Christ Himself taught that the ‘end’ as foreseen by Daniel was to come within the life span of the generation to whom He was speaking, (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32). The early Church expected this ‘end,’ (for example: Heb. 9:26; 1 Pet. 4:7; 1 Cor. 7:29). Did it happen?

Was the “End” Prophesied By Daniel The End of The Planet?

No, it was the end of the age of the fleshly nation, Israel, its people, and its City. The word translated ‘world’ in KJV is more accurately translated ‘age,’ as in RSV. The passage in Daniel chapter 9 is about an “end,” (vv. 24, “end of sin,” v. 26, “end of sanctuary,” v. 27, “the decreed end is poured out”). Daniel chapters 10 and 11 are about events leading up to this “end,” and refer to the history between Daniel’s time and the time of John the Revelator.

The ‘end’ which Daniel foresaw was also “to seal up the vision and prophecy.” In this passage the words ‘seal up’ is the Hebrew chatham, defined as: “…to seal, affix one’s seal, in attestation… as for example in Nehemiah 10:1-27, where the men attested to or ratified the covenant by setting their seal to it”.*  In other words, Daniel’s prophecy would be proven by its fulfillment. This sense of attesting or ratifying is also used in the New Testament in John 3:33; 1 Corinthians. 9:2; 2 Timothy 2:19. It indicates the stamp of authenticity.

Daniel’s Prophesies Were Proven By Their Fulfillment

“The vision and prophecy” of Daniel were attested to, or proven, by the coming of Christ, His finished work of redemption, the preaching of the Gospel at that time to the whole Jewish world as well as to some of the Gentiles, the formation of the New Israel of God in Christ’s Body the Church, and the subsequent destruction of the fleshly nation and the earthly city of Jerusalem. God’s prophets had foretold all of these things. Now they were attested to, and ratified by the fulfillment of that which had been foretold. Therefore, Daniel’s ‘appointed times’ were fulfilled, ‘accomplished’ – both the blessedness of the righteous who believed and the tribulation of those who refused to believe.

Daniel 12:7d: And when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be accomplished,” (RSV).

• “All of these things” came to pass when Jerusalem was destroyed along with the Temple in AD 70:
• There was an “end of sin” and transgression for fleshly Israel, because from this point on there was no other Israel than Christ, the only living legitimate Heir.
• Christ’s death “atoned for iniquity and brought in everlasting righteousness”;
• in Christ’s Body, “a most holy (place) was anointed,” the Church;
• There was an “end of the sanctuary,” because the physical Temple was destroyed.

No More Delay (“Time No Longer”: “The Time Is Up”)

This passage in Daniel 12:7 is referred to in Revelation 10:5-7. Indeed, the Angel appears to be the same in both passages:

Revelation 10: “5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

The phrase in 10:6: “…that there should be time no longer,” (KJV), literally means: ‘The time is up’ or “There shall be no more delay.” This refers to the ‘time’ spoken of by Daniel; that “time was up.” The angel proclaims that this ‘delay’ is over, Revelation 10:5-7, (RSV).

Jesus Himself, in answer to the question concerning the “end of the age,” (Matthew 24:1-28), interpreted Daniel’s prophecy as coming to pass when Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed. Therefore, God’s “unfinished business with fleshly Israel” spoken of by Daniel became “finished business” in AD 70 as described in the Book of Revelation.

*Brown, Driver, Briggs, Concordance, “seal.”

Next Lesson: Forty Years of the Messiah