Thoughts on Daniel by U. Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 20, 1882

Thoughts on Daniel.

By U. Smith

BY ELD. U. SMITH.

CHAPTER XII.—CLOSING SCENES.

Is THERE, then, any place for a special or limited resurrection, or elsewhere any intimation of such an event, before the Lord appears? The resurrection here predicted takes place when God's people are delivered from the great time of trouble with which the history of this world terminates; and it seems, from Rev. 22:11, that this deliverance is given before the Lord appears. The awful moment arrives when he that is filthy and unjust is pronounced unjust still, and he that is righteous and holy is pronounced holy still. Then the cases of all are forever decided. And when this sentence is pronounced upon the righteous, it must be deliverance to them; for then they are placed beyond all reach of danger, or fear of evil. But the Lord has not yet made his appearance; for he immediately adds, "And behold, I come quickly." The utterance of this solemn fiat which seals the righteous to everlasting life, and the wicked to eternal death, is supposed to be synchronous with the great voice which is heard from the throne in the temple of Heaven, saying, It is done! And this is evidently the voice of God so frequently alluded to in descriptions of the scenes connected with the last day. Joel speaks of it, and says: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." The margin reads instead of "hope," "place of repair, or harbor." Then, at this time, when God's voice is heard from Heaven, just previous to the coming of the Son of man, God is a harbor for his people, or, which is the same thing, provides them deliverance. Here, then, at the voice of God when the decisions of eternity are pronounced upon the race, and the last stupendous scene is just to open upon a doomed world, God gives to the astonished nations another evidence and pledge of his power, and raises from the dead a multitude who have long slept in the dust of the earth.

Thus we see that there is a time and place for the resurrection of Dan. 12:2. We now add that a passage in the book of Revelation makes it necessary to suppose a resurrection of this kind to take place. Rev. 1:7, reads: "Behold, he cometh with clouds [this is unquestionably the second advent]; and every eye shall see him [of the nations then living on the earth], and they also which pierced him [those who were the actors in his crucifixion]; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." Those who crucified the Lord, would, unless there was an exception made in their cases, remain in their graves till the end of the thousand years, and come up in the general assembly of the wicked at that time. But here it is stated that they behold the Lord at his second advent. They must therefore have a special resurrection for that purpose.

And it is certainly most appropriate that some, eminent in holiness, who have labored and suffered for their hope of a coming Saviour, but died without the sight, should be raised a little before, to witness the scenes attending his glorious epiphany; as, in like manner, a goodly company came out of their graves after his resurrection to behold his risen glory, and to escort him in triumph to the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high; and also that some, eminent in wickedness, who have done most to reproach the name of Christ and injure his cause, and especially those who secured his cruel death upon the cross, and mocked and derided him in his dying agonies, should be raised as part of their judicial punishment, to behold his return in the clouds of heaven a celestial victor, in, to them, unendurable majesty and splendor.

One more remark upon this text before we leave it. It is supposed by some to furnish good evidence of the eternal conscious suffering of the wicked, because those of this character who are spoken of, come forth to shame and everlasting contempt. How can they forever suffer these, unless they are forever conscious? It has already been stated that shame implies their consciousness; but it will be noticed that this is not said to be everlasting. This qualifying word is not inserted till we come to the contempt, which is an emotion felt by others toward the guilty parties, and does not render necessary the consciousness of those against whom it is directed. And so some read the passage: "Some to shame and the everlasting contempt of their companions." And so it will be. Shame for their wickedness and corruption will burn into their very souls, so long as they have conscious being. And when they pass away, consumed for their iniquities, their loathsome characters and their guilty deeds excite only contempt on the part of all the righteous, unmodified and unabated so long as they hold them in remembrance at all. The text, therefore, furnishes no proof of the eternal suffering of the wicked.

VERSE 3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever. The margin reads "teachers" in place of "wise:" And they that be teachers shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; that is, of course, those who teach the truth and lead others to a knowledge of it, just previous to the time when the events recorded in the foregoing verses are to be fulfilled. And as the world estimates loss and profit, it costs something to be teachers of these things in these days. It costs reputation, ease, comfort, and often property; it involves labors, crosses, sacrifices, loss of friendship, ridicule, and not unfrequently, persecution. And the question is often asked, How can you afford it? How can you afford to keep the Sabbath, and perhaps lose a situation, reduce your income, or it may be even hazard your means of support? Oh! blind, deluded, sordid question! Make obedience to what God requires a matter of pecuniary consideration! How unlike is this to the noble martyrs who loved not their lives unto the death! No, the affording is all on the other side. When God commands, we cannot afford to disobey. And if we are asked, How can you afford to keep the Sabbath? we have only to ask in reply, How can you afford not to do it? And in the coming day, when those who have sought to save their lives shall lose them, and those who have been willing to hazard all for the sake of truth and its divine Lord, shall receive the glorious reward promised in the text, and be raised up to shine as the firmament and the imperishable stars forever and ever, it will then be seen who have been wise, and who, on the contrary, have made the choice of blindness and folly. The wicked and worldly now look upon Christians as fools and madmen, and congratulate themselves upon their superior shrewdness in shunning what they call their folly, and avoiding their losses. We need make no response; for those who now render this decision will soon themselves reverse it, and that with terrible though unavailing earnestness.

