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Daniel 7:13-14, 18, 27-28 – One Like a Son of Man

What glorious verses we’re looking at today! Here we are shown a glimpse of our Saviour Jesus, hundreds of years before he stepped into history as Jesus of Nazareth. How do we know that Christ is in view? For starters, this figure is clearly divine – he is on a par with the Ancient of Days whom we looked at yesterday and is worthy of the worship of the entire world.

Yet, as well as being God, this figure’s humanity is also in view – he is “like a son of man”. Of course, Daniel may not have had a full understanding of the fact that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man (nor can we get to the very bottom of such a glorious mystery!), yet here we see that truth being gradually unveiled in the Old Testament. “In him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9) Is it any wonder that Jesus himself so often referred to himself as “the Son of Man”? (e.g. Mark 14:62)

So, having identified this figure as the Son of God, what do we learn about him in this passage? For one thing, he (unlike the four beasts) has an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed. We have already seen this kingdom in the rock of chapter 2. Yes, Christ’s kingdom can look precarious to us when we see the travails of our local congregations, but in reality it is as secure and as glorious as they come.

As we look at the chapter as a whole we see another eye-popping truth – not only is this Christ’s kingdom and Christ’s victory, it is our kingdom and our victory too! We are united with him in his death but also in his resurrection and victory (Romans 6:5). As our king marches in triumphant procession, we march in his wake. What a staggering, astonishing, mind blowing blessing we have in Christ Jesus!

Questions

  1. How does it feel to see Jesus Christ pictured so unmistakably so many years before his birth?
  2. Read v27 and put your own name in. How does it feel?

Prayer Points

  1. Praise God for our Saviour Jesus – fully God and fully man!
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.