Daniel was told to seal up the prophesy because the time of the “end of days” was a long time away… 490 years. The end which Daniel asked about would be when the holy people (Daniel’s people) would be scattered.
”…Till when is the end of these wonders?” (Dan. 12:6, YLT)
The answer is found in the next verse, when the one clothed in linen who was standing upon the floods (waters) told Daniel,
”After a time, times, and a half, and at the completion of the scattering of the power of the holy people, finished are all these.” (Dan. 12:7, YLT)
A time was one year. Times was two years, and a half time was half a year. Therefore the time of the “end” of this prophesy was to be 3-1/2 years before the scattering of the holy people. We have to go back to the beginning of this specific prophesy and stay with the context of the scriptures. The prophesy begins in Dan. 9:24.
”Seventy weeks are determined for thy people and thy holy city…” (YLT)
Daniel’s people were the Jews. Daniel’s holy city was Jerusalem. The Hebrew word translated as “weeks” is “shabua” (1) and means a period of sevens. So, literally “seventy sevens”, and the context is the number of years (Dan. 9:2). The prophesy of the scattering of the power of the Jews was prophesied for the destruction / desolation of Jerusalem after the 490 years.
The seventieth week was divided at the crucifixion of Christ when he would be cut off in the middle of the week, after 3-1/2 years of His ministry (Dan. 9:26). There was a short space (40 years) before the last half of the last “seven” years was fulfilled. The leader that would come to destroy the city spoke of the military commander that would destroy the holy city (vs. 24) of the holy people – Jerusalem. Therefore the “end” of this prophesy from Dan. 9 through Dan. 12 concerns the destruction of Jerusalem after Christ was crucified.
The last half of seventy sevens, the last 3-1/2 years was the battle / war which resulted in the destruction of the holy city, and was the Roman-Jewish war that lasted from approx. Feb/Mar AD 67 to Sep / Oct AD 70. That was when the power of the holy people, the Jews was scattered.
Therefore the end of the prophesy given to Daniel would be the end of the power of the Jews when their city was destroyed in AD 70. That was a long time away from Daniel’s generation. So, he was told to seal up this prophesy because the time was not yet.
The “end of the days” is specific to this prophesy of the destruction of Jerusalem. This is where so many become confused and the teaching of the scriptures becomes twisted because the “church fathers” and the universal traditional teaching assumes the end of days speaks of the end of all time. IT DOES NOT. The “end of the days” was specifically spoken for after the 1290 days after the end of the perpetual sacrifice of Dan. 12:11.
Where was that sacrifice being offered? At the temple in Jerusalem. The end of the 1290 days was the time of the end of that temple in Jerusalem.
But, Jesus told John that the time was soon, and not to seal up the prophesy (book) (Rev. 22:10). Jesus told John from the very beginning of the book that the He was going to show John the things that “must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1, KJV). Jesus told John at the end of the book that He showed John the “things which must shortly be done” (Rev. 22:6). That encompasses the entire prophesy of Revelation from beginning to end. All the things of the book were shortly to come to pass when the prophesy was given.
Jesus repeated the time was short 4 more times in Rev. 22: 7, 10, 12 and 20, saying that He was coming quickly and that the time was at hand. The book cannot be parceled out to have some of the things happen at the destruction of Jerusalem, and some of the things remain until a supposed future end of all time at some unknown future judgment day. All of it, including the judgment of Rev. 20 was going to happen “shortly,” “soon,” and was “at hand” for when that city was destroyed in AD 70.
The problem people have with understanding that “end” being only about the destruction of Jerusalem is that they assume the judgment day has not yet happened. Jesus told His disciples in Matt. 25 that when He returned to destroy that temple (Matt. 24) that He was going to take all those that were waiting in the grave (Hades) out; the righteous to eternal life, the unrighteous to eternal damnation (Matt. 25:31-46).
That is the same time the angel told Daniel that he would stand in his lot.
”But go thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” (Dan. 12:13. KJV)
Standing in his lot indicated an orderly process of the resurrection from the grave from the first Adam to the last of the dead after the destruction of the city. The end of days of Dan. 12 is the same end of that temple in Jerusalem in AD 70 when Christ told His disciples “this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matt. 34:34). (2) (3)
Once Christ took all those who had been waiting in Hades out of the grave (Rev. 20:13), He threw Hades into the lake of fire. (4) The death that ended was the condition or realm of the dead, not literally the process of dying, but the prison of the grave. Jesus told them He held the keys to that prison (Rev. 1:18). Hades was thrown into the lake of fire after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed (Matt. 25). It is depicted in the parable of the kingdom in Matt. 22:1-14 when those wedding guests were reclining, and the one who was not clothed in the proper wedding garments (Christ’s righteousness) was cast out.
The wedding feast of Rev. 21:2 was that wedding feast after the destruction of the city in Matt. 22 and Matt. 25. Thereafter the judgment became a perpetual, daily one-on-one, individual process. That is the eternal reign of Christ’s throne, as He reigns and judges continually in His everlasting kingdom.
”…Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth…” (Rev. 14:13, KJV)
Henceforth, meaning from now on, from this moment on. If as everyone seems to think that Revelation is about the end of all time, and one final judgment day, then how would anyone else die in the Lord after that final judgment day?
Jesus told John not to seal the book because the time was at hand. The book was written before the destruction of Jerusalem approx. AD 66-68, which is well supported by many throughout the last several centuries. (5) You can put your full faith and trust in Jesus and believe what He said. He came soon to end that temple and that is why He told John not to seal up the prophesy.
Notes:
Strong’s Heb. 7620 “shabua” Biblehub
Testing the Spirits – Part II: The End ShreddingTheVeil
Testing the Spirits – Part III: Daniel’s Lot ShreddingTheVeil
Hades Is No More ShreddingTheVeil
The Signs of Revelation – Part I: The Time of His Coming ShreddingTheVeil