Daniel 7:9-14, The Kingdom of the Son of Man

Why did Jesus often refer to himself as the Son of Man? Like when Jesus asked the man born blind, whom he had healed, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” And the healed man said, basically, tell me who he is, and I’ll believe. The phrase son of man by itself means ‘human.’ But we know Jesus, when he used the term of himself meant the person who is introduced in this passage.

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.

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.

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.

Daniel continues to relate the dream/vision he had of the four successive kingdoms that would seek world domination and achieve it to varying degrees. After seeing them he sees Yahweh, whom he designates as “The Ancient of Days,” sitting in His divine council meeting (“thrones” are placed for all the council members, suggesting they are all rulers), opening books for judgment. The judgment is coming upon the fourth beast revived, we might say, in the little horn that Daniel saw in the vision, the antichrist who is yet to come. The dominion of the other beasts is also removed though they are allowed to prolong their lives for a season.  The suggestion of the Expositor’s Commentary makes sense, that “this may mean that the unbelieving world powers that precede the little horn are reserved for judgment by the returning Christ.”

The vision of Daniel next shows the returning Christ, the Son of Man, coming into the council of the Ancient of Days, coming on the clouds, a phrase typically reserved for Yahweh Himself, and receiving from Yahweh an eternal dominion over every kingdom and people of earth. All peoples of earth will serve the Son of Man, the term serve meaning to bow before. So though this Son of Man is a human, he nevertheless bears the attributes of Yahweh. He is both human and divine. None of the other council members are given this dominion, only the Son of Man, whom we now understand to be the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, who, when he took on human nature also took the name Jesus.

When, therefore, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man, and says, for example, to the high priest at his trial, in answer to the high priest’s question, “Are you the Messiah,” he says, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” At this, the high priest accuses him of blasphemy. Son of Man is a designation for the divine/human Messiah of God, the second person of the Trinity, who is coming to rule.

Taking up my cross daily: Lord Jesus, I will rightly worship and obey you today as the Son of Man of Daniel 7 who is coming to rule the earth. May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.