1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of distress, such as never was since there was a nation until that time. And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that is found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, to everlasting contempt. v.2 is a reference to the national resurrection of Israel, similar to Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones. It is not talking about the bodily resurrection of Old Testament saints. However, the final “everlasting” destination of these “many” differs depending on whether they have faith or not.

 

3 And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and they that turn the many to righteousness as the stars, for ever and ever. 4 And thou, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book, till the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 5 And I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on this side, on the bank of the river, and the other on that side, on the bank of the river. 6 And he said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long is it to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river; and he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and swore by him that liveth for ever that it is for a time, times, and a half; and when the scattering of the power of the holy people shall be accomplished, all these things shall be finished. 8 And I heard, but I understood not. And I said, My lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for these words are closed and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and be made white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the continual sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand, two hundred, and ninety days. v.11 “from the time” – this tells us the point from which the 1290 and 1335 days are to be measured… the middle of the week.

 

Does Daniel 12:12 support the Resurrection of Old Testament saints at the Appearing of Christ? We understand from Hebrews 11:40 and 1 Corinthians 15:23 that the Old Testament saints will be raised at the Lord’s coming for His saints; i.e. the rapture, not the appearing of Christ. Read more… But do the Lord’s words to Daniel, that he would stand in his “lot” at the end of the days, indicate that saints like him will actually be raised at the appearing? No.

The resurrection of Old Testament saints at the rapture does not conflict with their having an earthly hope, compared to the Church’s heavenly hope. The hopes of the Old Testament saints were delayed, so that we (New Testament saints) could received better hopes, and that together, we could be “made perfect”, or raised together in the glorified state (Heb. 11:39-40). The Old Testament saints, though they join the heavenly company and so inherit some of what pertains to the heavenly saints, such as reigning with Christ (Rev. 20:4), still have a somewhat different portion than the New Testament saints.

I think the verse clearly states that Daniel will participate in the day of blessing that would come at the 1335 days; i.e. the Millennial reign. To Daniel, he would only have considered this to be a promise that Israel would be restored in their land under the Messiah, and that he himself would be present for their final deliverance. In fact, this is true, and the resurrection of all those who are Christ’s at His coming will do nothing to hinder Daniel from being present on that day. Perhaps this illustrates the difference between the Church (in Christ) and the Old Testament saints who have died. They have a special interest in the earthly kingdom that they somehow retain. To further support this, consider Matt. 8:11; “many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven”. Here we have Old Testament saints that have died, been raised, and have a close connection with the earthly kingdom under the reign of Christ. Those who reign with Christ will have an administrative role in the earthly kingdom, and it would seem that Daniel, as child of Judah, will have a portion (his “lot”) at the end of the days (Dan.12.13). No doubt Daniel’s “lot” will encompass much more than what he would have understood at that time.