“When they came together in Galilee, [Jesus] said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.” Matthew 17:21-23 NIV
“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Matthew 20:18-19 NIV
Son of Man is a title of Christ Jesus mentioned in every Gospel account from Matthew to John. In fact, it is mentioned close to 80 times. The Son of Man was a title Christ Jesus used of himself, especially when referring to the work God the Father had sent him to do.
“[Jesus] answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.” Matthew 12:39-41 NIV
“[Jesus] then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
“Then [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-38 NIV
“Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.” Matthew 17:11-13 NIV
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Matthew 11:18-20 NIV
The Son of Man was to be persecuted for our sakes. He was to die for our sins against God upon the cross, as God’s perfect sacrifice. He was to be a Light to the Nations. He was to tell us all we needed to know about the Father, the Holy One. He came to save us from the destruction coming upon this earth. Son of Man referred to the Way of the Cross, the Way of the Suffering Servant, the Way of the King of Kings, the Way of the Perfect Lamb of God, and the Way of the Eternal Presence that Christ Jesus had before he came to us in that humble, tiny child. Son of Man referred to the Messiah, the Righteous One who would come to save us.
“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:7-8 NIV
“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home.” Matthew 9:5-7 NIV
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [John and James] along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
“Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
“When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:36-46 NIV
“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48 NIV
Son of Man was a Messianic Title given to us by the Prophets of God, from God Himself. The Messiah was to come and teach us all that we should know about God the Father—Yahweh, the God of Israel, about Repentance, about Salvation through his work on the cross, and about the resurrection from the dead three days and three nights later. All of this was foretold, just as Jesus explained on the road to Emmaus.
“Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” He [Jesus] said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:24-27 NIV
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” John 16:12-14 NIV
“Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Revelation 19:9-10 NIV
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man [Son of Man, same as in Revelation 1:13], coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.” Daniel 7:13 NIV
Most people will know the title of “Son of Man” as coming from the prophet Daniel, but it is much older, in fact it is quite ancient. It is an Antediluvian Title given by our Great Grandfather Enoch before the flood. It is said that his grandson Noah brought the books and knowledge with him. Many of these things were taught to Shem, and down the line through the chosen sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Book of Jude, written by the half-brother of Christ Jesus, mentions the prophet Enoch and quotes him nearly verbatim. In fact, Enoch—the man who walked and talked with God, was taken up to Heaven and was not (Genesis 5:24)—is quoted by many of the prophets throughout the entire Bible. This is no fairy story, this is not demonically inspired, this is truth. Son of Man is mentioned over sixteen times in the Book(s) of Enoch.
“There I saw One who had a head of days [aged wisdom], and His head was white like wool. With Him was another being whose countenance had the appearance of a man, and his face was full of graciousness, like one of the holy angels. I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, who he was, and whence he was, and why he went with the Head of Days [same as the Ancient of Days, i.e. Daniel 7:13; a name of God, and sometimes of Christ manifest as God in Judgement]?
“He answered and said unto me: “This is the Son of Man who hath righteousness; with whom dwelleth righteousness, and who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden [Colossians 2:2-4], because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen him, and whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits [another name of God] in uprightness for ever. And this Son of Man whom thou hast seen shall raise up the kings and the mighty from their seats [overthrow the rulers of the earth], and the strong from their thrones and shall loosen the reins of the strong, and break the teeth of the sinners.” Enoch 46:1-4 RHC/Ethiopic
“And in that place [the Kingdom of the Elect of God] I saw the fountain of righteousness which was inexhaustible [Christ, the living water]: and around it were many fountains of wisdom; and all the thirsty drank of them [John 4], and were filled with wisdom, and their dwellings were with the righteous and holy and elect.
“And at that hour that Son of Man was named [a name above every name, and every knee shall bow] in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, the Head of Days. 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 [Ephesians 1, Philippians 2]. He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall, and he shall be the light of the Gentiles [Is. 42:6, 49:6; Lk. 2:32; Acts 13:47, 26:23], and the hope of those who are troubled of heart. All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, and will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits [God the Father]. And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, before the creation of the world and for evermore.” Enoch 48:1-6 RHC/Ethiopic
“And thus the Lord commanded the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, and said: ‘Open your eyes and lift up your horns if ye are able to recognize the Elect One [another name of Jesus.]’ And the Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory, and the Spirit of Righteousness was poured out upon him, and the word of his mouth slays all the sinners, and all the unrighteous are destroyed from before his face.
“There shall stand up in that day all the kings and the mighty, and the exalted and those who hold the earth, and they shall see and recognize he who sits on the throne of his glory, and righteousness is judged before him, and no lying word is spoken before him. Then shall pain come upon them as on a woman in travail, when she has pain in bringing forth. And one portion of them shall look on the other, and they shall be terrified, they shall be downcast of countenance, and pain shall seize them when they see that Son of Man Sitting on the throne of his glory.
