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Daniel 7:9–14 (The vision continues)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Stories and Visions, and we are currently looking at the vision God gave to Daniel as recorded in chapter 7. Last week we looked at the first part of the vision in verses 1–8: the vision of the four beasts and the little horn. We saw that the four beasts represented the nations of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, and that the little horn was our first glimpse of the Antichrist.

Now as we move into the second part of the vision, the focus changes from earth to heaven. You might think this section reads like something out of the book of Revelation, but in actuality the book of Revelation reads like something out of this section of Daniel. (Read Daniel 7:13 and pray.)

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The book of Daniel is a very God-centered book, but it is also a very Christ-centered book. We’ve already seen Jesus prefigured in key sections. We saw how Christ is prefigured as the power and wisdom of God in Daniel 2 and as the fourth man in the fiery furnace in Daniel 3. We also saw how Daniel’s rescue from the lion’s den in Daniel 6 prefigures Jesus’ own arrest, death and resurrection. But now we are introduced to Christ directly through this figure of the Son of Man in Daniel 7.

We mentioned in our introduction to the series that Daniel 7 is the central chapter of the book. And guess what? Verses 9–14 are the central section of the chapter, which means our passage today is the very heart of the whole book. And what does the central section of Daniel focus on? Jesus, the Son of Man, approaching the throne and receiving all power, dominion and authority.

This part of the vision is God’s word of hope to Daniel and the exiles—and to us. The four beasts and little horn from the first part of the vision were terrifying. But as we mentioned last week, here we get to peek behind the curtain, where we learn that God is bigger than the beasts, and bigger than the Beast. Satan will be defeated, Jesus will be glorified, and all the nations will bow before him. So let’s get started on this central passage in the book of Daniel.

I. The Ancient of Days sets up court (9–10)

As the second part of Daniel’s vision begins, the spotlight shifts to the Ancient of Days. Daniel watches as the Ancient of Days takes his seat and the heavenly court is set in place. Look at verses 9–10:

“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” (Dan. 7:9–10)

   A. The Ancient of Days (9)
      – Psalm 90:2

So here in verse 9 we have a sudden transition from the beast and the little horn on earth to this solemn courtroom scene in heaven. Thrones are set in place, and the Ancient of Days takes his seat as Judge and King. This is a kingly court with no jury, where the Ancient of Days presides over all.

“Ancient of Days” is a marvelous title for God. It brings out his majesty, eternity and wisdom. We read in Psalm 90:2: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God is the everlasting God, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the Ancient of Days. The beasts represent temporal kingdoms that rise and fall one after the other, but our God is the eternal King who has ruled from his throne forever.

His clothing is as white as snow, and his hair is white like wool. The white clothing speaks of his purity and righteousness. The white hair speaks to his length of days and great wisdom. All eyes are on the King here, and he is clearly the central figure as he sits on the royal throne.

   B. His throne (9–10)
      – Psalm 50:3–4

His throne is flaming with fire, with wheels ablaze. These are symbols of God’s presence and power. There is no escaping his judgment; this throne has wheels and can move. The river of fire flowing out from the throne is a symbol of God’s judgment going forth to his enemies. We see similar imagery in Psalm 50: “Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people” (Ps. 50:3–4).

Iain Duguid writes, “Here we see a judge who has the wisdom to sort out right from wrong, the purity to choose the right, and the power to enforce his judgments.” Remember, Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” Here in the book of Daniel God is revealed as the Ancient of Days and the Judge of all the earth.

   C. His court (10)
      – Revelation 20:12

Next the focus moves from the Ancient of Days and his throne to his court. Thousands upon thousands attend him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him. This shows the greatness and majesty of his court with such a vast assembly gathered before the throne.

After the court is seated, the books are opened. This tells us that this is a court of justice. The judgments rendered will not be random or arbitrary but based on God’s perfect knowledge and righteous standard. We find a similar scene depicted in Revelation 20:12: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”

I’m so glad there’s a book of life mentioned here, because if we were to be judged only by what is recorded in the books, we would all be lost. But praise God, there is a book of life, and everyone whose name is written in the book of life is forgiven and cleansed from all those things written in the other books. Don’t try to go to heaven without your name written in the book of life, because there will be a judgment, and the books will be opened.

II. The beast is slain (11–12)

So the Ancient of Days sets up court, and the very first judgment he brings is against the beast, who is slain. Look at verses 11–12:

“Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)” (Dan. 7:11–12)

The focus shifts back now to the fourth beast and the little horn. God’s judgment makes quick work of him.

   A. Thrown into the fire (11)
      – Revelation 19:19–20, 20:10

Daniel watches as the little horn — the one that uprooted three of the other horns — continues to speak its boastful (and probably blasphemous) words. When you’re standing in court before the Ancient of Days, before a throne of blazing fire with all the books opened, this is probably not the best time to be boasting. The little horn doesn’t seem to understand that. He keeps boasting, he keeps blaspheming, and Daniel keeps watching until the beast is slain and its body is destroyed and thrown into the fire.

Once again, we find similar imagery in the book of Revelation. We read in Revelation 19: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf… The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 19:19–20). And again in Revelation 20: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

   B. Other beasts allowed to live (12)
      – Revelation 13:2

Interestingly, the other beasts were allowed to live for a period of time. They are not destroyed right away, although they are stripped of their authority. Although these first three beasts initially represented Babylon, Persia and Greece, this shows that the beasts are not just these specific kingdoms but also symbolic of all the worldly powers aligned against God. (Note: We see this also in the initial description of the beast in Revelation 13:2, where the beast takes on characteristics of the lion, the bear, and the leopard from the first three beasts in Daniel 7.)

