(27) The Ancient of Days - Conclusion

(Note: This post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)


What does the title “Son of Man” really mean then? Well, it is a title that points back to Daniel’s prophecy of the Son of Man who receives absolute sovereign authority over all the kingdoms of the world. The Son of Man who is also the Ancient of Days will come and defeat the Antichrist and set up His kingdom on earth. So, the title Son of Man is a Messianic title. It is a title signifying deity. It is a title of sovereignty, power, authority, victory, and glory!

So, what does all this mean for me tomorrow when I’m doing the dishes or interacting with a friend or neighbor? To answer that question, we need to summarize again and get a good handle on what we have seen here.

1.  Daniel is wondering and concerned about the future of God’s people. They had been defeated, exiled, and all seemed hopeless.

2.  God shows him that He has everything under control and that He actually has a well defined plan for the future.

3.  God shows Daniel that the triune God sits as sovereign over the affairs of man, the kingdoms of the earth, His people, and the future.

4.  God shows Daniel that the Son of Man, whom we have discovered is in fact Jesus, is also the Ancient of Days who sits on an eternal throne and will exercise His authority on earth.

5.  Jesus will come in power and great glory, defeat all evil and establish His kingdom.

6.  Jesus’ favorite title for Himself was “Son of Man.” In using this title, He is claiming all these truths for Himself.

So, again the question, “What difference does it make?” Do you ever wonder about the future of God’s people? Your future? Maybe worry once in a while? I’m sure you do. All of us do, some more than others, but we all have our doubts, worries, and questions at times. We all feel defeated and helpless at times, just like Daniel. But what can we take away from this study?

When we know Jesus up close and personal, we will know Him as the Ancient of Days. He was around before all of this and He’ll be here when it is all gone. It’s nothing new to Him! Whatever you’re dealing with, it’s nothing new to Jesus!

Think back over your life for a minute. Can you remember a time when you had anxiety and worry over a situation that ended up working out just fine? If we really give it some thought, most of us can remember something like this. Sometimes it is something big like a potential disease or surgery. We get all full of fear and anxiety and years later, we see how God took care of us. And of course there’s a dozen smaller matters we face each week. Will I be ready on time? Will they do what I hope they don’t do? How will this situation ever work out? How many minutes (hours?) are spent (wasted) on worrying over things that never happen? The more we really get to know Jesus, the Son or Man, the Ancient of Days, up close and personal, the less our lives will be filled with anxiety and worry!

Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man. To know Jesus up close and personal is to know that He is the one who sits as sovereign over all. That means all nations, all times, all circumstances, all problems, all illness, all. And, to know Jesus up close and personal is to know Him as the one who has a great plan for all these things. To know Jesus up close and personal is to know Him as the one who has my life in His capable hands. Perhaps this is why Jesus liked to use the title “Son of Man” the most.

But, we don’t always see things work out the way we would like. We may continue to face unkindness, persecution, evil around us, pain and sorrow. We can still feel defeated. We can still feel helpless. Until we look at Jesus, the Son of Man, the Ancient of Days. Maybe that’s why Jesus kept reminding those around Him that He is the Son of Man!

Knowing Jesus up close and personal is knowing Him as the one who will return and make all things new. Like Daniel, who was faithful even under the tyranny of Babylon, we will faithfully honor our God even under the thumbs of the ungodly because we know the end of the story. Yes, Jesus wants us to know Him as the Son of Man!

Jesus is not some weak, passive, meek and mild man who just does kind things like heal people and feed them. He is so much more. He is the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man, the sovereign God. He is the one who is coming on the clouds in power and great glory! Do you know Jesus this way? Do you really know Him in all His glory? Do you know Jesus up close and personal?

Next:  (28) The Perfect Man - Introduction

(25) Who is the Ancient of Days?

(Note: This post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)

But wait, we haven’t seen it all yet. Remember our observations before and the question, “Could the Ancient of Days be Jesus?” It might seem we have answered that question and the answer would be, “No.” The Ancient of Days looks like Jesus when we consider other descriptions of Jesus that are identical to the description of the Ancient of Days. But, it must not be Jesus if the Son of Man is Jesus and He approaches the Ancient of Days. They can’t both be Jesus can they?

