The word picture of the Son of Man coming is cited
from Daniel 7:13 several times in the New Testament. Daniel 7:13 is the only mention
of this phraseology in the Old Testament. In that chapter He is not coming
down, but is going up with the clouds to the Ancient of Days. Jesus calls it
“coming in the glory of his Father.” The disciples witnessed this event when
they saw Him ascend in the clouds. From thence He will come to the Ancient of
Days to judge the living and the dead.
Mt 16:28 “Assuredly,
I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they
see the Son of Man coming in His
kingdom.”
Mt 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.
Mat 11:3 and said to Him, “Are
You the Coming One, or do we look
for another?”
Mat 21:5 “Tell the daughter of
Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to
you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
Mat. 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and
all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of
this world; now the ruler of this world
will be cast out.
Jesus told
the Father just before He was crucified, “…now I am coming to you…”
(John
17:13).
Daniel
seven is the key to understanding every New Testament mention of this event. In
that chapter Daniel sees the court scene in heaven. Myriads are there on
thrones in the court session. The Ancient of Days is seated and one like the
Son of Man comes to Him, the books are opened, and judgment is made. Jesus told
exactly when that judgment was made just before He went to the cross. “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast
out” (John 12:31). Daniel said, “the court was seated and the books were
opened” (Dan 7:10). “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has
been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have
conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for
they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and
you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come
down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation
12:10-12 ESV)
Christ died, descended, arose,
ascended, and sat down to judge the world. He is still seated in the court
session judging and making war until His enemies are put under His feet. In
that sense, every eye will see Him coming in the clouds to the Ancient of Days
when they die. John described the same scene Daniel saw. “Then I saw a great
white throne and him who was seated on it… And I saw the dead, great and small,
standing before the throne, and books were opened… And the dead were judged…”
(Revelation 20:11-12 ESV).
Martha said to Jesus, “I believe that
you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (John
11:27). His coming to the Ancient of Days results in His coming into the world.
Revelation 19 pictures Him coming on a white horse (conquest) judging and
making war. He did this in A.D. 70 and has been doing it ever since then. Daniel
7 depicts His coming to the Ancient of Days resulting in a judgment in favor of
the saints that brought about the destruction of the little horn. The disciples
said, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age” (Mt.
24:3). He answered, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until
all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 ESV). The sign of His coming was
the destruction of Jerusalem. That event was the end of the age… the Old
Testament age.
The
following statement by Jesus shows that when He comes to the Father He judges
both those who have died and also the living who are able to witness His
judgments on nations before they die. His “coming” to the Ancient of Days
evidently has to do with coming into the world in some sort of visible
judgment.
“For the
Son of Man is going to come [to the Ancient of Days] with his angels in the
glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he
has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste
death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:27-28 ESV).
The sign
of His coming was the destruction of Jerusalem. The Great Tribulation took
place when Rome invaded. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, Jesus
said, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the
tribes of the [land] will mourn, and [through that sign] they will see the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew
24:30 ESV). Those disciples who were still alive saw Him coming to the Ancient
of Days through the sign. The sign of His coming was the destruction of
Jerusalem.
“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” (Mat 25:31-32). When did He come in His glory and sit on
the throne of His glory? It was when He ascended to the Ancient of Days. This
event is not only when He returns to earth but is now throughout history. How
can nations that no longer exist be judged later? Only individuals can be
judged that way. He is now seated and judging nations based on how they treat
His brothers “from
that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Heb 10:13). The Father promised His son, “For the nation and kingdom
which will not serve you shall perish, And those
nations shall be utterly ruined” (Isaiah 60:12). In A.D. 70 He came and
destroyed Jerusalem. By 600 A.D. He destroyed Rome and has destroyed many other
nations throughout history.
How about the high priest that died in
A.D. 40? Jesus told him, “hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt. 26:64). When
did the high priest see this? Was it not when he died? At death every eye will
see Him coming with the clouds to the judgment seat (Rev 1:7).
Vision language and apocalyptic
expressions are spoken in spiritually metaphorical terms with hieroglyphic word
pictures. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (Joh 6:63). “One like the Son of Man coming with the
clouds” to the Ancient of Days is when He comes to judge the living AND the
dead. He is already judging, ruling with an iron rod, and making war.
“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation” (Isaiah 10:5). God uses evil
nations like Assyria as His rod. “If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him
with the rod
of men and with the blows of the sons of men” (2 Sam
7:14).
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