TAMING THE MONSTERS—Daniel 7
***When our son was about six, we asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer surprised us: He wanted to be monster-handler. I can only imagine the monsters he imagined in his room or under his bed, but he thought grownups would have use for a monster-handler, to tame their monsters. Sometimes I feel like I could use one!**
As adults, our monsters lurk in our thoughts, sometimes rising to the surface to threaten us: Cancer… Altzheimers...Being alone. They threaten our families: Drugs..Mental illness…Disastrous choices. They loom in the darkness of our world: The economy...Political unrest..Moral breakdown…Cultural rot.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, the “monsters” surface in our dreams or persistent thoughts, and peaceful sleep eludes us. That is what happened to Daniel.
In the first 6 chapters of the book of Daniel, it seems that DANIEL LIVED A CHARMED LIFE.
Born into a royal family, he was taken into exile by the Babylonians. Landing on his feet, he became an intern in the king’s court. Taking a stand for his identity as a Jew, he was allowed to eat kosher, and he and his friends thrived.
When King Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, God gave Daniel the interpretation, and Nebuchnezzar elevated him to a high position. When Belshazzar ruled as king, Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall, rising to an even a higher position. Landing on his feet again when the Persians took over, he rose to a high position. When his jealous fellow-administrators got him thrown into a lion’s den, the lions lost their appetite.
It would be easy to end our study of Daniel after chapter 6, with Daniel on top of the world. We would all want to be like Daniel, strong and courageous.
***When I was a child, I learned a little song about Daniel: “Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone, dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known.” Daniel demonstrated courage, faith and trust in God. Yet that only scratches the surface of Daniel, for Daniel was living in a complex world, where only God could rescue him and make sense of life.**
Below his surface demeanor of confidence peace, Daniel was having dreams and visions—strange, troubling, yet wonderfully grand dreams. The last six chapters of the book of Daniel are the dreams and visions of Daniel, which are strange and often puzzling. Yet they yield important insights and lessons for people like us.
In chapter 7, the writer of Daniel flashes back to a time before the lion’s den, even before the writing on the wall, which happened at the end of Belshazzar’s reign.
DANIEL HAS A DREAM of a scary primeval sea and roaring wind, with monsters:
Read Daniel 7:1-14.
What a nightmare! Dreams often reveal thoughts below the surface of our conscious minds, and Daniel had many reasons to see the world as a place of beasts.
Yet the beasts are not all Daniel sees.
In his dream, Daniel sees “The Ancient of Days,” undoubtedly representing God. He is scary, more scary than the beasts, which is a good thing! His throne is flaming with fire, with blazing wheels, and there is a river of fire flowing out from his throne. Surrounding his throne stands an unimaginable number of attendants. When they sit, books are opened—books of judgment?
The “little horn”—the outcropping of the fourth beast—is not awed by the Ancient of Days, and he continues to boast of his power. Finally, the fourth beast is slain, and his body is thrown into the fire. God handles the monster!
***English writer G.K. Chesterton said, “Fairytales don’t teach children that monsters exist. They already know that monsters exist. Fairy tales teach children that monsters can be killed.” The Bible is not a fairy tale, although a dream can have a similar function. Adults need to know that monsters can be killed!**
Daniel awakens from his dream (or was it a vision, half-asleep?), and his reaction is surprising: “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.” (Daniel 7:15)
Why was Daniel troubled and disturbed?
For one thing, Daniel had a vision of God! When Isaiah saw a vision of God, he said, “Woe to me!...I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5) When Ezekiel saw a vision of God, he fell flat on his face, and then sat in silence for 7 days, overwhelmed.
The other reason Daniel was troubled was that he realized he was stuck somewhere in the middle of his dream. Yes, God is on his throne—in heaven—but on the earth, beasts roam.
So Daniel wants to know, as we want to know:
WHAT IS GOD’S PLAN FOR TAMING THE MONSTERS?
Troubled and disturbed, Daniel finds himself within his own vision, as one of the characters:
Read Daniel 7:15-25.
Just as there were 4 kingdoms in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2, there are 4 kingdoms in Daniel’s dream. For centuries, people have tried to determine which 4 kingdoms are represented in the dream.
Some scholars identify the 4 kingdoms as Babylon, Medea, Persia and Greece. In that case, the “little horn” in Daniel’s dream is identified with a Greek ruler in Palestine, Antioches Epiphanes. Antioches caused the most havoc among the Jews from 167-164 B.C., about 3.5 years, which fits with the description, “a time, times, and half a time.” (or perhaps, “a year, [2] years, and half a year.”) Antioches profaned the temple altar by sacrificing an unclean animal on it, and he waged war against the Jews. Finally Jews led by Judas Maccabeus revolted and defeated him. They celebrated with a feast, still celebrated by Jews today: Hanukkah. (The story is in the Apocrypha, the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees.)
Other scholars have a different interpretation of the 4 kingdoms, parallel with their interpretation of the 4 kingdoms in chapter 2. They identify the 4 kingdoms as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In 70 A.D., the Romans leveled the temple in Jerusalem, but eventually the “saints of the Most High”—Christians—“possessed the kingdom,” becoming the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.
