Jeremiah Proven

Jeremiah had proven to be a true prophet in his own lifetime when he predicted the fall of Judah and the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile. He was also given a prophecy that the nation would be restored after an appointed time of 70 years, not an indefinite time which could not be determined. It was therefore a provable prediction, one that could not be avoided by saying that it was for some indefinable future time, even though most or all of his generation may have passed away.

Daniel Proven

Daniel had proven to be a true prophet in his own generation when his interpretation of the dreams of the kings of Babylon came to pass, (Dan. 2 through 5). He, too, was given another prophecy that was not for his generation, but was to be sealed for an appointed time, (Dan. 7 through 12). Again, this was for an appointed time, not an indefinite future event. It was provable, although not in his generation.

By the time of Christ the appointed time of Daniel’s sealed book of prophecy was nearing its completion. A view consistent with Scripture is that the sealed book of Revelation 5 and the opening of the seals in Revelation 6 through 18 portray the fulfillment of the “time of the end” which Daniel foresaw, that is, the end of the fleshly nation of Israel, and their holy city, Jerusalem. Daniel’s prophecy was to be “sealed until the time of the end,” (Dan. 12:9). That “end” was to be at an “appointed time,” and the Book of Revelation begins by saying that the “appointed time is near,” (Revelation 1:3).

It was the “end of the age,” for the fleshly nation, not the end of the whole planet. This ‘end’ established the pattern for the end of any nation that has had the knowledge of God and refused it. This is consistent with 1 Corinthians. 10:1-11, that is, that the experiences of the fleshly nation serve as an example to the Church, even to the end.

Next Lesson: Daniel’s Prophecy of the End Was Fulfilled.