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The book of Daniel presents us with the words and visions of the prophet Daniel, who lived and worked in the Babylonian empire during the exile of the Jewish people there in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Obviously, that was a difficult time for God's people, but, oh, by the way, the book of Daniel itself was probably put in its final form perhaps 300 years later during the persecution of the Jewish people under Antiochus IV Epiphanes circa 165 BC. So the book is probably best understood to be addressing the trying times and the context of the Jewish people in the second century BC.

This is the only time we get to read from Daniel in the whole three-year lectionary cycle, but we have a very chopped-up reading that skips eleven verses. In this truncated and disjointed form the passage is admittedly hard to understand at first. A big part of the problem -- beyond skipping eleven verses! -- is that we, in our day and age, simply don't really "get" apocalyptic literature, which is the form or genre of the book of Daniel. Part of the problem in understanding apocalyptic writings is that scholars are not in total agreement about what constitutes the genre, and some dispute that the genre even exists! A very tentative bare-bones definition for our purpose here is that an "apocalypse" is a revelation given by God through a mediator to a seer concerning future events.1

Another main reason we don't understand apocalyptic literature is that we have been conditioned by certain popular theologians of the late 1960s and 1970s, and by some television evangelists still on the air today, to think of apocalyptic writings as blueprints for the end times. That lens for understanding this type of literature results in a frenzy of speculation about a timetable for the last days. The result is that while we become focused on trying to understand the details literally, the main point, the central message, becomes obscured and lost.

The main point also gets obscured and lost sometimes in our All Saints Day/Sunday celebrations. We often focus on the stories of the great ancient martyrs of the faith or turn the celebration into a memorial service for those loved ones who became glorified saints through death in the past year. But oh, by the way, the day is called all Saints, so we, the living saints, are also included. In fact, this day is meant for our encouragement and comfort in much the same way that Daniel's message and story was originally meant to inspire the people who were alive in the second century BC when it was first written down in its final form. So the focus of All Saints is on our situation.

Back to the text, such as it is: Daniel sees a terrifying vision of four of beasts coming up out of what is suggestive of the primordial chaos when God first began creating (vv. 2-3; compare that with Genesis 1:1-2). The verses left out of our reading give all of the gory details (vv. 4-8), which is probably just as good, because then we would be tempted to try to figure out what each detail means and signifies. We would quickly lose the basic message. The fact that some of us even try to figure out all of the specific details of a passage like this is the height of hubris, given that Daniel himself professes to have no clue as to the significance of the beasts. He is simply terrified and troubled by the visions he has been given. Therefore, still in the depths of his trance, Daniel approaches one of the heavenly attendants for consolation and interpretation. In verse 17 he is informed that the four beasts each represent a distinct king or kingdom that will reign on earth. And then, almost as an afterthought -- oh, by the way -- the attendant continues, "But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever -- forever and ever" (v. 18).

This almost parenthetical afterthought is very typical of biblical apocalyptic writing. What is amazing about this genre is that the main point of the literature is usually revealed in the "oh, by the way...." We see that literary device all throughout the one apocalyptic document of the New Testament: the book of Revelation. Revelation is filled with fantastical scenes describing through metaphor and symbolic language the hardship of life on earth for God's people, but those scenes are juxtaposed with alternating scenes of the Lamb sitting on the throne. These parenthetical oh, by the ways are the real message: No matter what happens here on earth, God's reign is not in jeopardy; evil will be defeated and destroyed, and God has a plan and a glorious future for his saints.

That, too, is the basic message of Daniel, chapter 7. In verses 9-14, that were left out of the reading, we hear of both the power of the ancient one (or the ancient of days) over the four beasts, and the everlasting glory and dominion given to the Son of Man. No matter what powers might threaten, whether in 400 BC in exile in Babylon or under Antiochus IV Epiphanes or even today, God rules, and his holy ones' future is secure.

Now, kings and queens and presidents have magnificent tombs and memorials raised up for them after death. In Ohio, we claim seven or eight former presidents as native Ohioans. Within a couple hours' drive of my home I can visit four impressive presidential memorials. But, oh, by the way, the fact of the tombs of the kings and queens buried in Westminster Abbey in London, the fact of the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt -- the fact of all those tombs and memorials proves that the power and dominion of earthly rulers does not last.

There is only one who will always be on the throne -- the ancient of days, and those who are his faithful servants will be part of his kingdom forever -- and just in case we are uncertain if eternity is really meant here, the attendant adds on another "forever and ever" for emphasis. That promise given to Daniel has been verified by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is that Son of Man who received glory and dominion over all peoples, nations, and languages. Because Christ is risen -- he is risen indeed! -- the events of human history, no matter how great and terrifying, cannot touch the destiny of God's holy ones. And therefore, as the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians, we, the saints now living on earth, can live to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:6, 14). Amen.


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1. Paul D. Hanson, Old Testament Apocalyptic (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1987), p. 32.