The Bible gives an extra blessing and promise to those who will devote themselves to a study of Daniel and Revelation:
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 1:3
“And he said unto me, ‘These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.’ ” Revelation 22:6-7
“And he said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.’ ” Daniel 12:9-10
“But go your way till the end: for you shall rest, and stand in your lot at the end of days.” Daniel 12:13
“Therefore, when you see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place . . . (whoever reads, let him understand) . . .” Matt. 24:15
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22
Encouragement from the pen of Mrs. Ellen White:
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 114:
“The Lord will bless all who will seek humbly and meekly to understand that which is revealed in the Revelation.”
Manuscript Release, Vol. 1, p. 99:
“The books of Daniel and the Revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened.”
Selected Messages, Vol. 2, p. 105:
“The book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel which related to the last days. The Scripture says, ‘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’ (Daniel 12:4). When the book was opened, the proclamation was made, ‘Time shall be no longer.’ [Revelation 10:6 literally, “There will be no more delay.”] The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days.”
Manuscript Release, Vol. 1, p. 47:
“All that God has in prophetic history specified to be fulfilled in the past, has been, and all that is yet to come in its order will be. Daniel, God’s prophet, stands in his place. John stands in his place. In the Revelation, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has opened to the students of prophecy the book of Daniel, and thus is Daniel standing in his place. He bears his testimony, that which the Lord revealed to him in vision of the great and solemn events which we must know as we stand on the very threshold of their fulfillment.”
Letter 141, May 5, 1897:
“Daniel and Revelation must be studied, as well as the other prophecies of the Old and New Testament. Let there be light, yes, light in your dwellings. For this we need to pray. The Holy Spirit, shining upon the sacred page, will open our understanding, that we may know what is truth. We can appropriately say, as said the disciples when Jesus walked with them on their way to Emmaus after He had risen from the dead, ‘Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?’”
“Study Scripture for Yourself,” Review and Herald, September 11, 1894:
“It is proper and right to read the Bible; but your duty does not end there; for you are to search its pages for yourselves. The knowledge of God is not to be gained without mental effort, without prayer for wisdom in order that you may separate from the pure grain of truth the chaff with which men and Satan have misrepresented the doctrines of truth. Satan and his confederacy of human agents have endeavored to mix the chaff of error with the wheat of truth. We should diligently search for the hidden treasure, and seek wisdom from heaven in order to separate human inventions from the divine commands. The Holy Spirit will aid the seeker for great and precious truths which relate to the plan of redemption. I would impress upon all the fact that a casual reading of the Scriptures is not enough. We must search, and this means the doing of all the word implies. As the miner eagerly explores the earth to discover its veins of gold, so you are to explore the word of God for the hidden treasure that Satan has so long sought to hide from man. The Lord says, ‘If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching.’ ” (John 7:17, Revised Version)
Manuscript Release, Vol. 1, pp. 195-196:
“God designs that the plan of redemption shall come to His people as the latter rain: for they are fast losing their connection with God. They are trusting in man, and glorifying man, and their strength is proportionate to the strength of their dependence. Some matters have been opened before me which will be fulfilled ere long. We are to know more than we do at the present time. We are to comprehend the deep things of God. There are themes to be dwelt upon which are worthy of more than a passing notice. Angels have desired to look into the truths which are revealed to the people who are searching God’s Word and with contrite hearts praying for wisdom, for greater lengths and breadths and heights of that knowledge which God alone can give. Hundreds of commentaries have been written upon the gospel by men who are called great, and as we near the closing scenes of this earth’s history still more wonderful representations will be made. We need to study the Scriptures with humble, contrite hearts. Those who will devote their powers to the study of God’s Word, and especially the prophecies referring to these last days, will be rewarded by the discovery of important truths.” (Manuscript 75, 1899, pp. 4, 5)
The Great Controversy, p. 341:
“In view of the testimony of Inspiration, how dare men teach that the Revelation is a mystery beyond the reach of human understanding? It is a mystery revealed, a book opened. The study of the Revelation directs the mind to the prophecies of Daniel, and both present most important instruction, given of God to men, concerning events to take place at the close of this world’s history.”
