Sabbath, January 13, 2007

THE BOOK OF DANIEL

1. What instruction was given to Daniel concerning his book?
Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

“But that part of his prophecy which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal ‘to the time of the end.’ Not till we reach this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed, based on the fulfillment of these prophecies. But at the time of the end, says the prophet, ‘many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4.” –The Great Controversy, p. 356.

2. When would ‘the time of the end’ take place?

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

“The apostle Paul warned the church not to look for the coming of Christ in his day. ‘That day shall not come,’ he says, ‘except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Not till after the great apostasy, and the long period of the reign of the ‘man of sin,’ can we look for the advent of our Lord. The ‘man of sin,’ which is also styled the ‘mystery of iniquity,’ the ‘son of perdition,’ and ‘that wicked,’ represents the papacy, which, as foretold in prophecy, was to maintain its supremacy for 1260 years. This period ended in 1798. The coming of Christ could not take place before that time. Paul covers with his caution the whole of the Christian dispensation down to the year 1798. It is this side of that time that the message of Christ’s second coming is to be proclaimed.” –The Great Controversy, p. 356.

3. What would happen to the book of Daniel at the time of the end?
Daniel 12:4, second part. … many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

“But since 1798 the book of Daniel has been unsealed, knowledge of the prophecies has increased, and many have proclaimed the solemn message of the judgment near.” –The Great Controversy, p. 356.

4. What is the correct meaning of the phrase “many shall run to and fro”?

“Wolff believed the coming of the Lord to be at hand, his interpretation of the prophetic periods placing the great consummation within a very few years of the time pointed out by Miller. To those who urged from the scripture, ‘Of that day and hour knoweth no man,’ that men are to know nothing concerning the nearness of the advent, Wolff replied: ‘Did our Lord say that day and hour should never be known? Did he not give us signs of the times, in order that we may know at least the approach of His coming, as one knows the approach of the summer by the fig tree putting forth its leaves? Matthew 24:32. Are we never to know that period, whilst He Himself exhorteth us not only to read Daniel the prophet, but to understand it? and in that very Daniel, where it is said that the words were shut up to the time of the end (which was the case in his time), and that ‘many shall run to and fro’ (a Hebrew expression for observing and thinking upon the time), ‘and knowledge’ (regarding that time) ‘shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4….” Wolf, Researches and Missionary Labors, pp. 404, 405.” –The Great Controversy, pp. 359, 360.

A LITTLE OPEN BOOK

5. What does this little open book represent?
Revelation 10:1, 2 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

“The Little Book.– ‘He had in his hand a little book open.’ We may infer from this language that this book was at some time closed. We read in Daniel of a book which was closed and sealed to a certain time: ‘Thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4. Since this book was closed only until the time of the end, it follows that at the time of the end the book would be opened. As this closing was mentioned in prophecy, it would be but reasonable to expect that in the predictions of events to take place at the time of the end, the opening of this book would also be mentioned. There is no book spoken of as closed and sealed except the book of Daniel’s prophecy, and there is no account of the opening of that book unless it be here in Revelation 10.” –Uriah Smith, Daniel and Revelation, 1944 edition, pp. 519, 520.

6. With whom is this angel of Revelation 10 identified?

“The chronology of the events of Revelation 10 is further ascertained from the fact that this angel appears to be identical with the first angel of Revelation 14. The points of identity between them are easily seen: They both have a special message to proclaim. They both utter their proclamation with a loud voice. They both use similar language, referring to the Creator as the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and the things that are therein. And they both proclaim time, one swearing that time should be no more, and the other proclaiming that the hour of God’s judgment has come.” –Uriah Smith, Daniel

7. Who is that angel of Revelation 10?
Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

“The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ. Setting His right foot on the sea, and His left upon the dry land, shows the part which He is acting in the closing scenes of the great controversy with Satan. (MS 59, 1900).” –S.D.A. Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 971.