Chapters 10, 11, and 12 in the Book of Daniel make up Daniel's final vision, describing a series of conflicts between the unnamed "King of the North" and "King of the South" leading to the "time of the end", when Israel will be vindicated and the dead raised, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Although set during the 6th century BC, the Book of Daniel was written in reaction to the persecution of the Jews by the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167–164 BC.[1] Its authors were the maskilim, the "wise", of whom Daniel is one: "Those among the people who are wise shall make many understand ...",[2] and its fundamental theme is God's control over history.[3] The climax comes with the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead.[4] Chapter 7 spoke of the kingdom of the saints or "holy ones" of the Most High",[5] but Daniel 10–12 does not say that history will end with the coming of the Jewish kingdom; rather, the "wise" will be brought back to life to lead Israel in the new kingdom of God.[4]
In contemporary Christian millennialism, Daniel 11:36–45 is interpreted as a prophecy of the career and destruction of the Antichrist, and Daniel 12 as concerning the salvation of Israel and the coming kingdom of Christ.[6]
- ^ Collins 2001, p. 2.
- ^ Davies 2006, p. 406.
- ^ Levine 2010, p. 1234.
- ^ a b Collins 1984, p. 103.
- ^ Daniel 7:18
- ^ LaHaye & Hindson 2006, pp. 259–263.