Introduction

In the introduction to volume 4 of the DARCOM Series, Frank B. Holbrook related the ways in which The Epistle to the Hebrews has brought the church both joy and sadness:

Hebrews provided our pioneers with the initial insights to resolve the dilemma of the 1844 disappointment. The Epistle pointed them not to the church or the earth as the sanctuary to be cleansed in the Christian era but to the heavenly sanctuary … Strange as it may seem, the book that brought great joy to our pioneers has caused other Adventist to withdraw from the church. The charge is that Hebrews denies the Adventist belief that Christ mediates in a two-phased priestly ministry … with the latter ministry beginning in 1844.¹

This was one of the main arguments of Desmond Ford. He argued that he could not find an allusion to Daniel in Hebrews² and the Daniel and Revelation Committee agreed on this point concluding that Hebrews neither explicitly teaches nor denies Christ’s two-phased ministry in heaven.³ I want to suggest in this paper, however, that not only Desmond Ford and critics of the Adventist understanding of Jesus’s two-phased ministry in the heavenly sanctuary but also Adventist scholarship have missed an important allusion to Daniel 7:18 in Hebrews 12:28.⁴ This allusion is important not only because it is an allusion to Daniel and the pre-advent judgment but also because it raises the question regarding to what extent was the eschatology of the Letter to the Hebrews shaped by Daniel.

The purpose of this paper is, then, to explore the role that the allusion to Dan 7:18 plays in the argument of Hebrews 12:18–29 and understanding of eschatology in the Letter to the Hebrews.

Haggai, Daniel, and Hebrews 12:18–29

An allusion is a way to talk about a hermeneutical event. As Richard B. Hays has briefly and helpfully described, an allusive echo “functions to suggest to the reader that text B should be understood in light of a broad interplay with text A, encompassing aspects of text A beyond those explicitly echoed.”⁵ This means that the author Hebrews expects the readers to grasp allusions beyond those he has explicitly stated in the text and believes that the readers have “ears to hear” those allusive echoes. In other words, the author has placed his audience “within a field of whispered or unstated correspondences” because he expects them to understand them.⁶ Being able to “hear” these echoes will help the reader understand better the document.

With this in mind, let’s analyze the function of the allusions to Haggai 2 and Daniel 7 in Heb. 12:25–29:

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (emphasis mine).

This passage has three sentences and therefore three main important assertions.⁷ First, it warns that there will be a judgment that those who “refuse” God—who is speaking to them from heaven—will not escape (Heb 12:25–26). This assertion brings to a culmination the author’s exhortation to believers throughout the letter that they should be careful not to disregard God who is speaking to them in the person of his Son (Heb 1:2).⁸ Secondly, this judgment includes a shaking of heaven and earth and a removal of those things that can be shaken (v. 27). This assertion makes an allusion to Haggai 2:6–7 that we will explore below. Thirdly, the author exhorts believers to be grateful because they will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken (vv. 28–29). This assertion contains an allusion to Daniel 7:18, which will be the main concern of this paper. Let’s explore each one of these assertions.

“See that you not refuse him who is speaking”

First, Hebrews warns that those who reject God, who is speaking to them “from heaven,” will not escape God’s judgment (Heb 12:25–26). This warning caps an argument that he made in the passage immediately before. In the verses 18–24, the author contrasted the desert generation, who came to God at Sinai and heard God speak in the context of frightening phenomena (vv. 18–21), with believers, who have heard God speak at “Mount Zion,” “the heavenly Jerusalem,” as part of a festal gathering (vv. 22– 24). Believers have heard God’s voice speaking through Jesus, whose blood speaks “a better word than the blood of Abel” (v. 24; cf. 1:2). Hebrews makes the point, then, that believers have experienced a greater revelation and benefits than the desert generation did and, therefore, they are more accountable before God in the judgment should they refuse God.⁹ If the desert generation did not escape judgment when they refused to hear God at Sinai, much less them.