The matter seems settled until we read on in Daniel’s vision. Let’s go back and look at the next time we see the Ancient of Days in Daniel’s prophecy.

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22 NIV)

Stay with me, we’ve almost got this whole puzzle unraveled. Let’s take this part of the prophecy one step at a time. First, we need to identify the “horn” that is fighting against God’s people. This is the antichrist. The antichrist will wage war against God’s people during the second half of the “Tribulation,” “until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.”

Who is it that defeats the antichrist? Based on our pretribulational-millennial understanding of prophecy, we quickly answer, “Jesus does at His second coming.” He will defeat the antichrist and set up His kingdom. But wait a minute, what does Daniel say? Daniel says the Ancient of Days “comes” and pronounces judgment and sets up the kingdom. So is it Jesus as the Son of Man, or is it the Ancient of Days? Who defeats the Antichrist and sets up His kingdom?

Confused? Hang in there! We’re about to clear this up.

Perhaps our problem lies in an either/or mentality. We think it must be one or the other. It must be The Son of Man/Jesus, or God the Father/the Ancient of Days. When we seek to discern the identity of the Ancient of Days, we think the Ancient of Days has to be either the Father or the Son. Not both. And this is why we cannot understand this passage.

A. R. Faussett explains, “The title applied to the Father in verse thirteen is here applied to the Son; who is called “the everlasting Father” (Is 9:6). The Father is never said to “come”; it is the Son who comes.” Faussett doesn’t look at it as an either/or issue. It is both. The Ancient of Days is the Father in verse thirteen and the Son in verse twenty-two. This is a portrait of the glory of the uniqueness and mystery of the trinity.


Next:  (26 )The Glory of the Triune God

(24) Coming With Power & Great Glory

(Note: This post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)

Remember what we saw before when Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin? Jesus made this same declaration about coming on the clouds. “But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64 NET)”

Daniel says the Son of Man will come with the clouds. Jesus, speaking about Himself says “you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds.”

Jesus made this statement another time in the middle of the Olivet Discourse when He was explaining to His disciples what would happen before His second coming and what would happen when He returned.

Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30 ESV)

I like the way John MacArthur deals with this “sign” and Jesus coming “on the clouds of Heaven” in his message "The Signs of Christ's Coming--Part 6".

The sign then is going to be the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in majesty. He will be distinguishable. He will be recognizable. And yet He will be in full glory. It also says, notice it, at the end of verse 30 that He will come on (“on” is the right word) the clouds of heaven...on the clouds of heaven. In the same manner as you have seen Him go, Acts 1:9-11 says, He'll come. He went in the clouds, He'll come in the clouds. Daniel says He will come with the clouds of heaven, (Daniel 7:13). John says He'll come with the clouds, (Revelation 1:7). Mark says He'll come in clouds, (Mark 13:26). Luke says in 21:27 He'll come in a cloud and Matthew says He comes on the clouds of heaven here and later on in chapter 26 verse 64. So, all the writers agree that He is coming surrounded with clouds.

Daniel sees the Son of Man not just coming on the clouds; he adds that they are the clouds “of Heaven.” He is saying that the Son of Man comes from Heaven. Expositor’s Bible Commentary states:

The personage who now appears before God in the form of a human being is of heavenly origin. He has come to this place of coronation accompanied by the clouds of heaven and is clearly no mere human being in essence. The expression "like a son of man" identifies the appearance of this final Ruler of the world not only as a man, but also as the heavenly Sovereign incarnate.

So, we have pretty well established from scripture that Jesus is the Son of Man spoken about in Daniel. He is from Heaven, affirming His deity. He is going to return to earth on the clouds at His second coming (not the rapture). He is also going to return “in power and great glory.”

