Tuesday: Daniel—Shut Up the Words
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 1st of April 2025
Read Daniel 12:4. What was the Lord telling Daniel here? (Contrast this with Revelation 22:10.)
It is not uncommon to hear preachers use Daniel 12:4 to predict the rise of technological and scientific knowledge just prior to the advent of Christ. Many also use it to describe the advances in rapid travel that have taken place over the past century or so. Many of our own books have taken this approach. Though certainly reasonable interpretations, it might mean something else, as well.
Read the passage again. The angel’s instruction to Daniel begins with an injunction to “shut up the words, and seal the book.” The subject being discussed is the book of Daniel itself. Perhaps, then, could that knowledge which would suddenly increase at the end of time be knowledge of the book of Daniel itself?
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
This makes the book of Daniel somewhat different from Revelation, in that John was told not to seal his book (Revelation 22:10). Revelation was meant to be understood from the first, because “ ‘the time [was] at hand.’ ” In contrast, Daniel would be understood more clearly at some point in the distant future.
Over the centuries, many fine Christian thinkers attempted to explain the book of Daniel, and some made great headway. Understanding of Daniel increased rapidly, however, after the end of the 1,260–year prophecy, which ended in 1798, when multiple expositors around the globe started concluding that something spectacular was going to happen around 1843. The most notable of these, however, was William Miller, whose preaching launched the Great Advent Movement of the nineteenth century and began a chain of events that would give birth to the “remnant” church and a clear understanding of the three angels’ messages.
The birth of our global movement, in other words, is a fulfillment of Daniel’s prediction that “knowledge shall increase” at “the time of the end.”
In contrast, and without judging people’s salvation, think about the “darkness” that so much of Christendom exists in. Something as basic as the seventh-day Sabbath, established in Eden, is ignored, even dismissed, in favor of Sunday, a day rooted in Roman paganism. Or think of the utter ignorance about death, with the vast majority of Christians believing the pagan idea that the dead immediately go soaring off to another existence, which for some means an eternally burning hell.
In contrast, we should be thankful—and humbled—by the knowledge of the truth.
(14)
We're re-reading the chapter “An American Reformer,” Pages 319–324, in The Great Controversy. It's the "Further Thought" reading for Friday. It's exciting to read how William Miller was moved to study the prophecies of Daniel and was given understanding just when the book of Daniel was unsealed. It also demonstrates that "the time of the end" began back then.
Reading how Miller studied the prophecies is helpful in clarifying what we call the "historicist" approach. In this approach, documented past fulfillments of prophecies provide the keys by which we can understand prophecies of future events. Thus examining past fulfillments allows us to test our understanding of prophecies of the future.
If you find the full chapter in The Great Controversy a bit daunting, you can read the chapter, "New Light in the New World" in the modern-language version, Love Under Fire instead.
I'd really love to know what this reading did for you. 😊
Knowing the Truth Should be a Humbling Experience as it was for Daniel
In the book of Daniel, the prophet receives divine revelations about the future, including visions of great kingdoms and the coming of the Messiah. However, instead of making him proud, these revelations humbled him. In Daniel 10:8, he says, "So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale, and I was helpless." This shows that true understanding of God’s plans does not make us arrogant but instead reveals our frailty and dependence on Him.
Daniel was also instructed to "shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end" (Daniel 12:4). This command illustrates that God reveals knowledge in His perfect timing as opposed to human convenience. Just as students in school are taught progressively, humanity receives divine knowledge in stages, according to what is necessary and beneficial at a particular time. Some truths are beyond our present capacity to comprehend fully, and humility is required to accept that God's wisdom is by far greater than ours.
Another example is found in 1 Corinthians 8:1, where Paul warns that "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." This means that knowing the truth should not lead to pride but to a heart that is humbled before God, seeking to use that knowledge in love and service. Daniel’s example teaches us that the more we understand God’s ways, the more we should be in awe of His power and wisdom.
Ultimately, Daniel’s visions remind us of the importance of trust and humility. In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are urged to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Just as Daniel faithfully recorded what he was shown without fully grasping its implications, we, too, must trust that God’s plans will unfold in His perfect time, and our role is to remain faithful and humble before Him.
The most important period in one’s spiritual existence in “now”. Human life is very unpredictable and very uncertain. Whereas it is important to understand what prophesy says about tomorrow, unfortunately, one’s tomorrow is too unknown. Living as if we have tomorrow is extremely dangerous. The Bible pointedly says that “today” and “now” is what we might be sure of, and we ought to live our lives in a state of complete preparedness. Prophesy tells us that it is only God who holds the key to the future and we mortal beings are like flowers which blossoms in the morning and by evening they have withered. If there is anything of profound significance that prophesy proclaims loud and clear is that life on this planet earth is passing away and soon than later God will usher in a new heaven and earth. Therefore, it should not be business as usual.
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” – Matthew 24:44
Principle #3: Some prophetic messages are intentionally sealed by God until the appropriate time in history when He intends them to be more fully understood.
Those with more excellent knowledge also bear greater responsibility. What's your/my urgency today? Wouldn't you want to cooperate with the angels to spread higher knowledge? May the Lord grant us the Holy Spirit to efficiently fulfill our mission today.