When Jesus referred to Himself as the “Son of Man”, He spoke in reference to His Divine Incarnate self, and to the fact that He had become a human in order to bring atonement to the world. This is His Messianic title. Jesus referred to Himself by this title about 80 times in various aspects of His divine mission. These aspects are 1) His coming to be the Savior of the world in order to forgive sins, 2) His rejection and betrayal, 3) His death and resurrection, 4) His position as final Judge, and 5) His second coming in glory.
His incarnation was prophesied in the Old Testament. These prophecies include: Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Daniel 7:13 – 14 ” I 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.”
Micah 5:2 ” But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Some of the verses where Jesus uses the name, “Son of Man” in reference to the following events:
(NOTE: ALL of these verses are Jesus’ own recorded words.)
1) His coming to be the Saviour of the world in order to forgive sins:
Matthew 20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45)
Luke 19:10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
John 3:13 – 15 “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
John 12:23 – 25 “But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
2) His rejection and betrayal:
Luke 17:25 “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Luke 22:21 – 22 “But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
Matthew 26:24 “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Mark 14:21)
3) His death and resurrection:
Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Matthew 17:9 “Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
Matthew 17:12 “But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”
Matthew 20:18 – 19 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
Matthew 26:2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Luke 9:22, Luke 9:44)
Mark 8:31 “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
Mark 9:9 “Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
Mark 9:12 “Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”
Mark 9:31 “For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”
Luke 18:31 – 33 “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” (Mark 10:33 – 34)
4) His position as final judge:
Matthew 13:37 – 43 “He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 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, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Matthew 19:28 “So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Matthew 25:31 – 32 ” When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”
Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
Luke 12:8 – 9 ” Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”
Luke 22:69 “Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”
John 5:22 – 30 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
5) His second coming in glory:
Matthew 10:23 “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Matthew 24:27 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Matthew 24:30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matthew 24:44, Luke 12:40)
Matthew 25:31 ” When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”
Matthew 26:64 “Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 13:26 – 27 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”
Mark 14:61b – 62 “Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Luke 17:24 “For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.”
Luke 21:27 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
John 1:51 “And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Add to these words, the fact that Jesus, IN DESCRIBING HIMSELF, endowed Himself with attributes that ONLY GOD CAN CLAIM, or He demonstrated that He was endowed with Divine power by His actions!
1) ETERNAL = John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
2) OMNIPRESENT = Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” And Matthew 28:19 – 20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
3) OMNISCIENT = John 6:64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.” And Matthew 17:22 – 23 “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.” (SEE ALSO: Mt. 16: 4 & 21, Mt. 17:12, and Lk. 9:22)
4) OMNIPOTENT = Matthew 8:26b – 27 “Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” And Luke 4:39 – 41 “So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking [them,] did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”
5) POSSESSING ETERNAL LIFE = John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” And John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
6) WORSHIPED AS GOD! = Matthew 14:33 “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Matthew 28:9 “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.”
Even with all of these verses in the Scriptures, many will say that He was a great “moral” teacher, and nothing more. However, this is not sensible or logical. A man who was merely a man and falsely said the sort of things that Jesus said in these verses would NOT be a great moral teacher. IF Jesus’ divine claims are FALSE, then there are only two reasonable explanations left regarding His teachings.
1) He was a crazy lunatic, suffering from delusional insanity.
2) He was an evil false teacher who lied and deliberately deceived His followers.
The fact still remains that He DID make these statements. His claims must then be either TRUE or FALSE. There is no middle ground to be had. If Jesus was not a liar or a lunatic, the only other alternative is that He WAS GOD.
The Apostle John wrote that the scriptures “have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)
For those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, His title of “Messiah” affirms that Jesus is the promised PRIEST and KING of all of the Old Testament prophecies. JESUS IS GOD!
Any person who says, multiple times, (ahead of the event), that He is going to be scourged and crucified and die and then rise back to life again, was clearly aware that He has the Divine power to do so. Someone who constantly makes these kinds of claims is intentionally telling everyone who will listen to Him that He is more than just a man.
I read all these verses and see someone who definitely KNEW that He had the power of God. I mean, do you think people say and do things like this every day? Can any mere human assure me that if they were killed they would rise again from the grave a few days later? Let me assure you, regular humans do not make such promises. If the President of the United States appeared on television and said, “I am going to let the authorities kill me, and then I am going to come back to life from the dead”, he would be quickly removed from office and replaced! Anyone who would dare make such a claim would have to be either out of his mind or a liar, unless of course He was really God.
Jesus made these astonishing claims because He knew He would rise from the dead. It was part of His entire atonement plan. He knew EXACTLY what He was doing!
That does not mean that He did not face this task with some apprehension. Yes, in the garden of Gethsemane He did pray, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me;” (Matthew 26:39a.) That was because He was, at that time, living in a fully functioning human body, and a human body is designed to have feelings, and He knew that being scourged and crucified and killed was going to be a REALLY PAINFUL process to go through. We don’t even like to go to the dentist! Imagine how Jesus felt as He contemplated on the full ramifications of what He was about to endure. Would you like to sign up for the treatment Jesus committed Himself to? After all, what we are talking about here is being slowly tortured to death!
