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Daniel 7:9
“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.”
God is eternal, existing outside time, because to exist in time is to be subject to change, and God is unchangeable (1 Tim. 1:17; see Mal. 3:6). Of course, this does not mean that He cannot enter time, for He did so in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who thus experiences the passage of time according to His human nature, though not according to His divine nature (John 1:14). God is the transcendent Creator and thus the Lord over time, having no beginning or end.
We find the truth of divine eternality expressed in such direct phrases as “eternal God” (Rom. 16:26), but we see it also in other ways, such as in today’s passage. Here, the Lord’s eternality is revealed to us through the name or title “Ancient of Days” (Dan. 7:9). The name is especially reflective of divine transcendence, God’s being apart from and Ruler over creation, as seen in the judgment context of the passage. Daniel describes a vision of God sitting on the throne in the divine court, prepared to proclaim a lordly judgment based on the evidence in the books before Him (see v. 10). Since divine judgment and divine eternality are both expressions of God’s transcendence, it is fitting that both would appear together in Daniel 7:9–10.
Something ancient is centuries or millennia old. Combining the word “ancient” with “days” thereby conveys the idea that the One who is called “Ancient of Days” is far older than any past days—any past time—that we can imagine. He is so old that His existence predates even time itself. He is “from everlasting” (Ps. 93:2), from a time that no one can remember because only He then existed, from a time before there was time.
Given the ancient Near Eastern context in which the aged and ancient were afforded particular honor and were seen as exceptionally sound guides to the present, the name or title “Ancient of Days” reminds us not only of God’s eternality but also of our proper response when we stand before Him. Matthew Henry comments: “The Judge is the Ancient of days himself, God the Father, the glory of whose presence is here described. He is called the Ancient of days, because he is God from everlasting to everlasting. Among men we reckon that with the ancient is wisdom, and days shall speak; shall not all flesh then be silent before him who is the Ancient of days?”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
When we approach God, we should do so with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28), remembering who He is and who we are. Understanding divine eternality can help us develop a reverent disposition and can help us be prepared to hear from the Lord as we read His Word and hear it preached. As the Ancient of Days, God is owed our utmost reverence.
For further study
- Psalm 103:17
- Psalm 106:48
- Micah 5:2
- Romans 16:26
The bible in a year
- 1 Kings 12–13
- Luke 24:36–53