III. The Son of Man is given authority (13–14)

Next the focus of the vision shifts once again as we encounter the Son of Man for the first time. After the Ancient of Days sets up court and the beast is slain, the Son of Man is given authority. Look at verses 13–14:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Dan. 7:13–14)

   A. The Son of Man approaches (13)
   – Revelation 5:1–10

As Daniel continues to watch in his vision, he sees one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven and approaching the throne. “One like a son of man” stands in sharp contrast to the beasts, which looked like a lion, a bear, and a leopard, and then something unidentifiable. The son of man coming with the clouds contrasts with the beasts who came out of the sea. The sea represents chaos and evil; the clouds represent the glory of heaven.

This one like a son of man approaches the Ancient of Days. Would you? Would you dare approach the Ancient of Days with his white hair and white clothing, seated on a flaming throne with a river of fire blazing forth from before him? People didn’t even dare approach their earthly kings in those days, never mind this heavenly King on his heavenly throne.

And yet this one like a son of man approaches the Ancient of Days and is led into his presence. This tells us he has found favor with the King on his throne, and he has been accepted into his holy and righteous presence.

   B. Given authority, worship and dominion (14)
      – Matthew 28:18; Mark 14:62; John 5:27; Revelation 7:9–10

He not only receives favor, but he is given authority. And he is not just given authority, but a universal authority, for he will rule over all peoples. And not just a universal authority, but a divine authority, because all the peoples worshiped him. And not just a universal, divine authority, but an everlasting universal, divine authority, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away. And not just an everlasting, universal, divine authority, but one that will never be destroyed. Unlike the first three beasts whose power passed from one to the other, and unlike the fourth beast who was slain, the Son of Man will never yield his kingdom to another. He is God, and he is King over all.

So who is this one like a son of man? This mysterious figure is described as both human and divine, as one who can approach the Ancient of Days on his throne and who is given authority over the whole world. For centuries, the identity of this figure lay hidden, until Jesus came into our world. No other man but Jesus could enter God’s flaming presence like this, even as only Jesus was found worthy to open the heavenly seals in Revelation (Rev. 5:1–10).

The New Testament confirms to us that Jesus is indeed the Son of Man found here in Daniel 7. “Son of Man” was Jesus’ favorite title for himself. He used it all the time throughout the Gospels (69 times in Matthew, Mark and Luke; 12 times in John). It was kind of a “sneaky” title, because you could never quite tell whether he meant it as a description of humility (“I’m human like you”) or as an expression of exaltation as found here in Daniel 7.

That is, until his trial before the Sanhedrin. When the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus replied, “I am… And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Here Jesus combines the Messiah imagery of Psalm 110 with the Son of Man imagery from Daniel 7 (Ps. 110:1; Dan. 7:13–14). Jesus unmistakably identified himself as the Son of Man from Daniel 7, so much so that the high priest tore his clothes and accused him of blasphemy. Jesus was standing trial in their court at the time, and he essentially tells them that they will stand trial in his court one day.

Only Jesus has been given authority and sovereign power over all peoples and all nations. After his resurrection Jesus told his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). Even before his death and resurrection, Jesus told the people: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father…. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:22-27). Notice how Jesus connected his authority to judge with his identity as the Son of Man.

When does this scene from Daniel 7 take place? The most immediate association is with Jesus’ ascension, when he returned to heaven, approached the Ancient of Days, and was given authority to rule over all peoples and nations. However, as with many prophecies and visions in the Bible, time is often compressed, taking in several major events that are separated by long periods in human history. And so in this vision we also see glimmers of Christ’s return (Mark 14:62) and the final judgment (Rev. 19:19–20).

Remember, in this part of the vision we are seeing things from heaven’s perspective. God is outside of time. He sees things differently than us. All these things are compressed into one vision because these things are all connected, and God sees them together as one, while we see them separated in time.

And so the New Testament makes it clear that Jesus is this Son of Man who is first introduced in the book of Daniel. John’s vision in Revelation 7 expands on Daniel’s vision here in Daniel 7: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb… And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” (Rev. 7:9–10). Jesus is the Son of Man. He is the Lamb of God who sits at the right hand of God the Father on the throne.

CONCLUSION: So, what is the meaning of the vision? We will get to the full meaning next week when we look at the interpretation, but the main point is already clear. Satan will be defeated, Jesus will be glorified, and all the nations will bow before him.

The beast represents Satan’s power, especially as concentrated in the Antichrist. The beast will be destroyed, and Jesus will be exalted. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Sometimes it seems that evil has the upper hand in this world, but all evil will eventually be defeated. There are two sides in this battle, and only one side will win. You need to choose your side carefully. One day the beast will be dead and gone, but Jesus and his people will live forever.

Jesus has already been given all authority in heaven and on earth through his death and resurrection. He has already ascended and taken his place at the right hand of God. One day he will return, and his sovereign rule will be revealed to the whole world at once. Are you ready for his return? Are you trusting him as Savior? Are you serving him with your life?

Jesus is the Son of Man who rules forever. Let us serve and worship him alone.

© Ray Fowler

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