Deeper ReflectionDaniel 7 highlights a special interest and concern of God: His
people – “the saints of the Highest One” (repeated four times
in vv.18, 22, 25, 27). The context is these “saints” living in a
world of “kings” who are “great beasts” from whom they cannot escape
(vv.17-18). Beastly kings consider themselves as the highest ones
on earth and so does the world that they rule. So, it is theologically
intentional that God’s people are described here as belonging to “the
Highest One” – the true and ultimate highest one. We need to capture
this theological vision by faith, in order to live rightly, securely and
triumphantly in the world of beastly kings.In Daniel 7, there are two
divine giving for “the saints of the Highest
One”. One is, God in His sovereignty gives His people into the hand
of the most evil beastly king, symbolised by the “little horn”: “they
will be
given (yehab) into his hand” (v.25) and God’s people suffer in
his hand. The other divine giving is, “the sovereignty, the dominion
and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be
given (yehab) to” God’s people (v.27). This means “the right and power
to govern throughout the whole earth will be given to the people of
God”
56 . This is part of being in the everlasting Kingdom of God. I cannot
imagine what this is going to be like: Me ruling “all the kingdoms under
the whole heaven” with God’s people – who are “the poor in spirit” and
“theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3).
56 Christopher J. H. Wright, 161
