Discover the Gospel the Way Jesus Proclaimed It
“I can hardly find the adequate words to commend these books…” Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
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Daniel 7 is the Most Concise and Complete Summary of the Gospel of the Kingdom
You cannot fully grasp the way Jesus revealed Himself or the gospel of the kingdom He proclaimed unless you recognize the way He used Daniel 7. In Volume 1 we find out why Jesus referenced Daniel 7 more than any other Old Testament passage. Then in volume 2, we discover how the apostles repeatedly used Daniel 7 as a framework for their gospel.
Son of Man Volume 1: The Gospel of Daniel 7
Jesus never used the title Messiah publicly and, instead, referred to Himself as the Son of Man 78 times. Why?
The New Testament Gospels, as they are written, depend on Jesus’ use of Daniel 7. Jesus referenced this chapter far more than any other to reveal Himself as the divine Human and to declare His gospel.
Jesus’ first-century audience understood His message, but we have lost sight of the way Jesus presented His gospel. Our understanding of Jesus, our grasp of the biblical story, and our ability to clearly communicate the gospel have been hindered by not fully understanding how Jesus used this one particular chapter. Based on Jesus’ words, Daniel 7 is not simple an “end time” vision, it is the most concise and complete summary of the gospel and, perhaps, the premier summary of His identity. And if we do not know this chapter, we cannot fully grasp the gospel Jesus proclaimed and commissioned His church to carry.
Let Daniel open your eyes to the gospel as Jesus proclaimed it.
Son of Man Volume 2: The Apostles’ Gospel
What was the gospel message carried by the first century apostles? In the first volume, we discovered Jesus referenced Daniel 7 more than any other passage. He used Son of Man as His primary title, and He used Daniel 7 as a concise summary of the gospel of the kingdom. We found that, if we miss the way Jesus used this one chapter, we can easily misinterpret His message. This raises a profound question: Did the apostles continue to use Daniel 7 as a foundation for their gospel?
When we examine the New Testament carefully, we find something surprising: Daniel 7 was a framework the apostles repeatedly used to present the gospel of the kingdom. In fact, the main themes of the New Testament gospel are all found in this one chapter. The gospel is often reduced to an individual decision to “receive” Jesus, but it is much more than that. It is time to rediscover the apostles’ gospel so we can proclaim the same gospel they carried.
Come, view the apostles’ gospel through the lens of Daniel 7, and rediscover the message that turned the world upside down.
Endorsements
What is the message that turned the world upside down?
Rarely in the history of theological writing and biblical exegesis has a book emerged that makes its point so clearly, yet one that is most foundational to the content of the gospel: namely, that Jesus wanted His people Israel and the nations of the world to recognize Him as “the Son of Man” as announced in Daniel 7 and repeated some 78 times in the Gospels with an added 53 associated themes that also came from Daniel 7. I was personally enriched and corrected as this title of The Son of Man was biblically shown to take precedence over all other titles and functions of our Lord in Scripture, such as Messiah or the Son of God. Surely, this book will offer one of the richest rewards for all who will carefully follow the truth of this title from Daniel 7 as demonstrated by Jesus. I can hardly find the adequate words to commend this book as highly as I think it should be received and shared broadly in our day and age.
Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Hamilton, MA
Contemporary scholarship on the Synoptic Gospels asserts that the book of Daniel was very important for the first century and for the self-understanding of Yeshua and the Synoptic Gospel writers. Daniel 7 is especially emphasized. These texts give us a window into the important Son of Man idea and the Deity of Yeshua. Orthodox writer Daniel Boyarin from the University of California at Berkeley has emphasized this. Now, Samuel Whitefield has written an important book that greatly expands our understanding of Daniel 7 as an interpretive key.
Daniel Juster, Restoration from Zion of Tikkun International
For as long as I’ve known my friend Samuel, he’s always been the guy that’s looking at things from an angle that you didn’t see, but then after he unpacks what he’s observing, I always think to myself: Why didn’t I see that? It was sitting right in front of me! Samuel’s new book, Son of Man: The Apostles’ Gospel, read exactly this way when I picked it up—a theological adventure of looking at Daniel, Jesus, and the kingdom of God. At the end of the book, all of these things were clearer and more alive in my mind and my heart than before the reading began. Be prepared to be challenged, stretched, and stirred as God’s kingdom comes to light in a fresh way!
Jim Stern, Lead Pastor, Destiny Church of St. Louis