Is the scroll/book revealed in Revelation 5:8-9 the same scroll/book that was sealed in Daniel 12:4, 9?

Question

There seems to be strong parallels between the events that transpire with the scroll/book in the O/T Book of Daniel and that of the N/T Book of Revelation. For example, we read very similar language in Revelation 10 compared to Daniel 12:

Revelation 10:5-7: "Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, ⁶and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer, ⁷but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets."

This appears to coincide with the following passages in Daniel:

Daniel 12:6-7: "And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, ‘How long will it be until the end of these wonders?’ ⁷I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed."

It sounds very much like the passages in both books are describing the same or similar event. Then we have the sealing of the Book in Daniel:

Daniel 12:4, 9: "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase... ⁹He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.'"

And, we have what appears to be the same book resurfacing whose seals will now be broken:

Revelation 5:8-9: "When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.'"

Is it at least plausible that the scroll/book in Revelation 5:8-9 is the same scroll/book from Daniel 12:4, and 12:9 where it may initially have been sealed?

Answer 1

There is an assumption in the OP's question that the scroll/book of rev 5 is the same as Rev 10. This is NOT necessarily the same.

I agree that there are strong and extensive structural parallels between Rev 10 and Dan 12. Such do NOT exist between Rev 5 and Dan 12. Let me be more specific.

Dan 12 vs Rev 5

• Rev 5 describes the enthronement ceremony (someone sitting down on the throne) of Jesus following the resurrection; Dan 12 is about someone standing up
• No throne is mentioned or implied in Dan 12
• Dan 12 involves a single seal; Rev 5 involves seven seals
• Dan 12 is talking about the time of the end; Jesus enthronement as the bleeding/wounded/slaughtered Lamb was at the beginning of the kingdom of Heaven.

Dan 12 vs Rev 10

• Dan 12:4, 9, 13 is about the time of the end and so is Rev 10:7
• Both discuss things being seal up (Dan 12:4, 9, Rev 10:4)
• Both describe a man dressed in linen with his right hand raised toward heaven
• Dan 12:4 instructs the book be sealed until the time of the end; Rev 10:2 talks about the little book that had just been opened
• Both discuss the book being in the hands of the prophet (Dan 12:4, 9, Rev 10:8)

There are also obvious parallels with Eze 2 & 3 with Rev 10.

Thus, there is a significant number of parallels between Dan 12 and Rev 10 suggesting that the book that had just been unsealed was perhaps the book of Daniel itself.

Answer 2

Is the scroll/book revealed in Revelation 5:8-9 the same scroll/book that was sealed in Daniel 12:4, 9?

Short Answer: Yes. It seems most plausible that the book being opened beginning in Revelation 5 is the very same that was sealed in Daniel 12. Here is the first mention of this book:

Revelation 5:8-9: "When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.'"

In the Book of Revelation (chapter 10), a mighty angel has taken his stand on the sea and on the land. The angel raises his right hand to heaven and swore that there would no longer be delay. What would no longer be delayed? The mystery of God announced by the prophets would be fulfilled. When would this happen? The angel says in the days when the seventh angel blows his trumpet. Remember that we have been listening to the seven trumpets blasting judgment. We have read of six trumpets sounding up to this point. The angel then declares that when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet then it is done. The mystery of God spoken by the prophets will be fulfilled.

To gain further clarity about what we are being told, we must recognize that this picture is found in Daniel 12, were we see the same angel taking the same stand and making the same oath:

Daniel 12:4, 6-7, 9, NASB: "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase... ⁶And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, 'How long will it be until the end of these wonders?'

⁷I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. ⁸As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, 'My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?' ⁹He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.'"

Now, let us consider Revelation 10 in this same vein:

Revelation 10:5-7, NASB: "Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, ⁶and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer, ⁷but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets."

All the elements of Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 10:5-7 appear to parallel one another. The only significant difference is that of the timeline. When the angel in Daniel proclaims his oath, he declares that it was going to be a “time, times, and half a time.” A period of time was going to pass before these events would unfold. However, the real point that is repeated in Daniel 12 verses 4 and 9 is that the words were to be concealed and sealed up until "the end time." That is, the prophetic fulfillment would not occur in the days of Daniel, but rather later during the "end time." What is the "end time" if not the Church Age?

The angel reveals in Daniel what event his oath concerns. Observe the end of verse 7, “[As] soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.” When the angel said these words to Daniel, who were the “holy people?” "Holy people" was a reference to the nation of Israel. As we look to the Book of Daniel, we see the same point being made:

Daniel 12:1b: “And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued."

