I am so sorry for the wait! Let’s talk about the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. These are some of my favorite verses in all of the Bible!

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V. 9 – The description here is very similar to the description of Jesus that is given in Revelation 1. This similarity emphasizes their unity – their same essence. They are of the same nature, even though they are not the same person – they are part of the Triune God. Jesus promised another Comforter (of the same kind John 14:16). He prayed for his church to have the same level of unity that he had/has with the Father (John 17:20-23). When we see him, we will be like him (1 John 3:2). Outward representations are not necessarily the only important thing, but throughout Scripture we are given descriptions of people (i.e. angels, saints, the returning church) that remind us of this unity.

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I think it is a good moment to look at our lives and ask who we are reflecting. Does the world see the unity, holiness, and goodness of the Father or is that vision being obstructed by our identification and association with lesser things? Yes – it is absolutely possible to appear outwardly “right” and be inwardly dead. I’m not saying appearance is everything – after all Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 2:14). However, that is not an excuse for us to be out of conformity to Christ and his likeness. There should be a progressive growth and conformity to Christ if we are one with him (2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Romans 8:29-30). Whose image and heart are we reflecting to the world around us?

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When the Ancient of Days shows up, thrones will be cast down. Rulers will be defeated. Everything we read about in the last passage and in Revelation 20 is coming to pass. I love that it says he “took his seat.” Pause here for a minute and just let that resonate in your heart. No one – not Satan, not the Antichrist, not the False Prophet, not earthly kingdoms, not the schemes of man – nothing is going to take God’s throne. It is so easy to get caught up in the circumstances and everything that we see in the world around us – but he still takes his seat. He still rules. There is no contest and it is such a quick statement that it is easy to miss the claim to sovereignty and rule. Daniel is living through a time of great unrest. Kings are coming and going every few years. Yet the Ancient of Days. The eternal, omnipotent one still takes his seat. Let that calm your spirit. Despite the things that tilt our world on its axis – he still rules, and he wants to be our peace (Ephesians 2:14).

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I’m not sure if God’s throne is literally made of fire or that it has “wheels” in a literal sense. Fire definitely represents judgment and purity. It refines everything that is not of Him. The wheels represent the ability to go anywhere quickly. There is no delay in his response and he sees all. It also seems likely that the wheels are meant to invoke images of The Living Creatures and the Cherubim (Ezekiel 1 & 10). Those beings seem to have been uniquely tasked with hovering over the glory/presence of God. A Cherubim was placed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) to guard the Tree of Life (Christ’s Life). They were the ones chosen to rest on top of the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:17-22). The Living Creatures are in the throne room of Heaven (Revelation 4-5). They also escorted the glory of God back to heaven in Ezekiel as previously mentioned. There only seem to be four of them and they are occasionally referred to as “creatures” because of their completely unique description. There seems to be some evidence to support the idea that they are the same as Cherubim, but we cannot conclusively make that statement based on Scripture – regardless, there is a surrounding of God’s throne with power.

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V. 10 – Judgment begins. It is entrusted to the Son (John 5:22-27) in reflection of the equality within the Trinity. Jesus’ judgment is also important because everyone whose name is not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life is missing because they rejected Jesus’ offer of redemption. God had already given Jesus the title deed to the earth in Revelation, but now all nations will see that the Father is entrusting rulership to the Son. Jesus will reign on the earth for 1,000 years.

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V. 11-12 – We already discussed this. The Antichrist is defeated. Nations (“the rest of the beasts”) still exist within the Millennial kingdom, but their power has been taken away.

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V. 13 – So why the Son of Man? Some have argued that this title references his humanity and the name “Son of God” references his deity. However, from this passage, you can see those explanations are insufficient. The name “Son of Man” refers to his humanity, his role as the Divine Son, but most of all to his role in redemption. He was the 2nd Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). He was the only perfect man – literally both God and man. We needed a man to die, but perfect men don’t exist (alas…). Still, God couldn’t just pardon because he felt kind. God’s very nature is holy – he had to judge sin. It had been a man who plunged humanity into this mess – it needed to be a man to reconcile us to the Father. In John 1:1 we are told that “The Word became flesh.” He didn’t come to dwell because he wanted to try an experiment. He came to live so that we too could live. He came to redeem us by his body and blood (Revelation 5:9-10) – by becoming the perfect man.

If we have any doubt about the title and its association with divinity, we need look no further than Matthew 26:63-68. The priests ask him, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus answers, “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power.” They fully understood that the titles were interchangeable. They knew the prophesies in Daniel. There was no confusion about the reference. They accused him of blasphemy, beat him, tore out his beard, took him to Pilate and insisted the he be crucified.

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So, what are the ramifications of Jesus taking on flesh?

• Redemption is possible: Ephesians 1:7

• Joy can be found: 1 John 1:4

• We have peace with God: Romans 5:1

• We can experience empowered life now – we are already conquerors: Romans 8:37

• There is no condemnation: Romans 8:1

• We are saints: 1 Corinthians 1:2

• We are perfect in our true identity/self: Hebrews 10:14

• We are new creations: 2 Corinthians 5:17

• We are Ambassadors for him: 2 Corinthians 5:20

• We are co-heirs: Romans 8:17

• We have received the adoption of sons: Galatians 4:5 and Ephesians 1:5

• We have an advocate: 1 John 2:1, Hebrews 7:25

• There is never an excuse for someone to say they were condemned without the offer of redemption. Jesus left the perfection of heaven and eternal unity to enter a hate-filled, sinful, miserable, hot, racist, judgmental, dangerous world. Still, he did that for us.

 

V. 14 – He is given absolute rule and authority. The first time he came to earth, it was to seek and save those who were lost (Luke 19:10). However, when he returns it will be to judge and reign. He continues to extend mercy and grace, but that will not be indefinite. We must choose before it is eternally too late. Even for those of us who have already trusted in him for redemption have choices to make. Every day we determine our response – we determine our trust – we determine who will hold the reigns to our emotions. Will we choose eternity or will this world and everything that sparkles allure our hearts?

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He has come so that we might have abundant life (John 10:10). This passage should leave us with no doubts that he has the power to grant that kind of life. We must decide if we will live out of his abundance or if we will chase the substitutions which will ultimately be destroyed. Daniel made his choice, and while it left him alarmed at times, it allowed him to be faithful in the midst of uncertainty. It allowed him to see things that few others experienced. It made him beloved of God. It led to a blameless life. It led him to witness of world stages. It led him to quiet contemplations when he was abandoned by the spotlight. It led to a dependence and rest in God that we can fully experience if our hearts are in fellowship with him.