Tag: Scroll

Was Daniel Told To Shut Up?

Parts of the book of Daniel are very prophetic and are great companions to be read alongside the book of Revelation. There are tantalizing verses that make us want to know what he was told and what he knew concerning future events. Anyone who is curious about things hidden from our view will have at one time or another wondered just what were the words Daniel was told to shut up and seal in the book?

Are they connected to the sealed scroll in Revelation that only Messiah is able to open?

Obviously these not by any means the first thoughts on this text and we are not told specifically however, in the Hebrew and Aramaic meanings of the Daniel text, there are some interesting things simply offered here to ponder on.

Daniel 12:4: But thou, O Daniel shut up the words and seal the book to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

In this verse Daniel is told very clearly, and we could say he was commanded to, ‘shut up the words’. In our modern day language when we tell someone to ‘shut up’ it is a serious request to stop talking immediately. It may be because we don’t want to hear what they are saying or that we don’t want them to reveal something to others that we have shared with them in confidence. At one time it was considered very rude to say ‘shut up’ to someone; and extremely disrespectful for a younger person to say it to an adult. These days not so much as times have changed, along with many meanings of our idioms and sayings.

The command to Daniel was in regards to

‘shut up’

the powerful words he had heard.

Shut up is sethom also spelled satham or sāṯam

Pronounced saw-tham’

סָתַם çâtham, saw-tham’; or שָׂתַם sâtham;

And the meaning is interesting:

a primitive root; to stop up; by implication, to repair;

figuratively, to keep secret:—

closed up, hidden, secret, shut out (up), stop.

“Sethom” (סֶתְהוֹם) translates to

“to conceal” or “to hide.”

It is derived from the root word that conveys the idea of

secrecy or obscurity.

סָתַם portrays deliberate closure—

blocking, plugging, shutting in or shutting out.

Whether the object is a well, a city wall, a stream of prayer, or a prophetic scroll, the verb depicts intentional restraint that can be either hostile or protective, temporal or eschatological.

Daniel 12:4 
HEB: וְאַתָּ֣ה דָֽנִיֵּ֗אל סְתֹ֧ם הַדְּבָרִ֛ים וַחֲתֹ֥ם
NAS: But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words
KJV: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words,
INT: you Daniel conceal words and seal

Both Daniel 8:26, 12:4, and 12:9 employ סָתַם to describe prophetic visions kept under divine lock until “the time of the end.” The sealing does not negate comprehension for all time; it preserves the message intact until the era God appoints for full clarity. Thus Scripture affirms its own sufficiency while acknowledging progressive illumination: “many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase” (Daniel 12:4).

Trust sealed prophecy: what God has closed He will one day open; the church lives responsibly in the present light while anticipating fuller revelation at the consummation of Christ’s kingdom.

It has the idea of concealing vital information contained in the prophetic visions which were to be kept protected under divine lock until “the time of the end.” In todays language we might say ‘kept in protective custody.’

The picture we get is of a valuable witness being in protected custody, one who is forbidden to speak or interact with anyone until it is designated time to give testimony; which is determined by the one in authority.

Daniel is further instructed to

‘seal up the book.’

Seal up is chethom/chatham and is similar to sethom/satham the word for ‘shut up’ but goes further as

חָתַם châtham, khaw-tham’;

a primitive root; to close up; especially to seal:—make an end, mark, seal (up), stop. to seal, seal up, affix a seal.

(Qal) to seal, affix one’s seal to seal up, fasten up by sealing

(Niphal) to seal

(Piel) to lock up

(Hiphil) to be stopped

This has the picture of a document/scroll with a royal seal on it, which only the one with correct authority can open and that time is determined as, the time of the end.

What was Daniel to shut up? He was to shut up ‘the words’. The Hebrew for the words is dabar/devar and some say is equal to the Greek word rhema, with which we are familiar. The Greek word Logos means the written word, and rhema the spoken word; as in the words of the Lord God.

Debar/devar, word of God,

as a divine communication in the form of commandments, prophecy, and words of help to His people, used 394 times.

The word debar/devar is the same in Hebrew and these are

‘words from the heart,’

words that carry power;

particularly when it comes from our Heavenly Father’s heart.

This word is spelled דָּבָר

dbr:

daleth which is a picture of a doorway;

beth which as well as the picture of a house/home, pictures the heart;

and Resh which symbolizes the head/God’s power.

We can see the spiritual application of ‘words’ ‘devar/devarim’ here is: a doorway or portal to the heart of God and His power. 

