SECTION I. 51r the hair of his head like the pure wool : his, throne Was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire: Á fiery stream issued and came forth from before him, thousands of thousands minis- tered unto him, and tenthoutand times ten thousand stood before him ; the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven andcame to the Ancient ofdays, and they brought himnear before him ; and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people nations and languages should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Let it beobserved here, that I do not number this among the proper; and real appearances of Christ or God; for it is called a dream which Daniel had, and the visions of his head upon his bed, as verses 7, 13. yet it was a dream divinelyinspired . Here the Ancient of days represents the divine being, or God himself,.clothed in light or brightness white as snow or wool : one like the Son of man coining with the clouds of heaven, seems tobe the Son- of God or Jesus Christ, who is also the Son ofman, ascending in the clouds of heaven, and he came to the Ancient of days, that is, to God the Father, and received his dominion, glory and exaltation at his ascension into heaven in a bright cloud : and .it is probable, that from the language of this dream or vision, Christ borrows his name, the Son of man and it is evident that our Saviour's des- cription of his own future appearance as the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven ; Mat. xxvi. 04. is borrrowed from this vision, and his real ascension to heaven and his exaltation there, is but an accomplishment of this prophetical scene: Dan. viii. 15. Daniel had seen a vision just before, and while he was seeking for the meaning ofit, Behold said he, there stood before me as the appearance of a man, and I- heard a man's voice which called and said, Gabriel make this man to under- stand the vision. Surely this man who appeared seems to be Jesus Christ, who had command over Gabriel, one of the chief angels. Dan. x. 5. I lift up mine eyes and looked, and behold a certain man clot/zed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold, 1cc. Here is the description of an appearance very like the appearance of Christ to the apostle John ; Rev. i. 13. but whether this was the angel of God's presence, viz. Christ, or another angel, is hard to determine. Verse 10. " Behold, an hand touched me, and set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands, and he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, stand upright, for to thee am I now sent Fear not, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to un- derstand and chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard iro
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