After admitting His human feelings, He was strengthened with new resolve. Immediately in Matthew 26:39b, He adds, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He adds in Matthew 26:42b, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
But let’s talk about the ultimate sign of Jesus’ Divine power, His resurrection from the dead! After all, in all of the claims Jesus made, this was the one He Himself pointed to as being THE ONE SIGN that would validate who HE was to the entire world. He called it, “The sign of Jonah.”
Matthew 12:38 – 42 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. “
Jesus spoke of the sign in more detail in John 2:19 – 22 where it says that “Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”
NOTE how Jesus makes it clear that what He is going to do WITH HIS BODY is of extreme importance here. THIS is something that separates Jesus from ALL of the other religious leaders who have ever walked this earth. In ALL of the other major religions of the world, the TEACHINGS, not the TEACHER are what is important.
For instance: Confucianism is a set of teachings; Confucius is not important. Islam is the revelation of Allah, with Mohammed being the prophet. Buddhism emphasizes the principles of the Buddha, but not the Buddha himself. This is especially true in Hinduism where there is no historic founder.
However, at the center of Christianity is the person of Jesus the Messiah. He does not simply claim to be the one who is teaching the truth to mankind. Rather, and much more significantly, He claims to BE THE TRUTH! John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
In Christianity, what is of the greatest importance is NOT what Jesus taught, BUT WHO HE IS! Is He the Messiah? Is He the ONLY ONE who made it possible for men to be saved from the punishment for their sins? That is exactly what Jesus said.
John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 5:39 – 40 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
God made the way for your sins to be forgiven, and He made it clear that that way is through His Only Begotten Son.
John 3:17 – 18 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Jesus pointed to His death and resurrection as the SIGN that would prove He was the Savior. It had been prophesied in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 53:7 – 10 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked — but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.”
In this passage three predictions are made. This servant would die, “be cut off from the land of the living”, He would be buried, “they made His grave with the wicked”, and yet He would still live. “He shall prolong His days.” Obviously, the latter cannot happen without being raised from the dead. Why does He do it? The prophecy continues:
Isaiah 53:11 – 12 “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”
This is the doctrine of ATONEMENT. Here we see the obvious consistency between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Atonement could only be performed by this One individual. To perform it, He had to be both God and Man at the same time. Jesus was a very special person. He was no mere prophet. He was much, much more, and His resurrection is what separates Him from all other religious leaders who have ever lived. Yes, I am sure you have heard this before, but it bears repeating because it is a most important point. Does Mohammed have a grave? Yes, and you can tell me where it is. Does Buddha have a grave? Yes he does also. Did Jesus have a grave? YES, but He is no longer there! His grave is EMPTY, and that is the greatest testimony to the fact that He was not just a man. Jesus IS GOD!
JESUS IS GOD, WHO IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN!
The precious title of the Lord Jesus as the “LAMB” is recorded in John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19, and 27 more times in the Book of Revelation = (Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10, 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1 and 3!)As the LAMB in Revelation He is the One who was slain, the ONLY ONE able to open the book of God’s judgments. He is worshiped and adored as the ONLY ONE worthy to receive the 7 blessings of power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. (Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, 13)
He is the One theme of redemption’s song through all eternity. All judgment is given to the LAMB and sinful man will flee from His wrath. (Revelation 6:1, 16)
The LAMB separates out to Himself and protects Israel and those saved through the gospel of the Kingdom. (Rev 7:9 – 10) Some are martyred in the tribulation and taken to heaven by virtue of the precious blood of the LAMB. (Rev 7:14) The faithful left on earth have their tears wiped away and the LAMB will lead them to the living fountains of waters. (Rev 7:17)
The Jewish remnant gains victory by virtue of the blood of the LAMB. (Rev 12:11)
All the lost and their evil rulers oppose the LAMB. (Rev 13:8) But none of them will be found in the book of the LAMB. (Rev 13:11)
The faithful Jewish remnant is preserved by the LAMB and follows Him. (Rev 14:1, 4) They see their enemies drink of the wrath of God and they see their enemies judged and punished by the LAMB. (Rev 14:10)
Those redeemed from the earth will sing praises to the LAMB. (Rev 15:3)
None can stand before the LAMB in battle. He is accompanied by the faithful. (Rev. 17:14)
All in heaven are called to the marriage supper of the LAMB. (Rev 19:7 – 9)
The LAMB’s wife will be displayed throughout all eternity and during the 1000 year Kingdom. (Rev 21:9, 14)
The LAMB will be the glory and light of it. (Rev 21:22 – 23) All will be perfect and without defilement and only those written in the LAMB’s book of Life will be there. (Rev 21:27)
The LAMB on the throne is the source of all of God’s blessings to man. He will rule in His Kingdom and His servants will serve Him. (Rev 22:1 – 3)
All of these facts prove that JESUS IS THE LAMB, and HE IS GOD!
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