Pastor David B. Curtis
Pastor David B. Curtis
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The single most significant event in the history of the human race took place on the first Sunday after Passover in about the year A.D. 30. It was the resurrection of Yeshua. He overcame the grave, He defeated death, and He promises resurrection life to all who trust in Him.
Futurists say The Resurrection of believers will happen some time in the future, but Preterists say that it happened in the past. What does the Bible say? In our time this morning we are going to look at what Daniel says about the timing of The Resurrection. Let's look at Daniel 12 and see what it tells us about the time of The Resurrection:
"Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Daniel 12:1 NASB
"Now at that time"—since we jumped in at chapter 12, we don't have a clue as to what time "that time" is unless we look back at the previous chapters. So let's go back to Daniel 10:
"Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future." Daniel 10:14 NASB
Here Daniel is being given a vision of what will happen to "your people" (the Israelites) in the latter days. This vision is of the future, it is of the last days of Israel:
"At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. Daniel 11:40 NASB
The "at that time" of chapter 12 is the "latter days" of 10:14, and the "end time" of chapter 11. So Daniel 12 is talking about the "end times," which we know is referring to the end of the Old Covenant dispensation.
"Michael, the great prince"—who is this great Prince Michael who stands guard over Daniel's people? The name Michael is from the Hebrew Miykael, and means: "(one) who is like God." We see Michael three times in the Tanakh:
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:13 NASB
The context here demands that this "prince" be considered a supernatural being rather than a royal human individual. The literature from Qumran also uses the title "prince" as a reference to chief angels. Jude calls Michael the archangel, which means: "chief of the angels." (Jude 1:9)
I believe that this prince of the kingdom of Persia is the deity given custody of Persia when the 70 nations were divided up among the watchers in Genesis 10. In the Book of Sirach, which is part of what is considered the Apocrypha and appears in the Catholic Bible, it says: "He appointed a ruler for every nation, but Israel is the Lord's own portion." (Sirach 17:17) That is what Deuteronomy 32:8-9 teaches.
We see this prince of Persia battling with Michael who is one of the chief princes:
"However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince. Daniel 10:21 NASB
Again we see Michael called a prince. The only other use of Michael in the Tanakh is in our text in Daniel 12:
"Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Daniel 12:1 NASB
Here we see that Michael is the "great prince" who stands guard over Daniel's people. Michael is the patron archangel of Israel. Michael is depicted as warring on behalf of Israel and is called "Israel's protector." This is one of Yahweh's council members, this is a high ranking celestial being. So in Daniel 10 we see two of the gods battling over Israel. The prince of the Kingdom of Persia and Michael the prince.
When we come to the New Testament, we see Michael again battling a prince, but now it is Satan:
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, Revelation 12:7 NASB
What nation is Satan the prince over? Rome! Satan is the spiritual power behind Rome (the beast). We saw in Daniel that Persia and Greece had a "prince" or Watcher behind them (in Dan. 10). Wouldn't it make sense that a Watcher or chief angel would be behind Rome also? And that is exactly what the book of Revelation presents. The beast represents Rome and the dragon that gives power to the beast is Satan.
There are some who believe that Michael is the pre-incarnate Christ. I argued for this view in the past. But notice here the word:
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:13 NASB
"Princes" is plural; how can there be more than one chief prince if Michael is Christ Himself? Who are the other chief princes? Some try to argue that this plural "princes" is a reference to the trinity. But that's not a good argument.
In Jewish tradition, Michael is the leader of archangels who dwell in the presence of God (Ascension of Isaiah 3:16). In this capacity, he functions in a number of roles. He is "the patron angel of Israel … fighting for Israel" against her enemies, he is "an intercessor for Israel before God."
The very fact that Michael is described as an archangel indicates that there are different ranks or orders of angels. In other apocryphal books the number of archangels is given as 7 (Enoch 20:1-7; Tobit 12:15).
Daniel 12 goes on to call Michael, "The great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise"—we know that the sons of "your people" is a reference to the Hebrew people. Here Michael is the great prince that stands guard over the Israelites.
