Deeper Reflection
Daniel did not understand the vision of the four great beasts, the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man (Dan 7:1-14), for he asked the heavenly being standing beside him for “the exact meaning of all this” and the “interpretation” was “made known” to him (vv.15-16).In the interpretation, the “one like a son of man” who is given an everlasting kingdom (vv.13-14) is representative of “the saints of the Highest One” who will receive an everlasting kingdom (v.18).⁴⁴ While Jesus rightly sees Himself as this Son of Man (Matt 26:64; see Rev 1:7, 12-13), “Daniel 7 is not a simple prediction about Jesus. It is a message from God about us”⁴⁵ – “the saints of the Highest One.” But, theologically, this “son of man” is in corporate solidarity with the ultimate Son of Man. We need to begin with creation. God has created man to rule over all the earth (Gen 1:26-28). After man had fallen into sin, man also rules over fellow human beings and with violence (cf. Gen 6:11). Man who is created to rule over beasts (Gen 1:24-26) rules over fellow human beings like beasts (Dan 7:3-8). The Daniel 7 vision shows a contrast: humans who rule like beasts and humans who will rule with humanness – “like a son of man.” This rule with humanness is the everlasting kingdom that “the saints of the Highest One” will receive from the Ancient of Days. But in the already-and-not-yet Kingdom of God, we can relate with people with humanness like the gentle and humble Son of Man (Matt 11:28-30).

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⁴³ Mark 10:45 ⁴⁴ Gordon Wong, 102; Christopher J. H. Wright, 157 ⁴⁵ Gordon Wong, 102