1/26/21

 Daniel’s Vision

                    As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.  His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool.  His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.  A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him.  Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.  The court was seated, and the books were opened.  Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking.  I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)  In my vision at night 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 7:9-14

             Were you not reading closely, you might think that today’s passage came straight out of Revelations.  Strange talking beasts and God on His throne ministered to by thousands upon thousands of people from every tongue, tribe and nation as He administers justice and sets the Son of Man to reign in a kingdom that will have no end.  If you had those thoughts, you are not alone.  John pulls a lot from Daniel’s writings when he is scribing Revelations; I would even go so far as to say that a reading of Revelations without the context of Daniel is dangerously incomplete.  But I digress.

            This is it.  This is the big promise.  One day this life, this reality will come to an end.  All the pettiness, all the bickering, all the brokenness, all the pain will be completed and humanity will stand before its Creator in awe and wonder.  One day we will all be worshipers and God’s children will finally be home.  On that day there will be one who will be raised above all others.  Daniel calls him “One like the Son of Man,” but he is also known as the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Word of God and many other names.  He will welcome with open arms all who knew Him and followed Him in life.  He will especially welcome those who endured in life.  Those who lived in the margins, broken and ignored.  The poor, the widows and orphans, the oppressed and the disabled.  The “Man of Sorrows” suffered all things and holds a special place in His heart for those whose lives were filled with suffering.  He loves us all, but there is a special affection and affinity for those that society had no use for.  He will welcome my son, clear in mind and sound in body, to His side and they will laugh and they will sing and they will run as they celebrate a new day of freedom and joy.

            That day is coming.  It could be tomorrow.  It could be a thousand years from now.  It is promised in the Old Testament.  It is promised in the New Testament.  It is a vision that I am willing to die for and a vision I am willing to live for.  When I allow my mind to go to that day, I am filled with such hope and such gratitude and so many emotions that it becomes overwhelming and I pull myself back to the daily challenges of life.  It will be so good.  My heart longs for that day.  My body aches for that day.  Today or a millennia from now.  It will be so good and it will be so worth the wait.

                                        

A moment to reflect:

Imagine standing with your loved ones before Jesus.  What do you see?

Refrigerator Art of the Day:

D Age 13

2021 Update:

I have found that it is easy for me to become jealous of my peers this year.  My son is working hard at school but is headed towards a life in society's margins.  I take some comfort in the reality that life in the margins is also life squarely in the center of God's heart.