(6) Who is the Ancient of Days?

(Note: This post is part of a series on Jesus as The Ancient of Days)

But wait, we haven’t seen it all yet. Remember our observations before and the question, “Could the Ancient of Days be Jesus?” It might seem we have answered that question and the answer would be, “No.” The Ancient of Days looks like Jesus when we consider other descriptions of Jesus that are identical to the description of the Ancient of Days. But, it must not be Jesus if the Son of Man is Jesus and He approaches the Ancient of Days. They can’t both be Jesus can they?

The matter seems settled until we read on in Daniel’s vision. Let’s go back and look at the next time we see the Ancient of Days in Daniel’s prophecy.

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22 NIV)

Stay with me, we’ve almost got this whole puzzle unraveled. Let’s take this part of the prophecy one step at a time. First, we need to identify the “horn” that is fighting against God’s people. This is the antichrist. The antichrist will wage war against God’s people during the second half of the “Tribulation,” “until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.”

Who is it that defeats the antichrist? Based on our pretribulational-millennial understanding of prophecy, we quickly answer, “Jesus does at His second coming.” He will defeat the antichrist and set up His kingdom. But wait a minute, what does Daniel say? Daniel says the Ancient of Days “comes” and pronounces judgment and sets up the kingdom. So is it Jesus as the Son of Man, or is it the Ancient of Days? Who defeats the Antichrist and sets up His kingdom?

Confused? Hang in there! We’re about to clear this up.

Perhaps our problem lies in an either/or mentality. We think it must be one or the other. It must be The Son of Man/Jesus, or God the Father/the Ancient of Days. When we seek to discern the identity of the Ancient of Days, we think the Ancient of Days has to be either the Father or the Son. Not both. And this is why we cannot understand this passage.

A. R. Faussett explains, “The title applied to the Father in verse thirteen is here applied to the Son; who is called “the everlasting Father” (Is 9:6). The Father is never said to “come”; it is the Son who comes.” Faussett doesn’t look at it as an either/or issue. It is both. The Ancient of Days is the Father in verse thirteen and the Son in verse twenty-two. This is a portrait of the glory of the uniqueness and mystery of the trinity.