DANIEL 9 AND DANIEL 12
Partial Preterists such as Kenneth Gentry, Joel McDurmon, Keith Mathison, etc. have no problem teaching that Daniel 9 extends no further than AD 70. While many deny Daniel 9 predicts the resurrection, they affirm that Daniel 12 does predict the “final” resurrection. Thus, if Daniel 9 and Daniel 12 are parallel passages this would demonstrate the fulfillment of the resurrection by AD 70 and refute their positions.
The following chart will prove that the passages are parallel.
| DANIEL 9 | DANIEL 12 |
| Concerning Israel (v. 24) | Concerning Israel (vs. 1-7) |
| Time of the end (v. 27) | Time of the end (v. 4) |
| Abomination of Desolation (v. 27) | Abomination of Desolation (vs. 9-11 cf. Matt. 24:15; Luke 21:20) |
| Resurrection (Bring in Everlasting Righteousness) (v. 24) |
Resurrection (v. 2) |
| Fulfilled by AD 70 (v. 24 End of the 70 weeks) | “When power of the holy people is shattered.” (v. 7) |
DANIEL 12:1-3 “1Now 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. “2Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. “3Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
DANIEL 12:1 “At that time” is harkening back to (read) Daniel 10:14 when the angel Gabriel says the vision he was about to tell him would tell him “what will happen to your people in the latter days [end of days].” The time to describe the “decreed desolation” of the end of the 70 weeks of the Daniel 9:24-27 vision “for your people and your holy city.” That time in the Daniel 11-12 vision had now come for him to hear!
The Great Tribulation: vs. 1, “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.”
- The angel is echoing the OT long foretold promised saving of the faithful remnant of Daniel’s people. The OT scriptures are full of scriptures promising the salvation of the faithful remnant at the “time of the end” (We do an in-depth study into this in eschatology Study Series 11 Study of Romans 11 sub study on “A Remnant Shall be Saved”). The fact that vs. 1 is not meaning all of ethnic Israel, but rather only the “faithful remnant,” is clarified in the description stating only those “found written in the book” would be saved à salvation would only be for the righteous remnant who had faith like Abraham.
- Jesus references the “Great Tribulation” of Daniel 12 in Matthew 24:21-22, and then positions it within the lifetime of His disciples in the 1st century (Matt. 24:29-34, 10:16-23) (See eschatology Study Series 7 Lesson 2 for an in-depth study into this).
DANIEL 12:2 notice that this verse predicted the final resurrection where all the dead souls in Hades/Sheol would be raised, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and contempt.”
- Some have tried to argue away this point of this being the final resurrection by saying that this verse says only “many” will be raised. This attempt at a denial of the power of this verse falls short on all fronts, with just two being:
- 1) They fail to understand that this is a Hebrew idiom and that it does not mean that it is not referring to “all,” anymore than saying that the sin of Adam did not bring death to “all,” or that Jesus did not die for “all,” whereas in Romans 5:15 it refers to both as only applying to the “many.” (cf. Isa. 53:6; 1 John 2:2, 4:14; Rom. 8:32; John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4-6, 4:10).
- 2) Those who want to try and make the claim that only “some” were resurrected have the daunting task of trying to show from scriptures how after the Great Tribulation (v. 1; referenced by Jesus in Matt. 24:21-22), and coinciding with the consummation of the eternal Kingdom (v. 3), that there is any mention “anywhere” in the Bible that there would be only a “partial” resurrection à it is not possible. No, this was the final great Resurrection being spoken of to Daniel, and its position perfectly coincides with the order as seen throughout the rest of the scriptures.
DANIEL 12:3 is the prediction of the time of the end when the righteous would shine as the sun (this was to happen at the consummation of the one eternal Kingdom –> the reuniting of heaven (unseen heavenly realm) and earth (seen realm in the church) in Christ of Eph. 1:10. This would be the time when Jesus returns with His Kingdom (Luke 19:14) and the righteous dead souls in Hades/Sheol are raised and caught together with the righteous living who had been changed/raptured in the twinkling of an eye into the unseen realm where all received their new immortal heavenly bodies and were caught together to be with Jesus in the heavenly unseen realm to be taken to heaven). Jesus said this text would be fulfilled at the time of His coming/Parousia at the end of the age (Matthew 13:43).
See also related “Topic Studies & Terms”:
“Tribulation (The Great Tribulation)”
“Heavens and Earth (Cosmology)”
For a more in-depth study see the related full “Study Series”: