Michael the great prince shall arise during an unprecedented time of trouble, but all whose names are written in the book shall be delivered. Many sleeping in the dust shall awake—some to everlasting life, others to eternal contempt—and the wise shall shine like stars forever. Daniel is told to seal the book until the time of the end, receiving assurance that he will rest and rise to his allotted inheritance at the end of the days.
Read Daniel Chapter 12 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Daniel
Faithful Jewish exile who served in Babylonian and Persian courts
Nebuchadnezzar
Babylonian king who had troubling dreams and eventually acknowledged God
Shadrach
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Meshach
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Abednego
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Lot
Nephew of Abraham
Places in This Chapter
Position in Book
Life in ExileChapters 1-6
Apocalyptic VisionsChapters 7-12
Four beasts, ram and goat, seventy weeks, final conflict and resurrection.
Bible Bites
Written in two languages
The book of Daniel switches languages mid-sentence in chapter 2:4, moving from Hebrew to Aramaic and back to Hebrew in chapter 8. The Aramaic section (2:4-7:28) focuses on Gentile kingdoms, while Hebrew sections address Israel specifically.
Daniel 2:4Half History, Half Prophecy
Daniel's 12 chapters divide into two distinct sections: chapters 1-6 contain historical narratives (including the fiery furnace and lions' den), while chapters 7-12 record apocalyptic visions of future kingdoms. Remarkably, chapters 2-7 were written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.
Daniel