Daniel Unlocked #89. The Resurrection.
In Chapter 12:2-3 , 13. Daniel makes probably the most explicit reference in the Old Testament to the coming resurrection. And as we reflect on this passage, we can learn some very important truths. The most common expression for death in the Bible is ‘sleep.’ First, as the metaphor of “sleep” indicates, no immortal soul inhabits human bodies. Humans are an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit. In death, the person ceases to exist and remains unconscious until the resurrection. Second, our text points to the coming resurrection as a reversal of what happens because of sin. Indeed, the expression translated as “dust of the earth” in the original language of Daniel 12:2 reads “earth of dust.” This unusual word sequence points back to Genesis 3:19, the only other biblical passage where the word “earth” precedes the word “dust.” This implies that the death pronouncement made at Adam’s fall will be reversed, and death will no longer hold sway. As Paul says, “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54). Romans 8:18 and Hebrews 2:14, 15, tell us that we do not need to fear death. Death ruins and ends everything here. But we are offered the promise that death does not hold the last word for faithful believers.
Death is a vanquished enemy.
When Christ breaks the chains of death and emerges resurrected from the tomb, He deals the fatal blow to death. Now we can look beyond the temporary reality of death to the ultimate reality of the life we receive from God in Christ. Because Michael “stand[s] up” (v1), those who belong to Him also will stand up. They will rise from the “earth of dust” to shine like the stars for ever and ever. Amid the pains and struggles of life, we can draw hope and comfort from the promise of the resurrection at the end. Nothing else matters.
The first reference to the resurrection in Daniel 12:2 announces that both the righteous and the wicked will rise from the dead at the same time. This resurrection takes place within the framework of the time of the end as Michael stands up to save His people (Dan. 12:1). Therefore, this awakening must be a special resurrection, because, as taught elsewhere in Scripture, the general resurrection of the righteous will take place at the second coming of Jesus and that of the wicked will happen at the end of the millennium. (Revelation 20:5). However, scripture gives indication of a special resurrection of those who were responsible for crucifying Jesus (Dan. 12:2; Matt. 26:63, 64; Rev. 1:7)
A second reference to the resurrection occurs in Daniel 12:13, which in contrast to the previous one, takes place at the “end of the days.” This event is the general resurrection of the righteous, mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. Daniel received the promise that at the “end of the days,” he will arise to receive his inheritance. “At the end of the days” are the last words of the manuscript. The NLT puts it like this, “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
The term “inheritance” (Heb. goral) evokes the allotted inheritance given to each tribe after God’s people entered the Promised Land. This term evokes the Exodus and the covenantal promise that God would give land to the people. Daniel received the same promise. In the end, he will receive his “inheritance” in the new creation, the new heaven and new earth. Resurrection is not the transition from a material to an immaterial state. Indeed, it is a transition from a sinful and degraded condition to a state of perfection. We will enjoy life to its fullness in the concrete reality of the new heavens and new earth that God will bring into existence (Isa. 65:17, Rev. 21:1–5).