Tag Archives: Messiah

Son Of Man

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Revelation 1:13 “One like a Son of Man.” See also Revelation 14:14.

The “Son of Man” is the Messiah

Jesus referred to Himself in the third person as the “Son of Man” as in Matthew 11:19.[1] This was understood to be speaking of the Messiah.[2] Regarding the kingdom, He referred to Himself as the King. This was in reference to the passage in Daniel 7:13:

“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)

And in Matthew 11:19: “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”

Also in Luke 19:9-10:  “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The “Son of Man” is the Good Shepherd

Here Jesus was identifying Himself as the Good Shepherd by reference to a passage in Ezekiel 34: 11-16:

“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, [even] I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep [that are] scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and [in] a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up [that which was] broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.”

The Book of Enoch Mentions the “Son of Man”:

The “Son of Man” as envisioned by Enoch had been hidden but was to be revealed to the elect:
“And the kings and the mighty and all who possess the earth shall bless and glorify and extol him who rules over all, who was hidden. 7. For from the beginning the Son of Man was hidden, And the Most High preserved him in the presence of His might, And revealed him to the elect.” (Charles, Enoch 62.6).

The revelation of Jesus Christ, as the “Son of Man,” is therefore the fulfillment of Enoch’s prophecy, as well as those of the Old Testament.

Notes

[1] I owe much of this discussion to a lesson given by Dr. Robert Lindsay on Channel 14 TBN television on December 11, 1988 at 2:30 p.m. CST. See also Robert Lindsay, Jesus Rabbi and Lord, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Cornerstone Publishing, 1990.

[2] The term “Son of Man” was familiar to the New Testament Jewish Church not only because of His mention in the book of Daniel, but also in the pseudepigraphical book of Enoch. (See Charles, Enoch.) The early Church was familiar with the Book of Enoch and it is one of the pieces of literature which they seemed to be revere almost equally with the canonical writings. In fact, the Book of Enoch is quoted in Jude verses 14 and 15. The book therefore serves as a literary referent for many of the expressions and symbols used in the New Testament, and therefore should be considered as a part of the cultural context for the Book of Revelation. Many of the obscure ideas of the book of Revelation will become clear after one reads the Book of Enoch.

The Book of Enoch is part of a body of literature known as the pseudepigrapha, which simply means that the author’s name, in this case Enoch, is a pseudonym for the real author. In fact, Oesterley quotes Burkitt, (Jewish and Christian Apocalypses, p. 18), regarding pseudonymous authorship: “…that the names were not chosen out of mere caprice; they indicated to a certain extent what subjects would be treated and the point of view of the writer.”
Charles, Enoch. p. 66, “48.2. And at that hour that Son of Man was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, And his name before the Head of Days. 3. Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of the heaven were made, His name was named before the Lord of Spirits.”

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

THE ALMIGHTY

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Revelation 1:8. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

The Greek word for Almighty is “pantokrator.”  This term is found seven times also, in Revelation 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:15; 21:22. According to Malina the term literally means “Controller of Everyone and Everything” (Malina, 261*). The like term polokrator was used in the Greek cultures to designate the “god” who exercised control over the pole of the universe, upon which the whole heavens and earth apparently turned. The word pole meant “that central pivot plus all the sky connected with it that rotated around the earth due to the power applied at the pole,” (ibid. 73). In identifying Christ as the ‘pantokrator,’ He is the One Who has all power in the universe.

Various Names of the Constellation of Ursa Major

The seven stars of Ursa Major which is the constellation containing the pole star, (often called “the North Star”), were known variously in that era “… as simply the ‘Seven Stars’; or as ‘Septem Triones,’ the seven oxen that plow or thresh around the pole,’ (in Latin, a common word for northern is ‘seven-oxen-ward’ septemtrionalis); or ‘the Turner,'” (ibid. 92). So when John turned and saw the “seven stars” he was seeing Ursa Major.

The Symbolism of the North Star

On this view, the polokrator held the pivotal stars in his right hand (ibid. 262).  Christ is, therefore, being portrayed in Revelation 1:16 as the God of the universe, not merely the Messiah of the small nation of Israel.

It is in this idea of the pole as the pivot point upon which the whole universe turns that we find an analogy with the Garner also as a place where the good grain is gathered, ( see Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17), for the oxen tread out the grain around just such a pole. Symbolically, Christ is gathering His good grain into His garner.

