Increase of Knowledge and Lack of Wisdom in the Last Days
In the last chapter of the book of Daniel, a holy angel told God’s prophet:
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 12:4).
This verse should be closely examined. After receiving numerous dreams and visions, Daniel was told to “shut up the words” and “seal the book.” The “words” referred to are the words of God—communicated through angels—which were given to Daniel in dreams and visions. These words were eventually written down to become the book of Daniel itself. Both the words and the book were to be shut up and sealed, which means that some of these prophecies would not be fully understood “until the time of the end.” In the time of the end, the book of Daniel and its end-time prophecies would be unsealed, opened, and unlocked for all the world to see.
When that time finally comes, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The phrase “many shall run to and fro” doesn’t mean that people will literally run or sprint on roads or around neighborhoods, sweating profusely, becoming exhausted. Rather, it refers to the eyes of men, women, and even children darting back and forth from one Bible verse to another, and from one Bible chapter to another, as they read the words of the Lord that had previously been sealed. Here’s a parallel verse that makes this clearer:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Here it is “the eyes of the Lord” that “run to and fro.” Comparing Scripture with Scripture, we discover that in Daniel 12:4 the angel meant that as the eyes of men, women, and children dart back and forth over the words of God that have previously been locked up and sealed, something wonderful happens—“knowledge shall increase.” The reason knowledge increases is because in “the time of the end” increasing numbers of humans will have the unprecedented opportunity—previously unavailable to former generations—to read for themselves and to understand the words of God.
“The time of the end” is not the end of the world but rather refers to a unique time period before the end, leading up to it. It’s also a time when millions of searching souls are given an unprecedented opportunity to learn the Word of God, which will help them prepare for “the end.” In Daniel 12:4, the stated sign that we have entered “the time of the end” is that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Those three words—knowledge shall increase—are about to lead us into an amazing journey.
From the days of “Adam to Moses” (Rom. 5:14), God communicated with humans through direct revelations that were then verbally passed down from generation to generation. None of those revelations—as far as we know—were written down. Thus, in those ancient days there was no such thing as a Bible. After God called Moses to be His prophet and to bring Israel out of Egypt (see Exod. 1–4), He later led Moses to write the history of Creation Week, the Fall, Noah and the Flood, and many other events that we can now read about in the first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
God later inspired different prophets and Bible writers to fill out what is referred to as the Old Testament. After the long-awaited appearance of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit also led Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, James, Paul, and Jude to record the critical events in the life of Jesus Christ and of His early Church. The last Bible writer, John, whose writings include the book of Revelation, brought an end to what has become the New Testament.
Moses started writing around 1400 B.C., and John finished his writings around A.D. 96. Thus, the total period of Bible writing was about 1,500 years. Yet throughout that entire time there were no printing presses or copy machines or any of the hi-tech gadgets we now have today. Thus, every page of the Bible (or parts of the Bible) was painstakingly copied—word for word, line by line, book by book—by human hands.
It was a very slow and careful process.
Thus, for a long, long time—for most of human history—there were not many Bibles in existence. During some periods, such as during the Dark Ages, there were only a few copies of God’s Book anywhere on earth. Not only that, but many people couldn’t read anyway, so even if they happened to obtain a copy or portion of God’s Word, to them it was largely “sealed” or locked up. Plus, to purchase a Bible was expensive. Few people ever actually set their eyes on an entire Bible. And if they did, it probably didn’t belong to them, or it was locked up in a language they couldn’t understand, so they couldn’t read it.
Such a state continued until around A.D. 1436 when a German businessman, Johannes Gutenberg, invented the printing press with movable type. Can you guess what was the first book Mr. Gutenberg printed? It was a Bible. Due to this history-altering invention, slowly but surely copies of God’s sacred Word began to multiply, and the process of translating the Bible into different languages also increased.
Still, for hundreds of years progress was slow. Then, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, things sped up exponentially through the formation of British, European, and American Bible societies wholly dedicated to translating, publishing, and distributing affordable copies of God’s Book. Since then, the sacred work of bringing Bibles to the masses has steadily advanced.
On second thought, advanced is too tame a word.
Soared is more accurate.
A 2017 article entitled “29 Good Bible Sales Statistics” highlights these salient points:
By far the most widely translated, purchased, and widely distributed book in all of history is the Bible.
Between 1815 and 1975, it was estimated that there could have been 5 billion Bibles printed.
There are more than 168,000 Bibles sold or given away in the United States every day.
Approximately 20 million Bibles are sold each year in the United States. That’s more than double the amount that was sold annually in the 1950s.
Gideon’s International distributed 59,460,000 Bibles worldwide in 2016. That’s more than 100 Bibles per minute.
Zondervan, one of the world’s leading Bible publishers, has more than 350 different versions of the Bible that are in print right now.
92% of Americans own at least 1 Bible. Two-thirds of those who own a Bible, regardless of religious affiliation, say that the Bible holds the meaning of life.
The average American Christian owns nine Bibles and wants to purchase more. For this reason, the Bible is excluded from book bestseller lists because it would always be on top.
1,300 translations of the Bible are in new languages.
More than 2,100 languages now have the Bible (or a portion of it) available in those languages.
