GO THOU THY WAY TILL THE END BE

Many of the last words of the prophetic books of the Old Testa­ment describe future blessings for Israel and Judah; cf. Isa. 66. 22; Ezek 48. 35; Hos. 14. 4-8; Joel 3. 20-21; Amos 9. 15; Obad. 1. 21; Mic. 7. 20; Hab. 3. 18-19; Zeph. 3. 20 and Zech. 14. 21. However, in Daniel, it was the prophet himself who received the guaran­tee of future blessing in his own allotted place in the millennial kingdom, v. 13. Daniel had listened diligently to what the Lord had said in his prophecy, but eventually had to admit that there were things he did not understand, and he therefore asked, ‘what shall be the end of these things?’, 12. 8. He did not receive a complete answer to his question, but, after being given a little more information as to timing, vv. 11-12, he was told that he could now go about his normal business again, for ‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’, v. 9, when he would have his own portion in the millennial kingdom, earned by his faithfulness.

His question in verse 8 reminds us of the question addressed to the risen Lord Jesus by the disciples, and of the reply which followed, ‘Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power, But ye shall receive power’, Acts 1. 6-8. For them, present power was more important than detailed prophetic timings, which the Father reserved to Himself.

Daniel was given two important commands relative to fin­ishing his prophecy; first ‘close the words, and seal the book, till the time of the end’, v. 4 JND, and, secondly, ‘Go thy way, Daniel; for these words are closed and sealed till the time of the end’, v. 9 JND. The references to closing the words and, meta­phorically, sealing the scroll would indicate that the prophecy would not be of immediate application, but was related to dis­tant times. How different from the Book of Revelation, where John is told, ‘Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand’, Rev. 22. 10. What Daniel looked for from afar, we look for in the near future - our hope is laid up for us in heaven, Col. 1. 5; Heb. 10. 34.