Daniel 12 concerns the time of the end, when Michael stands up for God's people during a time of trouble such as never was, the Great Tribulation Christ echoes in Matthew 24. Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14 show it lasting three and a half years: a time, times, and half a time, or 1,260 days, or forty-two months. The prophecies were sealed until the end, when the wise would understand, so God is now revealing their meaning to those who obey Him. The 1,290-day and 1,335-day periods each begin with a significant prophetic event and both end at Christ's return. Daniel 12:11 suggests the Jews in modern Israel may restore the daily sacrifice for a short time, possibly with only an altar and no Temple. It was fulfilled in type by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167-164 BC. The Beast's armies entering Jerusalem will likely ban the sacrifice, and 1,290 days later Christ appears. The 1,335 days begin at an event the Bible leaves unclear, possibly the end of the church's organized gospel proclamation. Forty-five days later, the Beast's armies surround Jerusalem. The faithful, once warned, have 30 days to flee to a place of refuge, and the 1,260 days begin when the church is protected. Those who patiently endure, being purified and refined, are the blessed who reach the 1,335 days.

The prophecies in the book of Daniel, particularly in chapters 11 and 12, form the longest prophecy recorded in Scripture, with chapter 10 serving as the prelude and chapter 12 as its completion. These prophecies underscore that God rules over human history, knowing the end from the beginning, and were given in response to Daniel's prayer for deeper understanding of God's plans for His people. The first thirty-five verses of Daniel 11 detail events from the time before Christ, chronicling the rise of kings in Persia and Greece, the conflicts between the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria, and the persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Specific historical fulfillments include the reign of Xerxes in Persia, the division of Alexander the Great's empire into four parts without passing to his descendants, and intricate alliances and betrayals such as the fate of Bernice, daughter of Ptolemy II. Daniel 11:21-35 further describes Antiochus IV Epiphanes, portraying his deceitful rise, easy early victories over a corrupt Egypt, and later humiliation by the Roman Empire, leading to his rage against the holy covenant. His desecration of the temple, termed the abomination of desolation, involved abolishing daily sacrifices and offering swine's flesh on the altar, inciting a successful rebellion by Judas Maccabaeus. Verses 32-35 depict the ongoing persecution of God's people through history, allowed by God to refine and purify them until the time of the end. The latter part of Daniel 11, from verse 40 through chapter 12:13, addresses future events yet to be fulfilled. These verses speak of conflicts between the King of the South and the King of the North at the time of the end, with invasions and overthrows affecting many lands, including the Glorious Land. Daniel 12:1 introduces a time of unprecedented trouble, the Great Tribulation, during which God's people will be delivered. Verses 2-3 mention resurrections to everlasting life and to shame, alongside the glorification of the wise who shine brightly. A timeframe for these events is provided, with 1,290 days from the cessation of daily sacrifices and the setting up of the abomination of desolation, and a blessing pronounced on those who endure to the 1,335 days, emphasizing God's precise timing and the need for perseverance. Final instructions to Daniel in chapter 12:4-13 include sealing the words until the time of the end, a period marked by increased knowledge and frantic activity without true understanding among the wicked, while the wise will comprehend. The prophecy highlights a continuing purification of the righteous amidst growing wickedness, culminating in Daniel's assurance of rest and arising to his inheritance at the end of days, encouraging steadfast faith in God's sovereign plan.

The prophecies of Daniel, as recorded in chapters 7 and 8 of his book, unveil visions inspired by God, each portraying the same sequence of events with a doubling that signifies their certainty. Chapter 7, written in Aramaic, and chapter 8, in Hebrew, focus on four world empires. The first is Nebuchadnezzar's Chaldean-Babylonian Empire, followed by Cyrus' Medo-Persian Empire, then Alexander the Great's Greco-Macedonian Empire, which fragmented among four generals upon his death, and finally a fourth empire of Roman origin, extending through history to the present era. These visions parallel the great statue vision in Daniel 2, all emphasizing Gentile world powers leading to a climactic replacement by a divine kingdom established by the Lord of heaven. In Daniel 2, a stone, representing Jesus Christ, cut without human hands, shatters the preceding kingdoms and grows to fill the earth. Daniel 7 presents the Ancient of Days in judgment, destroying the final enemy, after which the Son of Man comes with the clouds of heaven to receive everlasting dominion, glory, and kingdom. This chapter further reveals that the saints of the Most High will possess this kingdom forever. The visions, spanning from the sixth century BC to the second coming of Jesus Christ and beyond, convey history through vivid imagery rather than mere facts or dates, highlighting God's control over human kingdoms until the establishment of His eternal reign. Daniel 7 introduces four beasts emerging from the Great Sea, symbolizing turbulent nations and representing four successive kingdoms: a lion for the Babylonian Empire, a bear for the Medo-Persian Empire, a leopard with four heads for the Greek Empire, and a terrifying fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns for a Roman-like power. These beasts, characterized by strength, cruelty, and treachery, mirror the statue in Daniel 2 but add details like the humbling of the lion and the division of the leopard's empire. The fourth beast introduces a little horn, uprooting three others, with eyes and a boastful mouth, indicating a future ruler who speaks against the Most High and persecutes the saints for a set time before divine judgment strips away his dominion. The vision culminates with the Ancient of Days seated in judgment, and the Son of Man receiving authority, glory, and an everlasting kingdom where all peoples serve Him. The saints, despite persecution by the little horn, ultimately receive the kingdom under the whole heaven, an everlasting dominion where all serve and obey Him. These prophecies underscore God's sovereignty over history, the triumph of Christ's kingdom over worldly powers, and the future reign of the saints with Him.

The Seventy Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 was given to Daniel by the cherub Gabriel in 538 BC as God's reply to Daniel's prayer, answering when the Messiah would come. Its four verses are poetry built on two contrasts (A1B1A2B2): verses 25-26a and 27a describe Christ, while 26b and 27b describe the Antichrist. Ignoring this structure credits the Antichrist with what belongs to the Messiah. The "weeks" are sevens of years. The only viable starting point is Artaxerxes I's decree of 457 BC, the return under Ezra. Seven weeks (49 years) cover the rebuilding of Jerusalem to 408 BC, and adding 62 weeks (434 years) reaches AD 27, when Jesus was baptized and began His ministry. This also places His birth in 4 BC. Protestant calculations using a 360-day year from 444 BC to AD 33 are contrived and two years off. Messiah was cut off in the middle of the seventieth week, after three and a half years of ministry, in AD 31, when Passover fell on a Wednesday. This ended the need for sacrifices. The covenant of verse 27 is the New Covenant that Christ confirmed with "the many," meaning the saints (Matthew 26:28). It is not a treaty made by the Antichrist, and the Olivet Prophecy mentions no such treaty. Rome destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, and the Antichrist will arise from Rome. The last three and a half years of the seventieth week are unaddressed, perhaps a final period of Christ's ministry after His return. Understanding the prophecy refutes Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter, places Christ's ministry in proper historical context, and helps believers watch for the true signs of the end.