Jesus, The Son of Man & Other Titles

Believe in the Gospel of John; Part 7:

Our last study brought us to the 7th occasion the Greek word “pisteu’o” is used in the Gospel of John (where its found 100 times; translated “believe” in 99 cases and “commit unto” once in the King James Version). I purposely skipped over something Jesus said to Nathaniel in John 1:5151 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

with the intention of coming back to it. In response to Nathaniel’s statement: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel,” John 1:4949 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

b, “Jesus answered and said unto him, because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:50 & 5150 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

. The phrase I skipped over but address now is “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:51b. First we note that Nathaniel acknowledged Jesus as “the Son of God” but when Jesus answered and told him he would witness angels ascending and descending upon Him, He referred to Himself as “the Son of man.”

In the New Testament Jesus has many titles of His one Person, each representing different relationships He sustained. (Some references to Appendix 98 of the Companion Bible are made here.) He is called “Emmanuel,” Matthew 1:2323 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

; the “Christ,” the “Messiah” of Israel; the “Lamb of God,” which taketh away the sin of the world, John 1:2929 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

, 36; Acts 8:3232 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

; “I AM,” John 8:4848 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

(see also Exodus 3:1414 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

); “The Lord Jesus Christ,” Acts 11:1717 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

; The “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” Revelation 19:1616 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

, as well as other titles. Today we will consider His office or title “the Son of Man” compared to that of “the Son of God.”

In the e-sword Bible application I find His exact title “the Son of God” 44 times spread relatively evenly throughout the New Testament (most often in the Gospel of John and in 1 John and only 4 times in the Pauline epistles). The first time this title occurs is in Matthew 4:33 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

: “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” The Companion Bible, Appendix 98 XV notes the title “the Son of God” expresses the relation of the Son to the Father; Jesus having been conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, Matthew 1:2020 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

. As the Son of God, Christ is the heir of all things, Hebrews 1:22 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

; is invested with all power and is the Resurrection and the Life, John 11:25 - 2725 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

, having power to raise the dead, John 5:2525 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

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On the other hand, in the e-sword Bible application I find His exact title, “the Son of Man” 88 times, most prominently in number in Matthew, Luke, Mark and then John. (Interestingly, this title is not found in the Pauline epistles and for good reason, as Paul discloses our heavenly calling as opposed to the earthly calling of Israel.) Simply put, Jesus’ title “the Son of man” relates to His dominion in the earth. The first man Adam was given dominion over the earth and everything in it, Genesis 1:2626 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

but because of his fall this dominion was forfeited and lost to any of his progeny and is now in abeyance. (Satan has attempted on occasion to raise men up to take dominion of the earth but each attempt has fallen short, ... so far.) But, whereas Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, has the power and is the Resurrection and the Life, John 5:25, He, as the Son of Man, has the power to forgive sins, Matthew 9:66 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

and to execute judgment, John 5:2727 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

. In the first reference to the Son of Man in the New Testament we read that He did not have a place to lay His head, Matthew 8:2020 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

. As the Son of Man He was betrayed, Matthew 17:2222 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

; 20:18. But the last time the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as the Son of Man in the New Testament, He is pictured as Supreme Ruler with the power to judge all: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Revelation 14:1414 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

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But what about Jesus’ statement to Nathaniel: “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:51b. The only time I can find in the record of Christ’s earthly ministry where the angels ministered to Him was immediately after the 40 days he spent in the wilderness while being tempted by Satan, Matthew 4:1111 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

, which was prior to the time He called Nathaniel. He could have called 12 legions of angels (63,600 to 72,000 by Roman standards) to save Him when He was taken to be crucified, Matthew 26:5353 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

, but He didn’t. Instead, He willingly offered Himself to that task because that was the reason He came to earth, John 10:17 & 1817 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

; to take sinful mankind’s sins on Himself, 1 Peter 2:2424 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

, and save us, 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 41 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

; Galatians 1:44 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

; Colossians 1:2222 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

. It is truly amazing; He hung there all alone for 6 hours, suffering the most agonizing pain imaginable; the last 3 hours in total darkness as even His Father forsook Him while His life blood drained out, all for the benefit of the those who put Him there, Matthew 26:2828 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

; Colossians 1:1414 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

; Hebrews 9:12 - 1412 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

. There were no angels ministering to him then.

Our English word “angel” is from the Greek “ang’gelos” (G32), meaning literally a messenger, found 186 times in the New Testament. Angels are prominently referenced in Matthew and Luke, including their being associated with Jesus Christ in His office of “the Son of Man” when He establishes His Kingdom here on earth, for example: “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity,” Matthew 13:4141 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

; “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:2727 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

; “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:” Matthew 25:3131 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

. Notice that each of these particular verses reference His title “the Son of Man” in conjunction with “angels” in relation to that future time when He will return to this earth at the end of the Tribulation period to establish His Kingdom on earth, as promised Israel throughout the Old Testament and during His earthly ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

“Ang’gelos,” translated either “angel” or “angels” is found 76 times in the book of Revelation, the most often in any New Testament book, Revelation being that which foretells what is going to happen during the 7 year Tribulation period at the end of which Christ returns to establish His Kingdom and rule on earth. However, I’ve been unable to find a specific reference to “angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man,” as Jesus told Nathaniel, John 1:51b. Therefore, in His statement, Jesus must have been referring to the time in that future Kingdom when He, as the Son of Man, will judge this earth during the Tribulation and subsequently rule His Kingdom on earth during the Millennium period. So, knowing when and where Nathaniel is going to see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man is another one of those things about which we are going to have to wait, just like we have to wait to learn many other things, like who those saints were and what happened to them after their graves were opened and they went into Jerusalem after Jesus Christ’s resurrection, Matthew 27:52 & 5352 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

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