Daniel is commanded to ‘shut up’ these powerful ‘words’.  (Shut up in Hebrew chapters 1 and 8-13 are in Hebrew, 2-7 are in Aramaic is sethom.) 

He was to shut up these words in a book, a sapar or seper סָפַר ,

which is a word for ‘book or papyrus scroll’, but it is also used to express ‘the recording of the verbal words of God’ as David did in Ps.17:4.

Daniel was to put a seal on these words that could only be opened by those who had the proper authority.

In part of this verse we read many shall run to and fro.

Many rabîm

רַבִּים

run to and fro

yᵊšōṭṭû

יְשֹׁטְטוּ

In our modern thinking, we interpret this as travelling all over the place, however in Hebrew terms it means:

from the starting point to the end point.

With this thought in mind we should ask the questions: what is this special event when these words which are to be placed into protective custody are to be spoken again, and when will the time come when someone with the right authority will unseal these words?  In the same verse we are informed it is the time of the end. 

Here the word end is קֵץ Qes which has the idea of 

reaching it’s limits,

the end of time, 

when time reaches it’s limits;

qes קֵץ the end of time and space.

In the text: ‘When knowledge will increase’ we interpret as todays information highways, such as the world wide web/internet, where a plethora of information on any subject is available; but is that what this verse means?

Included below is an interesting observation from the ancient Hebrew sages who teach this possibility and it certainly gives us something to think about. Let the reader decide.

There is much Hebraic/Jewish literature and the writings of rabbis and torah teachers available, and they have been studying the scriptures for many many decades. And apparently some of the Sages teach that time is like a corkscrew that starts at a wide bottom and narrows as it gets to the top. (Think of a tornado shaped corkscrew like swirling water but inverted, like in the picture below.)

 Is this is why at the time of Noah men live to be hundreds of years old where today the life span is under 100?  As Einstein pointed out time is relative.  A 900 year old man during Noah’s time is like a 90 year old man today because that corkscrew of time gets narrower as you get closer to the top? 

The sages teach that doorways/portals are opening as time journeys to the apex and these doorways/portals create some similar major event. i.e. A similar portal will open creating a similar event in history. They say that one example is the abomination of desolation as this has occurred many times in history.  It is a recurring event and viewed as a recurring portal.  Only as the corkscrew of time narrows, these events get closer together until it reaches the point where the events are almost parallel to each other. 

Is that why Yeshua/Jesus said in the last days there shall be wars and rumors of wars. There has always been wars and rumors of wars, but perhaps He is referring to this reoccurring of events that are opening portals closer to each other?

Does this infer that many running to and fro, or from the starting point to the end point, which is expressing the idea that the recurring time has come so close to the top of the corkscrew where all tangent point come together; that man will move from one doorway/portal to the other doorway/portal in the span of just one life time.  Whereas in the past it would take a dozen lifetimes, or a half dozen lifetimes and maybe three lifetimes, then two and finally one life time to see an event reoccur?

Increase in wars and rumors of wars, increase in earthquakes, and natural disasters is a natural result of the corkscrew of time narrowing and a sign that time is about to reach it’s apex, or the tip, or the end. Or what we call time compression, which is events pressing in on each other and increasing in momentum, a little like an unstoppable snowball gathering mass and speed as it hurtles downhill?

And when this happens, knowledge will increase?  

The word knowledge “yada” יָדַע

and represents: a knowledge of God. 

daat knowledge

Hebrew Scriptures show that each generation builds upon the knowledge of God from the former generation, with greater knowledge being added to the new generation.  When humankind reaches that tip of the corkscrew or the end of time, they will have reached that level of knowledge of God where they can then hear the testimony which has been shut up or satham.

The above paragraphs on what the sages teach is offered only as food for thought… as we are all students of the Word of YHVH and no one has it all. There is so much we do not know about the creator of the universe and all of His creation and how it all exists and is connected.

None of us can say what is beyond our realm of understanding…. But one day we will know what those words were that were

‘shut up’

and

just maybe we are closer to qes than we think….

Keep looking up…

For those inclined, further word studies can be done through

Biblehub.com and blueletterbible.org also studylight.org and the Aramaic peshitta given in previous posts.

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born again from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Keeping It All Bottled up-Part 1

We are familiar with the Book Of Life where the name of every redeemed soul is recorded.     However the scripture records that God also has a book/scroll of remembrance

Malachi speaks of a book or scroll of remembrance written in the presence of God, a record of the words spoken by those who feared the Lord.

Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon and esteemed his name.

Az nid•be•roo yir•ey Adonai eesh el-re•e•hoo va•yak•shev Adonai va•yish•ma va•yi•ka•tev se•fer zi•ka•ron le•fa•nav le•yir•ey Adonai ool•chosh•vei sh`mo.

David cries out to God in the Psalm 56:8,

“put my tears in your bottle” and then declares “are they not in your book?”

He asked that his tears be kept in Heaven’s permanent record.

Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: [are they] not in thy book? “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll—are they not in your record?”

No•di sa•far•ta ata si•ma dim•ati v`no•de•cha ha•lo be•sif•ra•te•cha.

God has a book of remembrance that tells of our wanderings, our tears and sufferings. Is this book the same one from Malachi, or yet a different book kept by Adonai?

Everything that people are doing in speaking, communing together in their love for God is chronicled. Everything about us is recorded. (Psalms 139:14-16)Either way, God keeps books full of our life’s stories…the costly victories won in the secret place, the sorrows and pains endured in silence, the joys celebrated in God’s presence, all are witnessed and forever recorded.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
 all the days ordained for me were written in your book
 before one of them came to be. (psalm 139:16)

Rom 12:15. Sim•choo eem-has•me•chim oov•choo eem-ha•bo•chim.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

דמעות Tears Dim-ati   D-M-A/B-KH-HTears of joy are the sunbeams piercing the soft and gentle rain drops of refreshing summer showers.

Bottle – בקבוק (pronounced bahk-book) 

My tears in Your bottle.There are several Hebrew words related to the act of weeping. These range from (bekhi), crying, to (dema’ot), tears, with several interposed onomatopoetic words that imitate the sound of crying: for example, (yevava), (yelala), and, accompanied by a sigh, (nehi).Tears cleanse the eye and also the soul.

For his anger lasts but a moment; in his favor is life; weeping..

Tears may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning Ps 30:5

Ki re•ga be•a•po cha•yim bir•tzo•no ba•erev ya•lin be•chi ve•la•bo•ker ri•na.

Even those who maintain their life is without many problems, have experienced times of great sadness, loss of a loved family member or friend, to all four legged ones with whom we share our lives. Death is a great physical separator, but in Him it is only the doorway to eternity into His presence, to be with Him and the scriptures say we shall be like Him. 

We all cry tears, they are an integral attribute of being human. After nine months it’s our first response to leaving the womb. Tears bring forth life, crying doesn’t indicate that you are weak because since birth it has always been a sign that you are alive.A first dramatic and traumatic transition from darkness into light and it kick starts our bodies to begin doing things on our own, like breathing. The act of crying fills our lungs with air and our life in this realm begins.the first of many tears we would shed over the course of our lifetime.Scripture has plenty to say about tearsThe Lord SEES Our Every Tear All of the passages in scripture teach us this one very important truth and that is, we have never shed a tear that GOD didn’t see.

God has seen every tear we shed…on our pillow at night and every tear we have cried behind closed doors…when hurtful or hateful words were spoken to us and crushed our spirit…when someone has betrayed us or trampled all over our heart…

when our loved one died, and every tear we have shed since then when we think of them…when we have miserably failed and lost all hope in ourselves…every tear we have shed over a wayward son or daughter who has gone astray…

God has put our tears in His bottle and recorded them in His book.

Ruth Bell Graham, the late wife of Billy Graham, once said…… “In every pew sits a broken heart.” It would seem that there’s a lot of truth in that statement. 

To every bruised and broken heart reading this today, realize God has put your tears in His bottle and recorded them in His book. 

He knows each and every one…

and His promise to each of us is that “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”Why would He keep our tears in a bottle and record them in His book if they were not precious to Him?

In recent years, science has proved that each tear contains our unique DNA, they represent the sum total of our lives. They are in a sense, a liquid record of our existence and emotional experiences.In the bottle, is all our pain and joy etc. combined, it is each one of us and our whole lives.

That’s why He keeps them.