Still others project the fulfillment of the vision into the future. They identify “the little horn” as the Antichrist, who will wage war against the saints, until the Ancient of Days gives them victory.
Another way to look at the dream is not to try to identify “the little horn” or “antichrist” as a specific historical figure. 1 John 2:18-22 says, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now MANY ANTICHRISTS have come…Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.” By that definition, there have been many antichrists in history, and there might be some in our world today.
Whatever the interpretation, the final outcome is clear. God wins!
Daniel 7:26-27 “The court will sit, and the power [of the king who oppresses the saints] will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.”
The saints—“the holy people of the Most High”—rule! God’s kingdom will be everlasting, AND “the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High.” God wins, and the saints win!
Daniel’s vision ends on that note. How did he feel when he thought about all that? Did he shout, “Hallelujah,” and rush out to tell his friends to take heart?
No, his reaction was quite different: “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” (Daniel 7:28)
Why was Daniel so troubled? He couldn’t make sense of it all. God has a plan, yes. The saints will win in the end, yes. But the saints must suffer, in war and oppression, at the hands of the beasts.
Do you get what he was feeling? God wins in the end, but how do we believe that, when the monsters are not just under the bed, but at the hospital, in the office, in the government, and on the streets? How can we be strong and courageous, when the monsters of our world loom so large?
Daniel found strength in his dreams and visions: God on the throne of heaven, and glimpses of God’s plan in history. He had miraculous experiences of God’s power: interpreting dreams, and seeing them fulfilled. And then there was the lion’s den, where the monsters were real lions, and God shut their mouths.
We might wish for experiences like Daniel had, and we can read about them in Scripture, strengthening our faith. Yet we have greater understanding of God’s plan and power than Daniel!
“ONE LIKE A SON OF MAN”
In Daniel’s dream, the Ancient of Days has appeared, but the little horn is still boasting. Then the fourth beast is slain, and Daniel says,
“I looked, and there before me was one LIKE A SON OF MAN, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 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. (Daniel 7:13-14)
Who is the mysterious “one like a son of man”? Daniel does not have a clue. When he finally hears the meaning of his dream, everything is explained, except the meaning of that figure.
“Son of man” (Hebrew “son of a mortal”) could simply mean “human being.” When God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel, he addressed him repeatedly as, “son of man.” In Daniel 8, God also addressed Daniel that way. This son of man is different, however, for he comes on the clouds of heaven to reign forever.
Hundreds of years after Daniel, there was someone who came from heaven, becoming “like a son of a mortal.” Jesus was a human being, and more. He often referred to himself as “THE Son of Man.” Some who heard him did not understand all that he meant by that, but Jesus viewed himself as the fulfillment of Daniel’s vision.
When a paralyzed man lay before Jesus, Jesus declared that his sins were forgiven. When the teachers of the law objected that only God had the authority to forgive sins, Jesus said, “I want you to know that THE SON OF MAN has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Matthew 9:6) He then healed the paralyzed man, to prove his authority.
When the Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath, Jesus said, “…THE SON OF MAN is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:8)
When Jesus spoke of his coming in glory, he said, “THE SON OF MAN is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (Matthew 16:27)
The heavenly son of man in Daniel’s vision, destined to reign forever, walked on the earth! Daniel could never have seen that coming.
The Son of God did not stay safely in heaven, to swoop down at the end of all things, kill all the monsters, and receive his authority, glory and power as king. No, he came to earth “like a son of man,” where the powers of evil were strong. He became like us, representing us as he faced the monsters of life head-on.
Hebrews 2:14 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil…”
The monsters are part of life on earth. We face them, and Jesus faced them on our behalf:
Matthew 17:22-23 tells us, “When Jesus and the disciples came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘The SON OF MAN is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filled with grief.” They did not understand why the Son of Man would die, and then be raised to life.
Only after his death and resurrection did the disciples understand what Jesus did as a human, a mortal man. Jesus joined humanity in death, to handle the last monster—death.
Paul says of Christ in Colossians 2:15, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities [the monsters!], he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
What happened then? Ephesians 1:20-22 says, “[God] raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church…”
In Daniel’s vision, the authority, glory and power is given to “one like a son of man.” Then, in the interpretation, the sovereignty, power and greatness is given to all the saints! The “one like a son of man” represents all God’s holy people. Ephesians says the same thing: Christ receives all authority, power and dominion, “to be head over everything FOR THE CHURCH.”
Why was Jesus born as a man, suffering and dying, rising and ascending? He was our representative, our “monster-handler”!
How do we face the monsters in our world?
Daniel had amazing faith, the kind of faith that faced kings and lions with confidence. We might think that if we had visions like he did, we could be as strong and courageous as he was.
Yet we have a greater vision.
When Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was being stoned, Acts 7:55-56 tells us, “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the SON OF MAN standing at the right hand of God.’”
The Son of Man—our representative—took on the monsters we fear most, even death. He rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, where he reigns forever in glory and power. Through him, Daniel’s ultimate hope is assured:
“The power [of the evil ruler] will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.” (Daniel 7:26-27)
If that is true, we can be like Daniel, who faced lions with courage and strength. In fact, fact, we can overcome anything we face, in the power of the Son of Man, who lives and reigns forever.
