Have you ever seen pictures or cartoons that depict God as an old, grey haired man sitting on a throne? They possibly find their origin in this vision that Daniel describes in chapter 7 of the book that bears his name. After describing some very strange animals that represent the rise and fall of different world empires, Daniel says that he suddenly sees a figure, a Judge, on a throne. This figure is wearing clothing white as snow, and his hair is also, "white as purest wool."
Several chapters of Daniel, including this one, are written in Aramaic instead of Hebrew, and Daniel calls this judge figure Atiq or Atik Yomin - the "Ancient of Days," or some more recent Bible versions translate it as "the Ancient One."
Modern western society, with its trend towards ageism, tends to see old people as inept, fragile and out of touch with reality. But here the sentiment is just the opposite. Atik Yomin (and vs 22 suggests that He is also El Elyon - God Most High) is perfectly wise and able to judge in favour of God's people. His hair is not just grey with age; it is pure white, representing purity and holiness. It's not surprising that John's vision in Revelation 1: 14 also depicts Jesus' hair as being, "white like wool, as white as snow."
Atik Yomin. The name conveys that God is ageless, timeless, eternal. There was nothing before God: He had no beginning and He will have no end. But Daniel wasn't the only Bible writer to present us with an ageless, eternal God. The prophet Isaiah describes God as saying, "From ancient days (or from eternity to eternity) I am God." Isaiah 43: 13
We humans are bound by time, and we age as time goes by. God never grows old and He is outside of normal time restraints. As Peter wrote in the New Testament, a day and a thousand years are like the same thing for God. (2 Pet 3: 8)
Meditating on Atik Yomin led me naturally to think of another name of God: El Olam - the eternal or everlasting God. Read on below for more reflection about that.
