Is the Ancient of Days - Christ?
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| English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This vision bring us to the close of the times of the Gentiles. When the fourth beast with the ten horns and the little horn, the last thing spoken of this world empire, is in full swing, then the end comes. It is a great judgment scene which is here before us.
The great mass knows nothing whatever about this age coming to an end. It will go on indefinitely, so they believe, and its future is world progress, better times and the triumph of the Christian civilization. But others concede that a judgment must come and they think of the judgment here as the universal judgment, the great white throne judgment. This judgment is not the last judgment at all. It is a judgment which precedes the final judgment by 1000 years.
This judgment here must be read in connection with passages like Matthew 25:31–46 and Rev. 19:19–21. In reading the last passage no one can doubt that we have the same judgment here revealed to Daniel.
But who is the One, who occupies the central place in this vision of judgment?
There can be but one answer. It is our Saviour Jesus Christ. John 5:22 gives the conclusive answer. “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” The Ancient of Days is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is still more demonstrated if we turn to John’s great Patmos vision.
“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire.” (Rev. 1:12–14).
(Gaebelein, A. C. (1911). The prophet Daniel: a key to the visions and prophecies of the Book of Daniel (pp. 76–77). New York: Publication Office “Our Hope.”)
Daniel describes God (reality is it is Jesus) in more detail than any of the prophets before or after him: his clothing is as white as snow; his hair is white like wool. The throne of God is flaming with fire and mobile like a chariot, with wheels ablaze with fire. The Lord is the great judge, who is seated to judge the kingdoms of this world. There is no escape from his judgment. A river of fire flows before him. He is the Lord of Hosts, with thousands upon thousands awaiting his command. The acts of men are recorded in his books.
clothing was like white snow The typical color of the clothing of heavenly beings (see Matt 28:3; Mark 9:2; Rev 3:5).
its wheels were burning fire See Ezek 1:4; 1 Enoch 14:22.
the hair of his head was like pure wool See Rev 1:14.
When Christ ascended the Mount of Transfiguration, “his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow” (Mark 9:3), which confirmed to the three disciples that He was the Son of God, even as the voice from heaven had said (Matthew 17:5). At the empty tomb following His resurrection, “the angel of the Lord” also had “raiment white as snow” (Matthew 28:3). Finally, when John saw Christ in His glorified body, he testified that “his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow” (Revelation 1:14).
It is marvelous that the raiment of the angel of God, the transfigured Christ, and the Ancient of days, as well as the head of Christ in His glory, are all described with the same phrase as the soul of one whose sins are forgiven!