"And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time"—now remember that this is to happen "at that time," which is referring to the end of the Jewish age. So Daniel is predicting a time of great trouble in Israel at the end of the age. Daniel tells us that during this time of distress some of his people will be rescued. Jeremiah tells us the same thing:
Now these are the words which the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah: "For thus says the LORD, 'I have heard a sound of terror, Of dread, and there is no peace. 'Ask now, and see If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale? 'Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress, But he will be saved from it. Jeremiah 30:4-7 NASB
Jeremiah is talking about a time of trouble and says, "There is none like it." Then he says that this same time period of great distress is a time in which some will be saved. Yeshua also talked about this time. In Matthew 24 Yeshua is answering the disciples' questions about the destruction of Jerusalem. They wanted to know when it would be destroyed, and what signs would precede the end of the age and His Parousia:
"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Matthew 24:21 NASB
Yeshua, talking to Jews, tells them, "'then' there will be great tribulation." The "then" is referring to the context of verses 15-20; when you see the abomination of desolation, which Luke tells us is Jerusalem surrounded by armies. This happened in A.D. 67 when Cestius Gallus, the Roman general, laid siege to Jerusalem. The Great Tribulation is not an event yet future to us. It was "then," during the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in the first century. This is made abundantly clear in the parallel text in Luke's Gospel:
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. "Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Luke 21:20-22 NASB
Luke tells us here that ALL things which are written will be fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. What does he mean by that? "All things which are written" refers to prophecy. All prophecy was to be fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. Daniel tells us this very same thing in:
"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. Daniel 9:24 NASB
Daniel was told that 70 weeks had been determined on his people Israel and city Jerusalem. The Hebrew word used here for "have been decreed" is chatha, which literally means: "to cut off." The 70 weeks is symbolic. By the end of this prophetic time period, God promised that six things would be accomplished. One of the things that Daniel was told would happen by the end of that period was that God would "seal up vision and prophecy." The Hebrew commentaries are in agreement on the meaning of to "seal up vision and prophecy"—they say it means: "the end and complete fulfillment of all prophecy."
Daniel's prophecy, then, tells of the time when all prophecy would cease to be given, and what had been given would be fulfilled. When would this be? Daniel's vision begins with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and ends with the destruction of Jerusalem, which we know occurred in A.D. 70.
The fall of Jerusalem was far more than the fall of a city, it was the end of an age. That is why Yeshua said it would be a, "great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
For this reason I ask, "How could it be possible for there to be in the future a destruction of Jerusalem equal or greater than that which happened in A.D. 70?" Yeshua said nothing in time would ever equal what happened in A.D. 70, nothing.
I'm sorry to have to tell you that the Great Tribulation is behind us, it is an event in history. Though most of the Church looks for it to happen in the future; it is past. You missed it, I hope you are not to disappointed.
Let's go back to Matthew and notice what he says in the next verse:
"Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Matthew 24:22 NASB
This is the same thing we saw in Daniel 12:1, "And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued"—So Daniel, Jeremiah, and Yeshua all talk about this same time of great tribulation when Yahweh will save His people. Yeshua tells us exactly when this time was to be:
"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Matthew 24:34 NASB
Yeshua here, very plainly and very clearly, tells HIS DISCIPLES that ALL of the things He had mentioned would come to pass in THEIR GENERATION. This includes the Gospel being preached in all the world, the Abomination of Desolation, the Great Tribulation, and the Coming of the Son of man. This is so clear that it greatly troubles those who hold to a Futuristic Eschatology.
Yeshua uses the near demonstrative "this" generation. Every time "this" is used in the New Testament it always refers to something that is near in terms of time or distance. Yeshua could have said, "That generation." But He didn't! Yeshua is saying that everything that He has spoken about will happen before the generation that He was speaking to would pass away.
So Daniel is talking about a time that the generation that Yeshua lived in would see all these things fulfilled.
"And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued"—the "your people" here are Daniel's people, who would be Israelites. At the time of The Great Tribulation all the Israelites that are found in the book will be rescued. So during the time of The Great Tribulation the elect of Yahweh would be delivered from that tribulation. How did this happen? Notice what Yeshua told His disciples:
"Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. "Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Matthew 24:15-21 NASB
So when they saw the armies surrounding Jerusalem, they were to flee. They were to get out before the tribulation began. It is a historical fact that Cestius Gallus, the Roman general, for some unknown reason, suspended the siege against Jerusalem, ceased the attack and withdrew his armies for an interval of time after the Romans had occupied the Temple, thus giving every believer the opportunity to obey the Lord's instruction to flee the city.
Josephus, the eyewitness, himself an unbeliever, chronicles this fact, and admitted his inability to account for the cessation of the fighting at this time after a siege had begun. We can account for it. Yahweh was giving His people, believing Israelites, a chance to escape the siege, and the disciples took it. And just as Daniel 12:1 had said, "everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." Daniel said it, Jeremiah said it, Yeshua said it. And it happened exactly as was predicted.
Now, notice the next verse in Daniel 12:
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 NASB
This is The Resurrection of the just and the unjust. Now remember that this is in the context of verse 1, the time of Great Tribulation in the end time or last days of Israel, which ended in A.D. 70. This Resurrection happens after the time of Jerusalem's destruction, not at the end of time as most believers think. Most Christians think that The Resurrection is a yet future event. Notice what Daniel says next:
Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:3 NASB
So after The Resurrection we have people who are turning many to righteousness. How could this be if The Resurrection was at the end of time? Who are those who shine brightly like the brighteners of the expanse of heaven? This is astral language to speak of believers.
