YHWH: One like the Son of Man Has Come!

In Daniel 7, the prophet beholds an astonishing vision wherein he sees two Divine Powers/Persons. I quote a part the vision here for the benefit of the readers:

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his head as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and said the following summary of the matter. Daniel answered and said, ‘I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; and a heart of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one in the likeness of a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, “Arise, devour much meat!”

“‘After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, fearsome and terrifying and extraordinarily strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great boasts.

“‘I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His clothing was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with fire, Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the great boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was given to them for an appointed season of time.

“‘I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And came near before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory, and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not be taken away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

“‘As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions of my head kept alarming me. I came near to one of those who were standing by and began seeking out from him the exact meaning of all this. So he said it to me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: “These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.”’” Daniel 7:1-17

The evidence suggests that the Son of Man figure is YHWH himself. This is because the Son of Man rides the clouds of heaven, which is something YHWH does,

“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is Yah, and exult before Him... To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; Behold, He gives forth His voice, a voice that is strong.” Psalm 68:4, 33

“Bless Yahweh, O my soul! O Yahweh my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, Wrapping Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He sets up the clouds to be His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind;” Psalm 104:1-3  

“The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, Yahweh is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will shake at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.” Isaiah 19:1

“Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power, And Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Beth In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.” Nahum 1:3

Rules forever over all nations, which is again something ascribed to YHWH,

“Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue that inhabit all the earth: ‘May your peace abound! It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. How great are His signs, And how strong are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.’” Daniel 4:1-3  

“But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes toward heaven, and my knowledge returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can strike against His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” Daniel 4:34-35

“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and be in dread before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be unto the end. He saves and delivers and does signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also saved Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27  

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures from generation to every generation.” Psalm 145:13

“You, O Yahweh, sit enthroned forever; Your throne is from generation to generation.” Lamentations 5:19

And even receives the exact worship that YHWH receives:

"'There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, do not pay attention to you; they do not serve your gods and do not worship the golden image which you have set up.'... Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you are not serving my gods and do not worship the golden image that I have set up?'... 'If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will save us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up.'... Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and saved His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s word, and gave up their bodies so as not to serve and not to worship any god except their own God.'" Daniel 3:12, 14, 17-18, 28

"Then the king said the word, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king answered and said to Daniel, 'Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself save you.'... When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king answered and said to Daniel, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to save you from the lions?'" Daniel 6:16, 20

YHWH: the Human Like Figure

There is additional corroboration for this identification. Elsewhere, the Hebrew Bible depicts YHWH as a Man, or as having a human appearance that was seen by specific individuals.

The prophet Ezekiel is one of those who beheld the human form of YHWH God Almighty:

“Now it happened in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of Yahweh came upon him.)

“Then I looked, and behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light all around it, and in its midst something like the gleam of glowing metal in the midst of the fire. And within it there were figures with the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. And each of them had four faces and four wings. And their legs were straight, and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of burnished bronze. And under their wings on their four sides were hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn as they went; each went straight forward. And as for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the living creatures ran to and fro with the appearance of lightning.

“Then I looked at the living creatures, and behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four of them had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction, where the spirit was about to go. And the wheels rose alongside of them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

“Now over the heads of the living creatures there was something with the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads above. And underneath the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters as they went, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. And there came a sound from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

“Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something in the likeness of a throne, like sapphire stone in appearance; and upon the likeness of the throne, high up, was the likeness of one with the appearance of a man. Then I saw from the appearance of His loins and upward something like the gleam of glowing metal with the appearance of fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something with the appearance of fire; and there was a radiance all around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the radiance all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And I saw this, and I fell on my face and heard a sound of a voice speaking.” Ezekiel 1:1-28

“Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!’ And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and caused me to stand on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stiff-faced and strong-hearted children, and you shall say to them, “Thus says Lord Yahweh.” As for them, whether they listen or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. Now as for you, son of man, do not fear them and do not fear their words, though thistles and briers are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. Now as for you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.’ Then I looked, and behold, a hand was sent forth to me; and behold, a scroll was in it. Then He spread it out before me, and it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, sighing, and woe.” Ezekiel 2:1-10

See also Genesis 18:1-33.

YHWH: The God of Gods & Ruler of rulers

According to Daniel 7, the fourth beast/king speaks blasphemies against the Most High:

“He will speak words against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make changes in seasons and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the reign, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’” Daniel 7:25-27

Elsewhere, this king is identified as the little horn who sprouts out to become so great as to defy and slander the Ruler of the host (Sar ha tseba), who is the Ruler of rulers (Sar sarim):

“And out of one of them came forth a rather small horn. And it grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. Then it grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. And it even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down... And through his insight He will cause deceit to succeed by his hand; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even stand against the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without hands.” Daniel 8:9-11, 25

This is the same defiant ruler who dares to blaspheme the God of Gods:

“Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak astonishing things against the God of gods; and he will succeed until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.” Daniel 11:36-37

What this suggests is that YHWH is the Son of Man who happens to be the Ruler of rulers and God of gods that the fourth beast defies.