This warning not only culminates the argument of verses 18–24 but also culminates two motifs that have appeared throughout the letter: the call to hear the word of God in the person of Jesus and the contrast between believers and the desert generation. The first assertion of the letter was that “in these last days, [God] has spoken to us in [his] son” (Heb 1:2).¹⁰ This idea that God is speaking to us not only continues but is also pervasive throughout the letter.¹¹ Also, the first warning section against disregarding God’s voice comes shortly after the beginning: “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard…. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Heb 2:1–3a). This warning is repeated in Heb 3:7–4:13; 5:11–6:8; 10:26–31; 12:25–31. Finally, these warnings are given in the context of a comparison between believers, who have enjoyed God’s revelation in the Son, and the desert generation who refused to hear God who spoke to them from Sinai (Heb 2:1–4; Heb 3–4; 5:11–6:8; 10:26–31, 35–39). Thus Hebrews 12:25–29 culminates the call to believers throughout the epistle to hear the voice of God and prepare for future judgment.

The Removal of Things that Are Shaken

Hebrews 12:26–27 quotes Hag 2:6–7 (cf. 21–22) to make the point that God’s judgment will include the heavenly things. The quotation of this passage in Hebrews is very significant because the author modifies the original quotation to emphasize the points he wants to make.

Yet once more, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land (Hag 2:6; mine translation).

Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens (Heb 12:26)
Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηράν· (Hag 2:6)
ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν. (Heb 12:26)

The author introduces three changes to the text of Haggai 2:6 (see also verse 21). First, he deletes any reference to the sea and the dry land. The only important thing for him is earth and heaven, which are in fact two very important categories throughout Hebrews. Secondly, the author changes the order of the words to put heaven at the end for emphasis. Finally, and more importantly, he adds the expressions “not only” and “but” to further emphasize the word “heaven.” Thus, the author wants us to know that God is going to shake both the “earth and the heaven” but especially, and most importantly, “heaven” (compare Matt 24:29; Mark 13:25; Luke 21:26).

The author also emphasizes the finality of the shaking. The author argues that the expression “Yet once more” (ἔτι ἅπαξ) indicates or makes clear the removal of things that are shaken (v. 27). The author has argued throughout the letter that Christ died “once for all” (ἅπαξ) referring to the finality of his sacrifice (9: 26–28; 10:2).¹² Similarly, the shaking of heaven and earth will also be final in 12:25–29. Verse 27 explains that the expression “once more” (ἒτι ἃπαξ, v. 26) does not refer simply to a “shaking” but to a removal of things that can be shaken so that those things “that cannot be shaken may remain.” What remains is “a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (v. 28). This means, then, that the “shaking” refers to an event in the earthly and, especially, in the heavenly realm whose consequences are final.

In the Old Testament, the shaking of the earth is a common figure of the presence of God who shows up to deliver his people.¹³ When Deborah and Barak fought against king Jabin of Canaan and Sisera the commander of his army, God fought from heaven on their behalf (Judg. 5:20). This is described as a powerful earthquake, a shaking of the earth and mountains because of the presence of the Lord (Judg. 5:4–5). This same image appears throughout the OT when God appears to deliver the oppressed.¹⁴ Thus, shaking became a signal of God’s judgment on the oppressors.¹⁵ It is related to the enthronement of God as judge over the peoples of the earth (Ps. 96:9–10; 99:1). In the prophets it happens in the context of the Day of the Lord.¹⁶ That is why, according to the Hebrew Bible, it is the righteous who is not “shaken.”¹⁷

Now in order to understand the logic of Heb 12:25–29, we need to understand the meaning of Haggai 2. Haggai 2 was uttered about seven weeks after Haggai gave the leaders and the people the message that it was necessary for them to begin rebuilding the temple and four weeks after they had actually begun building it. The precise date was the 21st of the seventh month, the 7th day of the feast of tabernacles.¹⁸ This feast commemorated God’s care for Israel through the desert, but also the dedication of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:2). This recollection, however, made the people think that the temple they were building was not worth the effort because it would be not even nearly as glorious as Solomon’s temple had been (Hag 2:3). Notwithstanding, Haggai promised that God would “shake the heavens and the earth … and all the nations” and fill this temple with glory by bringing their treasures to the temple they were building. He explains this in a following oracle pronounced two months later, on the 24th of the 9th month (520 B.C.; Hag 2:21–23), on the occasion that the foundation of the temple was laid (Hag 2:18). The oracle explains that the Lord will overthrow the kingdoms and their armies and then he will establish his own king in Jerusalem, from the line of David (represented by Zerubbabel), and will give him total authority, like that represented by a signet ring (v. 23). He will be the plenipotentiary of the Lord.¹⁹ The filling of the temple with glory in Haggai probably does not have to do with the riches inside, but with the political clout or respect it would command as the symbol of the restored empire of God as king over Israel and the Davidic king as His plenipotentiary. Note that that glory of the first temple was that it was a symbol of the Davidic empire, and the subjugated nations sent their riches to that temple. The new temple will command the respect of the nations for the rule of God.²⁰

