THE SON OF MAN
“The Son of Man
will send out His angels,
and they will gather out of His Kingdom
ALL things that offend,
and those who practice lawlessness (against God’s Law),
and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
(Matthew 13:41-42)
Why Is Understanding WHO He Is Important?
Because this specific title of Jesus Christ (Messiah), “The Son of Man,” is used 81 times in the Gospels … and … 78 times by the Lord Himself!
Yet, in the Old Testament (Tanakh) we find the singular and definitive Messianic form found only ONCE!! (In Daniel … and in a very descriptive, prophetic, and powerful way!)
Mystery of the “Son of Man”
From Wikipedia: Son of Man (Christianity)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_man_(Christianity)
“Son of man is an expression in the sayings of Jesus in Christian writings, including the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelation. The meaning of the expression is controversial. Interpretation of the use of “the Son of man” in the New Testament has remained challenging and after 150 years of debate no consensus on the issue has emerged among scholars.
The expression “the Son of man” occurs 81 times in the four canonical gospels (mainly quoting Jesus) and another four times in the rest of the New Testament.
The use of the definite article in “the Son of man” in the Koine Greek of the Christian gospels is original, and before its use there, no records of its use in any of the surviving Greek documents of antiquity exist. Geza Vermes has stated that the use of “the Son of man” in the Christian gospels is unrelated to Hebrew Torah usages.” (Note: They completely disregard the prophetic verses found in the book of Daniel … see below).
So, Who IS the “Son of Man?”
The common use term of “son of man” referring to any “son of Adam” (or all Mankind) is found around 100 times in the Jewish Tanakh (Old Testament) such as in the book of Ezekiel, referring to the prophet Ezekiel himself.
However, as noted above, the term referring to the definitive and singular Messianic title “Son of Man” (with His prophetic description) is found only once in the Tanakh (Old Testament) in the prophetic book of Daniel.
So, whenever Jesus used His Messianic Title of the “Son of Man” He was pointing us to Daniel 7 where God DID provide Daniel (and us) with a remarkable prophecy which describes the awesome power, majesty, glory, and destiny of the ‘Son of Man’ who will one day return from His place in Heaven to rule over both Israel and the whole World …
“I (Daniel) was watching in the night visions,
And behold,
One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of Heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then 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 the one
Which shall not be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7:13-14)
Then, in the New Testament book of Revelation (which expands and details the remarkable “end time” prophecies found in the book of Daniel), the Apostle John was allowed to see Jesus Christ as the “Son of Man” in order to provide us with an awesome, firsthand description …
“I, (John)
was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,
and I heard behind me a loud voice,
as of a trumpet, saying,
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,” and,
“What you see, write in a book and
send it to the seven churches which are in Asia:
To Ephesus, to Smyrna,
to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis,
to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
Then, I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.
And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
and in the midst of the seven lampstands
One like the Son of Man,
clothed with a garment down to the feet
and girded about the chest with a golden band.
His head and hair were white like wool,
as white as snow,
and His eyes like a flame of fire;
His feet were like fine brass,
as if refined in a furnace,
and His voice as the sound of many waters;
He had in His right hand seven stars,
out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword,
and His countenance was like the Sun
shining in its strength.
And when I saw Him,
I fell at His feet as dead.
But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me,
“Do not be afraid;
I Am the First and the Last.
I Am He who lives, and was dead,
and behold,
I Am alive forevermore.
Amen.”
(Revelation 1:10-18)
However, as important as the “Son of Man” is to all Mankind, one might think there would be at least one more “witness” found in the ancient Scriptures to help provide us with more details in addition to those found in the Biblical books of Daniel and Revelation describing Him.
As we search through the ancient writings, books, and Scriptures found in the Jewish Dead Sea Scrolls (and quoted by many early Christians) we soon find there IS a book which provides us with a very in-depth and detailed description of the “Son of Man” …
The Book of Enoch!! Where the Messianic title “Son of Man” is found 35 times!!!
The book of Enoch is an ancient book originally written before the Flood of Noah (Enoch was seventh from Adam, was Noah’s great-grandfather, and is listed as the prophetic 70th generation prior to Jesus in Luke’s genealogy … and, he was the first person “raptured”!!)
Portions of at least 10 copies of the book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls where the Jewish Essenes diligently kept a priestly Temple Library of ancient Jewish writings and studied the book of Enoch regularly along with all the Scriptures.
