An Anchor In The Chaos

Remember, our next book is 1 Timothy. The series is entitled — It's Time To Clean Up The Church. So get ready and get your journal in hand. 

Our text today is from Daniel 12:4, and it's the final appeal from Gabriel about what he is supposed to do with everything he has just been told. It reads:

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

So what's he telling Daniel here?

The easiest way to capture the spirit of this verse would be to go back to our recent history in May of 2020 — the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. The world will never forget this event. Governments across the globe were confining people to their homes after the pandemic was declared two months earlier. Social tensions were brewing, and then you have an event that progressively rocked a city, nation, and world. Protests broke out and turned into massive demonstrations of violence. Cities were burned across the globe. And if you take a moment to reflect on how you felt and the fears you experienced, it was as if we all suddenly lost control. We might say that people were "running to and fro," which is the description we are given in this text. There was chaos everywhere.

Well, in the end, Gabriel says it will be the same. But I would assume much worse. And when this happens, the faithful will look for "knowledge" to understand the times. And the place they are going to go is right here — Daniel 11:36 through Daniel 12:4. We will read this text, and it will all make sense.

Remember, we can understand a significant portion of this book because thousands of years of history have been revealed to us. But none of this makes any sense to Daniel because he had not lived through these times. He never knew rulers like Alexander the Great, Antiochus, Seleucus, and the Ptolemies. He would never see any of them because he would die before they ever lived. So this vision and the explanation from Gabriel were designed to be passed on to others when their time came. So followers in the future would have opened the Book of Daniel, read them, made sense of them, and found strength. Just like Daniel did when he read Jeremiah's prophecy about the 70 years of captivity in Babylon.

This is why God gives us scripture and prophecy. He gives it to us to help us through the chaos and remind us that he knows everything and is in complete control of everything. He knows how it will all happen to the end of this time and beyond. So scripture provides us with a record to anchor hearts, minds, and souls when there is chaos in the streets or chaos in our lives. So, fellas, this is why we need to be in scripture. It's a spiritual book with spiritual implications that anchors our souls in all uncertain times.

ASK THIS: What chaos are you encountering?

DO THIS: Seek out scripture that anchors you through your chaos.

PRAY THIS: God, anchor my heart in your word and truth. You know more than me, and I need you to give me strength through this season.

PLAY THIS: Anchor.