He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence. In fact, he doesnt have any direct speaking lines in the book of daniel at all. He has the throne of a king, receives the son of man, and passes judgment in favor of the saints. Since he is the king of eternity, his existence stretches endlessly into the past and forever into the future. His vesture was like white snowand the hair of his head like pure wool. Nov 27, 2015 ancient of days, or head of days, is a name for god in thebook of daniel. Summary of the book of daniel the story of the bible. The title ancient of days has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the creators aspects of eternity combined with perfection. Daniel 7 niv daniels dream of four beasts in bible. The old persian empire encompassed the areas of presentday iraq, iran, syria, kuwait, afghanistan and pakistan and also presentday turkey, palestine. Ancient of days, or head of days, is a name for god in thebook of daniel.
The title ancient of days is from the old testament prophetic book of daniel. I saw in the night visions, and behold one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and was brought near. The ancient of days william blakes painting of the ancient of days from daniel s first vision isnt meant to depict god, surprisingly. Ancient of days is an aramaic name for god that is found in the book of daniel. A careful study of the text helps reveal the identity of this supernatural being. The ancient of days reigns daniel 7 john macarthur the.
These kingdoms are finally overthrown when the ancient of days sits in judgment over them on his glorious throne and gives dominion and an eternal kingdom to one like a son of man whom all peoples are to. Related imagery appears in blakes newton, completed the next. In the book of daniel, the ancient of days is mentioned. Verse 22 refers specifically to jesus whose judgment will be part of the endtimes events. To interpret divine dreams requires divine inspiration. The ancient reference in verse is most interesting. Daniel 7, a hotbed for eschatological theorizing, continues to baffle commentators, past and present. Daniel has visions of the future, and todays scripture is from one of those visions. His clothing is white as snow, and the hair of his head is like pure wool. And, of course, i ended up marrying a man named daniel.
The question, who is the ancient of days in daniel 7. The most common designation this obviously divine character is god himself. The king james version of the bible rendered both attik yomin in daniel 7. His throne was ablaze with flames,its wheels were a. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Daniel 7 describes a succession of kingdoms appearing as various beasts. It draws its name from one of gods titles in the book of daniel and shows urizen crouching in a circular design with a cloudlike background. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. He wrote down the substance of his dream2 daniel said.
Read more hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save daniel. Verse can only refer to the father because, of course, the son of man who camebefore him is christ. His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. The solution to the identity of the ancient of days is in my opinion, one that is without controversy. Ancient of days sermon by shelly griffin, daniel 7. It turns out that godor the appearance of god that daniel is allowed to seelooks like an elderly man, or an ancient of days.
In the book of daniel chapter 7, there are three figures. The title ancient of days is found only three times in scripture, all three in prophetic passages in daniel 7. Ancient of days is a name for god in the book of daniel. Ancient of days is a name for god found numerous times in the book of daniel. Notice how daniel described what he was privileged to see in vision. Icons of the ancient of days saint jonah orthodox church.
Vision of the ancient of days i watched till thrones were put in place, and the ancient of days was seated. This book of daniel highlights and aligns the prophecy of daniel to the historical facts and dates up to and beyond our present day, this proving the fulfilment of these prophecies. Nov 29, 2000 this passage from daniel tells about, and actually describes, the ancient of days. Discover the meaning of this biblical phrase and its influence in. Book of daniel overview insight for living ministries. The identity of the ancient of days is an interesting question. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. Consider the following and you will notice that this title positively refers to both the father and christ. This term, ancient of days comes from prophet daniel 7. Dec 07, 2016 i saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. Daniels visions interpreted 21 as i watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and prevailing against them, 22 until the ancient of days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the most high, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
Daniel 7 niv daniels dream of four beasts in bible gateway. The ancient of days in book of daniel the ancient of days god doesnt get any lines in the book of daniel, but hes the hidden master, pulling all the strings, controlling every event in the story as it moves along. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology a portrayal of end times cosmic in scope and political in focus. He received a doctorate in theology from the christian college of texas, texarkana tx, in 1989. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. The ancient of days a journey through daniel over the. Daniel was often called by god to be a man of the future, an end time prophet. His outstretched hand holds a compass over the darker void below. Like other names, it points out gods eternal nature while describing him in terms of a human elder.
The book of daniel like revelation are prophetic books and parallels can be drawn between the prophecies. Patristic, liturgical, and historical evidence patristic evidence. God is referenced as the ancient of days three times in the book of daniel, chapter seven. According to the international standard bible encyclopedia, the expression is used in reference to god in daniel 7. This prophecy aligns with jesus speaking in matthew 24, and the book of the revelation of jesus christ by the apostle john. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool. The ancient of days reigns daniel 7 john macarthur. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, its message being that just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from their enemies, so.
The days of the church age are rapidly drawing to a close and the shadows of the endtimes are approaching. God is a triune god, meaning three persons in one, and at different times ancient of days refers to jesus christ and at other times, to god the father. There is only one patristic source that references daniel 7, and can possibly be understood as teaching that the ancient of days in daniel 7 is the son. This brings us to daniels 70 th week, a key to understanding the last days and the return of christ. The ancient of days is a figure in one of daniels visions that. The ancient of days is a figure in one of daniels visions that unquestionably represents god. The second is the interpretation of the dream, 1728. Written more than 2500 years ago, the book prophesies many things we have not yet seen. The ancient of days william blakes painting of the ancient of days from daniels first vision isnt meant to depict god, surprisingly. The prophetic seal on the book of daniel is unsealing right before our very eyes. God doesnt get any lines in the book of daniel, but hes the hidden master, pulling all the strings, controlling every event in.
The book of daniel is one of my favourites, and it seems to pop up in significant places. The book of daniel contains two types of literature. The ancient of days is mentioned only three times in the bible, all three times in the book of daniel. Check out this weeks message takeaway as pastor doug wraps up our series through the book of daniel. The book of daniel stands as a unique mix in the old testament, for while it begins with history, it makes a strong transition at chapter 7, where it contains visions of future events significant to the jews. He also predicted the date of the death of the messiah to occur in ad 32, the date of the rebirth of the nation of israel to occur in ad 1948, and the israeli capture of the temple mount to take. Ancient book of daniel kindle edition by johnson, ken.
Its actually meant to depict the human minds tendency to try to cut everything down to its own size and make it measurable in a bad way, which is why the ancient is holding a compass. The title ancient of days, which only daniel uses, indicates one advanced or aged in days. The book of daniel is unsealing middle east and prophecy. The book of daniel introduction to the book of daniel in the bible. This chapter documents a dream and visions that daniel. In my vision at night i looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Is the ancient of days in daniel 7 a vision of the father. The book of daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient. The phrase ancient of days is unique to the book of daniel. Who is the ancient of days referred to in daniel 7. The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the.
His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head. The ancient hebrew prophet daniel lived in the fifth century bc and accurately predicted the history of the nation of israel from 536 bc to ad 1948. All these occurrences show up in the book of daniel, the seventh chapter, in verses 9, and 22. The phrase you are referring to, the ancient of days, only occurs three times in the entire bible. This passage from daniel tells about, and actually describes, the ancient of days.
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