Daniel 12:4

But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the Book until the time of the end. [Then] many shall run to and fro and search anxiously [through the Book], and knowledge [of God’s purposes as revealed by His prophets] shall be increased and become great. AMPC

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. ESV

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. NASB

Before we begin to analyze the variety of versions of this one verse, please keep a very important issue in the forefront of your mind; the bible was given to us to know God and His ways, to come to know Him in a personal and meaningful relationship.

As a prophet I greatly appreciate Daniels gift of prophecy and the very close and personal relationship he had with Truth. Having said that, read his words.

Daniel 12:8-9 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

If Daniel, whom I respect as perhaps the greatest prophet in the bible, entrusted with a depth of understanding that spans thousands of years, did not understand verse 7, then why should I claim to do any better? Why should anyone make such a claim? That secret is closed up until the end. Is this the end? No.

What led me to this study was a thought which might or might not be on the minds of people who work in information technology. That thought was this; the DVD is dying if not dead already.

“Thanks for this good posting.
When I read that Jesus sighed, I relate it to Him weeping at the grave of Lazarus, and Him saying “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem…” He so deeply felt the effects of the ravages of sin.
That’s just an additional thought.
Blessings”

This is feedback from my best friend and accountability partner. I want you to focus on one important aspect of his comment, “I relate..”. Relative meaning abounds in the Word. It was relative to him through the scriptures in a different place than mine. How we relate to any aspect of scripture like those two words, “He Sighed”, is a personal relevance based on experience. Neither relative meanings are truth in what Jesus was thinking or feeling in that moment. It is how we relate to the Word in that moment.

The scripture that I related to yesterday was Matthew 8:8-9 “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”

When I try to put myself in Jesus’ shoes I relate to that moment in terms of who I am and how I feel. That is what makes it relative meaning. I related to the moment through scriptures. This is the same thing my brother did and he put it so clearly and kindly that there was no hint of accusation. It is when we take those relative moments that are personal and insist that this is what scripture means that we risk offending others. We should never insist that ambiguous words hold special meaning beyond that which is personal to any individual.