Although the book of Enoch is relatively unknown because it is in disfavor with many churches today for its detailed description of angelic interactions with mankind, most of the early church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Tatian, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Methodius of Philippi, and Ambrose of Milan also accepted the book of Enoch as worthy of study (but they did warn to stay away from the books called “Enoch 2” and “Enoch 3” because they were never accepted by the early church or by Jewish rabbis).
The ancient Ethiopian Church and the Coptic Church in Egypt have always accepted the book of Enoch 1 as Biblical, however, even Enoch said it would be kept separate.
In fact, another prophecy from Enoch (which concerns the Lord’s return to Earth at the end of the Tribulation) is quoted directly in the New Testament book of Jude …
“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam,
also prophesied about these men, saying,
‘Behold, the Lord comes with
ten thousands (millions) of His saints,
to execute judgment on all,
to convict all who are ungodly among them
of all their ungodly deeds
which they have committed
in an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things
which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’”
(Jude 1:14-15 & book of Enoch 1:9)
A Prophecy of Christ’s Return at the End of the Tribulation from the First Chapter of the Book of Enoch:
(Part of this was quoted verbatim in the book of Jude)
1.1 ) The words of the blessing of Enoch,
to bless the Elect (Jews) and Righteous (Christians),
who will be living in the Day of Tribulation,
when all the wicked and godless are to be removed …
Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God,
saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens,
which the angels showed me,
and from them I understood that the vision I saw
was NOT for my generation,
but for a far distant one …
Concerning the Elect (Israel) I said, and took up my parable concerning them:
The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling …
1.6 And the high mountains will be shaken;
and the high hills will be laid low and will melt like wax in a flame.
1.7 And the Earth will sink,
and everything that is on the Earth will be destroyed,
1.9) And behold!!!
He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones
To execute judgment upon all,
And to destroy all the ungodly:
And to convict all flesh
Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed,
And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
(Enoch 1:1-1.9 and found in Jude 1)
What DOES the Book of Enoch reveal about the “Son of Man”??!!
From the Book of Enoch 1:
45.1 And this is The Second Parable.
About those who deny the Name of the Dwelling of the Holy Ones and of the Lord of Spirits.
45.2 They will not ascend into Heaven nor will they come upon the earth; such will be the lot of the sinners who deny the Name of the Lord of Spirits who will thus be kept for the Day of Affliction and Distress.
45.3 On that day the Chosen One will sit on the Throne of Glory (the Great White Throne Judgment – Revelation 20:1-15) and will choose their works. And their resting places will be without number and their spirits within them will grow strong when they see My Chosen One and those who appeal to My Holy and Glorious Name.
45.4 And on that Day I will cause My Chosen One to dwell among them and I will transform Heaven and make it an Eternal Blessing and Light.
45.5 And I will transform the dry ground and make it a blessing, and I will cause My Chosen Ones to dwell upon it; but those who commit sin and evil will not tread upon it.
45.6 For I have seen, and have satisfied with peace, My Righteous Ones, and have placed them in front of Me; but for the sinners My Judgment draws near so that I may destroy them from the face of the earth.”
46.1 And there I saw one who had a ‘Head of Days’ and His head was white like wool (see Daniel 7:9). And with Him there was another whose face had the appearance of a man and His face was full of grace like one of the Holy Angels.
46.2 And I asked one of the Holy Angels, who went with me and showed me all the secrets, about that Son of Man, who He was, and from where He was, and why He went with the Head of Days.
46.3 And He answered me, and said to me:
“This is the Son of Man who has righteousness and with whom righteousness dwells. He will reveal all the treasures of that which is secret, for the Lord of Spirits has chosen Him, and through uprightness His lot has surpassed all others, in front of the Lord of Spirits, forever.
46.4 And this Son of Man, who you have seen, will rouse the kings and the powerful from their resting places, and the strong from their thrones, and will loose the reins of the strong, and will break the teeth of the sinners.
46.5 And He will cast down the kings from their thrones, and from their kingdoms, for they do not exalt Him, and do not praise Him, and do not humbly acknowledge from where their kingdom was given to them.
46.6 And He will cast down the faces of the strong and shame will fill them, and darkness will be their dwelling, and worms will be their resting place. And they will have no hope of rising from their resting-places, for they do not exalt the Name of the Lord of Spirits.
46.7 And these are they who judge the Stars of Heaven, and raise their hands against the Most High, and trample upon the dry ground, and dwell upon it. And all their deeds show iniquity, and their power rests on their riches, and their faith is in their gods that they have made with their hands, and they deny the name of the Lord of Spirits.
