Commentary on Daniel 12:1-3, 5-13

Week 5 (9/1/2024): End of Days

Daniel 12 is part of a larger apocalyptic unit that begins in Chapter 10. Chapter 12 deserves special focus for a few reasons. First, as the conclusion of the book of Daniel, and how a book ends impacts how we interpret the book as a whole. Secondly, it contains the earliest reference to the now-widely-held belief in the resurrection of the dead at the end of days, when humanity will be judged and sorted in the afterlife between those who will inherit “everlasting life” and those who will face “shame and everlasting contempt” (verse 2). 

Throughout the book of Daniel, a central theme has been God’s work in the context of human empires. In Chapter 12, this theme reaches its culmination as the empire of death itself comes to an end, and history’s players are divided between the righteous and the unrighteous. This ultimate sorting of humanity represents the final victory of God’s kingdom over all earthly powers.

The timing of these events is also of great significance. The resurrection and judgment will occur after “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (verse 1). This theme of God’s deliverance coming at the eleventh hour, when crises reach their peak and circumstances seem most dire, is a recurring motif throughout the book of Daniel, evident in both the court tales and the apocalyptic chapters.