The context of the message of Haggai is remarkably appropriate for the argument of Hebrews. The message of Hebrews is given in the context of the inauguration of a heavenly temple that “the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up” (8:2) and that it was consecrated with the sacrifice of Jesus (Heb 9:15– 23). Haggai referred to the enthronement of the Davidic king in Jerusalem with total authority. Hebrews brings the news that Jesus has been enthroned “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” as the fulfillment of the promises made to David in Ps 110.

What does the shaking of heaven and earth mean in Hebrews?²¹ The expression “heaven and earth” refers to totality, it is a merism. In Haggai 2:22, the “shaking” meant the destruction of kingdoms and thrones. The enemies of Israel would be destroyed and their riches would fill the temple with glory. The result of this judgment is the final removal of what can be shaken. This same word (metathesis) is used for the removal of the levitical priesthood (7:12) and for Enoch’s removal from the earth (11:5), which are not temporary. In Hebrews, the shaking of “heaven and earth” implies the judgment of everything, but especially of things in heaven, which the author emphasizes. This includes first of all believers who are described in Hebrews as already with God in the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22–24).²² Thus one of the main concerns of the letter has been to warn believers about the future judgment they will face.²³ If they are unfaithful, God will judge them as enemies (10:27, 30–31). The shaking of heaven probably includes as well judgment and destruction of the devil and evil spiritual powers (2:14– 16). Jesus made them “powerless” (καταργήσῃ) through his death, but they will be destroyed in the future (Heb 1:14; 10:11–14). What remains, on the other hand, is Jesus himself (1:11), his priesthood (7:3, 24), the inheritance of the new covenant (10:34), and the righteous who are those that have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus (10:10; 12:23). Remember, it is the righteous ones who are not “shaken.”²⁴

“Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom”

The expression “we are receiving a kingdom” in v. 28 is most likely an allusion to Dan 7:18.²⁵ Note the important verbal connections.²⁶

But [the] saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom (Dan 7:18, the translation and emphases are mine).

Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakeable kingdom, let us be thankful (Heb 12:28; the emphases are mine)

καὶ παραλήψονται τὴν βασιλείαν ἅγιοι ὑψίστου (Dan 7:18; the emphases are mine)

Διὸ βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον παραλαμβάνοντες ἔχωμεν χάριν (Heb 12:28; the emphases are mine)

The marginal notes to Heb 12:28 in the twenty-eight revised edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece notes the verbal parallelism, as well as many of the commentaries.²⁷ Both passages talk about a kingdom that is received by believers (“the saints”). Furthermore, both passages affirm that that kingdom cannot be destroyed. It will last forever. There are several reasons that make this allusion more likely. It is clear that the author knew the story of Daniel. Hebrews 11:33 refers to Daniel’s rescue from the mouth of the lions (Dan 6:23) and probably to his friends being rescued from the fiery furnace (Heb 11:34 alluding to Dan 3:25). Furthermore, what we know about the early church suggests that the author of Hebrews and its audience were probably acquainted with the text of Daniel, at least the prophecy of Daniel 7. The book of Daniel is cited frequently in Jewish apocalyptic literature²⁸ as well as in the New Testament. Matthew 24:15 quotes Daniel by name. The 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testament Graece suggests that more than 150 passages in the New Testament contain allusions to the book of Daniel,²⁹ which is significant given that Daniel is not a large book. Most importantly, the majority of the allusions (around a third of the total) are to Dan 7.³⁰ In fact, the clearest allusions to Daniel in the NT are to Dan 7:13.³¹ The Apostolic Fathers quote Daniel at least six times, three of which are to Daniel 7.³² It is clear, then, that the prophecy of Dan 7 was an important text for New Testament authors and the early Christian church.