46.8 And they will be driven from the houses of His congregation, and of the faithful, who depend on the Name of the Lord of Spirits.
47.1 And in those days, the prayer of The Righteous (Jesus Christ), and the Blood of the Righteous (poured out for our sins) will have ascended from the Earth in front of the Lord of Spirits.
47.2 In these days the Holy Ones who live in Heaven above will unite with one voice, and supplicate, and pray, and praise, and give thanks, and bless, in the Name of the Lord of Spirits. Because of the Blood of the Righteous that has been poured out (at the Cross). And because of the prayer of The Righteous (see John 17), so that it may not cease in front of the Lord of Spirits, so that justice might be done to them, and that their patience may not have to last forever.”
47.3 And in those days, I saw the Head of Days sit down on the Throne of His Glory and the Books of the Living were opened in front of Him and all His Host, which dwell in the Heavens above, and His Council were standing in front of Him.
47.4 And the hearts of the Holy Ones were full of joy that the number of righteousness (“fullness of the Gentiles”) had been reached, and the prayer of the righteous had been heard, and the blood of the righteous (all believing Christians) had not been required in front of the Lord of Spirits (because “THE Righteous” One had already poured out His blood for all).
48.1 And in that place I saw an inexhaustible spring of righteousness and many springs of wisdom surrounded it, and all the thirsty drank from them and were filled with wisdom, and their dwelling was with the Righteous and the Holy and the Chosen.
48.2 And at that hour that Son of Man was named, in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and His Name (Yeshua … Jesus) brought to the Head of Days.
48.3 Even before the Sun and the constellations were created, before the Stars of Heaven were made, His Name was named in front of the Lord of Spirits (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1).
48.4 He will be a staff to the righteous and the Holy, so that they may lean on Him and not fall, and He will be the Light of the Nations, and He will be the hope of those who grieve in their hearts.
48.5 All those who dwell upon the dry ground will fall down and worship in front of Him, and they will bless, and praise, and celebrate with psalms, the name of the Lord of Spirits.
48.6 And because of this He was chosen, and hidden in front of Him, before the World was created, and forever (eternal … “from old, from everlasting” Micah 5:2).
48.7 But the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits has revealed Him to the Holy and the righteous, for He has kept safe the lot of the righteous, for they have hated and rejected this world of iniquity. And all its works and its ways they have hated in the Name of the Lord of Spirits. For in His Name they are saved (see John 3:16) and He is the one who will require their lives.
48.8 And in those days the kings of the Earth, and the strong who possess the dry ground, will have downcast faces because of the works of their hands, for on the day of their distress and trouble they will not save themselves.
48.9 And I will give them into the hands of my chosen ones; like straw in the fire, and like lead in water, so they will burn in front of the righteous, and sink in front of the Holy, and no trace will be found of them.
48.10 And on the Day of their trouble there will be rest on the earth and they will fall down in front of Him and will not rise. And there will be no one who will take them with His hands and raise them for they denied the Lord of Spirits and His Messiah. May the name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed!
49.1 For wisdom has been poured out like water and glory will not fail in front of Him forever and ever.
49.2 For He is powerful in all the secrets of righteousness and iniquity will pass away like a shadow, and will have no existence; for the Chosen One stands in front of the Lord of Spirits and His Glory is for ever and ever, and His Power for all generations.
49.3 And in Him dwell the spirit of wisdom, and the spirit that gives understanding, and the spirit of knowledge and of power, and the spirit of those who sleep in righteousness.
49.4 And He will judge the things that are secret, and no one will be able to say an idle word in front of Him, for He has been chosen in front of the Lord of Spirits, in accordance with His wish.
50.1 And in those days a change will occur for the Holy and the chosen; the Light of Days will rest upon them, and glory and honour will return to the Holy.
50.2 And on the Day of Trouble (the Tribulation), calamity will be heaped up over the sinners, but the righteous will overcome in the Name of the Lord of Spirits and He will show this to others so that they might repent and abandon the works of their hands.
50.3 And they will have no honor in front of the Lord of Spirits, but in His Name they will be saved and the Lord of Spirits will have mercy on them, for His mercy is great.
50.4 And He is righteous in His judgment, and in front of His Glory iniquity will not be able to stand against His Judgment; He who does not repent will be destroyed.
