Daniel 12 · The Lantern

And at that time Michael will take up his place, the great angel, who is the supporter of the children of your people: and there will be a time of trouble, such as there never was from the time there was a nation even till that same time: and at that time your people will be kept safe, everyone who is recorded in the book.

For then there will be a great persecution like which there has not been such from the foundation of the world, while others from here and there are sent against every city and land in order to kill those who believe, and the Jews cheer at their destruction, and the nations rejoice and the unfaithful celebrate with them, but the saints, coming from the west to the east and othe…

"And the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name." For he has their names written in the book of life. "He calls his own sheep by name." Because of this the apostle says, "The Lord knows who are his." "And he leads them out. And when he has led out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice..."

The devil is also called a prince, as in the Gospel passage, "Behold, the prince of this world comes, and in me he will not find anything." Likewise a good angel is called a prince, as we read in Daniel: "Michael your prince." So they are saying that the hope of humankind must rest in neither wicked nor good angels but in the Lord alone.

And a number of those who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will come out of their sleep, some to eternal life and some to eternal shame.

And so of the things which will be in this way he adds saying, "And many of they who sleep in the dust of the earth shall arise, some to eternal life and some to reproach and eternal shame and they who understand shall shine as the splendor of the firmament and the many righteous as the stars in the age to come." [Daniel 12:2-3] And so who are they who sleep in the dust of the…

Nor is there any real contradiction between John's "all who are in the tombs" and Daniel's "many" in place of "all." As an illustration of this, notice how, in one place, God said to Abraham, "I have made you the father of many nations" and in another, "In your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."

"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," that is, many of those who lie among afflictions and are prostrated by their misfortunes, that is, the Maccabees—"some to everlasting life," that is, their patience and justice will make them rejoice in the life in the two worlds, and, in addition, it will make them illustrious through a precious memory in all…

And those who are wise will be shining like the light of the outstretched sky; and those by whom numbers have been turned to righteousness will be like the stars for ever and ever.

But as for you, O Daniel, let the words be kept secret and the book rolled up and kept shut till the time of the end: numbers will be going out of the way and troubles will be increased.

Hence His human nature could not be understood, prior to the consummation of those things which had been predicted, that is, the advent of Christ. And therefore it was said to Daniel the prophet: "Shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of consummation, until many learn, and knowledge be completed.

He says, "Add to the book the seals of obscurity, and do not make matters clear to all until knowledge is increased and the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord," like deep water covering the seas, in accordance with the prophecy.

Sacred Scripture is compared to the water of the sea on account of the manifold variety of its senses. In the sea there are diverse springs: so in sacred Scripture within a single letter there is a manifold meaning.

Then I, Daniel, looking, saw two others, one at the edge of the river on this side and one at the edge of the river on that side.

After these things were spoken in this way, Daniel says, "And I saw, and behold, two other men were standing, one on the side of the bank of the river and one on the other side of the bank of the river and they answered to the man who stood above the water of the river and they said to him, 'When will be the end of the wondrous words which you have spoken?' And I heard the man…

That is, when that angel, who talked to me, left, and appeared to have entered the riverbed, to look for a place to ford. Suddenly two others appeared, standing on the opposite banks. Therefore the angel, while he proceeded in the riverbed and trod the stream in safety, played the role of he who knows the depth of the mysteries of God.

Verses 5-6. "And I Daniel looked, and behold as it were two other persons were standing, one on this side upon the river-bank, and the other upon that side, on the other bank of the river.

And I said to the man clothed in linen, who was over the waters of the river, How long will it be to the end of these wonders?

Then in my hearing the man clothed in linen, who was over the river, lifting up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, took an oath by him who is living for ever that it would be a time, times, and a half; and when the power of the crusher of the holy people comes to an end, all these things will be ended.

And so, after the dispersion of the Jews happens, the suffering of the people is consummated, in those days the Antichrist is near, then they shall know all these things.

The word times may seem an indefinite plural in our language [Latin], but the Greek texts (and, so I am told, the Hebrew texts as well) show that "times" is written in the dual number and so means "two times."

