Daniel 12

Notes

Ver. 1-3. Jesus Christ shall preserve his people under, and at last deliver them from, the terrible harassments of Antiochus, Romish heathens, Antichrist, Turks, &c., and at the last day he will reward them according to their faithfulness and usefulness. 4, 9, 10. These predictions shall never be fully understood before the fulfilment. And as there will be then a mixture of persons good and bad, it will be only the former who will be bettered by these troubles, or who, by diligent observation, will understand the fulfilled predictions. 7, 11, 12. The time, times, and a half, or 1260 days, denote the 1260 years reign of wickedness. Thirty years of terrible wars at the destruction of Antichrist bring it to 1290; and by the end of 1335 we expect the millennium will be introduced in its full glory. 9, 13. Daniel must rest contented with the discoveries which he had obtained, and prepare for the eternal state, in the assurance of happiness and honour in it.

Ver. 1. Shall Michael stand up. Christ now 'sitteth on the right hand of power, 'waiting till his enemies be made his footstool,' at the period here predicted he will 'stand up' for the deliverance of his covenant people. C.

Ver. 4. Shut up the words, &c. Inquire no farther: enough supply the fearful details, of which the dark outline has now been drawn.—Many shall run to and fro, &c. The intercourse of nations shall be greatly facilitated, the taste for travelling shall be almost universal, and 'knowledge' shall be proportionally 'increased.' But is divine knowledge intended? Is it not rather that superficial knowledge of the world that may be acquired by 'running to and fro?'—a knowledge which, in proportion as it improves the understanding, so often 'destroys the heart.' C.

Ver. 7. And when he shall have accomplished, &c. 'And when the dispersion of the holy people is finished, all these things shall be accomplished' (Boothroyd). The holy people are the Jews; 'holy' being taken in the sense of separated and dedicated, in which sense they are still, and ever have been, 'the holy people,' though they have rebelled against their King, and 'denied the Lord that bought them,' De. 32. 6. C.

Ver. 11. The daily sacrifice was taken away by Antiochus. 'The abomination that maketh desolate' was brought in by the Romans, Mat. 24. 15, but was never completely 'set up' till the mosque of Omar was erected on the site of the temple of Solomon, A.D. 637. C.

Reflections.—Seasonable and effectual are Jesus' assistance, protection, deliverances, and comforts. He is a present help in times of trouble to his people. And to all his chosen sheep he gives eternal life, and none shall pluck them out of his hand. O how great is the happiness of saints, and especially of faithful ministers, in the resurrection and in the eternal state! But, on the contrary, inexpressible the infamy and ruin of the wicked! Neither angels nor saints know anything more of future events but as God is pleased to reveal them. Yet, by humble searching of the Scriptures, and careful observation of providences, every prediction will at length appear plain. And it is Christ to whom we must apply for all necessary illumination. Never must we, except by death and the last judgment, expect complete deliverances all at once. And it is not the curious scrutinizer into God's secrets, but the firm believer of his promises and observer of his laws, who may then expect safety and happiness.

Concluding Remarks on the Book of Daniel.

1. In Daniel we may observe a glorious example of the power of early religious impressions in resisting subsequent temptations. He was one of the Jewish captives selected, according to eastern custom, for the courtly education in Babylon. His religious distinction between 'clean and unclean' food, and his fixed objections against wine offered to idols, conducted him to a course of temperance as favourable to the health of his body as to the development of his mind.

2. We observe the blessed influence of his principles and example upon his three friends—from which every pious youth should take courage to be decided in his profession of religion, as he shall thereby not only save his own soul, but may be the happy and blessed instrument of saving the souls of his youthful companions, 1 Ti. 4. 16.

3. Daniel presents us with a striking example of the worldly advancement that often accompanies or flows from the sincere profession of religion. No doubt his success exposed him to envy, and his religious principles were readily turned into instruments for his overthrow; but the God whom he served delivered him out of the snare, not merely to display his miraculous power over the ravenous lions, but to exhibit, in the most striking manner, the watchful care of his providence, and the all-sufficiency of his grace; and practically to exemplify the consolatory fact, that 'godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and also of that which is to come.'

4. In Daniel there is also exhibited the importance of an early education in secular knowledge, when combined with piety; and the duty, advantage, and necessity of the continued studying of the Holy Scriptures, which is not superseded even by prophetic inspiration. Daniel, though a man so pre-eminent that the Spirit ranks him with Noah and Job—a man 'greatly beloved' of Heaven, and favoured with the visions of futurity—has yet left upon record that 'he knew by books'—the books he had read and prayerfully studied—and not by any immediate revelation, the things that God designed, and the times of their accomplishment. But while this fact affords a gracious encouragement to the study of the Sacred Scriptures in general, it guides to the study of the prophecies in particular. Of the profitableness of the study of fulfilled prophecy there can be no question. Were it true, which it is not, that the evidence of testimony diminishes in proportion to the lapse and distance of time, the evidence from fulfilled and fulfilling prophecy would constantly supply the deficiency; for if the one did decrease, the other is constantly on the increase. And every traveller who returns from the great field of prophetic vision, furnishes—even where he intends it not—some new illustration of the historic accuracy with which the Spirit that was in the prophets foretold the events to come. But does not the record of Daniel's successful study of the prophetic books furnish a light and encouragement to the study of unfulfilled prophecy also? The record of his success is not a mere fact, but a fact intended to teach its own peculiar lesson; and that lesson is, the hopefulness of studying unfulfilled prophecy. This, like every other department of sacred study, must be undertaken, not in the spirit of an eager and anxious curiosity, but in the spirit of deep humility, childlike teachableness, earnest prayer, and patient waiting. And were it so, that every attempt to penetrate the future ended but in the conviction of the weakness of our vision, and the depth of the darkness that shrouds it, still the deep thoughtfulness and prayer into which the attempt has conducted, would alone repay the time and pains bestowed. But a total want of success in such studies we hold to be unexampled, if not impossible. Taking the language of prophecy fulfilled as the key to what is still future; and taking the attitude, not of a dogmatizing teacher, but of a humble learner, the student of unfulfilled prophecy, though he may be utterly unable to fill up the minor details, will yet discover the great outlines so broad and distinct, that he can have as little hesitation about anticipating the future as about verifying the past. Indeed one of the chief errors to be avoided in the study of unfulfilled prophecy, is the attempt at filling up those minor details which the Spirit of God has been pleased to withhold. Let the student of prophecy never attempt to pass the barriers of the written Word, nor endeavour to supply by imagination one image which the Spirit has not drawn. That Spirit best knew how much should be revealed for the establishment of faith, the encouragement of hope, and the support of patience; and wise are they who follow where the Spirit leads, but pause and stand still where he commands to 'shut up the words, and seal the book.'

The prophecies of Daniel, being chiefly visional, should be studied in conjunction with the visional portions of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Zechariah, but particularly in the light of the 'Revelation' of John, which may justly be regarded as an expansion of Daniel, and a supply of as much detail as the Spirit wills or the church requires. C.