The Lamb/Ram Sign as the First Sign of the Mazzaroth

This polokrator is also identified with the constellation of the Lamb/Ram, believed to be the first of the zodiacal signs. [Remember, however, that the Hebrews did not use the word ‘zodiac’, a circle of animals, but rather ‘mazzaroth’, meaning “moving things.”] The ancients popularly believed that when the sky revolved to the position where the Lamb/Ram was again the first of the signs of the year, then the whole universe would be transformed. By referencing the symbol of the polokrator, the Book of Revelation is declaring that Jesus now occupies, not only this position of power, but also ALL power; not only physical power, but ALL kinds of power in the universe. As the Great Lamb of God, He is in this first position; it is therefore the time for the transformation of the universe.

*Malina, Bruce J. On the Genre and Message of Revelation. Hendrickson Publishers. Peabody, Mass. 1995.  

Lesson 7 Of Series – To Vindicate Christ As A True Prophet

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Jesus had predicted the destruction of Jerusalem saying:

“…this generation will not pass away till all these things take place.” (See Matt. 24:34 and Luke 21:20-32, (RSV). This is construed by dispensationalists as having never yet been fulfilled, but awaits a yet future coming, appearing, or revelation. Rather, Christ’s promise of a contemporary fulfillment must be seen in the perspective of the tests commonly required of a prophet in that time to determine whether or not he was indeed a true prophet; tests advised by Scripture as well as good sense. (See Lesson 2 “Tests Of A Prophet.) Jesus fulfilled these requirements.

It was morally imperative in 68 AD that this event take place soon because Christ had predicted that the generation who heard Him pronounce the prophecy would live to see its fulfillment and that generation was fast passing away by this time.

The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was the vindication of Christ’s claim to the role of a true prophet and completed the proof of His identity as the Messiah.

When Christ was proven to be a true prophet, those who had rejected, and killed Him, were condemned and became guilty of innocent blood as well as blasphemy and deicide. Those who had charged Him with being a false prophet because He had foretold the destruction of the city and the temple were now themselves proven guilty.

CHRIST REVEALED AS A TRUE PROPHET

Jesus knew that the end of the appointed times prophesied by Daniel was near, (Matt. 24, etc.). Although neither the day nor hour was known, the prophet Daniel had predicted the year. If Daniel’s predictions of an “end” had not come to pass in the appointed time as specified, he would have been considered a false prophet and his words would not have found a place in the Biblical canon, and we would never have heard of him. Jesus declared that “the [appointed] time is fulfilled,” (Mark 1:15). He was speaking of an ‘appointed time’ that the people to whom He spoke were well aware, the time appointed by the prophet Daniel.

Likewise, if Jesus’ predictions of the “end” of Jerusalem and the nation had not come to pass in the specified time, that is, “this generation,” He would have been called a false prophet, His words would never have been considered sacred, and we would never have heard of Him. But both Daniel and Jesus were proven to be true prophets by the fulfillment at the ‘appointed time’ of their words, – not some imaginary or esoteric calculation of ‘time outs’ but by the exact science of time-telling known to the faithful priests of Israel, based upon the movements of the heavenly bodies, (Genesis 1:14).

Daniel’s Weeks of Years and Times Calculated

Many eminent scholars have attempted to calculate these times and coordinate them with recorded historical events. From their work there is every reason to believe that the predictions were accurate, although the historical records they have to work with are fragmentary and open to interpretation. However, it is enough to know that the New Testament saints believed both Daniel and Jesus and recorded their prophesies as the inspired Word of God. They had access to first-hand information and experienced, in their own lives, the fulfillment. (My calculation of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks according to Biblical and Historical records is in my book, Revelation In Context, at pp. 21-24.)

Furthermore, the New Testament has been proven and can yet be proven true by anyone who will believe, for Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive forevermore and is presently making intercession for us. If He had been a false prophet, God would not have so honored Him.

Did Christ Come In The Clouds As He Had Promised, Matthew 24:30?

The question, then, is whether or not Christ’s prophecy was actually fulfilled concerning His appearance in a cloud “with power and great glory.” The view popular with dispensationalists and pre-millennialists is that the events of Matthew 24:30 “did not take place after the fall of Jerusalem.” (See next lesson for the full account of His appearing in the clouds.)

Next Lesson: Signs In The Heavens