, a great many Iranians will join in the invasion of Israel should there be a regime change beforehand.
Second, before the current war started, one would’ve expected Iran, ancient Persia, to lead the Ezekiel 38-39 campaign given its place as Israel’s prime enemy. Might Iran’s possible defeat explain Gog’s leadership in the future invasion of the Land? The prophet points to him as its instigator, not Persia.
Third, this future battle is primarily a land invasion rather than an attack from the air, which is so prevalent in today’s warfare. The current war has already destroyed much of Iran’s ability to effectively launch missiles or attack an enemy from the air. Israel’s high-tech air defenses might also lead to this change of tactics from the other nations.
Fourth, the Gog/Magog invasion will happen at a time when, according to the prophet, the Jewish “people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them” (Ezekiel 38:8). If the current war ends with threats from Iran and its proxies effectively neutralized, Israel would enjoy a sense of safety they have not felt for a long time, perhaps since 1948. It’s also possible that Israel might enjoy some spoils from the current war that the Lord will later use as the “hook” to cause Gog to invade the land (Ezekiel 38:10-13).
Is the current Middle East war prophetic? I believe it is, especially given the end-of-days mentality by all its participants. Is not this worldwide interest a cue for all believers to pay closer attention to what God’s Word says will happen in the end times? I know that my readers are already doing so.
Regardless of what happens in the coming weeks or months, the Middle East war is a big deal prophetically since it involves Israel. And its impact on the rest of the world could be economically devastating, given the potential for an even greater disruption of its energy supply. How close might we be to the financial disaster of the third seal (Revelation 6:5-6)?
If anything, what we see is shaping the world for the events of the rapidly approaching Tribulation period, and thankfully, our departure before it starts.
Maranatha!!
-Jonathan