The immediate context also suggests that the author had Daniel 7 in mind. Daniel 7 describes a judgment scene before an “Ancient of Days” where “ten thousand times ten thousand” serve him and where the books are open. The result of the judgment is that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Dan 7:18). Similarly, Hebrews 12:22– 29 describes a festive meeting at Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, where believers, who are enrolled in heaven, and “innumerable angels”³³ come before God, the Judge of all, and to Jesus who mediates a new covenant in their favor. The author, then, warns believers that they will be judged (vv. 25–27) but those who “remain” after the judgment will receive “a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (12:28). I am not aware of any Biblical passage, besides Dan 7, that refer to the idea that the saints will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken, or that will remain forever, as a result of a judgment. Finally, note that Matt 24:39–30 and Luke 21:26–27 allude to Hag 2:6 and Dan 7 together and in the same order they appear in Heb 12:25–28.³⁴

I think it is probable, then, that the author of Hebrews had Dan 7 in mind when he wrote Hebrews 12:18–29. This has important implications for the way we should interpret this passage. As I mentioned at the beginning of this passage, an allusive echo “functions to suggest to the reader that text B [Heb 12:28] should be understood in light of a broad interplay with text A [Dan 7:18], encompassing aspects of text A [Dan 7:18] beyond those explicitly echoed.”³⁵ The reference to judgment in Heb 12:25– 29 is all the more important, however, because it is the theological and rhetorical climax of the letter and sheds light on the nature of the author’s eschatological understanding.

Daniel and the Eschatology of Hebrews

Eschatology has to do with history and time. It implies a linear development of the history of the world and of the relationship between God and the world. The structure of the argument of Hebrews is eminently historical. This temporal framework is clearly established in its first sentence:³⁶ “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”³⁷ The story of the world is divided in two: the past, characterized by God’s word through the prophets, and the present, inaugurated by God’s word in the Son in “these last days.” It also identifies the first act, God’s creation of the world through the Son, and the last act, the inheritance of the world by the Son. All of these events are caused by God’s word. In the past, God created the world and has sustained it through his word (Heb 1:3; 11:3). “[I]n these last days,” God has enthroned Jesus in heaven at his right hand (Heb 1:5–14) and appointed him high priest “according to the order of Melchizedek” through his word (Heb 4:5–6).³⁸ More importantly, however, God will speak “yet once more” and “shake not only the earth but also the heavens” to establish the Son’s unshakeable kingdom at the end of history (Heb 12:25–29).³⁹ It is this eschatological orientation of God’s work through Jesus that provides the work theological and hortatory coherence. The defeat of the devil (2:14–16) and the enthronement of Jesus in heaven (1:5–14) lack relevance if they do not lead in the end to the subjection of the enemies as the “footstool” of Jesus’s throne (1:13; 10:13). Jesus’s offering of his life as high priest is significant only if it leads to believers been saved in the final judgment (9:27–28). Thus, the subjection of the enemies consummates Jesus’s enthronement and the deliverance of believers in the judgment consummates Jesus’s sacrifice and ascension.

Hebrews understands, then, Jesus’s death and ascension as a pivotal moment that changes the history of the world and suggests that Jesus’s achievements can only be rightly understood from the perspective of the end they precipitate. The same happens if we want to understand Hebrews itself. In order to fully appreciate the eschatology of Hebrews, it is necessary to understand the relationship that Hebrews 12:18–29, the theological and rhetorical climax of Hebrews, has with the rest of the work. As it is with the history of the world, prophecy, our own lives, or even fiction, it is the ending that gives sense to the story.⁴⁰

Hebrews 12:18–29 as the Theological and Rhetorical Climax of Hebrews

Many scholars recognize that Heb 12:18–29 is the rhetorical and theological climax of the letter.⁴¹

In terms of rhetoric, the contrast between Sinai and Zion in verses 18–24, condenses the antitheses between the angels and the Son (1:4–14), Moses and the Son (3:1–6), the desert generation and believers (3:7–4:13), the Levites and Jesus (5:1–7:28), and the old and new covenants with their sacrifices, sanctuaries, and provisions (8:1–10:25). Also, the alternation between exposition and exhortation throughout the letter climaxes in a final alternation between the exposition of verses 18– 24,⁴² which compares Sinai and Zion, and the exhortation to pay attention to God’s voice in verses 25–29. In terms of theology, Heb 12:18–24 provides short references to the main ideas of the letter: Jesus as mediator of a new covenant (v. 23), Jesus’ sacrifice as the “sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than Abel” (v. 24, my translation), the perfection of believers (v. 23), etc. As William L. Lane recognizes: “The passage furnishes a magisterial résumé of themes and motifs introduced throughout the homily.”⁴³

