Misinterpretations often demote the 'Son of man' to a symbolic human or angelic representative of Israel or a historical figure like a Maccabean leader, denying its explicit messianic reference to Christ's divine sonship and authority. Preterist views erroneously limit the vision to ancient events such as the rise of Rome or Jerusalem's fall, ignoring its transhistorical scope and New Testament fulfillment in Jesus' ascension. Others, like some cults, identify it with Michael the archangel, distorting the figure's unique heavenly approach to God and eternal kingship.
Daniel 7:13
King James Version (1769)
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Daniel 7:13 depicts a majestic vision of 'one like the Son of man' approaching the Ancient of Days on the clouds of heaven, symbolizing the Messiah's divine investiture with eternal authority, glory, and an indestructible kingdom that encompasses all peoples and nations. This prophetic scene underscores God's sovereign plan to establish Christ's everlasting rule, transcending earthly powers and fulfilling the divine purpose of redemption, as Jesus later applied this title to himself in the Gospels to affirm his identity and mission.