And behold, aOne like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
That all bpeoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is can everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel’s Visions Interpreted
‘The fourth beast shall be
aA fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
Shall bpersecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall cintend to change times and law.
Then dthe saints shall be given into his hand
eFor a time and times and half a time.
And they shall btake away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
bHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
cAnd all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
| << Daniel 7:13 | Daniel 7:15 >> |
What Does Daniel 7:14 Mean?
Daniel 7:13-14
The opening phrase, “I was watching in the night visions,” indicates a separate vision and marks the beginning of an inset within the vision. Then, the prophet exactly describes what Christ said at His trial about the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64). Notice, though, that this vision is not about Christ coming to earth but to the Ancient of Days!
With this vision in the background, we can understand that during His trial, Jesus was not talking about coming back to earth but arriving before the Father. Once He came to the Ancient of Days, He would receive dominion, glory, and a Kingdom. When Jesus told the Jewish leadership that, from now on, they would comprehend Him sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds, they caught His reference to this prophecy and His claim to be the Messiah, the Heir of the Kingdom.
When does this inset take place? Within the flow of the chapter, this inset appears after the fourth beast is killed (Daniel 7:11), yet the events within the inset happen long before, providing the backstory for understanding the origin of the divine Kingdom that will replace all other governments at the end of the age. The clouds of heaven had already brought the Son of Man to the Ancient of Days—when Jesus ascended to the Father for acceptance. At that time, Christ received dominion, glory, and a Kingdom. Overall, Daniel's prophecies describe the Kingdom's future establishment on earth, but here we see a flashback to Christ's ascension.
In I Peter, the apostle draws on Daniel's vision twice, repeating that to Christ belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever (I Peter 4:11; 5:11). John uses the same phrase in the introduction to the book of Revelation, writing, “to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:6). Clearly, the inset has already come to pass.
David C. Grabbe
Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom
Daniel 7:13-14
The Ancient of Days, the One who became known as the Father, is seated on a throne. He wears clothing and has shining white hair. Yet, the "One like the Son of Man" is also a divine Being. So, we see two God Beings in the same place and at the same time, and it is designated that the second is the One who will bear rule in the kingdoms of men.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Image and Likeness of God (Part Two)
| << Daniel 7:13 | Daniel 7:15 >> |
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