Daniel 7:11-14
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
I once heard a Muslim ask, ‘If Jesus was God, then why does he call himself the Son of Man. Is that not proof that he was just a man?’ This is a really good question and makes a lot of sense.
Jesus’ favourite title for himself was the Son of Man and the place that he took it from was this passage. The Son of Man was a Messianic title, it described someone who would be the counter power to the powers and empires. He lived in the true form of a human, unlike the empires represented by beasts that pursued their desires and appetites. He would receive all power, all glory and all authority. The Son of Man would be worshipped forever and would rule a Kingdom that would never end. So, when Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man, he was not emphasising his humanity but his divinity.
So Jesus ministry was built on the idea of a new Kingdom, which would rule forever with him as its King. This is an audacious claim for anyone to make… unless it was true.
In what way does Jesus’ Kingdom veer away from it?
Let’s spend some time today in praise and worship of God. Spend a few moments writing a prayer to glorify Jesus. Think about the words and the content carefully and when you are happy, read it out loud.
