Wednesday: The Coming of the Son of Man
Read Daniel 7:13. Who is the Son of man here, and how do you identify Him? (See also Mark 13:26, Matt. 8:20, Matt. 9:6, Luke 9:26, Luke 12:8).
As the judgment unfolds, a most important figure enters the scene: the Son of Man. Who is He? First, the Son of Man appears as an individual heavenly figure. But as the title implies, He also displays human traits. In other words,
Image © Review and Herald Publishing collection at GoodSalt.com
He is a divine-human individual who comes to play an active role in judgment. Second, the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven is a common image of the Second Coming in the New Testament. However, in Daniel 7:13 specifically, the Son of man is not depicted as coming from heaven to earth, but as moving horizontally from one place in heaven to another in order to appear before the Ancient of days. Third, the depiction of the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven suggests a visible manifestation of the Lord. But this imagery is also reminiscent of the high priest who, surrounded by a cloud of incense, enters the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement to perform the purification of the sanctuary.
The Son of man is also a royal figure. He receives “dominion and glory and a kingdom” and “all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him” (Dan. 7:14, NKJV). The verb “serve” can also be translated as “worship”. It appears nine times in chapters 1-7 (Dan. 3:12, Dan. 3:14, Dan. 3:17-18, Dan. 3:28; Dan. 6:16, Dan. 6:20; Dan. 7:14, Dan. 7:27) and conveys the idea of paying homage to a deity. So, as a consequence of the attempt to change the law of God, the religious system represented by the little horn corrupts the worship due to God. The judgment portrayed here shows that true worship is eventually restored. The worship system set by the papal system, among other elements, places a fallen human being as a mediator between God and humanity. Daniel shows that the only mediator capable of representing humanity before God is the Son of Man. As the Bible says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5, NKJV).
| From all that we have read in the Bible about the life and character of Jesus, why is it so comforting to know that He is so central to the judgment depicted here? |
(26)
I would propose that it is too narrow an interpretation to say that it is a religious system/worship system that is the core of what is going on here in Daniel 7. Note passages such as Exodus 34:8. Worship is a response that is called forward from within us when we meet that which we admire and which our heart desires.
Rather, I would propose that the bottom line is 2 kingdoms and their respective natures and characters. One is based on the principle of self-renouncing love that employs methods and practices of freedom-based love. The other is based on the principle of self-seeking love that employs methods and practices of deception and coercion. One is capable of only promoting and sustaining eternal life (self-renouncing is a perpetual phenomenon by nature). The other is capable only of precluding life and thereby fostering death/(self)destruction (self-seeking is a life precluding phenomenon by nature).
So our worship (expression of our submission-based admiration of that which we desire) is tied up in what is going on - no doubt. But it is not the core issue. Which kingdom does our heart desire is the core issue. Our worship will reflect this.
Why is judgment given to the Son of Man?
Have a very careful read of John 5:26,27 in conjunction with Hebrews 4:15,16.
From reading these verses, what does it say about God's nature and character (which is what is ultimately 'on trial' so to speak) that He has given judgment to the Son of Man?
I grew up, as many Seventh-day Adventists my age did with a great fear of the judgment. One of the big frighteners offered to us as small kids was, "What if your name came up in judgment, while you are teasing your sister, or pinching a cookie when your mother isn't looking?" Unfortunately, we have carried that notion on and an adult version of it often appears in perfectionist theology. The idea that a small child could be excluded from eternal life because he pulled his sister's pigtails must have tainted the thinking of many growing Christians.
Read the context of the judgment in Daniel 7. Daniel has been given a picture of a series of persecuting, controlling, dominating empires that have ruthlessly ignored the very principles of human compassion. They have exploited others,, and made the pursuit of hedonism, selfishness, greed, and power the ultimate goals for the select few. This is what is being judged. I think the frustration for Daniel is that he glimpsed the amount of human time that all this was going to take. He wanted restoration now and was unprepared for what appeared to be thousands of years of waiting for judgment to take place.
Does this mean us as individuals will not be judged then? Kindly explain further. It is ONLY the ruthless powers that will face God’s judgement? And is there anything wrong in calling people out TO RIGHTEOUS living ie PERFECTIONIST theology as you put it?
Of course, we are judged, but the judgement is not something to be afraid of if we are living in the grace of Jesus. I submit that frightening little kids into being good by suggesting that they could be judged without even knowing about it is wrong. There are better ways to encourage good behaviour.
Is this judgement specifically for the little Horn or is it final?
What does the Bible say? Read Dan 7:26,27
In Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, false worship was promoted and obeisance given to the image king Nebuchadnezzar set up (Daniel 3). Thank God for the chronicle of the three Hebrew boys who decided to worship the King of Kings, by refusing to obey Nebuchadnezzar’s command (Daniel 3:16-18).
The entrance of the Son of Man will forever erase any forced or false worship but will reveal to everyone who is called by God’s name, Jesus- our righteous Judge, Friend and Savior.
We will see Him who we would have prayed to, worshiped and will eventually reign with- forever!
We will declare “thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
With our hope in God, then, made real, we’d shout, “this is our God; we have waited for him, and He will save us (Isaiah 25:9).
We’ll further give Him glory as we proclaim “for the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).
Let’s stay faithful, as we await the entrance of the Son of Man and worship Him!