Daniel 10:1 - 12:13, What is the Intended Message?

[TRUTH over TRADITION]

In Daniel 10:14, an impressive messenger tells Daniel that he'd come to help Daniel understand what would happen to Daniel's people in the future. This messenger describes the future as 'the last or later days' depending on how the phrase is translated. Using the entire context from chapter 10 to chp 12, I'd like to see if we can put our heads together and do our best to figure out what the last days mentioned in this text refer to.

 

[TRUTH over TRADITION]

Before circling back to Daniel, I think it would be beneficial to take a look at some New Testament texts that have been linked to Daniel's writings to see what message they deliver and whether or not the popular links are Biblically sound. I'll start with 2 Thessalonians 1:4-2:12 which reads:

4 We also take special pride in you among all the called ones of God, because of the endurance and faith that you’ve shown through all the persecutions and difficulties that you’ve been enduring. 5 So, the righteous judgment of God is being revealed in that you’re being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.6 And it’s a righteous thing for God to repay those who are persecuting you by crushing them, 7 while providing relief to you who are suffering this persecution (and to us also) when the Lord Jesus is revealed in the sky with his powerful messengers 8 in a flaming fire. Then he’ll bring vengeance upon all those who don’t know God and those who aren’t obeying the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 [His] justice will repay them with age-long ruin away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength. 10 [He will do this] when he comes to be glorified among his Holy Ones and to be marveled at by all you who believe, because you put faith in the testimony we gave in that day.11 We’re also always praying this for you: That our God may count you worthy of the calling and fulfill upon you all [His] good intentions and powerful deeds of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you (and you in him), through the loving care of our God and of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.
1 However, brothers; regarding the appearance of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One and our being gathered to him… we urge you 2 not to quickly lose hope, or to be disturbed by [something from the] spirit, or by words, or [by things] in a letter that may have come through us, indicating that the Lord’s Day has arrived. 3 Don’t allow anyone to mislead you in any way; because, [that day] won’t come until after there has been a great turning away and a revealing of the lawless man… the son of destruction. 4 For, he opposes and puts himself higher than all others that are called gods or things of worship, and he seats himself in the Holy Place (gr. Naos) of The God where he publicly displays himself as being a god.
5 Don’t you remember that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you?6 So, now you know what’s holding everything up… his being revealed in his appointed time. 7 Indeed, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work; for, this is the one who is holding everything back until he's no longer in our midst. 8 But when the Lord Jesus arrives and the lawless one is revealed, he'll do away with him by the breath from his mouth and bring him to nothing.9 This one comes through the works of the Opposer with great powers, lying signs, false wonders, 10 and every sort of deceit of the unrighteous… those who will perish for not loving the truth that they received, which would have saved them! 11 And on account of this, The God is leading them astray so they can believe what is false, 12 and so that all those who don’t believe the truth but prefer unrighteousness, may be [proven guilty].

In the above text Paul begins by championing the endurance and faith the Thessalonions exhibited through their persecutions. He tells them that God would repay the ones persecuting them and at the same time would provide the Thessalonians saints with relief. This would all happen when Jesus was to be revealed in glory taking vengeance on those that aren't obeying the gospel of Christ.
In chp 2 Paul then clarifies some things about the appearance of Jesus discussed in chp 1. He tells the Thessalonians that there are some signs to look for before this appearance occurs. He told them there would be a great turning away from the faith and that the man of sin/lawless one would be revealed first. This Man of Sin was said to be one that would seat himself in the holy place of God and claim the status of a god for himself. This "Lawless One" is said to be holding the revealing of Jesus and is said to have been already mysteriously at work holding everything back at the time of Paul's writing. This "Lawless One" according to verse 7, was in the midst of the brethren but apparently hidden or working in secret at opposing the truth of the gospel. Once this "Lawless One" was no longer in the midst of the brethren, it appears that that would clear the way for Jesus to be revealed and Jesus would arrive at the revelation of the "Lawless One" to do away with him and bring him to nothing. This entity is said to have been empowered not by God but instead by the Satan to apparently stand against the gospel and deceive the elect.

Who this "Lawless One" is or was is debateble. Many think it is an endtime antichrist while others claimit was a 1st century figure like Nero or Titus, and others stand by the idea that it represents the Papacy. Another option that is not discussed is the idea that this individual is not an individual but is the personification of 1st century Judaizers that had formerly believed that were attempting to corrupt the saints by speaking against Jesus being the Christ and exhaulting their religion and the Temple that was its religious centerpiece. These lawless ones could have been saved had they held to the truth of the gospel but instead they loved what was false and God then allowed them to be led astray to face His judgement at the revealing of Jesus, His Anointed.
So my contention is that it is just as likely if not more likely that the "Lawless One" was representative of these individuals or that movement that was to be the great falling away and collectively they were the Lawless One/son of perdition, etc. that had to be revealed and purged from Jesus' body before Jesus himself would be revealed to gather his elect and take vengeance on those that persecuted His body.

 

[TRUTH over TRADITION]

For years i took for granted that the messenger that spoke with Daniel was an angel by the name of Gabriel and the Michael that he referred to as being Daniel's people's "Prince" was a heavenly being known as an arch-angel. Upon recent inspection, I am wondering if both of these individuals were men and not spirit beings/angelic beings.

 

[chakham]

For years i took for granted that the messenger that spoke with Daniel was an angel by the name of Gabriel and the Michael that he referred to as being Daniel's people's "Prince" was a heavenly being known as an arch-angel. Upon recent inspection, I am wondering if both of these individuals were men and not spirit beings/angelic beings.

IMO other than what has been described in Daniel I don't think we could know for sure who spoke to Daniel. As far as what or who Michael the Archangel and even Gabriel are for that matter and their role in Judaism is concerned that may have more to do with folklore and Babylonian influence than truth.

"And I heard, but I did not understand;" - Daniel