Daniel: Does God Reign? Does God Care? - Reading PlanSample

Start with prayer, then watch the video and read the passages in Daniel 7 and Mark 14.

Daniel is full of hints and shouts that God’s ultimate answer to the problems and darkness of the world is found in Jesus. And that’s the message I want to return to as we finish our exploration of this book.

That is seen most clearly in this key vision in chapter 7. Beasts and the darknesses of history give way to the coming of the “Son of Man” in glory. It’s one of the most clearly messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Even if it weren’t, Jesus is explicit in Mark 14 that this is him (v62).

The force of what Jesus was saying at his trial can often be missed by us, because we don’t know this vision. The high priest and the Jewish council were very clear though – they knew Jesus was claiming to be God, and condemned him for blasphemy as a result. What they got wrong was that it wasn’t blasphemy, but the truth.

I think that part of the reason they got it wrong was that their focus in Daniel 7 was on the glory. And we can so often make the same mistake in our expectations in faith. We think the Christian life will be all about victory, triumph and resurrection. And those are all key things that we will experience. But that’s not what the Christian life is all about.

Jesus calls himself ‘the Son of Man’ throughout his ministry, but only here does he make it explicit that that refers to Daniel 7. I think that’s because it's only now that the full meaning of his messiahship becomes apparent. It’s through suffering and death that he defeats sin and darkness.

And that has consequences for us, his people. We are saved only through his work and grace, but we are then called to ‘follow him’. And that means that we too will experience suffering and darkness in this life, as he continues to build his kingdom and draw more people into it. But even as we do, we can look forward with hope to the glory beyond. Because the Son of Man was crucified and entered the darkness, we can know he will return on the clouds of heaven. And when he does, we will share in his everlasting kingdom.