They viewed the stars as deities.
When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:7 NASB
Here "stars" and "sons of God" are synonymous. Daniel is saying that believers in The Resurrection will be like the sons of God, we will be like stars. This is what Yahweh promised Abram in Genesis 15:
And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Genesis 15:5 NASB
The CJB puts it this way:
Then he brought him outside and said, "Look up at the sky, and count the stars — if you can count them! Your descendants will be that many!" Genesis 15:5 CJB
The question here is does, "So shall your descendants be" refer only to the quantitative—you'll be as numerous as the stars, or does it refer qualitatively—you will be like stars? I think it is both. This is theosis, "the deification of man." We are to be like the divine host, part of Yahweh's celestial family.
What we have in Daniel 12:3 is astralization language. This text reads The Resurrection in astral terms, "in the resurrection they will shine as the stars of heaven."
And in Daniel 12 we see this happening after The Resurrection, so when does The Resurrection take place?:
"But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age." Daniel 12:13 NASB
According to this verse, when is The Resurrection to take place? It is to take place at, "the end of the age." There are only two ages talked about in the Bible, "this age," which was the Old Covenant age, and "the age to come," which was the New Covenant age, the age in which we live. The New Covenant has no last days, no end time; so the end of the age must refer to the end of the Old Covenant. There is no newer covenant to end the New Covenant.
Notice what Yeshua says in Matthew 13:
"The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matthew 13:41-43 NASB
Yeshua tells us that at the end of the age the lawless will be cast into a furnace of fire and will be weeping and gnashing their teeth. This is The Great Tribulation that Daniel talks about. Then he says, "The righteousness will shine forth as the sun" quoting Daniel 12:3. So all this stuff: The Great Tribulation, The Resurrection, and the righteous shining forth as the sun all happens at the end of the Jewish age. Both Daniel 12 and Matthew 13 are speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Resurrection is an event that was to happen in A.D. 70.
Since we know that The Resurrection is past, we know that it was spiritual and not physical. The Resurrection of the dead that took place at the end of the Old Covenant in A.D. 70 was not a biological resurrection of dead decayed bodies, it was a release from Sheol of all who had been waiting through the centuries to be reunited with God in the Heavenly Kingdom.
We can see from the teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus several things about The Resurrection beliefs of the early Christians:
and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. 2 Timothy 2:17-18 NASB
The early Christians must have believed that The Resurrection would be spiritual in nature, and, therefore, not subject to confirmation by any physical evidence. If the early Christians had believed that The Resurrection would involve the physical bodies coming out of the graves, as is taught today, Hymenaius and Philitus could never have convinced anyone that The Resurrection had already happened.
They also must have believed that life on earth would go on with no material change after The Resurrection. They didn't believe that they would be on a renovated planet earth as a consequence of The Resurrection. Otherwise, the teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus would have been impossible. No one would have paid any attention to them.
The reason that their teaching that The Resurrection had already happened was overthrowing the faith of some was that it postulated a consummation of the spiritual kingdom, while the earthly Temple in Jerusalem still stood. This was a mixture of Law and grace. This destroyed the faith of some by making the works of the Law a part of the New Covenant.
"But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." Daniel 12:4 NASB
Daniel is to seal up the book until when? "The end of time." This is a very bad translation. Young's Literal Translation translates this as, "the time of the end." The KJV and even the NIV translate It that way also. We know that this should not be translated "end of time" if we look at verse 7:
I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. Daniel 12:7 NASB
Notice the end of this verse, "as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed." All what events will be completed? The Great Tribulation in verse 1; The Resurrection in verse 2; many being turned to righteousness in verse 3; and the shattering the power of the holy people. So all these events will be completed when the power of the holy people is shattered. So when does that happen? Is it at the end of time as verse 4 says? Who are the holy people? In context it is Daniel's people, which are the Israelites. So when was it that the Israelites' power was completely shattered? It was during the great tribulation when the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed.
Since the tribulation did not happen at the end of time, but at the end of the Old Covenant age, we know that the NASB translation "end of time" in Daniel 12:4, is wrong. Let me just say here that the Bible does not speak of "the end of time." The expression "the end time" or the "time of the end" is found in Scripture, but nowhere in the Bible can we find the expression "the end of time." The expression "the end time" or the "time of the end" speaks of the end of an age, but the end of an age is not the end of time. Scripture does not indicate that God has any plan to destroy this created world that we enjoy.
Let's go back to verse 4:
"But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." Daniel 12:4 NASB
Daniel is told to "conceal these words and seal up the book until the time of the end." These things were not going to be understood until the time of the end. When the end times arrived, Yeshua, referring to Daniels words, said:
"But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Mark 13:14 NASB
Mark adds, "(let the reader understand)." This is designed to draw the attention of the reader of Daniel to the passages' true meaning. In other words, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, that is the sign of the destruction of Jerusalem, the sign of His Coming and the end of the age.
