The Time of the End?

[Sam]

The Book of Daniel in our Old Testament is the story of a young man (maybe even as young as eight or 10 years old) who was carried captive from the country of Judah to Babylon which was the major world power at that time.
Daniel survived until he was an old man. Yes, this is the Daniel who was given the opportunity as a child to be groomed for political leadership but only accepted it if he was allowed not to compromise his religious beliefs.
It's also the same Daniel who was thrown into a den of hungry lions by political/religious enemies and survived unharmed.
And he is the same Daniel who saw Babylon fall to the hands of the Medes (probably modern day Kurds) and Persians (modern day iranians) in October, 539 BC. That date is somewhere between October 16th to the 29th.
Tradition says that when the triumphant leader of the Medes and Persians took over, Daniel showed him a prophecy written by Isaiah the prophet about 150 years before where that leader was mentioned by name.
Not only was Cyrus/Koresh mentioned by name but the way he diverted the Euphrates River and entered under the walls was also prophesied.
Tradition says that the Persian king was so impressed by Daniel and Daniel's God and the sacred writings of Daniel's God that he decreed that the captured Jews could go back to their home in Judah.
They did go back and the story of that 1000 mile trip which took 3-5 months and the subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple is told in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Daniel also had some amazing prophecies in his book.
Some have come true and others are still future.
He ends his book with these words:
1 At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.
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 12:1-4 NKJV

I've been around for a long time, over 71 years.
About 50 years ago we heard preachers talking about this last verse.
They declared that when it talked about "many shall run to and fro"
that our means of travel would improve to such an extent that the world would seem to shrink
and rapid global travel would become commonplace.
Also that knowledge would rapidly increase exponentially as we neared the end.
They said we would see these things accelerate and that would be a sign of the end times.

Today someone sent me this film clip titled "Did You Know?".
It seems to verify what the preachers have been saying for several years now based on Daniel 12:4.
Could this mean we are approaching "the end"?
Are we ready for "the end"?

This is the film clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Sam

...
I've been around for a long time, over 71 years.
About 50 years ago we heard preachers talking about this last verse.
They declared that when it talked about "many shall run to and fro"
that our means of travel would improve to such an extent that the world would seem to shrink
and rapid global travel would become commonplace.

Those preachers were more than 50 years behind the times. Jules Verne gave the same prediction concerning travel and "the size of the world" in the 19th century. Only difference, Verne's concerns about the future were mingled with optimism.

Originally Posted by Sam

Also that knowledge would rapidly increase exponentially as we neared the end.
They said we would see these things accelerate and that would be a sign of the end times.

uh... given the vagueness of the Darbyist interpretation of Daniel 12:4, really... all that was needed for this to come "true" was for ANYTHING to happen.

Originally Posted by Sam

Today someone sent me this film clip titled "Did You Know?".
It seems to verify what the preachers have been saying for several years now based on Daniel 12:4.
Could this mean we are approaching "the end"?
Are we ready for "the end"?

This is the film clip:

The clip doesn't seem to be apocalyptic in any sense to me. Interesting, yes; but not a foreshadowing of doom.

Unless of course you are one of those who shy away from education and the sciences. Then, the doom you and your children face may be getting stuck in a job cleaning bathrooms for those Indian geniuses.

[ILG]

I saw this a while back. I find it absolutely incredible. Whether it has anything to do ith prophecy or not, we are living in unprecedented times.

[mizpeh]

When you consider the drastic change of the daily life of the average man and women in the last 150years, the maturing of the nations from their origins of tribes to city states to nations to a global economy, and the way the world has grown into a more global community with the increase in knowledge of the technologies of travel, the internet, cell phones, space travel..........I believe it all adds up to a sign of the times. The fig tree is ripe.

[rgcraig]

Originally Posted by mizpeh

When you consider the drastic change of the daily life of the average man and women in the last 150years, the maturing of the nations from their origins of tribes to city states to nations to a global economy, and the way the world has grown into a more global community with the increase in knowledge of the technologies of travel, the internet, cell phones, space travel..........I believe it all adds up to a sign of the times. The fig tree is ripe.

No doubt.

I remember when I was little Bro. Glass Sr. preaching and saying that in the end people all over the world would see what was happening at the same time. I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around that then, but that's a reality now.

[mizpeh]

I watched KP at POA tonight thanks to CC1 and I'm not sure about a lot of what he had to say. "the Samson Option" of Israel going on an all out attack of other countries to preserve herself. Or Dave Wilkersons prophecy of cities around the world being on fire caused by a "shaking of God" of the foundations of the earth unleashing worldwide earthquakes and damaging gas pipes in cities.

His firm conviction that the things he spoke of were going to happen "right now" was a little unnerving. But there are other signs like the nation of Israel having been brought back together again. Things are being set in place for the coming of the Lord. I'm clueless to the when and how. I just want to be ready.

Here's a link to the book KP referred to The Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg. http://www.joelrosenberg.com/epicenter.asp

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Sam

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 12:1-4 NKJV

I've been around for a long time, over 71 years.
About 50 years ago we heard preachers talking about this last verse.
They declared that when it talked about "many shall run to and fro"
that our means of travel would improve to such an extent that the world would seem to shrink
and rapid global travel would become commonplace.
Also that knowledge would rapidly increase exponentially as we neared the end.
They said we would see these things accelerate and that would be a sign of the end times.

I think all this is saying is that people will scramble about looking for the answers to the visions Daniel saw, but they would not be revealed until the end. Hence, Daniel was told to seal the book until the time of the end, and John was told to not seal it since the time was at hand. Sealing something is keeping it from one's understanding.

Compare with:

Isaiah 29:11 KJV And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: