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

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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

Be Not Ignorant

Hoping this isn’t perceived as condescension aimed at the reader; it is, I’m convinced, good to think on what Paul was given by the Holy Spirit to urge us not to be ignorant. The instruction is crucial to understanding these prophetic days in which we find ourselves.

Paul uses this “be not ignorant” statement of instruction three times in the course of his epistles, addressing Christians. These include his letters to the Romans, the Corinthians, and the Thessalonians. The emphasis on not being ignorant speaks of God’s strong desire for believers to understand what He wants us to fully comprehend.

While I present here all three of Paul’s instructions to “be not ignorant,” I want to look in particular at his letters to the Romans and the Thessalonians to imply that his teaching is especially relevant to where we are on God’s prophetic timeline.

Here are the three statements:

1. Romans 11:25–32: Israel’s Condition, Purpose, and Future

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”

2. 1 Corinthians 12:1–11: Spiritual Gifts

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18: The Rapture

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Paul here makes it profoundly important—even mandatory—that we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ understand the things covered in these instructions.

Anytime God’s Word emphasizes something three times, the matters involved are vital to being understood—and believed.

The second instruction mentioned above, in the letter to the Corinthians, isn’t pointed directly at any future prophecy. However, it is very important in urging Christians to make every effort to understand the times only through enlightenment provided by the Holy Spirit.

So, we reflect on Paul saying that he would not have us be ignorant about the mystery of Israel and all the things that involve His chosen people.

The apostle wants all generations of believers to understand that despite Israel’s opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ and denial that He is their Messiah, the people of Israel are still His. They will at a future time be saved–that is, become believers in Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah.

This will happen during a period of great trouble for them (Jeremiah 30:7). That Tribulation era will take place after the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. This will be when all believers of the Church Age—the Age of Grace—are taken to Heaven in the Rapture.

During that time of Jacob’s trouble, God will bring out of the House of Israel a remnant of born-again believers who will be true Israel for all of eternity.

We must not be ignorant, then, of the significance of Israel. We must be aware that when Israel dominates the prophetic world horizon, the time of Christ’s return is very near. We must not be ignorant of Israel’s position, Paul is telling us.

The question to believers in Christ, then, should be: Is the nation Israel on the scene today in any significant way?

There is certainly no excuse for anyone, believer or not, to be ignorant in considering this question.

This brings us to Paul’s third exhortation.

Believers—Gentiles and Jews who have come to Christ for salvation during this Age of Grace—will be called into the clouds of Glory when Israel is at the center of world controversy. The last believer of this Church Age will accept Christ for salvation, and Jesus will call all Christians in the Rapture. This will be when the “fullness of the Gentiles will be come in,” as Paul prophesied.

The apostle told the Thessalonians all about that coming Rapture of the Church—God’s eternal family of believers who lived and died during the Age of Grace.

There is no excuse for us to be ignorant of just how near we must be to that call from our Savior. Can’t you sense the Holy Spirit’s assurance that this world so full of anti-God wickedness and turmoil is about to change in a twinkling-of-an-eye moment?

We are not to be ignorant. We’re to rely on God’s promise:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4: 17-18).”

—Terry

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A Time for Watching

Jesus’ commands for us to “watch” and “be ready” for His return are perhaps the most ignored of all His instructions in many Bible-believing churches today, and by most believers.

I get that it’s been two thousand years since He spoke of His return and how for many, that makes it difficult for them to imagine He might appear at any moment. Even as the war rages in the Middle East, most Christians continue to place Jesus’ return in the distant future, long after their time on the earth has come to an end.

But is that a safe assumption?

Any war involving Israel has potential prophetic implications, even if we can’t yet identify them at the time. At a minimum, the current conflict has potential consequences for the future Gog/Magog invasion. Even if there is a regime change in Iran, a sizeable number of Jihadists will remain and be available to participate in this upcoming war, which I believe will happen after the Rapture. The ties between Russia and Iran, key players in the Gog/Magog war, remain strong, with the Kremlin reportedly helping Iran target American bases in the Middle East with its missiles.

This war has brought the world to a tipping point in regard to what will happen when Jesus opens the seals in Revelation 6. Although the world will not experience these dire conditions until after the Rapture, we have moved closer to this time during the past few weeks.

Consider the second rider of the apocalypse, war. We have already witnessed an unexpected expansion to the current war with Iran attacking several other Muslim states. It’s not difficult to see how this war, especially with its continuing impact on the flow of oil to major powers such as China, could eventually lead to conditions resembling the second and fourth seals.

With the U.S. national debt racing toward thirty-nine trillion dollars, if not already there, America and the world have long been on the edge of financial disaster, but for the Lord’s restraining hand. Do the volatile financial markets signal trouble for the months ahead? Only time will tell, but it wouldn’t take much to start the ball rolling with the dire economic conditions described in the third seal (Revelation 6:5-6).

The Rapture may not happen this year or even the next. On the other hand, it would be unwise to rule out the possibility that it might happen this very day or week. We don’t know what might happen in the coming weeks, but if anything, the current conflict again demonstrates that we live in the season of Jesus’ appearing to take us home.

The Warning

Jesus’ command for us to watch came on the heels of His comparison of the time leading up to His return with that of Noah:

“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Soon after the Rapture happens, the Day of the Lord judgments will fall upon an unsuspecting world just as the flood did in Noah’s day (see also 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). Our day resembles this time long ago in many ways. In the years before the Flood, Satan attempted to corrupt the human DNA, which resulted in the Nephilim, or giants, who were not wholly human. Today, our adversary is doing the same thing through transhumanism and AI. If he can’t again corrupt what it means to be a man or woman, he will try to make humanity obsolete, unnecessary.

In so many ways, we are already living in days remarkably similar to the “days of Noah.” This is just another reason for watching as though the Rapture might happen very soon.

The Benefit of Watching

Beyond recognizing the season in which we live, another benefit of anticipating Jesus’ imminent appearing is that it focuses our hearts on eternity, on the paradise that lies ahead for us. Such a day-by-day expectation keeps us from lapsing into the mindset that this moment is all we have. Paul David Tripp, in his book New Morning Mercies, warned about the danger of placing all of one’s hopes in this current life:

Here’s the real-life, street-level issue: if you don’t keep the eyes of your heart focused on the paradise that is to come, you will try to turn this poor fallen world into the paradise it will never be.

In my experience, this describes the biggest difference between believers who long for Jesus’ soon appearing and those who don’t believe it will happen in their lifetime. As I listen to those in the latter group, I hear long-range plans for financial security as though nothing could possibly interfere with their prospects of retirement. Of course, wise financial planning is something good and advisable. The problem is the thinking that often lies behind such efforts to secure one’s future, that of longing for a paradise where it can never happen.

We live at a time like no other; the likelihood of Jesus’ soon appearing has never been greater. Each and every day, the world testifies that this sure ain’t the paradise God intended for us, but in doing so, it reaffirms the nearness of the time when Jesus will take us to that paradise. Soon, the harsh and brutal realities of this life will come to an end and we will forever be with the Lord and enjoy the place that He’s preparing for us.

Is this not our hope for the day in which we live? “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

-Jonathan