Advent: Waiting for the King (Dan 7:1-12)

As Christmas is approaching, the world is in turmoil. Wars and fighting have always been with us, but the war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza feel more acute and closer to home to people in the West. In Europe, another winter is coming with rising prices for heating, with the influx of refugees and questions around immigration continuing. The tensions between superpowers feel unsettling and the economic impact of Covid is still with us. What is God doing about this suffering world and the powers that threaten its peace? In the here and now, we may see little evidence that God is at work, but it is good to remember that Jesus was born into a similarly dark world under the shadow of the Roman empire. In his first few years, He was persecuted by Herod and had to live in Egypt for a while as a refugee with His parents (Matt 2:13-14). God did not magic away hardship even for His Son. God’s answer then to the problem of evil in the present looks different to what we may hope or expect.

What characterises human power

Turning to Daniel for Christmas reflections may seem unusual, but the book gives us the bigger picture about human powers and God’s involvement in the world.[1] First of all, it describes the deeper reality that is sometimes hidden from us. Thus, the four beasts (a symbolic number of totality) in our reading all rise up from the sea (Dan 7:2), a place associated in the ancient Near East with the forces of chaos that threaten to undo the divine order of the world.[2] Although the four powers likely have historic referents,[3] the vision describes an experience of the world more broadly. Sinful human power operating without reference to God is a force that threatens to undo the divine order God intended for the world. Such power has an insatiable appetite to consume others (Dan 7:5) and is ultimately oppressive and arrogant (hence the last beast – the final symbol of rebellion against God – devours, crushes and tramples others down, while the little horn utters great boasts; Dan 7:7-8). Naked ambition and conceit often hide behind a polite mask and noble words, but for those suffering distress, it is refreshing to hear God calling it what it is.

God’s involvement in the present

However, people in anguish want more than an acknowledgement of the evil being done to them. Holding abusive powers to account cannot come soon enough (Rev 6:9-10) and the question of many may be, ‘God, what are you doing about it NOW?’. As we have seen in the story of Joseph, God’s involvement may be hidden, yet there are hints that He is active in the present. In our Daniel reading, the passives (something being done to someone) speak of His activity. It is He who limits the power of some (plucks out wings, pulls out horns) and grants it to others (Dan 7:4, 6, 8).[4] We, like Joseph, must trust His wisdom even when His actions make no sense to us. The Christmas story also reminds us that God subverts evil and breaks its power not through mighty angelic armies but through the weakness, death and resurrection of His Son. This is not a universal subjugation of evil – not yet – but a way opened for all who long to live a life that is no longer enslaved to sin.

God will judge and deal with evil

Ultimately however, God will put an end to all evil. The courtroom scene portrays Him (the Ancient of Days) as judge (fire is a symbol of God’s presence and holiness, as well as of judgment; Dan 7:9-10). His white robes indicate purity and righteousness and affirm that He is not a biased or crooked judge influenced by bribes or flattery. Grey hair is the symbol of wisdom (rather than infirmity), and this is no head-knowledge only, but perception and discernment of not only actions but motivations. God’s throne is on wheels, which symbolise His mobile kingship: He is not only King in one location but wherever He goes. The reference to books (v.10) indicate that His judgment is based on records and facts, not on spurious allegations. As we think of Christmas, we remember that the small, hidden beginnings are only the start and one day the Lord will reveal Himself as King to all.

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[1] The second half of the Book of Daniel (from chapter 7, where the visions start) is known as apocalyptic literature (like Revelation in the NT). Its aim is to encourage the faithful (i.e. God’s people in the Bible) to persevere even as they suffer persecution and oppression. The visions typically use bizarre images, often involving hybrid beasts.

[2] Both the Babylonian and the Canaanite creation myth describe the process of creation as a battle between the forces of chaos (represented by the sea) and those of order. Although Israel did not agree with this view of creation, the association of the sea with chaos and destructive forces was part of their cultural world. It is similar to the way secular people unknowingly use biblical language without approving or even knowing the Bible’s overall message. E.g., ‘rise and shine’ (Isa 60:1), ‘go the extra mile’ (Matt 5:41), ‘fall by the wayside’ (Mk 4:4), ‘how the mighty have fallen’ (2 Sam 1:25), ‘baptism of fire’ (Matt 3:11), ‘feet of clay’ (Dan 2:31-33), ‘the writing is on the wall’ (Dan 5:5-6), etc.

[3] Historically, the four beasts were thought to have been Babylon, Medio-Persia, Greece and Rome (the powers that impacted God’s people from the exile to Jesus), though some argue that the last power mentioned is Greece, in which case the order is Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece. The boastful little horn (Dan 7:8) has been variously connected to a number of tyrants ancient and modern. Antiochus IV ‘Epiphanes’ (second century BC) was one suggestion. Antiochus set up a statue of Zeus in the Jerusalem Temple, forced Jews to conform to Greek pagan customs and called himself ‘Epiphanes’ (god ‘manifest’). Further contenders for being the little horn are, among others, Nero, Hitler, and the Anti-Christ.

[4] The wings on these hybrid creatures seem to indicate speed (of conquest), while horns are usually the symbol of power in the ancient world (think of the horns of a bull). 

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