Here we learn accurately that the one speaking at the time was not the Lord. For as the holy apostle says, "Since the Lord could not swear by anything greater than himself, he swore by himself, saying, 'as I live, says the Lord.' " And blessed Moses shows him to say, "I will lift my hand to heaven, and I will swear by my right hand and say, 'As I live forever.' " The man in our…

And the words came to my ears, but the sense of them was not clear to me: then I said, O my lord, what is the sense of these things?

And he said, Go on your way, Daniel: for the words are secret and shut up till the time of the end;

After these things were spoken in this way, the prophet, wishing to more precisely investigate what would be the kind of things which would happen after the resurrection, he answered him and said, "'Lord what will be the end of these?' And he said, 'Come Daniel, because these words are closed and sealed until the end of time, until many are chosen and are made white and are tri…

"And he said, 'Go, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.'" And if the prophet himself heard and did not understand, what will be the case with those men who presumptuously expound a book which has been sealed, and that too unto the time of the end, a book which is shrouded with many obscurities?

Not in vain have I said these rather obscure matters and put obscurity on these words as if they were seals, for divine matters must not be imparted to all indiscriminately, but the wise will understand it through the knowledge imparted to them from above. Those who pass their life in folly and impiety will not be able to understand any of the things contained here.

Till a number are tested and make themselves clean; and the evil-doers will do evil; for not one of the evil-doers will have knowledge; but all will be made clear to those who are wise.

They maintain that Daniel also set forth the same thing when he begged of the angels explanations of the parables, as being himself ignorant of them.

"And I heard, and understood not. And I said, 'O my lord, what shall happen after these things?' And he said, 'Go, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be chosen and made white and shall be tried as fire; and the wicked shall deal wickedly.

Piety is profitable for knowing truths. God gives His gifts upon every creature: but the knowledge of truth He gives only to those who act piously. It is said in Daniel: "Moreover the impious shall act impiously": revelation shall be closed to the impious. If you wish to be true scholars, it is necessary that you have piety.

And from the time when the regular burned offering is taken away, and an unclean thing causing fear is put up, there will be a thousand, two hundred and ninety days.

Daniel said there were 2, days from the time that the abomination of Nero stood in the holy city, till its destruction.… [This] makes six years and four months, during the half of which Nero held sway, and it was half a week; and for a half, Vespasian with Otho, Galba and Vitellius reigned.… After the 1, days … war ceased.

Next, in predicting the length of time these evils would last, Daniel's angel said, "From the time of the changing of the continuity." The daily sacrifice was called the continuity, for what is continuous is frequent and unceasing.

He calls the antichrist "the abomination of desolation." He calls the order of the church's worship, which would be disrupted and made to cease by the madness and raving of the antichrist.

A blessing will be on the man who goes on waiting, and comes to the thousand, three hundred and thirty-five days.

This one being proclaimed by them as king and being glorified by them and becoming the abomination of desolation to the world, he shall rule one thousand two hundred ninety days. As Daniel also says, "And they will give the abomination of desolation one thousand two hundred ninety days.

Verse 12. "Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh unto a thousand three hundred and thirty-five days." He means that he is blessed who waits for forty-five days beyond the predetermined number, for it is within that period that our Lord and Savior is to come in His glory.

Blessed are those who will go through the days mentioned before and will exceed them by 45 days; that is, When the evils are completed, there will be rest for the people and the end of their afflictions.

But you, go on your way and take your rest: for you will be in your place at the end of the days.

Then Daniel also says this very thing: "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of those under the heaven, is given to the saints of the Most High God, whose kingdom is everlasting, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." And lest the promise named should be understood as referring to this time, it was declared to the prophet: "And come thou, and stand in thy lot a…

Verse 13. "But thou, Daniel, go thy way until the time appointed, and take thy rest (Vulgate: thou shalt rest) and thou shalt stand in thy lot unto the end of the days." Instead of this Theodotion translated it: "But go thy way and take thy rest, and thou shalt rise up again in thy turn at the end of the days." From this remark it is demonstrated that the whole context of the p…

The words, "You shall rise at the end of the days," through the previous sentence shows him that he will not be forever tested by the afflictions of the people. Through this sentence he says to him that, at the fixed and appointed time, at the end of the world, he will receive the expected resurrection, which Christ will perform at his second coming.

Daniel12