Daniel 7 marks the beginning of a new genre. While chapters 1–6 are narrative, chapters 7–12 are categorized as apocalyptic literature. The remainder of the book presents a series of Daniel’s visions and their interpretations. Each new vision adds further revelation and looks forward to a time beyond Daniel’s life.

The scene in Daniel is one of the end times. It starts out with Daniel seeing four great beasts, each representing a world empire. These nations, which would reign over Israel, were evil and cruel, but as the vision progresses, Daniel sees God’s everlasting, indestructible kingdom arrive and conquer them all.

Daniel sees the world kingdoms in their inner essence as of an animal nature lower than human, being estranged from God; and that only in the kingdom of God (“the Son of man,” the representative man) is the true dignity of man realized. So, as contrasted with Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, the kingdom of God appears to Daniel, from the very first, superior to the world kingdom.

The title “Ancient of Days” first appears in Daniel 7:9, where Daniel is describing his vision of heaven. There an ancient Person sits on a flaming throne with wheels of fire, His hair and clothing white as snow. The flaming throne is symbolic of judgment while the white hair and title “Ancient” indicate that God existed before time began. In Isaiah 43:13, we find that God refers to Himself existing from ancient of days (literally, before days were).

Ancient of days means “one advanced in (of) days” and may possibly mean “one who forwards time or rules over it.” That means God existed before days were even created. We read in Genesis 1 that God created time, days and nights, so God existed from before the beginning of time. God is often represented as ancient, as He that is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2) and as “the first and the last” in Isaiah 44:6.

Nothing is beside God. Nothing we can imagine compares to God. All we see around us is finite and has limits. Satan and his legions are creatures and are no match for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. teach that God never began to exist and he will never go out of existence. They also teach that God interacts with the world. He knows what is going on, he reveals himself to people, he acts in such a way that things happen in time. They also teach that God is the Lord of all creation. Everything is subject to him.

Coupled with the figures of speech in the context of Daniel 7, “Ancient of Days” suggests age, antiquity, dignity, endurance, judgment, and wisdom. It clearly describes Yahweh, the God of Israel. We read about God's eternal nature in the psalms of ancient Israel.

It is so hard for me to imagine a time before even the mountains existed. God is so ancient that He existed before creation, before time, before the angels. Think about the oldest object that you know. Now imagine a time before the oldest object you can visualize. Yahweh is always with us: with the past, the present, and the future. As El Olam, He is known as the Everlasting God. The Hebrew name Olam means “forever, perpetual, old, ancient” implying that there is an infinite future and past. The principles of the laws of nature, the beginning of time, and the first existence of this world—all are the result of God, the Creator who possesses never-ending wisdom and power. He was before all time and all worlds.

Eternity, then, is the whole, simultaneous and perfect possession of boundless life.

Two Christian philosophers, Stump and Kretzmann, identify four ingredients that they claim are essential to an eternal (timeless) being. (Although they cast their discussion in terms of an "eternal being," this article will continue to use the term "timeless".) First, any being that is timeless has life. Second, the life of a timeless thing is not able to be limited. Third, this life involves a special sort of duration. Anything that has life must have duration but the duration of a timeless being is not a temporal duration. Last, a timeless being possesses its entire life all at once.

There can also be no doubt that the reference in Daniel 7 is to God as Judge. A similar description occurs in Revelation 1:14-15, wherein Christ is described as having snow-white hair and blazing eyes. In Revelation, God the Son is depicted with the same power of judgment over His church as the Ancient of Days is described as having in judging Israel. In fact, His sharp gaze judges all seven of the churches in Revelation 1–3 with complete clarity of the reality of all there is to know.

The title "Ancient of Days" is found only three times in Scripture, all three in prophetic passages in Daniel 7:9, 13, and 22. Verse 22 refers specifically to Jesus whose judgment will be part of the end-times events. In Daniel 7:13, the term “ancient of days” refers to God the Father, and we see Him on His throne as Jesus, the “Son of Man” approaches the throne on clouds. He passes judgment and makes way for “one like a son of man” (v. 13). The Aramaic phrase used here is an idiom that can be translated as “one like a human being.”

Jesus adopts this phrase as a title (“Son of Man”). The term Son of man appears many times in all four gospels, e.g. 30 times in Matthew.

God is a triune God, meaning three Persons in One, and at different times “Ancient of Days” refers to Jesus Christ and at other times, to God the Father. But in the prophetic sense, it clearly refers to Jesus, the Ancient of Days returning to pronounce judgment on the world (Daniel 7:22).

In reflecting upon the attributes of the Eternal God, every response becomes very personal. The gifted Christian vocal artist, Chris Tomlin, stated, “God is a mystery, beyond our comprehension.” The lyrics of this song reflect his personal relationship with the God of Eternity:

Even though we sometimes don’t always understand God’s actions pr God’s timing, we know that the Father, Son, and Spirit are always with us.

Humans measure nearly everything according to a specified time. Yet we yearn for our lives and our relationships to last forever. When we choose to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, God gives us an eternal promise that extends beyond the boundaries of time...an everlasting life (John 3:16).

This is the one love and one relationship that can be broken and can never die. We are in the palm of God’s hand and nothing can snatch us away.