Daniel 12
Daniel 12 is the final chapter of the book and the culmination of everything that came before. It describes the close of the heavenly judgment, the greatest time of trouble, the resurrection, and Daniel's personal assurance of deliverance.
Michael Stands Up (v. 1)
'At that time Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people, will arise.' The phrase 'at that time' connects directly to the sequence of chapters 10–11. Michael 'arising' or 'standing up' — in the cultural context of ancient Near Eastern judicial proceedings, where a seated judge administered cases and a standing judge closed deliberation — suggests that this is not the beginning of action but the end of the intercessory phase. Historicist interpreters, particularly in the Adventist tradition, have consistently understood this as the close of probation: every case decided, every soul either sealed or lost. This is followed immediately by 'a time of trouble such as never has been since there was a nation.'
The Resurrection (vv. 2–3)
'Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.' This is one of the clearest Old Testament statements of resurrection — and notably, it is connected to the end of the judgment period, not a separate event. Verse 3 promises that those who are wise — who understand — shall shine like the stars. Daniel is told at the very end of the chapter: 'you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days' (v.13). The prophet who received all these visions was given his own personal resurrection promise.
The Sealed Prophecy and Time Periods (vv. 4–13)
Daniel is told to 'shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.' The prophecy was not meant for Daniel's generation — it was sealed for a later time. Three additional time periods are mentioned: 1,260 days (the recurring period of the little horn), 1,290 days, and 1,335 days. The slight extensions beyond 1,260 mark transition points in the close of the prophetic era. The 1,335-day recipient is pronounced 'blessed' — blessed, like those who see the meaning of all these things fulfilled.
Scripture's cumulative portrait of Michael points toward Christ himself. He is the 'Prince of princes' (Dan 8:25), the one who contends for Moses' body (Jude 9), whose voice raises the dead (1 Thess 4:16). The Adventist tradition, along with many Reformation-era scholars, has understood Michael as Christ in his role as the divine warrior-defender of his people — not a created angel, but the eternal Son acting under this title. When Michael stands up, the intercessory phase ends — not as punishment, but as the moment when grace has done its full work and every soul has made its final choice. Then he comes. The stone of Daniel 2 strikes. The Son of Man of Daniel 7 descends with the clouds. The sanctuary of Daniel 8 is fully restored. Every vision in the book of Daniel converges on this moment: the return of Jesus Christ.
“The great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”