He promises that one day, there will be no more tears or crying. Then we will be complete in Him and the human emotions will be matured into those of who He IS, and those emotions will no longer be required for a life in eternity with Him.The most painful tears are not the ones that fall from your eyes and cover your face, they are the ones that come from your heart and overwhelmingly envelope your soul. They are the components of the ‘bricks’ with which we build the protective wall around our hearts and the fabric of the shell into which we crawl in order to prevent any further hurt.Many times, crying is the only way that we can speak, when our mouths can’t explain how things broke our heart; when our eyes release tears, they are the words the heart is unable to form or utter.Sometimes we feel like crying for no apparent reason and it’s often to make up for the days we suppressed our tears of sorrow and hurt.Rain falls because the clouds can no longer handle the weight. There comes a tipping point of overflow when their contents can no longer be contained in the same way, our tears fall because the heart can no longer handle the pain.Anyone can make you smile, many people can make you cry,
 but it takes someone really special to make you smile with tears in your eyes.Tears are good! What flows is alive. Crying is like a thunderstorm for the soul, the air feels so wonderful after the rain. Your tears herald a change in your life like the summer rain and they wash away the pain

Tears are like prayers too, they travel to God when we have no words to communicate. Psalm 56:8
A forensics expert explained that when they chemically tested the tears from people who lost loved ones from natural causes, accidents and suicide; those tears showed to contain poison when analyzed in a chemical reaction.

As believers, when we hear that, we think about Jesus crying and realize the enormity of what was contained in His tears in the Garden of Gethsemane. The mental anguish of the extreme stress of the combined sins of the whole world were upon Him. Esau sought with Bitter tears …the poison is in the bitterness. Hebrews 12:15-17 and there are warnings about the root of bitterness in Deut. 29:18 and Lamemtations 3:15,19

Surely at one time, we have all probably had some tears ‘burn’ our eyes.

 Luke 22:62 says, “So Peter went out and wept bitterly.”On hearing this explanation, it becomes clear how important our healing is from others actions, as they can become a poison in our bodies. There are records showing how many survivors who aren’t believers in the Lord, became sick with cancer and other life threatening diseases.

So crying does bring healing and tears bring life. Our tears have an important purpose.
The Bible teaches us there are three things that cause us to shed tears:it’s because of PHYSICAL pain EMOTIONAL painSPIRITUAL painContrary to what many people believe, tears aren’t a sign of weakness, tears are a sign of strength. Its the ability to humble ourselves and allow the reality of our situation to be seen by others.

Crying brings the release of emotion, allowing God to replace all the inner pain with JOY, HOPE and LOVE and to fill our hearts and minds with His Shalom/ the PEACE that passes ALL understanding. 

It has been said that … an interesting observation.

Remember we are greatly loved and cherished and  Coming in Part 2: 

A look at some amazing images showing the intricacies in the designs of tear drops from different emotions.

Eternity of Eternities

How often do we look up into the night sky?

[And Ezra said], You are the Lord, You alone; You have made heaven,(The pillars of creation)

the heaven of heavens,with all their host,the earth, and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them;

and You preserve them all, and the hosts of heaven worship You.

And because you are the Lord every knee shall bow in the heavens and the earth and under the earth all creation shall proclaim You are Lord of all Creation You are King of the Universe….. We see all that your Hand has fashioned.  Carina Nebula

Living in a rural area at least allows us to see the heavens after dark even without a telescope.The Milky Way

In the busy cities, that boast they never sleep, the lights are so bright that the stars are hard to identify above the cityscape of neon glare.

If you haven’t recently, then step outside after the sun has set and allow your eyes to become accustomed to the night and look into the heavens that He has created.

You may not be able to identify or name the constellations; (I believe there’s an app for that!)

however, simply enjoy the true magnificence of His creation and the unending vastness of the heavens that stretch beyond what we can even think or imagine!

The God that sits on the throne in the eternity of eternities is concerned about us.

Wow that is something to give thanks for.

Included below are some shots of the known universe taken from the telescopes NASA, Chandra, Hubble and others.There is nothing other than picture and scripture, for words are not able to do ample justice to the visuals in so many of them resemble images and shapes with which we are familiar.  The light from the stars we see has taken millions of years to reach us so we are in reality looking into the distant past.

So do a spot of time traveling as you feast your eyes on the glory of the Lord who sent His Son to die in our place who loves us enough to redeem us and call us His own.

Hubble: Cross in M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

Chandra. Nebula

Cone nebula

Constellation Cepheus

Gods Heart is big and its beat is Peo-ple-peo-ple-peo-ple…Cone nebula

  

Horsehead nebula

 Nebula ve Galaksiler]” üzerine 65 …

 The heart of worship is loving Him. Nebula IC 1805

 

 The Eagle Nebula
  NGC 2174

These are the heavens that will one day roll up like a scroll and we will see Him coming in all his glory and He will bring with Him worlds without end.

Are we ready?

For

Look up!.. for your redemption draweth nigh…