50.5 “And from then on I will not have mercy on them,” says the Lord of Spirits.
51.1 And in those days the Earth will return that which has been entrusted to it, and Sheol will return that which has been entrusted to it and that which it has received. And destruction will return what it owes.
51.2 And He will choose the Righteous and the Holy from among them; for the Day (the Day of the Lord) has come near when they must be saved.
51.3 And in those days, the Chosen One will sit on His throne, and all the Secrets of Wisdom will flow out from the council of His mouth, for the Lord of Spirits has appointed Him and glorified Him.
51.4 And in those days the mountains will leap like rams, and the hills will skip like lambs satisfied with milk, and all will become Angels in Heaven.
51.5 Their faces will shine with joy, for in those days the Chosen One will have risen and the earth will rejoice. And the righteous will dwell upon it and the chosen will walk upon it …
Third Parable: 61.8 And the Lord of Spirits set the Chosen One on the throne of His glory, and He will judge all the works of the Holy ones in Heaven above, and in the Balance He will weigh their deeds.
61.9 And when He lifts His face to judge their secret ways according to the Word of the Name of the Lord of Spirits, and their path according to the Way of the Righteous Judgment of the Lord Most High, they will all speak with one voice and bless, and praise, and exalt, and glorify, the Name of the Lord of Spirits (the early Church and the Essenes were called “the Way”).
61.10 And He will call all the Host of the Heavens and all the Holy Ones above, and the Host of the Lord, the Cherubim, and the Seraphim, and the Ophannim, and all the Angels of Power, and all the Angels of the Principalities, and the Chosen One, and the other host that is upon the dry ground, and over the water, on that Day.
61.11 And they will raise one voice, and will bless, and praise, and glorify, and exalt, in the spirit of faith, and in the spirit of wisdom, and of patience, and in the spirit of mercy, and in the spirit of justice, and of peace, and in the spirit of goodness. And they will all say with one voice: “Blessed is He, and blessed be the Name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.”
61.12 All Those Who Do Not Sleep in Heaven above (Cherubim and Seraphim) will bless Him. All His Holy Ones who are in Heaven, will bless Him, and all the chosen ones who dwell in the Garden of Life, and every spirit able to bless, and praise and exalt, and hallow your Holy Name. And all flesh which to the limit of its power, will praise, and bless, your Name forever and ever.
61.13 For great is the mercy of the Lord of Spirits, and He is long-suffering; and all His works and all His forces, as many as He has made, He has revealed to the righteous and the chosen, in the Name of the Lord of Spirits.
62.1 And thus the Lord commanded the kings, and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell upon the earth, and said: “Open your eyes and raise your horns if you are able to acknowledge the Chosen One.”
62.2 And the Lord of Spirits sat on His Throne of Glory, and the spirit of righteousness was poured out on Him, and the Word of His mouth kills all the sinners and all the lawless, and they are destroyed in front of Him.
62.3 And on that Day, all the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who possess the earth, will stand up and they will see and recognize how He sits on the Throne of His Glory. And the righteous are judged in righteousness, in front of Him, and no idle word is spoken in front of Him.
62.4 And pain will come upon them as upon a woman in labour, for whom giving birth is difficult when her child enters the mouth of the womb, and she has difficulty giving birth.
62.5 And one half of them will look at the other, and they will be terrified, and will cast down their faces, and pain will take hold of them when they see that Son of a woman (the virgin birth?) sitting on the throne of His Glory.
62.6 And the mighty kings, and all those who possess the earth, will praise and bless and exalt Him who rules everything that is hidden.
62.7 For from the beginning that Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High kept Him in the presence of His power, and revealed Him only to the chosen.
62.8 And the community of the Holy and the chosen will be sown and all the chosen will stand before Him on that Day.
62.9 And all the mighty kings, and the exalted, and those who rule the dry ground, will fall down before Him, on their faces, and worship; and they will set their hopes on that Son of Man, and will entreat Him, and will petition for mercy from Him.
62.10 But the Lord of Spirits will then so press them that they will hasten to go out from before Him, and their faces will be filled with shame, and the darkness will grow deeper on their faces.
62.11 And the Angels of Punishment will take them so that they may repay them for the wrong that they did to His children and to His chosen ones.
62.12 And they will become a spectacle to the righteous and to His chosen ones; they will rejoice over them, for the anger of the Lord of Spirits will rest upon them, and the sword of the Lord of Spirits will be drunk with them.