Manuscript Release, Vol. 17, p. 19
“Prophecy has been fulfilling, line upon line. The more firmly we stand under the banner of the third angel’s message, (Rev. 14:9-10) the more clearly shall we understand the prophecy of Daniel; for the Revelation is the supplement of Daniel. The more fully we accept the light presented by the Holy Spirit through the consecrated servants of God, the deeper and surer, even as the eternal throne, will appear the truths of ancient prophecy; we shall be assured that men of God spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. Men must themselves be under the influence of the Holy Spirit in order to understand the Spirit’s utterances through the prophets. These messages were given, not for those that uttered the prophecies, but for us who are living amid the scenes of their fulfillment.”
Excerpts from Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 112-119:
“We may have less to say in some lines, in regard to the Roman power and the papacy; but we should call attention to what the prophets and apostles have written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.”
“The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon have come to pass.”
“Consider the circumstances of the Jewish nation when the prophecies of Daniel were given.”
“Let us give more time to the study of the Bible. We do not understand the word as we should. . . . When we as a people understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival. We do not understand fully the lessons that it teaches, not withstanding the injunction given us to search and study it.” (Rev. 1:3 and Rev. 22:7)
“We are nearing the time when the prophecies of the book of Revelation are to be fulfilled. . . .”
“Priceless gems are to be found in the word of God. Those who search this word should keep the mind clear. Never should they indulge perverted appetite in eating or drinking. If they do this, the brain will be confused; they will be unable to bear the strain of digging deep to find out the meaning of those things which relate to the closing scenes of this earth’s history.”
“When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the open gates of heaven that heart and mind will be impressed with the character that all must develop in order to realize the blessedness which is to be the reward of the pure in heart.”
“One thing will certainly be understood from the study of Revelation—that the connection between God and His people is close and decided.”
“It was the Lion of the tribe of Judah who unsealed the book and gave to John the revelation of what should be in these last days.”
“Daniel stood in his lot to bear his testimony which was sealed until the time of the end, when the first angel’s message [Rev. 14:7] should be proclaimed to our world. These matters are of infinite importance in these last days. . . .”
“Sin is the transgression of the law of God; and those who will not accept the light in regard to the law of God will not understand the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. The book of Daniel is unsealed in the revelation to John, and carries us forward to the last scenes of this earth’s history.”
“Will our brethren bear in mind that we are living amid the perils of the last days? Read Revelation in connection with Daniel. Teach these things.”
“Those who eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God will bring from the books of Daniel and Revelation truth that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. They will start into action forces that cannot be repressed. The lips of children will be opened to proclaim the mysteries that have been hidden from the minds of men.”
“We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people on every side.”
“We, with all our religious advantages, ought to know far more today than we do know. Angels desire to look into the truths that are revealed to the people who with contrite hearts are searching the word of God and praying for greater lengths and breadths and depths and heights of the knowledge which He alone can give.”
“As we near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies relating to the last days especially demand our study. The last book of the New Testament Scriptures [Revelation] is full of truth that we need to understand.”
“All need wisdom carefully to search out the mystery of iniquity [the Little Horn of Daniel 7 and 8] that figures so largely in the winding up of this earth’s history.” [“Therefore, when you see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place . . . (whoever reads, let him understand) . . . ” Matt. 24:15]
“If our people were half awake, if they realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message.”
“Advance new principles, and crowd in the clear-cut truth. It will be as a sword cutting both ways. But be not too ready to take a controversial attitude. There will be times when we must stand still and see the salvation of God. Let Daniel speak, let the Revelation speak, and tell what is truth. But whatever phase of the subject is presented, uplift Jesus as the center of all hope, ‘the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star.’ ”
“The universe is looking upon the controversy that is going on upon the earth. At an infinite cost, God has provided for every man an opportunity to know that which will make him wise unto salvation. How eagerly do angels look to see who will avail himself of this opportunity! When a message is presented to God’s people, they should not rise up in opposition to it; they should go to the Bible, comparing it with the law and the testimony, and if it does not bear this test, it is not true. God wants our minds to expand. He desires to put His grace upon us. We may have a feast of good things every day, for God can open the whole treasure of heaven to us.”
For more on the importance of this topic: Gospel Workers, pp. 297-305, 311-315; Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 305-307; Testimonies, Vol. 5, pp. 706-708.
“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” (Daniel 7:18)
“And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14)
“Uplift Jesus as the center of all hope.”