The angel tells Daniel that this prophecy is about his people, the Jewish nation. Those who were written in the book: Christians, would be delivered from this time of great tribulation. As we again look to the Book of Revelation, the angel declares:

Revelation 10:6c-7: "[There] will be delay no longer, ⁷but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets."

Which specific prophet might the angel have in mind? The most obvious answer is Daniel. The angel further told Daniel that there would be delay ("a time, times, and half of time," Daniel 12:7). Now an angel tells John there will not be a delay (Rev. 10:6). This angel also seems to confirm that the locusts in Revelation 9 represent a world power destroying another nation in Scripture (cf. Joel 2). The logical interpretation of the locusts is that they represent the Roman Empire coming against the Jewish nation in A.D. 70. Revelation 10, in conjunction with Daniel 12 appears to validate this. Many clues reveal themselves as far back as chapter 6: the physical Jewish nation was the object of God’s wrath.

Jesus clearly prophesied of this doom in Matthew 24 (cf. Luke 21) even mentioning Daniel by name:

Matthew 24:15-21: "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION [Roman Imperial Army] which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak... ²¹For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will."

Paul also noted God's coming wrath against the nation of Israel:

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16: "For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, ¹⁶hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost."

While some of the wording is slightly altered, it seems relatively clear that Daniel 12:4, 6-7, and Daniel 12:9 are referring to the same thing. When we tie many verses together from Daniel, Matthew, 1 Thessalonians, Revelation, and others, the message seems to indicate that that which was sealed in the book during Daniel's day is now being revealed in the Book of Revelation per verses 10:6c-7 and others. The picture it paints is that of the horrific judgment seen in the previous chapters against the nation of Israel in AD 70.

Answer 3

Is the book in Revelation 5-8 the same as the one in Daniel 12?

The angel began his explanation in Daniel 10 (Dan 10:20) and continued through Daniel 11 right into Daniel 12. In the end, he told Daniel:

“Conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase” (Dan 12:4).

The book in Daniel 12, therefore, is Daniel’s visions as recorded in the book of Daniel itself.

This book is sealed up. The book in Revelation 5 is also sealed up, namely with seven seals (Rev 5:1). Therefore, the question is, are these the same book? In other words, is the book in Revelation 5 also the Book of Daniel? For the following reasons, that is NOT the case:

WHEN WILL THE BOOK BE OPEN?

The book of Daniel will be unsealed in “the end of time” (Dan 12:4 – NASB); also called “the time of the end” (YLT). Since Daniel will be studied during that period (Rev 12:4), “the time of the end” is a period preceding Christ’s return.

There is no indication in Revelation that the sealed book will be open before Christ returns. When the sixth seal is broken, we see the signs of Christ’s return (Rev 6:12-14) and Judgment Day (Rev 6:15-17). The book will only be open at a later time after the seventh seal has been broken (Rev 8:1).

REVELATION 5 IS CHRIST’S ASCENSION.

Revelation 5 describes Christ’s enthronement at His Father’s right hand after His ascension. There is no connection between the Book of Daniel and this event.

BREAKING THE SEALS

When the seals are broken, we essentially see God’s people martyred (e.g., Rev 6:9). See this discussion under - How will Satan be defeated? There is no logical reason to say that the Book of Daniel is opened through the martyrdom of God’s people.

THE SETTINGS

If the two books were the same, then we would have expected the setting in the two chapters to be similar but, apart from the sealed book, there are no clear parallels. The settings are very different. In Revelation 5, we see God sitting on His throne, the four living creatures, the 24 elders, and billions of angels. None of those are in Daniel 12. In Daniel 12 we only have an angel above the waters, making an oath.

Due to the lack of similarities and the many dissimilarities, the book in Revelation 5 is not the Book of Daniel. In another article, I proposed that the book in Revelation 5 is the Book of Life.

But we do see strong and extensive structural parallels between Revelation 10, where an angel brings a little book out of heaven, and Dan 12. Both Daniel 12 and Revelation 10:

• Describe a supernatural being making an oath with his right hand raised toward heaven about the WHEN the end will come (Dan 12:7; Rev 10: 5-7).
• Mention things being sealed up (Dan 12:4, 9, Rev 10:4)
• Mention a book and the opening of the book. (According to Daniel 12:4, the book will be opened in the time of the end. Revelation 10 emphasizes that the book is already open (rev 10:2).

These strong parallels imply that the little book in Revelation 10 is the same as the one in Daniel 10, namely Daniel's visions as recorded in the book of Daniel. It also implies that Revelation 10 is the beginning of Daniel's Time of the End. But the book in Revelation 5 is different.

Answer 4

No mention of Isaiah 28/29.