Most importantly, however, Hebrews 12:18–29 forms an inclusion with the prologue (1:1–4) that spans the whole letter and gives coherence and unity to its seemingly diverse theological arguments. The prologue affirms that God, having spoken through prophets in the past, has spoken to us in these last days in his Son (Heb 1:1–2). Hebrews 12:18–24 recalls this contrast between God’s revelations in the past and in the present through a contrast between God’s speeches at Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.⁴⁴ The idea that God is speaking to us is the backbone of the theological argument of Hebrews.⁴⁵ The superiority of God’s revelation in the Son at Mt Zion resides in the fact that it is carried in heaven while God spoke at Mt. Sinai from earth. If you bracket out the description of the Son’s enthronement scene in 1:5–14, you will notice that God’s warning in 2:1–4 has remarkable parallels to the warning of 12:25–29. Both of them exhort believers to pay attention to God’s voice and both compare believers to the desert generation. Hebrews 1:1–4, 2:1–4 provides, then, a clearly discernable inclusio that encapsulates the argument of the whole letter. Hebrews 12:18–29 is both a microcosm as well as the climax that integrates in a nutshell the rhetorical and theological output of Hebrews.

The purpose of Heb 12:18–29, as rhetorical and theological climax, is not to bring new theological or rhetorical elements into the argument but to culminate in a powerful précis the rhetorical and theological devices the author has already wielded. It is possible that some important elements of the theology of Hebrews remained somehow below the surface, as part of a subtext to Hebrews or not clearly distinguishable, but then have finally emerge into our view in the grand finale of the argument. It is not that the conclusion has arbitrarily altered somehow the nature and meaning of those concepts and images. It is simply that the author is bringing them into focus. This is what I want to suggest happens with the contribution of Daniel to the eschatology of Hebrews. The clearest significant allusion to Daniel appears only at the conclusion, in Heb 12:28. Once we recognize, however, the relationship that this section has with the previous sections of the letter, it dawns on us that Daniel was always there. Daniel provides the conceptual framework to understand the author’s understanding of “these last days” in chapter 1:1–4, the enthronement scene of Heb 1:5–2:5, the son of man figure of 2:6–9, and the judgment concern the pervades the epistle. I will turn now to this.

The Feast at Zion, Judgment, and Jesus’s Enthronement

The structural relationship between Heb 12:18–29 and Heb 1:1–2:4 helps understand better the nature of the judgment/panegyric scene described in Heb 12:18–24. The location of the scene is Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. At the center of the scene is God, the judge, who speaks through Jesus, the covenant mediator. Also attending are innumerable angels⁴⁶ and the assembly of the firstborn, the spirits of the righteous made perfect.⁴⁷ The strong verbal connections between 12:18–29 and 1:1–2:4 (see previous section) suggest that these passages form an inclusio and that they refer to the same event. Hebrews 1:5–14, in the center of this first section, describes the scene of the enthronement of Jesus.⁴⁸ The central idea of this section is that God is speaking from heaven the words of Scripture. This passage is formed by a chain of OT quotations that are introduced by an expression in which God is the one who speaks the OT passage quoted.⁴⁹ All the passages quoted have as a background Mt Zion or Jerusalem. Hebrews 1:5a quotes Ps 2:7, which refers to God’s installation of his Son as king at Zion (v. 6). Hebrews 1:b quotes 2 Sam 7:14 and 1 Chr 17:13, which refer to God’s adoption of the Davidic king as a response to David’s wish to build a temple for God at Mt Zion. Hebrews 1:8–12 quote Ps 45:6–7 and 102:25–27 referring to the eternal nature and rule of the Son. It contrasts the Son’s eternity and immutability with creation’s transience. The context of this Psalm is Zion as well (Ps 102:21). Finally, Hebrews 1:13 quotes Ps 110:4, which refers to the Son’s enthronement at God’s right hand as king and priest at Zion (v. 2). The author of Hebrews, then, describes in Heb 1:5–14 the audience as participating, through the words of Scripture, in the enthronement ceremony of the Son at Mount Zion (Heb 1:5–2:5).⁵⁰

