He is Seated
In Daniel chapter 7, the anxiety of what is to come is brought to the mind of the author's hearers and readers. The placement of this vision is interesting because in chapter 6, Israel is taken captive by a new regime. After all, the Babylonians were defeated despite their strength. This vision dates back to the first year of captivity in Babylon.
Daniel 7:1-8
The vision of the four beasts is terrifying to imagine. We can imagine three of the beasts because of the shared features that we can understand from other beasts. The fourth is “terrifying and dreadful,” but all we know about it is that it is “different” (Dan. 7:7).
The scene changes rather suddenly to a more familiar authority. Daniel envisions the “Ancient of Days”. Our language sometimes defines “ancient” as merely old and fragile. But in the Israeli culture, it “is grand, not that he is frail; it imports ideas of dignity, not of senility.”1 We need to remember that the vision does not change location, but the court of God came upon where the beast or kings of the earth were.
Notice one word describing the Ancient of Days: He is seated. He’s not surprised or worried or rushing to position as He was caught out of position. He has come in His power like He promised. With all the trouble and trials that can be imagined with the rest of the chapter, take notice of two verses. “Verses 17–18 then are a basic explanation of the vision. So, we have no excuse for claiming we don’t know what the vision means. If one is fuzzy about details, we at least know this much.”2
Daniel 7:17-18
Take steps in your life with faith in what Scripture expresses about what will ultimately happen. We need to have an enduring faith that leads us throughout our lives.
1. Davis, Dale Ralph. 2013. The Message of Daniel: His Kingdom Cannot Fail. Edited by Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, pg. 99.
2. Davis, Dale Ralph. 2013. The Message of Daniel: His Kingdom Cannot Fail, pg. 102.
Daniel 7:1-8
The vision of the four beasts is terrifying to imagine. We can imagine three of the beasts because of the shared features that we can understand from other beasts. The fourth is “terrifying and dreadful,” but all we know about it is that it is “different” (Dan. 7:7).
The scene changes rather suddenly to a more familiar authority. Daniel envisions the “Ancient of Days”. Our language sometimes defines “ancient” as merely old and fragile. But in the Israeli culture, it “is grand, not that he is frail; it imports ideas of dignity, not of senility.”1 We need to remember that the vision does not change location, but the court of God came upon where the beast or kings of the earth were.
Notice one word describing the Ancient of Days: He is seated. He’s not surprised or worried or rushing to position as He was caught out of position. He has come in His power like He promised. With all the trouble and trials that can be imagined with the rest of the chapter, take notice of two verses. “Verses 17–18 then are a basic explanation of the vision. So, we have no excuse for claiming we don’t know what the vision means. If one is fuzzy about details, we at least know this much.”2
Daniel 7:17-18
Take steps in your life with faith in what Scripture expresses about what will ultimately happen. We need to have an enduring faith that leads us throughout our lives.
1. Davis, Dale Ralph. 2013. The Message of Daniel: His Kingdom Cannot Fail. Edited by Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, pg. 99.
2. Davis, Dale Ralph. 2013. The Message of Daniel: His Kingdom Cannot Fail, pg. 102.
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