MacArthur continues commenting on Jesus returning on the clouds:

You say, "What's that point?" I don't know. Maybe that's their way in the vision of seeing this glorious Shekinah. But there's some kind of a cloud, a cloud of light, a cloud of glory. And I think it's kind of special clouds. You know, the Old Testament tells us that clouds are the chariot of God. It's a very vivid thing. Psalm 104, do you remember what it says? "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord, my God, Thou art very great, Thou art clothed with honor and majesty who layeth the beams of His chamber in the waters, who maketh the clouds His chariot, who walketh on the wings of the wind." Very vivid beautiful language. And Isaiah 19:1 says, "The Lord rides on the a swift cloud." And so, the scene is indescribable. The world is in panic. People everywhere are dying of sheer terror. They're in total blackness and only the Lord holds them together enough so that they can see the rest of these events. And in the midst of that black chaos appears the glory of the Son of God in heaven, in utter majesty, an unveiled holy Shekinah presence and riding on the chariot of God, the clouds, appears in the sky.

Jesus says He will come on the clouds with “great glory”, and He will also come “with power”. Daniel says, “He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him.” Paul describes this in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica.

For it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 (NET)

The Son of Man will return in an awesome display of power and glory to exercise His authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the peoples and nations of the earth. He will do this by bringing “affliction” and “punishment” on those who have not obeyed the gospel. This is the glorious, powerful, conquering, sovereign Son of Man. This is our Jesus! Hallelujah!!!

Perhaps it would be beneficial at this point to summarize what we have seen from all these texts.

1. The Son of Man is a heavenly person, he is divine, God.

2. The Son of Man possesses great honor, power, and glory.

3.The Son of Man is given authority and sovereignty over the entire world.

4. The Son of Man will return to earth “on the clouds” to exercise his rule.

5. The Son of Man will exercise judgement over the earth.

6. Jesus is the Son of Man.

Never again think of this title “Son of Man” as a mere reference to the humanity of Jesus. It is far more. “Son of Man” is a title of authority, power, sovereignty, glory, and deity. This is our Jesus, up close and personal.

Next: (25) Who is the Ancient of Days?

(23) Jesus: The Son of Man

(Note: this post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)

Perhaps it would be good to make sure who we’re talking about here. Let’s look a little closer at the rest of Daniel’s description of the Son of Man. Notice Daniel has said that the Son of Man is “given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal-- it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” This is a very important statement for determining who this is. Is this “Son of Man” Jesus? Can we just assume this “Son of Man” here is the same as the “Son of Man” in Revelation? Jesus answers that question for us.

"For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (John 5:26-27 NAU)

In Daniel, the Son of Man is given authority and sovereignty to rule the nations. Jesus says that He has been given authority to execute judgment “because He is the Son of Man.” Jesus is the “Son” and He is in the position of the “Son of Man.” In other words, it is His status and position as the Son of Man that grants Him the authority He has, just like Daniel predicted. The authority comes with the position.

Of course this is not the only reason we can conclude that the Son of Man in Daniel is Jesus. Daniel sees the Son of Man “coming with the clouds.” This ought to sound familiar to most of us. Jesus said he would return this way.

Next:  (24) Coming With Power & Great Glory

(22) The Ancient of Days

(Note: this post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)

Each of the visions Daniel received is amazing in its display of God’s sovereign control and plan for the kingdoms of the earth. Looking back on much of it now, it is stunning to see the detail in which God told Daniel what He would do in the future. But in chapter seven, in the midst of God showing Daniel details of what would happen in the future, there is an even more glorious vision, the vision of the Son of Man.

I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10 NLT)

Again, we see one of God’s prophets getting a glimpse of the glory of God. Try to imagine what Daniel saw. It is awesome, glorious, breath-taking in magnificence and splendor. Here, Daniel sees the “Ancient One” or more literally, the “Ancient of Days” sitting down on His throne to judge. It’s time for the verdict and the judgement to be passed down.

This title, “Ancient of Days,” describes God as the one whose days go back farther than any man can know. It is actually a way of describing God as eternal. But, it also carries the ideas of wisdom, authority, and honor. Our first reaction to this vision is likely to conclude that this is a vision of God the Father.