VERSE 4. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. The "words" and the "book" here spoken of, doubtless refer to the things which had been revealed to Daniel in this prophecy. These things were to be shut up and sealed, until the time of the end; that is, not to be specially studied, or to any great extent understood, till that time. The time of the end, as has already been shown, commenced in 1798. As the book was closed up and sealed to that time, the plain inference is that at that time, or from that point, the book would be unsealed, and people would have their attention specially called to this part of the inspired word. Of what has been done on the subject of prophecy since that time, it is unnecessary to remind the reader. The prophecies, especially Daniel's prophecy, have been under examination by all students of the word, wherever civilization has spread abroad its light upon the earth. And so the remainder of the verse, being a prediction of what should take place after the time of the end commenced, says, "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Whether this running to and fro refers to the passing of people from place to place, and the great improvements in the facilities for transportation and travel, made within the last half century, or whether it means, as some understand it, a turning to and fro in the prophecies, that is, a diligent and earnest search into prophetic truth, the fulfillment is certainly and surely before our eyes. It must have its application in one of these two ways; and in both these directions the present age is very strongly marked.

So of the increase of knowledge. It must refer either to the increase of knowledge in general, the development of the arts and sciences, or an increase of knowledge in reference to those things revealed to Daniel, which were closed up and sealed to the time of the end. Here again, apply it which way we will, the fulfillment is most marked and complete. Look at the marvelous achievements of the human mind, and the cunning works of men's hands, rivaling the magician's wildest dreams, which have been accomplished within the last fifty years. It was recently stated in the Scientific American that more advancement had been made in all scientific attainments, and more progress in all that tends to domestic comfort, the rapid transaction of business among men, and the transmission of intelligence from one to another, than all that was done for three thousand years previous, put together. Or, on the other hand, look at the wonderful light which, within the past thirty years, has shone upon the Scriptures. The fulfillment of prophecy has been shown in the light of history. Applications are made which are beyond dispute, showing that the end of all things is near. Truly the seal has been taken from the book, and knowledge respecting what God has revealed in his word, is wonderfully increased. We think it is in this respect that the prophecy is more especially fulfilled.

That we are in the time of the end when the book of this prophecy should no longer be sealed, but be open and understood, is shown by Rev. 10:1, 2, where a mighty angel is seen to come down from Heaven with a little book in his hand open. For proof that the little book, there said to be open, is the book here closed up and sealed, and that that angel delivers his message in this generation, see "Thoughts on Revelation," 10:2.

VERSE 5. Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7. And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by Him that liveth forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

The question, "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" undoubtedly has reference to all that has previously been mentioned, including the standing up of Michael, the time of trouble, the deliverance of God's people, and the special and antecedent resurrection of verse 1. And the answer seems to be given in two divisions: First, a specific prophetic period is marked off; and, secondly, an indefinite period follows before the conclusion of all these things is reached; just as we have it in chap. 8:13, 14. When the question was asked, "How long the vision, . . . to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" the answer was a definite period of 2300 days, and then an indefinite period of the cleansing of the sanctuary. So in the text before us, we have the period of a time, times, and a half, given, or 1260 years, and then an indefinite period of a continuance of the scattering of the power of the holy people, before the consummation.

The 1260 years mark the period of papal supremacy. Why is this period here introduced? Probably because this power is the one which does more than any other in the world's history, toward scattering the power of the holy people, or oppressing the church of God. But what shall we understand by the expression, "Shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people"? A literal translation of the Septuagint seems to present it in a clearer light: "When he shall have finished the scattering of the power of the holy people." To whom does the pronoun "he" refer? According to the wording of this scripture, the antecedent would at first sight seem to be "Him that liveth forever," or Jehovah; but, as an eminent expositor of the prophecies judiciously remarks, in considering the pronouns of the Bible, we are to interpret them according to the facts in the case; and hence must frequently refer them to an antecedent understood, rather than to some noun which is expressed. So, here, the little horn or man of sin, having been introduced by the particular mention of the time of his supremacy, namely, 1260 years, may be the power referred to by the pronoun "he." For 1260 years he had grievously oppressed the church, or scattered its power. After his supremacy is taken away, his disposition toward the truth and its advocates still remains, and his power is still felt to a certain extent, and he continues his work of oppression just as far as he is able, till—when? Till the last of the events brought to view in verse 1, the deliverance of God's people, every one that is found written in the book. Being thus deliv-

ered, persecuting powers are no longer able to oppress them, their power is no longer scattered, the end of the wonders brought to view in this great prophecy is reached, and all its predictions are accomplished.

Or, we may refer the pronoun "he" to the one mentioned in the oath of verse 7, as "Him that liveth forever," that is, God, without particularly altering the sense, since he permits the agency of earthly powers in chastising and disciplining his people, and in that sense may be said himself to scatter their power. By his prophet he said concerning the kingdom, "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, . . . until He come whose right it is." Eze. 21:27. And again, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:24. Of like import is the prophecy of Dan. 8:13: "How long the vision . . . to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot." Who gives them to this condition? God. Why? To discipline, "purify and make white" his people. How long? Till the sanctuary is cleansed.