This heavenly event at Mount Zion in which God speaks does not end with the enthronement of the Son. God also speaks to appoint Jesus as high priest (Heb 5:5–6, quoting Ps 2:7 and 110:4) and to inaugurate the new covenant (Heb 8:8–12, quoting Jer 31:31–34). These events, which are the backbone of the expository argument of Hebrews, also happen at Zion.⁵¹ All these events, and the motif of God’s speech come to a climactic summary at the joyous judgment scene of Heb 12:22–29. This scene is joyous because it celebrates Jesus as king, priest, and mediator in favor of believers, the saints. Hebrews 12:22– 29 describes it as a judgment because it has in mind Dan 7:18, alluded in Heb 12:28, which describes the enthronement of the Son of Man at heavenly Zion in favor of the saints as a result of judgment.⁵²

This would help us understand two other features of the argument of Hebrews. First, the description of the enthronement of Jesus (1:5–14; 12:22–24) is followed by a warning against disobeying the voice of God (2:1–4; 12:25–29).⁵³ This happens as well with the enthronement Psalms 2:10–12 and 110:5–7 and of the events that follow the enthronement ceremonies of Solomon, Zimri, Jehu, Athalia, Jehoash, and Jesus at the eschaton.⁵⁴ It also helps us understand why references to judgment in Hebrews may be positive (9:27–18; 12:22–24, 28) or negative (4:12–13; 10:26–31; 12:25–27).

“These last days”: Daniel, Hebrews, and the Establishment of the Unshakable Kingdom

The relationship between Heb 12:18–29 and 1:1–2:4 makes us rethink the meaning of the expression “in these last days he has spoken to us by his son” (Heb 1:2). The LXX normally translates the Hebrew ִ֔מיםיַּהָ ֲִח֣ריתאַבְּ with the Greek expression ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν. This expression was frequently used in Near Ancient historical and legal texts to refer to the future in general or to a specific moment in the future.⁵⁵ In the OT, it is used 12 times outside of Daniel, whether to predict events in the future,⁵⁶ or to announce the eschatological restoration of Israel and the cosmos.⁵⁷ So, the prophets announced that in “the latter days” …

1. … a King would come that would defeat the enemies of Israel and that the peoples would gather to him (Gen 49:1; Num 24:14; Hos 3:5).

2. … Israel would be exalted and the nations would convert to God (Isa 2:2; Miq 4:1).

3. … evil forces would be totally defeated (Eze 38:16).

These eschatological prophecies are echoed in Daniel 2, where God announces that in “the latter days” God would “set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (Dan 2:28, 44). This new kingdom is described as a mountain that would grow and fill the whole earth, just as Isa 2:2 and Mic 4:1 had prophesied that Mt Zion would be “be established as the highest of the mountains.” It also implies the coming of a new king that would defeat of the forces of evil (cf. Dan 7:13–14) just as in Gen 49:1; Num 24:14; Ose 3:5; and Eze 38:16. In the OT eschatological passages outside of Daniel, the phrase “the latter days” is connected to the establishment of God’s kingdom through the royal supremacy of Judah (Gen 49:1, 8–10; Num 24:14) or the Davidic king (Hos 3:5; Eze 38:16; cf. 37:25). Daniel’s main concern is also the establishment of the kingdom of God. He does not, however, connect the fulfillment explicitly to the Davidic king or to Judah but both Jewish interpreters and the New Testament connected the fulfillment of the promises of Daniel with the Davidic promises. The “Son of God” text from Qumran, some Early Jewish writings (4 Ezra 12–13; cf. 1 Enoch 46– 48; 62:2–71), and some rabbinic sources (b. Sanh. 38, 96, 98) interpreted the “one like a son of man” of Daniel 7 as the Davidic Messiah.⁵⁸ Similarly, according to the gospels, Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son of Man” who will come and judge the world (e.g., Matt 16:27; 19:27–28; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 14:62; Luke 21:36; John 5:22–27). He was identifying himself as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 7 where “one like a son of man” (ESV) comes to the father and receives “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” (v. 13).⁵⁹ Jesus also conflated the fulfillment of Dan 7 with the enthronement of the Davidic king in Ps 110:1 at God’s “right hand” (Matt 19:27–28; Mark 14:62; cf. Acts 7:56). This reading of Dan 7 in terms of the Davidic covenant (Ps 110:1) was probably anticipated by Ps 80:17 where the psalmist asks God to restore Israel—who is suffering under nations that behave like animals (v. 13)—by restoring the man/son of man of his right hand. This connection between “one like a son of man” and the Davidic promises helps us explain why the author of Hebrews jumps from the description of the enthronement of Jesus as Davidic king, at the right hand of God on the heavenly mount Zion (Heb 1:5– 14), to a discussion of Ps 8 and why ask, if everything has been submitted under the “son of man,” why we don’t see yet everything submitted under him? (Heb 2:8).⁶⁰ Probably, then, the author of Hebrews had Dan 7 in mind when he applied Psalm 8 to Jesus but recognizes it has not been fulfilled for believers, human beings that are represented by him. This connection between the “son of man” and the “saints” is explicit in Dan 7 but not in Ps 8. The author probably is reading Ps 8 through Dan 7.