The two sided sealed scroll of Revelation, the sealed prophecy of Daniel, even John was told to seal up what the seven thunders uttered- sealed until the time of the end/judgement…

Is the same prophecy of a sealed book/scroll described in the prophecy of Isaiah 28 and 29 where more information is given.

Isaiah 29

¹⁰ For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. ¹¹ And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: ¹² And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. ¹³ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: ¹⁴ Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. ¹⁵ Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? ¹⁶ Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? ¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? ¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

The scroll is “The vision of all” and it’s delivered to people/scholars who are “learned” (who have studied the scrolls/bible/OT/NT) and when asked what it means they say they cannot say “for it is sealed”.

The scroll/book is delivered to one who is not learned and obviously, they can’t answer with the meanings either.

Both the learned and the unlearned are described as being in the same boat because the meanings are sealed.

Why? Because people pay God lip service (with their mouths they do honor me) but they are hypocrites (but their hearts are far from me), and it goes on to say that people are caught up in false interpretations (and fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men).

The prophecy then describes how God will do “a marvelous work and a wonder” and how at the appointed time the eyes of the blind shall see and ears will hear and understand the book that had been sealed.

Who unseals it? This is further described in Revelation as being the Lamb with seven eyes and seven horns. A prophecy written after Yeshua’s life on earth. Yeshua did not fulfill this.

It is logical to me, that there is a living messenger who will reveal the meanings to those who have an ear to hear at the appointed time. God always chose living messengers (such as Aaron whose rod budded as opposed to who the people had chosen).

Following previous examples in the Word (God doesn’t change and human behaviors and character sure haven’t) this messenger would not be accepted by the religious establishment, just as Moses and Yeshua weren’t. History repeats in many ways.

The Lamb with seven eyes (complete understanding) and seven horns (complete authority to reveal the complete understanding) will be able to unseal and reveal the meanings that were sealed until the appointed time.

Yeshua warns in Mathew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 to not be deceived by people who claim to believe in him, that they are deceived. This warning is the first thing Yeshua states when asked by the four disciples present with him on the Mount of Olives when they ask him when will the end of the world/judgment take place.

Clearly, Yeshua and the disciples believed many prophetic things were going to be fulfilled in their lifetimes which were not fulfilled. Yeshua fulfilled what he was meant to fulfill, however, the world did not see the judgment and here we are today.

How can we discern who the living messenger is? He will be able to unseal the meanings and reveal what was sealed.

The prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, and Revelation are part of what is fulfilled at the time of the end by the Lamb with seven eyes and seven horns. He has a new name. People who have an ear to hear get the new name.

So very very few have an ear to hear. It’s unfortunate as it really is a marvelous wonder what has been revealed. Hidden Manna. Bittersweet.

Answer 5

My research and study reveals that indeed there is information in Revelation that can reveal a greater understanding of Daniel. The long answer is it took me 25 years to reach a conclusion that Daniel indeed reveals the restoration of Israel when deciphered by Revelation. Cultural understanding of Israel is also necessary to promote the understanding. Psalm 72:5 (KJV) They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

Psalm 104:19 (KJV) He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

Song of Songs 6:10 (KJV) Who [is] she [that] looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, [and] terrible as [an army] with banners?

Isaiah 24:23 (KJV) Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Isaiah 30:26 (KJV) Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

Jeremiah 31:34-36 (KJV) 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, [and] the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts [is] his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, [then] the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Jeremiah 33:20 (KJV) Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

Jeremiah 33:21 (KJV) [Then] may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

The answer lies in the main numbers given in Daniel being 2300, 1260, 1290 and 1335. Adding these together results in 6185. 2 Peter 3:8 used in conjunction of the creation which are the only days of the Almighty mentioned then places a 6000 year culmination in some essence. Then considering the cultural awareness of at least 2 witnesses required to sight the moon. Using a 364 day format the lunar/solar calendar is equaled in a 12:13 ratio split. The interesting part here is that it parallels the river with 12 trees either side when 2 witnesses are multiplied by 12 for 6000 years becomes the famous 144,000. Now accordingly the lunar equivalent is to amount to 2x13x6000 resulting in 156,000. Here’s the magic… When 6185 is divided by 13 or 156,000 and multiplied by 12 or 144,000 the answer becomes 5709. 5709 in Hebrew years is the modern 1948. One other thing is apparent by this of the preceding 12 months in 1947 to 1948 was the year according to a hireling for the overthrow of Kedar. Also notice 6185 to 5709 is time shortening lest no man survive. This 1947 encodes the 7000 that have not bended the knee to baal. From 144,000 minus 7000 is 137,000 and 137,000 divided by the 2x12 factor 24 is 5708.