Daniel is an interesting figure in the prophets of God. Our children are taught the lessons of chapters one through six. As adults, we ignore the rest of the book. While it is a hard book to understand, it is filled with tremendous information, especially about the events of the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew. Chapter seven continues a lesson that began with the image Nebuchadnezzar saw in chapter two. Four kingdoms would rise, and then another kingdom, which is the kingdom of God. Daniel has a vision about the Messiah!

“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days and they brought Him near before Him.” Daniel 7:13

The vision Daniel has of the Messiah coming to the Ancient of Days teaches the Christian the importance of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Daniel sees the ascension of Jesus start where the apostles in Acts 1 saw it end, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11). The events of what happened to Jesus as He returned to the Father are alluded to in other New Testament passages, like Hebrews 1:1-3, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Jesus having completed the work the Father sent Him to do, ascends back to heaven.

This is the point Daniel sees the Lord coming to the throne of God where He receives the Kingdom.  He comes to the “Ancient of Days” – to God as the source of power, wisdom, dignity, and honor. The act here appropriately denotes that God is the source of all power; that all who reign derive their authority from him, and that even the Messiah, in setting up his kingdom in the world, receives it at the hand of the Father. This designation is not found in any other book of the Bible. Daniel is privileged to see a visible representation of God similar to that of Isaiah in chapter six, Ezekiel in chapter one, and John in the Revelation chapters one, four, and five. Daniel is in some rare company to see and describe our God!

The application is this, it is great comfort for the Christian, knowing that all Jesus said He would do he accomplished. Jesus has taken His place at the right hand of the throne of God.

Take thought of the description Paul gives of Jesus in the Hebrew letter:

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:11-15).

“But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24, 25)

We rejoice over the Son of Man who came to the Ancient of Days and received the power and glory and honor that is due Him!

By: Justin Odom