Daniel 7:13-14
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
A Walt Disney movie gave me my first true childhood fright. “Song of the South” portrays the story of Uncle Remus, an elderly black gentleman who befriends Johnny, a small boy on a Georgia plantation. Nightly, Uncle Remus, by the light of a cook fire, tells enchanting stories about Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, Br’er Bear, and Br’er Coon which delighted the child.
But the movie scene indelibly etched in my memory is of this little boy, my age at the time, innocently running across a large grassy enclosure unaware of a dangerous bull behind him.
Years later, seeing the movie again, I couldn’t believe how tamely that crisis was portrayed. But at the time, I was frightened out of my seat. The weight of the world was on my shoulders, and there was nothing I could do to prevent a terrible hurt. What an inexpressible relief then to know the boy was not killed. Everything turned out well, and all the animated critters now broke into song,
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay.
My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Mister Bluebird on my shoulder;
It's the truth, it's actch'll.
Ev'rything is satisfactch'll
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!
Now all the cares of life were suspended. All worries disappeared. All my anxiety, burden, and terror evaporated. The weight of the world was no longer on me. Mr. Bluebird was. True and actch’ll. Ev’rything was satisfactch’ll. Nothing of which to be frightened. No care in the world.
Similar to the words of Oscar Hammerstein, another lyricist, “Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way.” Every since, these songs remind me of being happy.
Walt Disney’s original theme park in Southern California, the Magic Kingdom, is frequently described as “The happiest place on earth.” I was there its opening summer of 1955 when one could fire cannon down Main Street and not hit anyone. That’s not true today as millions attest, but the Disney parks remain happy places.
But does the Disney brand imply that happiness is a place or a state of mind? To have a truly happy day, must we visit a fantasy land, or suspend reality, or abandon routine tasks? What does it take to be happy?
The prophet Daniel receives a vision which redefines every concept of happiness.
His vision is of Christ, the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven to receive unending glory, majesty, and dominion. But this is no “magic” kingdom. This is the kingdom conferred upon our Lord Christ where all people of every nation and language, without any distinctions of age, race or maturity (Uncle Remus, wise, old and black or Johnny, heedless, young and white) are united — not by fictional narratives but in the authenticity of Christ’s reign, of His everlasting, indestructible dominion.
I became well aware as a child of how vulnerable I am. Even imaginary dangers paralyzed me. At one of Disneyland’s original attractions, the Storybook Land Canal Boats, I didn’t want to ride into the mouth of the whale that first time as a five-year-old. It didn’t make me happy.
As every child enjoys being happy, I did too. And we don’t outgrow that. We all find enjoyments where we can and savor the wonderful Zip-a-dee-doo-dah days with their wonderful feelings which make it seem everything's going my way. But happiness that concludes is no real happiness at all. If fears are simply postponed, how can anyone be truly happy? If happiness is merely a state of mind, I would need endless distractions. If happiness is a place, then it must not only be permanent and perfect, but it must be a place where one can truly live.
No one can live in a movie. And no one can live at Disneyland. Their appeal is through suspension of reality. Scripture, conversely, renders to us the commencement of supreme reality … the Advent of Christ.
Daniel is not given an hallucination. Rather, he is given to see the eternal Kingdom of Christ. There is no magic or fantasy about it. The true Christ, who owns in his own body the humanity of all, is presented before the eternal God. Would Jesus be a defenseless little boy, helpless before the power of the Almighty? Would he employ a fiction to distract God or postpone God's consideration of him? Would he distinguish himself from the nations and peoples of the earth?
No. No on all accounts. Once Jesus was a helpless little boy gored by something far worse than the horns of a raging bull. He actually died within the enclosure of a cross from which all other men fled for fear. But in captivating death within his own holy body, Jesus Christ destroyed death. Now there is no weakness within him. He comes before the Almighty God in the strength of his righteousness and resurrection, having completed perfectly and permanently all that God the Father willed that He should do.
He employs no fiction to deflect the analysis of God. His rather is the blameless account of mankind’s redeemer, the biography of the son of man who spent to the last drop of blood His life on earth for us. He is the living proof that the world’s sins have been atoned for. He does not distinguish himself from us but has united Himself to us. He is the appearance of all humanity before God without sin, without fear, without shame, and without weakness.
Daniel’s vision is no imaginary tale. God gives this revelation of the Christ not so that we can merely feel happy but to guarantee eternal joy with him.
Christ is given kingdom, glory, and an everlasting dominion because He has earned it. Our happiness and blessedness is that this gain for Him was only so that He might deliver it all to us – to all peoples, nations, and languages. And this, not for a brief screening or temporary distraction, but for the everlasting eternity of union with God. We have been given in Christ, not merely a wonderful feeling or wonderful day, but the very One whose name is Wonderful (Isaiah 9:6).
Our song is not “I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way,” but I’m given the unalterable certainty, that all happiness is in Christ’s way.”
It's the truth, it's actch'll. Christ, our life is satisfactch'll.