He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Daniel 12:9 NASB
Again Daniel is told that these words are sealed until the end time, or the last days of Israel. We are told in Daniel 12:4 that this "time of the end" will be a time when "knowledge will increase." How many of you have heard this verse used to say that the knowledge here is science and technology, and that it refers to our time? This is not talking about the knowledge of science or technology. Remember this is talking about the end of the Jewish age.
When the Bible talks about knowledge, it is referring to the knowledge of Yahweh. Prior to Pentecost and the coming of the New Covenant the knowledge of Yahweh was limited to who? Israel:
who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, Romans 9:4 NASB
Only Israel had the knowledge of Yahweh. But after Pentecost the knowledge of Yahweh began to go to the nations. This is the knowledge that Daniel was talking about—it was the knowledge of the Gospel, the knowledge of God in Christ. Paul was used of Yahweh in the last days to increase this knowledge:
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB
Here Paul calls the Gospel the "Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." Paul lived in the last days, and he helped this knowledge to increase. This is what Daniel was talking about. In the last days knowledge would increase, the knowledge of the Gospel of our LORD Yeshua Ha'Moshiach.
Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?" Daniel 12:5-6 NASB
This question seems to be asked for the sake of Daniel. The end of these things is the "end" that has been talked about from Daniel 11:40 to 12:3, with all that shall happen in: The Great Tribulation, the salvation of the elect, the Resurrection, all of it. The answer to the question is in the next verse:
I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. Daniel 12:7 NASB
"All these events" includes The Resurrection of verse 2. Daniel is told that The Resurrection will be when the power of the holy people (the Jews) has been completely shattered. So, The Resurrection was to happen at the end of the Jewish age, the Old Covenant age. We know that this happened in A.D. 70 with the destruction of the Jewish Temple.
As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?" He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Daniel 12:8-9 NASB
That is, till the time comes, or draws near, that they shall be accomplished; until then they would not be clearly understood. Then in the book of Revelation we read:
And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Revelation 22:10 NASB
What was sealed in Daniel is being revealed in Revelation. Back to Daniel:
"Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Daniel 12:10-11 NASB
From the time the Abomination of Desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. How many years is that? Three and a half, which is how long the war against Jerusalem lasted. Yeshua referred to this in Matthew 24:15, in discussing the fall of Jerusalem.
Many commentators find an allusion to the standards of the Roman legions in the expression, "The Abomination of Desolation." The eagles were objects of worship to the soldiers. We know from Josephus that the attempt of a Roman general, Vitellius, in the reign of Tiberius, to march his troops through Judea was resisted by the Jewish authorities, on the ground that the idolatrous images on their ensigns would be a profanation of the Law.
By combining Matthew and Luke's statements with secular history, it is clear that Cestius Gallus and his Roman army were the Abomination of Desolation. It was fulfilled in A.D.66 when the Romans surrounded the city of Jerusalem.
S.Chrysostom wrote: "For this it seems to me that the Abomination of Desolation means the army by which the holy city of Jerusalem was made desolate." (The Ante-Nicene Fathers)
"But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age." Daniel 12:13 NASB
The statements of verses 1, 7, 11, and 12 tie The Resurrection to the time immediately following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Daniel was to arise at the end of the age, when the power of the holy people was shattered. How can you take this Resurrection and separate it from the destruction of Jerusalem? How can you do it?
So The Resurrection was a spiritual re-gathering of Yahweh's covenant people. The Resurrection of the dead that took place at the end of the Old Covenant in A.D. 70 was not a biological resurrection of dead decayed bodies, but a release from Sheol of all who had been waiting through the centuries to be reunited with God in the Heavenly Kingdom. They were no longer separated from God (dead), they were now in His presence (alive).
For believers who have lived since A.D. 70, we are resurrected when we trust in Christ. Yeshua gives us spiritual life, which is a resurrection from our state of spiritual death:
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Ephesians 2:5 NASB
We have eternal life and can never die spiritually. Therefore, we don't need a resurrection. At death our bodies go to dust, and we go immediately to heaven:
Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 NASB
Yeshua is saying, "He who believes in me shall live [spiritually], even if he dies [physically], and everyone who lives [physically], and believes in Me, shall never die [spiritually]."
Two categories of believers are discussed: those who would die before the resurrection, and those who would not. For those who died under the Old Covenant, He was The Resurrection, but for those who lived into the days of the New Covenant, He is the Life.
Under the New Covenant, there is no death, spiritually speaking. Where there is no death, there is no need of a resurrection. We have eternal life and can never die spiritually. Therefore, we don't need a resurrection. At death, we go immediately to heaven.