Afterwords -- week 39
"Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen." (Isaiah 44:7)
"Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)
September 17, 2022
Dear friends,
One thing that sets the living God apart from all false gods and idols is that God -- the true God -- tells what is going to happen in the future (Isaiah 41:22, 26; 44:7). This is not meant in the individual fortune-telling sense but rather, that the Lord declares significant future events and how history will unfold. Many major prophecies involve the first coming of the Messiah, for example, that he would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5), betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11), and would die upon a cross (Psalm 22) to take away our guilt and sin (Isaiah 53). Studying these prophecies, especially when I was a younger Christian, really strengthened my faith in the Lord Jesus.
Although I do not think we can know every detail about end-time events, I do believe that the Bible has much to say about the future, and about the second coming of our Lord. We should study these passages and take encouragement that God is guiding history to its consummation. Jesus said, "...raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)
One passage that has puzzled me is Daniel 12:4, "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." The second part is pretty clear, that near the end of history human knowledge will skyrocket. The phrase "shall increase" does not have the sense of mere growth, but rather,"...shall be great" (BDB lexicon). That is, the scope of human knowledge will be phenomenal. Everyone with a smart phone in hand today can bear witness to this amazing accumulation of information available to all, much of it gained in the past century alone.
But the phrase that precedes it, is "...shall run to and fro." This is variously translated, "will run back and forth" (KJV); "will go here and there" (NIV); "will roam about" (CSB); "will go back and forth" (NAS); or "will dash about" (NET). This little-used phrase may denote a wide pattern of searching (or travelling) or, on the other hand, a rushing about in fruitless searching.
This passage may be telling us that the world toward the end of time would be highly mobile and knowledgeable. Which it is. But I think there's a further sense, that, for all of its hustle and rushing about, the world's great knowledge would ultimately be fruitless toward gaining the knowledge of God, which is the knowledge that matters. The phrase "to and fro" is used in this sense in the book of Amos: "They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it." (Amos 8:12) Despite all our advancements in science and technology many highly educated people today are no closer to knowing and trusting their Creator...
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools... (Romans 1:21-22)
At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will." (Matthew 11:25-26)
Whichever view you take on the meaning of that Daniel passage, I do encourage you to think about the prophecies of Scripture. The Lord has shown us many things -- not everything, certainly, but many things -- about the future of human history. Look up, for your redemption is drawing near!
ARTICLES OF NOTE.
-- Two articles on science: "Scientific 'consensus' is an ever-shifting designation," regarding a bill about misinformation. And Peter Liethart on Science with a capital S.
-- Modern views of justice, and the popular use of media, often result in people being treated as disposable. (Samuel James)
-- "The baby’s cry is parrhesia: prophetic speech and a call to repentance." (Leah Libresco Sargeant) Does the world we build welcome mothers, or does it treat them as a problem to be solved?
-- Bible reading notes from this time last year and the year before.
FINAL QUOTE. "Every Christian must be fully Christian by bringing God into his whole life, not merely into some spiritual realm." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
That's it for week 39!
Sandy
Image credit: photo above is of the clouds over Price Mountain last week. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.