Daniel Unlocked #90. Why is the Book of Daniel to be Sealed until the Time of the End?
It is most likely that the Magi who came looking for the king of the Jews when Jesus was born, had used Daniel’s prophecy from Daniel 9 to establish the date for the Messiah. They were from Persia and no doubt a copy of Daniel’s scrl was in their library. However,iIn chapter 12 v4, the prophet receives the command to seal the scroll until the time of the end. In the same breath, the angel predicts that “ ‘many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase’ ” (Dan. 12:4). Although some students of Daniel have taken these words as a prediction of scientific progress, which also could be included in the meaning, the context seems to indicate that running “to and fro” refers to searching the book of Daniel itself. Indeed, as we look back into history, we note that Daniel remained an obscure piece of literature for centuries. It may have been known and studied in some places, but some of its key teachings and prophecies remained mysterious. For example, the prophetic messages related to the purification of the heavenly sanctuary, the judgment, the identity, and work of the little horn, along with the time frame related to these prophecies, were far from clear. But from the Protestant Reformation onward, more and more people began to study the book of Daniel. However, it was only at the time of the end that the book finally was opened, and its contents more fully unveiled.
Since 1798 the book of Daniel has been unsealed, knowledge of the prophecies has increased, and many have “run to and fro” in its pages and proclaimed the solemn message of the coming judgment. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century a new interest in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation was awakened in widely separated places of earth.
The study of these prophecies led to a widespread belief that the second advent of Christ was at hand.
Numerous expositors in England, Joseph Wolff in the Middle East, Manuel Lacunza in South America, and William Miller in the United States, together with a host of other students of the prophecies, declared, based on their study of the prophecies of Daniel, that the second advent was at hand. Today, this conviction has become the driving force of a worldwide movement.
Interestingly, the final scene in Daniel 12:5-13 takes place at the “river,” or the Tigris, the place of Daniel’s last major vision (Dan. 10:4). However, the word used here is not the common Hebrew word for “river,” but the term ye’or, which usually designates “the Nile River.” This reminds us of the Exodus and shows that just as the Lord redeems Israel from Egypt, He will redeem His end-time people. Three prophetic timetables are given. The first one— “a time, times, and half a time” —answers the question—“ ‘How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?’ ” (Dan. 12:6). The “wonders” refer to the things depicted in the vision of Daniel 11, which are an elaboration of Daniel 7 and 8. More specifically, this time period was mentioned in Daniel 7:25 and later in Revelation 11:3; 12:6, 14; and 13:5. It also corresponds to the 1,260 years of papal supremacy, which extended from A.D. 538 to 1798. Daniel 11:32–35 refers to the same persecution without mentioning its duration. The other two time periods, 1,290 and 1,335 days, answer a question—“what shall be the end of these things?” —posed by Daniel himself to the Man clothed in linen. And both begin with the removal of the “daily” and the setting up of the “abomination of desolation.” From the lesson on Daniel 8, we learned that the “daily” refers to the continual intercession of Christ, which was replaced with a counterfeit priesthood and worship system.
Thus, this prophetic period should start in A.D. 508, when Clovis, king of the Francs, converted to the Catholic faith. This important event paved the way for the union between church and state, which held sway throughout the Middle Ages. Hence, 1,290 days ended in 1798, when the pope was arrested by the French emperor Napoleon. And the 1,335 days, the last prophetic period mentioned in Daniel, ended in 1843. This was the time of the Millerite movement and renewed study of the biblical prophecies. It was a time of waiting and hope in the imminent coming of Jesus.
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