Hebrews 12:28 and the Bifurcation of the Fulfillment of Dan 7

This leads us to a significant phenomenon of the interpretation of Dan 7 in Hebrews. The Letter sees Jesus enthroned at his ascension in fulfillment of the Davidic promises⁶¹ but the fulfillment of the promises for the people are still in the future.⁶² In other words, while the “son of man” has come to the Father in the clouds of heaven for judgment and found righteous and seated at God’s right hand (John 12:31; 16:8–11; Matt 28:18–20; Acts 1:9; 2:22–35). Jesus is the righteous one par excellence (Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14) who is “not shaken” at the moment of judgment but resurrected in vindication (Acts 2:25– 28). The saints of the Most High, however, have not received yet the kingdom. According to Hebrews, that is still in the future (Heb 12:25–28). The judgment of believers is still in the future (Heb 12:25–28; Heb 9:27–28; 10:25).

In Daniel, the bifurcation of the fulfillment of prophecy of Dan 7 becomes clear until Daniel 9 and the 70 weeks. Hebrews connects the fulfillment of all the prophesies of Daniel 9 to Jesus’s sacrifice on earth and intercession at his ascension in AD 31. Note the connections. On the one hand, the theological argument of Heb 9–10 is that Jesus’ sacrifice has inaugurated a new covenant (9:15) and a new heavenly sanctuary (9:23). Thus, it has redeemed from transgression (9:15), removed the sacrifices (10:18), and removed sin (9:26). Notice as well, that Jesus’ removal of sin is preliminary to the judgment (9:27-28). On the other hand, Dan 9:24 says that 70 weeks were decreed in order to “finish the transgression, to put an end to sin [removal of sin? Heb 9:26], and to atone for iniquity [redeem from transgressions? Heb 9:15], to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place [inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary? Heb 9:23].” Daniel 9:27 adds: “He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week [inaugurate the new covenant Heb 9:15-21], and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease [cf. Heb 10:18]; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator [the subjection of the enemy is still in the future, Heb 10:11–14].” All the elements of Daniel 9 are fulfilled in Jesus’s death and ascension to heaven. Yet, Hebrews 9:23–29 describes two appearances of Jesus before the Father. I want to suggest that these two appearances refer to two phases in the ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.

The Two Appearances in Heb 9:23–28 and the Two Phases of Jesus’s Ministry in Heaven

Hebrews 9:23–28 refer to two “appearances” of Jesus. Hebrews 9:24–26 emphasizes that Jesus appeared before the Father in heaven to atone for our sins by his own blood. Of course, this appearance implies that Jesus appeared in earth to die for us (1 Tim 3:16; 1 Pet 1:20; 1 John 3:5, 8; cf. 2 Cor. 5:10), but Hebrews emphasizes Jesus’s intersession before God in heaven.

Hebrews 9:27–28 refer to a second appearance:

27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Heb 9:24–28, emphasis mine).