The annual sales of all versions of the Bible routinely tops $425 million.
Over 100 million Bibles are printed every year.
In the week after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, some retailers saw 40% increases in Bible sales.
In 2005, Thomas Nelson, another leading Bible publisher, was sold for $473 million. They publish 60 different editions of the Bible.
In the world today, there are more than 80,000 different versions of the Bible.
Estimated total sales of Bibles has now topped six billion. (1)
Six billion Bibles sold! Quite impressive, don’t you think? But there’s more. As we all know, in recent years the world has gone increasingly digital. As never before, hi-tech is in. Here are a few more statistics from the same article referenced above:
YouVersion, a top downloaded Bible app for mobile devices, has over 100 million total downloads and counting. It’s also been one of the top 100 free apps for 3 consecutive years.
More than 66,000 people are using a Bible app at any given second.
77% of people say that they read the Bible more frequently because they have it available on a mobile device.
Two-thirds of people prefer Bible apps because it gives them access to multiple versions of the Bible without the added cost. (2)
Remember, for the vast bulk of human history, very few people had access to, had ever looked upon, or were privileged to own and read a copy of the Bible.
But everything has changed.
And in the last few years, it has changed dramatically.
What’s going on? Is there any prophetic significance to this? No doubt there is. Approximately 500 years before Jesus was even born, a holy angel told Daniel:
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 12:4).
To my readers I say—Bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. The words of God recorded in Daniel’s book (and in other Bible books) are now unlocked, unsealed, and are easily accessible for human eyes to read like never before.
Just take your smartphone and download a Bible app. It’s free. Or download other apps, such as Bible Hub, which gives you instant access to many translations, Strong’s Concordance, Hebrew and Greek definitions, and Bible commentaries. While most humans don’t realize it, this simple fact is a key biblical sign that we have entered the time of the end.
“Knowledge shall increase,” declared God’s angel. But as we all know, this increase of knowledge doesn’t only apply to the Holy Scriptures. On November 23, 2018, an op-ed entitled, “Knowledge doubles almost every day, and it’s set to increase,” was published online by the Digital Journal. In that article, Feras A. Batarseh of the London School of Economics points out:
Until year 1900, human knowledge approximately doubled every century. However, by 1950 human knowledge doubled every 25 years. In 2000, human knowledge would double every year. Now, our knowledge is almost doubling every day. (3)
The Digital Journal even referred to the “knowledge tsunami” we are all so familiar with. If the early American hero Daniel Boone (1734–1820) could somehow be transported into our hi-tech times, he would probably be so shocked that his rifle might go off and shoot himself in the foot! Mega-cities, towering skyscrapers, superfast flying machines, international satellites and space stations, hands-free electric cars, underground transportation systems, fiber optics, facial recognition security devices, iPhones, and instant messaging—these are just a few current wonders.
What will come tomorrow?
No one knows.
The truth is that the increase of knowledge generally has contributed to the availability of biblical knowledge specifically. The two are closely related—and both should be viewed as fulfillments of prophecy. Yet the Digital Journal’s article also correctly states that “This additional knowledge does not necessarily mean we are becoming wiser.”
How true this is.
Having instant access to God’s Book, Bible apps, and multiple translations isn’t enough for a true knowledge of God’s words to increase—which is the primary focus of Daniel 12:4. For that to happen, we need humble hearts, a sincere desire for truth, a willingness to repent (to turn from sin), and an openness to the deep moving of “the Spirit of truth” whom Jesus said will guide us “into all truth” (John 16:13). Ultimately, we need a true “knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18), which includes a knowledge of His infinite love, sacrifice for our sins, tender mercy, life-changing forgiveness, and saving grace.
After speaking to the prophet Daniel, the angel of God continued by saying:
Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:9-10).
When Daniel 12:4 and Daniel 12:9-10 are knit together, it becomes clear that God’s ultimate plan is that in the time of the end, when a knowledge of His words shall increase, such knowledge shall draw, impress, convict, cleanse, and purify human hearts from sin, selfishness, and falsehood. “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined,” said the angel. Yet sadly, because multitudes today are so mesmerized by Hollywood lights, hi-tech gadgets, and life’s insane busyness, they are missing life’s true purpose, blessings, and opportunities.
Slow down. Stop. Think. Look around. Open the eyes of your heart. The evidence is overwhelming. Surely, the long-awaited, biblically predicted “time of the end” has arrived. This also tells us that silently, stealthily, and mostly unnoticed, the return of Jesus “as a thief” is getting closer (Rev. 16:15). Someday soon—none know how soon—the battle of Armageddon will be fought.
“None of the wicked shall understand,” said a holy angel sent from God, “but the wise shall understand” (Dan. 12:10).
Let’s be among the wise.
Notes
1. Brandon Gaille, “27 Good Bible Sales Statistics,” May 23, 2017, https://brandongaille.com/27-good-bible-sales-statistics.
2. Ibid.
3. Tim Sandle, “Op-Ed: Knowledge doubles almost every day, and it’s set to increase,” Digital Journal, November 23, 2018, http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/op-ed-knowledge-doubles-almost-every-day-and-it-s-set-to-increase/article/537543.
