Page 369 - Daniel

heaven.” 26

THE CONCLUSION OF THE REVELATION (12:4)

12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the
time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall
increase.”

Daniel experienced an incredible expanse of revelation—beginning
with the kings of Persia, extending through the Maccabean period, then
leaping to the end of the age and the great tribulation, and including the
resurrections and reward of the righteous. Then he was instructed to
close and seal the book. This statement can be interpreted in two ways.

It can refer to the idea that the text was being sealed or preserved in a
way that would prevent it from being “tampered with or changed.” Or
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it can be understood in the sense that the interpretation of the revelation
would not be fully revealed until a time closer to its fulfillment. 28

In light of the whole of the verse, perhaps both ideas are intended.
That is, God promised to “seal” the prophecy so as to preserve it “until
the time of the end.” “Once the document was thus sealed, it became the
official and unchangeable text.” But God also seems to imply that the
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prophecy itself would be understood more fully (“knowledge shall

increase”) as the time for its fulfillment drew near. “As to time in mind,
reference may be especially to last days, when perhaps a marked
increase in such a search for knowledge will exist, but not exclusively.” 30

The prophecies thus revealed were to have primary application to
those living in “the time of the end.” In fact, the entire revelation, even
the portions already fulfilled through Daniel 11:35, are designed to help
those seeking to trust in the Lord in their affliction at the climax of the
age. It is significant that even though twenty-six hundred years have
elapsed since the writing of Daniel, his prophecies have never been more

relevant to understanding the course of history and impending future
events.

The statement that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall
increase” is difficult to translate, and commentators have not agreed as
to its precise meaning. In the context, the search for knowledge seems to