Although the time period after the exile did not unfold in the way that was initially expected, a new expectation began to build around a coming Messiah, one from David’s lineage, who would help usher in this new age. 

In this episode, Matt Helms invites us to reflect on Daniel’s vision of a time when the empires of the world lose their dominion, lose their power — a power that is instead given to this mysterious figure known as the Son of Man. This returns us to the idea of covenant that has been a throughline throughout this series.  

Crucially, we see a new aspect of the covenant drawn in. This is not just a promise for a particular people in a particular place. Instead, we have moved from the particular to the universal — and it is those broadened hopes for all creation that lie behind Jesus’ arrival.