Today’s Scripture Reading (July 6, 2017):
Daniel 10
I love to watch Superhero movies and
T.V. shows. Maybe it is just an extension of my childhood. After all, I read
comic books into my twenties. Growing up my favorite superhero was Spiderman. I
have now officially passed that torch off to my grandson, Henry. He carries the
family responsibility to support Spiderman, and he does a great job at it.
But there is a tension with most
Superheroes. They have a secret identity. It keeps all of the things that they
love separated from the dangerous things that they do. And as fans, we often
place ourselves in the position of the heroes. We want people to know, at least
on some level, that Peter Parker is Spiderman or that Clark Kent is Superman. But
we also know that that just can’t happen, that the tension has to exist. I am
an avid watcher of “The Flash” with Grant Gustin playing the title role of
Barry Allen/The Flash. But I have to admit that sometimes it seems that too
many people know that Barry and the Flash are the same person. If you are a “Supergirl” fan, with Melissa Benoist playing
the title role of Kara Danvers/Supergirl, then you are probably aware of what
happened in the closing moments of the 2017 season finale. Cat Grant returns to
the Media company that she founded, Catco
Worldwide Media, the company that Kara Danvers happens to work for as a
reporter. But disaster strikes and, as is the
case on the show, Kara has to make
an excuse to leave so that she can turn into Supergirl. As Kara offers her
apologies for having to run to get something, Cat smiles and dismisses her, and
then comments with a smile to no one but the camera “Go get ‘em Supergirl, keep
us safe.” The thing that no one is supposed to
know, apparently, Cat Grant has figured
out. Her Kara Danvers is Supergirl.
The Bible is filled with superheroes. Some of them we know the identity of,
but some we don’t. One of these unknown heroes is
presented to us in Daniel 10. Daniel simply says “I looked up and
there before me was a man …” It doesn’t give us any clue to who the man
was, but he does offer us a description. He was dressed in linen and around his
waist was a belt of gold. His body seemed like it was made out of Topaz, his face shone
as if lightning had somehow been placed within his countenance. His eyes burned into you with like flaming torches.
His arms and legs shone in the sun like polished bronze. And his voice sounded
like a multitude of voices all speaking in unison. And he had come to meet
Daniel.
Who was he, we have no idea, although
that has not stopped us from trying to guess the secret identity of the man.
Many argue that this mysterious superhero could have been no one else but
Jesus, citing the vision that John had of Jesus that is recorded in Revelation. Here is a comparison of the two
descriptions.
Characteristic
|
“man” in Daniel 10
|
“Jesus” in Revelation 1
|
Person
|
Man
|
Like a son of man
|
Clothed
|
In linen
|
In a robe
|
Belt
|
Gold around his waist
|
Golden sash around his chest
|
Body
|
Like topaz
|
Covered by the robe – unseen
|
Face
|
Like lightning
|
No Mention
|
Hair
|
No mention
|
White like wool/white as snow
|
Eyes
|
Like flaming torches
|
Like a blazing fire.
|
Arms and Legs
|
Like the gleam of polished bronze
|
Feet like bronze glowing in the furnace (arms and legs covered by the robe)
|
Voice
|
Like many voices
|
Like rushing waters
|
The two descriptions are close, but
not exact. (Did Clark Kent and Kara Danvers really
believe that a pair of glasses were going to save their secret identity?) But
others argue that if it were Jesus, he
wouldn’t have needed the help of Michael (Daniel 10:13). So the choice is left
up to us. But whether the man was Jesus, or not, Daniel knew that someone
special had come to him to reassure him that, although Israel may have been
weak on the earth, in heaven they were a super power with God’s superheroes
coming to work on their behalf.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Daniel 11
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