Now, before we move forward in this vision of Daniel’s, look again at the description of the Ancient of Days. Clothing white as snow, hair like purest wool. Ring a bell? Doesn’t this sound like a description of Jesus? Consider the description John gives when he had the privilege of seeing Jesus exalted in heaven.

It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, "Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea." When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. (Revelation 1:10-15 NLT)

John describes the Son of Man with hair white like wool, like snow – just like Daniel describes the “Ancient of Days.” He is dressed in a robe. John does not tell us the color here, but the Gospels depict Jesus in his transfiguration as wearing bright white. So, given these descriptions of Jesus, we must ask, “Is the Ancient of Days actually Jesus?” It would seem so. Let’s go back to Daniel.

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal-- it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14 NLT)

Hey, wait a minute! What’s going on here? In verse nine, it sure looked like the Ancient of Days was Jesus. Now, in verse 13, the Son of man is seen “coming with the clouds of heaven.” And he approaches the Ancient of Days. How can He approach the Ancient of Days if He is the Ancient of Days? Were we wrong about the Ancient of Days being Jesus in verse nine? What gives?


Next:  (23) Jesus: The Son of Man

(21) Jesus: The Son of Man

(Note: this post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)

So, what is the most used title for Jesus? Which one did He use the most? The most used title for Jesus in the New Testament is “Lord.” The second most used is the title “Christ” which is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew, “Messiah.” We will look at these in later studies. The third most used title and the one most used by Jesus to identify Himself is “Son of Man.”

It is rather common for people to think that the title “Son of God” is a title that emphasizes Jesus’ deity and “Son of Man” emphasizes Jesus’ humanity. This is not totally incorrect. Jesus does have the unfallen nature and characteristics of perfect humanity. But here again, this is not how scripture uses the title. It really misses the great significance of the title “Son of Man.” To understand the rich meaning behind this title and why Jesus preferred it so much, we must take a journey back in history in the Old Testament book of Daniel.

Defeat & Helplessness

It was 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar has just led the mighty armies of Babylon in victory against Egypt in the epic battle of Carchemish. His father dies and he rushes back to Babylon to be crowned king only to rush back to take control of Palestine and Jerusalem. He is now the most powerful man alive and he takes some captives from the noble families of Judah to prove it.

Can you imagine being a member of nobility one day, then seeing your nation defeated and being drug off as a prisoner to a foreign land the next – as a teenager? That is the story of the prophet Daniel. What an incredible young man he was.

Daniel was a distinguished man in many ways. He was “strong, healthy, and good-looking, well versed in every branch of learning, and gifted with knowledge and good judgment (Daniel 1:4).” But what really set Daniel apart was his integrity, faithfulness and personal relationship with God. Daniel loved his God. He loved his people. He loved his precious home-land. It seems Daniel was always wondering, always dreaming about the restoration of his people and their return back to Judah. It all seemed so helpless. So, while he faithfully honored God by serving the kings over him in exile, in his heart, he deeply longed for his home. Wouldn’t you?

Two years after Daniel arrived in Babylon, God gave him the first of five incredible visions he would receive spread out over 64 years. In these visions, God revealed to Daniel incredible detail of what would come in the future for Judah and the Jewish people as well as six kingdoms that would arise after Babylon. The Medo-Persian empire would arise and conquer the Babylonians followed by the Greeks and the Romans.  Further into the future, there would be the kingdom headed up by the great Antichrist along with a revived form of the ancient Roman empire.  The final great kingdom will be the glorious kingdom of Christ. There is hope!

We are going to look more closely at one of these visions that is particularly relevant to our study of Jesus in a moment. But first, let me encourage you to stay with me through study that is going to be a bit challenging. You are going to need to concentrate, read slowly, and think. This will take some effort, but the rewards of what we will discover are well worth it. We are about to look at another incredible passage that attempts to help us finite beings understand the infinite. We will not fully grasp all the amazing glory that will be described to us but what we do understand will be incredible. If we get it even in our limited understanding, we will be blown away, left speechless for all but worship of our glorious God and savior, Jesus. So, please, put forth the effort to know Jesus, up close and personal.
 
Next: (22) The Ancient of Days