Son of Man

With reference to Daniel 7:9,10,13,18,22,27—This idea of a multitudinous Son of Man is clearly exhibited in Dan. vii. 13, in the words, "I was seeing in the vision of the night, and behold there was coming with clouds of heavens like a Son of Man, and he came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him; and to him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and tongues, should serve him: his dominion is a dominion of Olahm which shall not pass away; and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Here the clouds of heavens constitute the Son of Man, who is brought before the Ancient of Days, when "they" who compose him, themselves come into His presence. The Ancient of Days is "the Lord the Spirit," the "Quickening Spirit," the Logos in David's Flesh, who is the Head of this Son of Man. In the fourteenth verse, the kingdom is said to be given to the Son of Man; and in verses 18, 22, and 27, it is said to be given to the Saints of the !hebrew! Elyonin, Most High Ones; as, "the Saints of the Most High Ones shall receive the kingdom, and shall possess the kingdom for the Olahm even during an Olahm of Olahms," or during the Millennium. And as in verse 22, the Horn prevailed against the Saints "until that the Ancient of Days came; and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High Ones, and the time came and the saints possessed the kingdom": and in the twenty-seventh verse, "and the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High Ones, whose kingdom is the kingdom of Olahm (the Millennium) and all the dominions shall serve and obey him." If a kingdom be given to A, and the same kingdom at the same time be given to Z: then A and Z are one and the same, though called by different letters of the alphabet. This is the argument of the texts before us -- the Millennial kingdom is given to the Son of Man; it is also given at the same time to the Saints; therefore "the Son of Man" and "the Saints" are but different phrases for one and the same thing.

Daniel and John both introduce a Son of Man as a similitude; they tell us that what they saw was !greek! a thing like to a Son of Man. It had the exterior form of a man; but from the description of parts anything than the exact counterpart of a man. The only place where the same similitude is again introduced is in Apoc. 14:14, where John says, he saw "a white cloud"; and then, in order to show what the cloud represented, he tells us he beheld "upon the cloud sitting like to a Son of Man, having upon his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle". This is the similitude of the cloud of saints ready to reap the harvest of the earth, and to tread the winepress without the city; they are styled "a white cloud," because white is the raiment with which they are everywhere invested as the apocalyptic emblem of conquest and righteousness. The head of the similitude is crowned to indicate that the Son of Man similitude is a Body Politic of Kings.

The similitude exhibited to Daniel (7:9,10) has reference to the same subject as John's. Daniel was attracted principally to the Head, the rest of the body being concealed by "a garment white as snow." The head of the similitude represents "the Ancient of Days"; "the hair of the head being like the pure wool." Daniel and John's symbols agree in this. White as snow, and pure wool, are emblems of purity: scarlet and crimson redness are representative of sin. Thus, it is written, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isai. 1:18). The wool of the symbol connects it with the Lamb of Apoc. 5:6, "as it had been slain" in which are the Seven Eyes of Deity. The other particulars of John's Son of Man are merged in the following scenery of Daniel's vision: "His throne the fiery flame, his wheels burning fire. A stream of fire flowing and issuing from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and a myriad myriads stood before him: the judgment was set, and books were opened." The white garment indicates the priestly and righteous character of the body clothed thereby; all of which are justified, and priests as well as conquering kings for God.