The Heavenly Rulers of the Nations

Now the four beasts that Daniel saw, which are four respective kings and their dominions, refer to the spiritual powers that operate through their human agents/counterparts:  

“‘But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing against me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. Now I had been left there with the kings of Persia.’... Then he said, ‘Do you know why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Now there is no one who exerts strength with me against these forces except Michael your prince.” Daniel 10:13, 20-21

“Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will stand. And there will be a time of distress such as never happened since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” Daniel 12:1

The Scriptures are clear that the nations are governed and influenced by spiritual forces in the heavenly realms:

“And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,” Ephesians 2:1-2

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

YHWH: The Son of the Most High

According to the oldest extant Hebrew copy of Deuteronomy, which was discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the Most High divided the nations according to the number of the sons of God:

“When the Most High (Elyon) gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God (b’nei Elohim). For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.” Deuteronomy 32:8-9 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

The above reading is supported by the Greek versions of the Hebrew Bible, i.e., the Septuagint (LXX), which identifies these beings as angels:

“When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. And his people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel was the line of his inheritance.”

Certain biblical scholars believe that this version of the Hebrew text includes YHWH among the sons of God whom the Most High allotted Israel to be his inheritance.

YHWH: The Dispossessor of the Gods

These very scholars also believe that the following Psalm speaks to this same theme:

“A Psalm of Asaph. God (Elohim) takes His stand in the congregation of God (adat El); He judges in the midst of gods (elohim). How long will you judge unrighteously And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Give justice to the poor and the orphan; Justify the afflicted and destitute. Protect the poor and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They do not know and do not understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are gods (elohim), And all of you are sons of the Most High (ubene Elyon). Nevertheless you will die like men And you will fall like any one of the princes.’ Arise, O God (Elohim), judge the earth! For it is You who will inherit all the nations.” Psalm 82:1-8

According to critical scholarship, the God (Elohim) who stands in the congregation of God (El) to judge the other gods (elohim) is YHWH. This is confirmed elsewhere in the Psalter, where YHWH is described as the God who comes to judge the earth:

“Vav But Yahweh abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, Vav And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will render justice for the peoples with equity.” Psalm 9:7-8

“Before Yahweh, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.” Psalm 98:9

“Before Yahweh, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.” Psalm 96:13

Accordingly, these critical scholars take the position that the assembly in Psalm 82 belongs to El Most High, which makes the connection to Deuteronomy 32:8-9 that much tighter. The sons of the Most High are, thus, the same divine beings that the Deuteronomist claims haven been appointed to rule the nations.

The notion would therefore be that YHWH arises to condemn these gods to death in order to disinherit them from reigning over the nations. YHWH will then actively take possession of these nations in order to reign as King over all the earth.

The reason why YHWH is able to destroy these alleged divine beings is because none of them are comparable to him. YHWH is so much greater than these so-called gods that he not only subjugates them to himself, they will also be forced to worship him in light of his incomparability and transcendence over them all:

“There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” Psalm 86:8-10  

“The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Yahweh; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the sky is comparable to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the mighty is like Yahweh, A God greatly dreaded in the council of the holy ones, And fearsome above all those who are around Him? O Yahweh God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Yah? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.” Psalm 89:5-8  

“Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast of idols; Worship Him, all you gods!... You are Yahweh Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.” Psalm 97:7, 9

We now come full circle.

According to this interpretation of Daniel’s vision, which is articulated and defended by Orthodox Jewish scholar and Hebrew University professor Dr. Michael Segal, the Ancient of Days is a reference to El Elyon, or God Most High. Segal believes that this would then make YHWH a/the Son of the Ancient of Days.

Therefore, Daniel 7 envisions a time when the Most High God will authorize his Son YHWH, the One like the Son of Man who comes riding on the clouds, to destroy the angelic rulers of the earth in order to claim all the nations as his inheritance.

Jesus Christ: YHWH the Son of God becomes Man!

Remarkably, this is precisely what the New Testament proclaims in respect to Jesus Christ!

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was.

“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of His kingdom.’

“But Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35

“They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger′asenes. And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’” Mark 5:1-7 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

“And the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus, saying, ‘You answer nothing? What are these men testifying against You?’ But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him and said to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ And tearing his tunics, the high priest said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.” Mark 14:60-64

“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay each one according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:27-28

“But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:16-20

“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength, which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23  

“God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

“For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again, ‘I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me’? And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship Him.’ And of the angels He says, ‘Who makes His angels winds, And His ministers flaming fire.’ But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’” Hebrews 1:1-9

“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” 1 Peter 3:21-22

Our Lord even quotes Psalm 82:6 to refute the chare of blasphemy for making himself out to be God!

“‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’

“The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.’

“Jesus answered them, ‘Has it not been written in your Law, “I said, you are gods”? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, “I am the Son of God”?

“‘‘If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and continue knowing that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.’ Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.” John 10:27-39

Unless stated otherwise, scriptural citations taken from the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB).

Further Reading

Daniel’s Most Holy High Ones

How Many Ancient of Days did Daniel See?