What does it mean, "many shall go to and fro?"

In Daniel 12:4 it is written, "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." (NASB) The KJV states, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

To and fro. Back and forth. What does that mean exactly? John W. Ritenbaugh wrote in a Forerunner Commentary:

"The phrase "to and fro" is not to be limited to people literally going from one place to another. While it does also mean that, the words in Hebrew indicate something that is happening entirely within a person's mind. The minds of people are casting back and forth as though they are in midst of a puzzle, a mystery, an enigma that they cannot figure out. Or, they are all stressed, and their minds are flashing back and forth because of all that is burdening them."

As for the rest of the prophecy, he wrote, "The phrase "knowledge will be increased" is a direct reference to the prophecy itself; that is, knowledge of the prophecy will be increased. Many would seek to understand it between Daniel's time and its fulfillment, but its message must be revealed. However, its revelation will not occur until the people of God need to understand it for their well-being and God's glory."

I believe the 'increased knowledge' and the 'back and forth' is happening now. Lately there has been a widespread explosion of interest in prophecy. Lay-people who speak about the end times are not marginalized or looked at as crazy but are listened to. Many have an opinion an an interest in prophecy these days to some degree or other. Knowledge (not always correct knowledge) about prophecy is increasing among many peoples, not just Christians.

As people become more interested in prophecy, they are listening to and watching the end-time prophecy preachers. And those preachers themselves (many of them) seem to be going 'to and fro', "back and forth" about different aspects of prophecy. Some of this, of course, is to be expected. As Ritenbaugh mentioned, only God knows the fullness of His plans. We only know what He chooses to reveal, and some of that is clouded on purpose, such as in the Daniel prophecy. For millennia, people could not understand the prophecies, and God is only just now revealing these in His time.

However, there is an aspect to this prophecy that has another side to it. Mike Mickey at RaptureAlert has reported via Nathan Jones at Lamb and Lion Ministries that The Gospel Tract Society has abandoned the Pre-tribulation rapture in a moment of drastic refocus.

The pre-trib stance is biblical, and states that prior to the Great Tribulation and the moment when the Antichrist is revealed, Jesus will call His Church up to Him where we will meet Him in the air. The ensuing wrath God sends to the earth are His judgments against a rebellious humanity, something that the saved will not have to endure. As for his about face, Tom Buttram of the Gospel Tract Society responded to Nathan Jones that "As though someone reprinted my Bible overnight," he now sees things differently. The Society wrote on their website, "Most importantly, we have made a major shift in one core belief that the Church of Jesus Christ would be miraculously taken out of this world before The Great Tribulation was initiated..."

After 80 years of teaching a prophecy based on clear scriptures, the Society has made an about face. What would cause an organization that has been faithful to the scriptures in a certain stance for 80 years suddenly and "overnight" go the opposite direction? As Ritenbaugh wrote about this prophecy, there are those who would be going "back and forth, as though they are in midst of a puzzle, a mystery, an enigma that they cannot figure out. Or, they are all stressed, and their minds are flashing back and forth because of all that is burdening them."

In any case, the Gospel Tract Society's dramatic refocus may well be one example of what Daniel was told, that "Many will go to and fro..."

Comments

  1. The authar of thia article is not reading chapter 11 and 12 carefully..Daniel is writing ABOUT KNOWLEDGE AND THEY WHO UNDERSTAND AMONG THE PEOPLE SHALL INSTRUCT MANY AND THEY WHO TURNS MANY TO RIGHTEOUSNESS iT MAKES CLEAR THAT KNOWLEDGE WILL BE INCREASED ANS THE CONSEQENCE OF IT THEY WHO UNDERSTANDS WILL BECOME REFINED WHITE AND RIGHTEOUSS iT DAS NOT SPEAK ABOUT WHOLE IT DAS NOT SPEAKS ABOUT PROPLESAID EVENTS OF THE FUTURE

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  2. It's true that many shall go to and fro. Some will go TO the Powered by Christ Ministries site and read "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" and some will stay FROm it! If "many" seem to follow pretrib, we must remember that "many" can be wrong - and Jesus warned that in the last days "many" will come in His name and deceive "many." Deceivers offer desirable and comforting things that please the flesh. They're like fortunetellers. (Who ever heard of MISfortunetellers?) So if the "many" are pretrib, we'd better thoroughly check it out, right? After all, it was never a part of official Christian theology or any organized Christian church before 1830 - and even Tommy Ice and Tim LaHaye admit this! Trudy

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    1. Huh do you really study the word of GOD, where is the blessed hope if we christians will go thru tribulation first? What is the use of rapture if we will all go up to the clouds and just go right back down again. The return of the Lord is patterned to a jewish wedding where the Groom leaves the bride for a while and builds a room for them in the house of their father and when it is finish the father of the groom then will instruct him to go this is where the phrase "no one knows only the father" came from then He will go to the house of the bride, they will be married and will be kept on the room created for them for 7 days. Doesnt that make sense to you? Jesus left and we the church her bride are still waiting for him and only the Father knows when Jesus will come for us. What kind of a groom will punish his bride first before he marries him or put her bride into tribulation before he marries her. If you yourselves wont hurt your brides before marrying them why would you think the good Lord will do that? Lastly the day of the rapture is the day unknown on the other hand the second coming will be known why because once the tribulation starts count exactly 7jewish calendar year and that is when JESUS will come.

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    2. Interesting stances on both sides, My question is, if God made His own son suffer, why do you count yourself as being above the suffering. I believe we won't have to suffer the worst of it, possibly that last seal but You'd be crazy to think we just get to magically blink out on all this tribulation. Also, I would like to add... we are in the midst of the murder, blood shed, famine, sexual perverseness, many anti-christs, suffering of the children as you both speak. As much as I would like to miss out on all of that, seems as if we are still here and there are wars and rumors of wars that are coming to pass. We all have loved ones dying in wars right now, dying of plagues and many diseases...what exactly are we going to miss out on?? The final war? I don't think we will go up and come back down, I just don't think we will get taken as soon as you think, we are in the tribulation now!!

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    3. The rapture is an escape from wrath, to which God did not appoint the church. Rev 3:10, 1 Thess 5:9.

      The Tribulation is not happening now. When it does, the church will have left first, and the sun, moon, and stars will fall, Israel will repent, the antichrist will be persecuting Israel, hundred pound hailstones will be falling, the sky will disappear like a scroll, the Two Witnesses will prophesy, and there will be constant earthquakes, one so large, every island will disappear. All this and the things I've left out) like the demon locusts) is not happening now.

      A great book that explains all the things that will happen in the tribulation is "Because The Time is Near" by John MacArthur

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  3. Love your site! God Bless you! Jesus is Coming Soon~!
    www.theweepingeagle.com

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  4. As for my own understanding in the verse. It means people who constantly pray will receive God's grace. They are the wise ones. Reading biblical scriptures directs you to a higher being. Time will come and it will pass away. Many will run to and fro means in other words, be reincarnated. This are the ones who never really understand the scripture entirely. Knowledege shall be increased means new invention and innovation in our modern world today still fought the existence of God and time will come for his Judgement. The day of the reaping. HARVEST.

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