62.13 And the righteous and the chosen will be saved on that Day and they will never see the faces of the sinners and the lawless from then on.
62.14 And the Lord of Spirits will remain over them and with that Son of Man they will dwell, and eat, and lie down, and rise up, forever and ever.
62.15 And the righteous and chosen will have risen from the earth, and will have ceased to cast down their faces, and will have put on the Garment of Life.
62.16 And this will be a Garment of Life from the Lord of Spirits; and your garments will not wear out, and your glory will not fail, in front of the Lord of Spirits.
63.1 In those days, the mighty kings who possess the dry ground will entreat the Angels of His Punishment to whom they have been handed over so that they might give them a little respite. And so that they might fall down and worship in front of the Lord of Spirits, and confess their sins in front of Him.
63.2 And they will bless and praise the Lord of Spirits, and say: “Blessed be the Lord of Spirits, and the Lord of Kings, the Lord of the Mighty, and the Lord of the Rich, and the Lord of Glory, and the Lord of Wisdom!
63.3 And everything secret is clear, in front of You, and Your power is for all generations, and Your glory is forever and ever. Deep and without number are all Your secrets and your righteousness is beyond reckoning.
63.4 Now we realize that we ought to praise and bless the Lord of Kings and the one who is King over all Kings.”
63.5 And they will say: “Would that we might be given a respite, so that we might praise and thank and bless Him, and make our confession in front of His Glory.
63.6 And now we long for a respite, but do not find it; we are driven off and do not obtain it; and the light has passed away from before us, and darkness will be our dwelling forever and ever.
63.7 For we have not made our confession before Him, and we have not praised the Name of the Lord of Kings, and we have not praised the Lord for all His works, but our hopes have been on the sceptre of our kingdom, and of our glory.
63.8 And on the day of our affliction and distress He does not save us, and we find no respite to make our confession that our Lord is faithful in all His doings, and in all His judgments and His justice, and that His judgments show no respect for persons.
63.9 And we pass away from in front of Him because of all our works and all our sins have been counted exactly.”
63.10 Then they will say to them: “Our souls are sated with possessions gained through iniquity, but they do not prevent our going down into the flames of the torment of Sheol.”
63.11 And after this their faces will be filled with darkness and shame, in front of that Son of Man, and they will be driven away from Him. And the sword will dwell among them – in front of Him.
63.12 And thus says the Lord of Spirits: “This is the Law and the Judgment for the mighty, and the kings, and the exalted, and for those who possess the dry ground, in front of the Lord of Spirits.”
69.24 And all these make their confession and give thanks in front of the Lord of Spirits and sing praises with all their power. And their food consists of all their thanksgiving and they give thanks, praise, and exalt, in the name of the Lord of Spirits, forever and ever.
69.25 And this oath is strong over them and through it they are kept safe and their courses are not disturbed.
69.26 And they had great joy and they blessed, praised, and exalted, because the Name of that Son of Man had been revealed to them (Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in Hebrew … Jesus Christ in English).
69.27 And He sat on the Throne of His Glory and the whole judgment was given to the Son of Man and He will cause the sinners to pass away and be destroyed from the face of the Earth.
69.28 And those who led astray the world will be bound in chains and will be shut up in the assembly-place of their destruction, and all their works will pass away from the face of the earth.
69.29 And from then on there will be nothing corruptible. For that Son of Man has appeared, and has sat on the Throne of His Glory, and everything evil will pass away and go from in front of Him; and the Word of that Son of Man will be strong in front of the Lord of Spirits.
71.15 And He said to me: “He proclaims peace to you in the name of the world which is to come, for from there peace has come out from the creation of the world and so you will have it for ever and for ever and ever.
71.16 And all will walk according to Your Way, inasmuch as righteousness will never leave you. With you will be their dwelling, and with you their lot, and they will not be separated from You for ever and for ever and ever.
71.17 And so there will be length of days with that Son of Man, and the righteous will have peace, and the righteous will have an upright way in the Name of the Lord of Spirits, for ever and ever.”
<End of the book of Enoch’s remarkable descriptions of “The Son of Man”>
From Our Lord …
“But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”
—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”
(Luke 5:24)
“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes,
and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
(Mark 8:31)
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”
(Matthew 18:11)
“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west,
so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
(Matthew 24:27)
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
(Our Redeemer … Ransomed = Redeemed!!)
(Matthew 20:28)
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words
in this adulterous and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him
when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
(Mark 8:38)
Maranatha!!!
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