“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. 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. And the congregation of the elect and holy shall be sown, and all the elect shall stand before him on that day.
“All the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those who rule the earth shall fall down before him on their faces, and worship and set their hope upon that Son of Man, and petition him and supplicate for mercy at his hands. Nevertheless that Lord of Spirits will so press them that they shall hastily go forth from His presence, and their faces shall be filled with shame, and the darkness grow deeper on their faces and He will deliver them to the angels for punishment, to execute vengeance on them because they have oppressed His children and His elect and they shall be a spectacle for the righteous and for His elect: They shall rejoice over them, because the wrath of the Lord of Spirits resteth upon them, and His sword is drunk with their blood.
“And the righteous and elect shall be saved on that day, and they shall never thenceforward see the face of the sinners and unrighteous. And the Lord of Spirits will abide over them, and with that Son of Man shall they eat and lie down and rise up for ever and ever. And the righteous and elect shall have risen from the earth, and ceased to be of downcast countenance. And they shall have been clothed with garments of glory, and these shall be the garments of life from the Lord of Spirits: and your garments shall not grow old, nor your glory pass away [the elect will not grow old] before the Lord of Spirits.” Enoch 62:1-16 RHC/Ethiopic
“There was great joy amongst them, and they blessed and glorified and extolled because the name of that Son of Man had been revealed unto them, and he sat on the throne of his glory, and the sum of judgement was given unto the Son of Man. He caused the sinners to pass away and be destroyed from off the face of the earth, and those who have led the world astray. With chains shall they be bound, and in their assemblage (place of destruction) shall they be imprisoned [Hell], and all their works vanish from the face of the earth.
“From henceforth there shall be nothing corruptible; for that Son of Man has appeared, and has seated himself on the throne of his glory, and all evil shall pass away before his face, and the word of that Son of Man shall go forth and be strong before the Lord of Spirits.” Enoch 69:26-29 RHC/Ethiopic
The title of “Son of Man” was not just referring to the humanity of Christ Jesus, and his work on earth. The Messianic Title was of great importance to the work of the King of Kings, the Righteous Judge, the Holy One of God who would overthrow the kings of the earth, those who persecuted the elect and the body of Christ, those who are reserved for eternal judgement, and would execute God’s Righteous Justice on that Great Day. The title also referred to the King who sits at the Right Hand of God on His throne, who will rule us all in peace, justice, and true righteousness. The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, belongs to the Son of Man.
“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is in your midst.” [Jesus was speaking of himself.] Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. …
“But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.” Luke 17:20-25, 29-31 NIV
“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
“But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” Mark 13:20-27 NIV
“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-57 NIV
“But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes [a pious outward sign that he had heard blasphemy spoken against God]. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. Mark 14:61-63 NIV
“Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:36-42 NIV
“Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.” Matthew 24:29-40 NIV
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:31-32 NIV
Christ Jesus, the Son of Man, came to save us. He chose us out of the world for himself long before we can even fathom because he always existed with the Ancient of Days, God the Father, and through him all things were made (John 1, Hebrews 1, Philippians 2 and Ephesians 1). The plan of redemption was set in motion from the very first, from the fall of Satan (once called Lucifer). It had begun to be carried out the moment that Lucifer/Satan caused the doubt to come into the heart of man in the Garden of God. The Son of Man came to bring us back into the Kingdom and Glory of God once again, restored and renewed into our true nature, just as Christ Jesus was. He is coming to take us home, and that is fact. That is hope in the Son of Man.
“I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers [elders in the church], because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the Evil One. I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the Evil One.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One [Elect One, Son of Man], and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what He promised us—eternal life.” 1 John 2:12-25 NIV
“And it came to pass after this that his name [Enoch] during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of Man and to the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. And he was raised aloft on the chariots of the Spirit and his name vanished among them. And from that day I was no longer numbered amongst them: and he set me between the two winds, between the North and the West, where the angels took the cords to measure for me the place for the elect and righteous. And there I saw the first fathers and the righteous who from the beginning dwell in that place [the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven].” Enoch 70:1-4 RHC/Ethiopic
“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:16-17 NIV
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:3-5 NIV
Remember, dear pilgrims, there is always hope in the King of Kings, in the Son of Man; in the Way, the Truth, and the Life—Christ Jesus. Keep your faith in the Son of Man, and his return for us. Maranatha! Amen.
Painting: “Son of Man” by Shannon Renshaw, copyright 2023
A Pilgrimage Into God's Word 