The argument of this passage is that the human experience that consists of death and judgment represents two appearances of Christ. The first—represented by death—refers to Jesus’s presentation of his blood before the Father for the removal of sin. This appearance requires Jesus’ death on earth but Hebrews emphasizes instead Jesus’ intercession before God in heaven. (After all, it is the presentation of Jesus’s blood [his sacrifice] before the Father that makes Jesus’s death significant.) The second appearance—represented by judgment—refers to the Parousia—Jesus’ arrival on this earth to save those who are waiting for him. The very fact, however, that it refers to this appearance as a “second” one (9:28), when the context identifies Jesus’s intercession before the Father as the “first” one (vv. 24–26), implies that Jesus’s Parousia includes an appearance of Jesus before the father before coming to earth to save. This agrees with another fact. Salvation in Hebrews implies that the enemies have been made “a footstool” for Jesus’s feet. Hebrews is very clear, however, that Jesus is waiting for God to subject the enemies under his feet (Heb 1:13; 10:11–14). Hebrews 9:27 seems to suggest, then, that this submission of the enemies will be done by God as a result of judgment. Again, this makes sense if Dan 7 is part of subtext of the letter because Daniel 7 connects judgment, salvation, and the subjection of enemies.

Where Are We Now?

From the point of view of Hebrews, believers were at an eschatological moment that was similar to that of those who were building the temple of God in the time of Haggai. According to Ps 96 (LXX 95), which, according to the superscript in the LXX translation, was composed “When the house was being rebuilt after the captivity,” the building of the temple of God implied the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth—“Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns!’” (96:10, cf. vv. 1–10). It also implied the announcement that God will come to judge the earth—“sing for joy before the Lord for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth” (96:13, cf., vv. 10–13). For believers in the time of Haggai, the foundations of the temple had been set but the glory that would be brought by God’s judgment on the nations was still in the future. For the believers of Hebrews, the heavenly temple had already been “set up” by the Lord (Heb 8:2). God had also set up his king in Zion (Heb 1:5–14; 8:1). Yet, judgment and salvation for believers were still in the future (1:14; 10:11–14; 10:25–29).

For the author of Hebrews, believers are in an eschatological moment similar to that of the righteous one of Hab 2:4, quoted in Heb 10:35–39.⁶³ God had commanded the prophet to “write” down the vision concerning God’s judgment on Chaldeans that would “shake” them (2:7). That vision had its “appointed time” and they needed to wait for it, or for Him,⁶⁴ because in the greater context of Habakkuk the one who comes is the Lord himself. Similarly, believers are going through difficulties but have to wait on the promise that God will judge, or “shake,” their enemies (Heb 12:25–27). They needed to wait because the vision would come at its “appointed time.”

And we could continue, because in the rhetorical re-description of space and time in the letter to the Hebrews, the readers are at the same place where the desert generation was at Kadesh-Barnea, just before they entered Canaan (Num 13–14; Heb 3–4)). God had appointed a captain that is going before them into the promised land (Heb 2:10, ἀρχηγός) but it was time for them to exercise faith. They should not be “of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Heb 39). These connections, however, are a topic for another time.

Conclusion

The allusion to Dan 7:18 in Hebrews 12:28 seems faint at the beginning but once we give it a closer look we discover that it is like a little spring of water that witnesses to an undercurrent that goes below the surface and feeds the eschatology of Hebrews. Hebrews 12:28 alludes to the promise of Dan 7:18 that there will be a judgment which will result in the saints receiving the kingdom. This judgment is a main theme of the exhortatory sections of Hebrews. The author constantly urges believers to prepare for that judgment. The connections to Heb 1:1–2:4 also show that this coming judgment is an iteration of God’s voice that has already spoken “in a Son” (1:2). Jesus, the son of man, has fulfilled in his person the promises of Dan 7 and secured, therefore, the fulfillment of the promise. The kingdom of God has been established in heaven in the person of the Son and judgment has been decided in His favor (Heb 2:5, cf. 1:5–14; 9:24–26), yet, this kingdom still needs to be consummated on earth. This bifurcation of the fulfillment of Daniel is further explained in Dan 9 in which the renewal of the covenant is accomplished through the messiah, but the hope for the consummation of God’s kingdom on earth has to wait to the future. Believers, then, live after the confirmation of the promises of Dan 7, but before their consummation. Thus, the author invites them to “hold fast” their “confession” because the one who promised is “faithful (Heb 4:14; 10:23). They need to wait “yet a little while” because “the coming one will come and will not delay” (Heb 10:37).

It seems to me that the message of Hebrews is very much relevant for us who are even closer to the border of the land of Canaan, right before the rest. The shaking of the heavens and the earth began in 1844 and very soon we will see the “Son of man” coming for our salvation.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace.” (Heb 12:28, HCSB) Thank you!