SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
1/12/2014 8:11 PM
My Worship Time
Focus:
Finial Instructions to Daniel
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Daniel 12:4
Message of the
verses: We are not into the final
main point from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Daniel and so we will
begin to look at the last thirteen verses of this wonderful book authored by
the prophet Daniel.
Introduction:
Daniel receives his final instructions from the Lord as we see from the
last verses of his book and as we look back at this book we see that even from
the time when Daniel was a young man, probably a teenager, and we see that he
was a man who loved the Lord, listened to what the Lord had to say to him, and
was a faithful man of prayer who studied the Scriptures that he had, and all of
this brought glory to the Lord.
The Book (Daniel 12:4):
“4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end
of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.’”
One may think that when Daniel receives instructions to
seal up this book that it meant that no one would be able to read what was in
it, but that is not the case as Dr. Wiersbe explains: “In the ancient world, official transactions
were ratified with two documents, one that was sealed and kept in a safe place
and one that was kept available (Jeremiah 32:1-12).” The story in Jeremiah that Dr. Wiersbe refers
to is about Jeremiah buying a plot of land from his uncle and what he did with
the deed, “10 "I signed and sealed
the deed, and called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
11 "Then I took the deeds of
purchase, both the sealed
copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the
son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and
in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, before all the
Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard (Jeremiah 32:10-12.”
The Lord wanted the people of Israel to know what was in
the book of Daniel so that they would know what their future held. Dr. Wiersbe goes on to write more about the
sealing of this book: “However, the book
was ‘sealed’ in this sense: the full meaning of what Daniel wrote would not be
understood until ‘the time of the end’ (see Matt. 24:15). Even Daniel didn’t fully understand all that
he saw, heard, and wrote! (Daniel 12:8).
The opposite was given to John who wrote the book of
Revelations, for he was told to keep the book unsealed and the reason was
because the time was at hand “And he *said to me, "Do not seal up the
words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near (Rev. 22:10).” The book of Daniel, according to Dr. Wiersbe,
is quoted or alluded to at least seventy-one times in the NT, and many of those
are from the book of Revelations. When
one studies the book of Revelations, one also must look at the book of Daniel
along with Matt. 24-25, for all of these are related to the end times
events. When John is told that the time
is near for the things that he had written to come about from the book of
Revelations it was somewhere around 90 AD, and we are now in the year 2014, so
what can he mean by that? John MacArthur
writes “This refers to immanency, which means that the end is next.”
One more thing we need to look at from verse four of
Daniel 12 and that is the statement about knowledge increasing. When I look at the note from John MacArthur’s
study Bible he includes in his not the words from verse four “go back and
forth, he writes: “This Heb. Verb from
always refers to the movement of a person searching for something. In the tribulation, people will search for
answers to the devastation and discover increased knowledge through Daniel’s
preserved book.” Dr. Wiersbe writes that
when we read about knowledge increasing it does not mean something like trains
and jet planes, but says “It has reference to the study of God’s Word in the
last days, especially the study of prophecy.
Amos 8:11-12 warns us that the day will come when there will be a famine
of God’s Word and people will run here and there seeking for truth but won’t
fine it. But God’s promise to Daniel is that, in the last days, His people can
increase in their knowledge of prophetic Scripture as they apply themselves to
the Word of God. Some interpret ‘to and
fro’ to mean running one’s eyes to and fro over the pages of Scripture.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I think that as I look at the need to study
the Word of God as far as it is related to the end times, that I should be in
His Word daily to learn what He has for me each day, and so that I can be ready
to give to someone the hope that is in me.
“Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give
an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1
Peter 3:15b).”
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord to guide me in all
that I do, that my life may bring glory to His name.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
Question: “Christ” (1 Timothy 2:6).
Today’s Bible
Question: What miracle did Jesus do at
Nain?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/12/2014 8:55 PM
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