Sermon Manuscript

Daniel 7:11-14; The Son of Man ~ 20220403 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

04/03_Daniel 07:11-14; The Son of Man; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20220403_dan07_11-14.mp3

How long O Lord?

Psalm 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Psalm 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! 3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. 6 They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; 7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

Daniel answers the cry of our hearts ‘How long, O LORD?’ This passage in Daniel 7 is at the very heart and center of the book. We saw nations like ravenous beasts rise up from the earth, but in verses 9-10 our attention is turned to the throne room of the universe, where the Ancient of Days takes his seat on his flaming chariot throne. The one who is eternal, perfectly pure and holy, infinitely wise, absolutely good and just is seated on his throne to right every wrong and bring about absolute justice.

Daniel 7:9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

The Boastful Beast

Daniel 7:11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

In verses 11-12 Daniel looked on in amazement because the arrogant little horn of the final beast was still speaking inflated words in the very presence of the Ancient of Days. The terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong kingdom beast that devoured and broke and crushed everything, and its arrogant horn speaking proud words are decisively disposed of in a moment, shown to be nothing by the Ancient of Days. This final beast was killed, destroyed, given over to be burned in an instant, in contrast to the preceding kingdoms, who were conquered, but absorbed into the succeeding kingdoms and continued on in them for a time.

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Take refuge in him, because he will destroy his enemies with a word.

The Divine Cloud Rider

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

This second figure Daniel sees is one who comes with the clouds of heaven. Anyone familiar with the Bible’s story line would recognize clouds as the most frequent visible manifestation of the invisible God, and one coming with the clouds as a description of the Lord God himself. All the way back in the Exodus,

Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

Exodus 16:10 ...behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you...

Exodus 33:9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. ...

Exodus 34:5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

The cloud was a manifestation of the glory of the Lord, a visible representation of the personal presence of YHWH God with them.

Psalm 18 describes the Lord come to rescue the one who cries out to him:

Psalm 18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

Psalm 104 sings praise to YHWH.

Psalm 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. 3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;

Isaiah also sees YHWH the cloud rider:

Isaiah 19:1 ...Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt;

When Moses blessed the people in Deuteronomy 33, he said:

Deuteronomy 33:26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. 27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’

Only YHWH God rides on the clouds of heaven, so when Daniel sees this one coming with the clouds of heaven, it is evident that this one is YHWH God himself.

The Sovereign Son of Man

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

This passage is so important for our understanding of who Jesus is.

A son of man is simply a way to describe a human, a descendant of Adam. Daniel is addressed in 8:17 as ‘O, son of man’; 93 times Ezekiel is addressed as ‘son of man’. Outside of Ezekiel, this phrase only shows up another 14 times in the rest of the Old Testament. This is simply another way to say ‘human’.

But it is interesting that here in Daniel 7, this one who comes on the clouds is not said to be a son of man, but that he is like a son of man. YHWH riding on the clouds is coming in human form; like a son of man. This is not to say that he could not actually be fully human, as we know Jesus was. The point is that this one is YHWH God come in the form of a human. As Romans 8:3 says God sent ‘his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh’.

The son of man was by far Jesus’ most frequent way to refer to himself throughout his ministry. Where he referred to himself as ‘Christ’ or ‘Messiah’ 9 times; as ‘Son of God’ 4 times, as ‘Son of David 2 times, as ‘Lord’ 8 times, as the ‘I AM’ 8 times; Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man about 80 times in the gospels. He said things like ‘the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ (Mt.9:6); The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (Mt.12:8). He said that the Son of Man will come in his kingdom (Mt.16:28); that the Son of Man will be enthroned in glory (Mt.19:28); that the Son of Man will execute judgment (Mt.16:27).

It is unmistakable that when Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man, he was pointing us specifically to this passage in Daniel 7.

Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

When Jesus stood trial before the high priest, and the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against him to have him put to death, Caiaphas became frustrated;

Matthew 26:62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus was making direct reference to Daniel 7, claiming to be YHWH the cloud rider, the one like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. They got the message. They understood what he was claiming.

Matthew 26:65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

The religious leaders who knew their Scriptures recognized Jesus’ claim to be the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven as blasphemy, a claim to be YHWH God himself.

He was With God and He Was God

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

This passage is fascinating. The cloud rider is unmistakably YHWH himself, but he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. The Ancient of Days is clearly YHWH God Almighty. So we have YHWH God seated on his throne, and YHWH God coming on the clouds like a Son of Man and presented before YHWH God. Is this confusing? YWHW God riding the clouds appears before YHWH God seated on his throne. The Lord God gives to the Lord God the kingdom, and encourages worship of the Lord God. Clearly two persons, two individuals, interacting with one another, relating with one another, distinct from one another, and yet sharing a common identity, the identity of YHWH God.

Remember, this is Daniel, recording a vision given to him in 550 BC, over 500 years before the coming of Jesus. But this fits perfectly with what is said of Jesus;

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

The Word existed eternally with his Father. The Word was – the self-existent Word was with God, distinct from the Father and in relationship with his Father. And the Word was himself God, equal to the Father, one with his Father, possessing all the attributes of the one God. One in essence or nature with his Father, yet a distinct personality in relationship with his Father.

Jesus said in John 10:

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

I and my Father, distinct, in relationship, giving and receiving; yet also one. Throughout his ministry, Jesus was never ‘confusing the persons nor dividing the substance’ (Athanasian creed).

Jesus helps us make sense of Daniel. The Ancient of Days, God the Father seated on his throne, and Jesus, God the Son coming on the clouds, presented before his Father, receives the kingdom from his Father.

Exalted at the Father’s Right Hand

Daniel 7:14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

In Acts, after the resurrected Jesus commissioned his disciples to testify about him to the nations,

Acts 1:9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

In Acts 2 Peter preached:

Acts 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ...32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

Paul says in Ephesians 1:

Ephesians 1:19 ...the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Stephen, the first martyr of the church:

Acts 7:56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

In Revelation, John extends

Revelation 1:4 ...Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

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Behold the Man! (Jn.19:5). Fall down and worship him, for he is worthy!

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2022.04.03 Sermon Notes

Daniel 7:11-14 – The Son of Man

How Long O Lord?

Psalm 13:1-2; Psalm 94:1-7

The boastful beast destroyed with a word

Psalm 2

YHWH the cloud rider

Exodus 13:21; 16:10; 19:9; 33:9-11; 34:5

Psalm 18:9-12; Psalm 104:1-3; Isaiah 19:1

Deuteronomy 33:26-27

Jesus referred to himself as:

Christ or Messiah: 9 times

Son of God: 4 times

Son of David: 2 times

Lord: 8 times

The I Am: 8 times

The Son of Man: 82 times

The Sovereign Son of Man

Matthew 9:6; 12:8; 16:27-28; 19:28; 24:27,30; 26:62-68

He was with God and he was God

John 1:1-2, 10:27-31

He is exalted at his Father’s right hand

Acts 1:9-11; 2:23-33; 7:56;

Ephesians 1:19-22; Revelation 1:4-7

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org