Glad Tidings
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. John 4:35 Volume 14, Issue 5
September/October 2010
Glad Tidings July/August 2010
Glad Tidings
Something to Consider ....................... p. 3
is published six times per year by
by Vince Finnegan
Living Hope International Ministries
Demonology VI ................................... p. 4 by Vince Finnegan
458 Old Niskayuna Road,
Turn Your Foot From Evil ................... p. 5
Latham, New York 12110 USA
by Mary Ann Yaconis Yahweh The Existing One .............. ... p.7
Office
518.785.8888
by Vince Finnegan
Fax
518.785.1990
Congo Connection .............................. p. 8
info@kingdomready.org
Website www.kingdomready.org
by Richard and Cheryl Elton Our Lord’s Ministry ............................. p.9 by Vince Finnegan Jesus Is The Son Of Man .................... p. 11 by Sean Finnegan
Glad Tidings is mailed free to anyone who requests it. Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
Hoe Down Saturday October 16th
mark these important dates on your calendar!!
BEC Classes Begin September 28th 2
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:
Ambassadors For Christ
Dear Ambassadors, What does God want me to do with my life and service for Him? What is my calling? What is my ministry? What is the mission? For centuries, many sincere Christians have repeatedly asked these questions. The answers are found in one section of Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” We each have a unique and personal calling to serve within the Body of Christ, and we all have the united ministry that is the ministry of reconciliation. We are all ambassadors for Christ. We, the reconciled, are commissioned to be agents to those still needing reconciliation. We carry out this ministry by speaking the word of reconciliation, which we also call the gospel of the Kingdom. Our task is not to reconcile a person; that is God’s job through Christ Jesus. We are privileged to speak the Word that, if believed, draws people to God. Jesus died for, or in place of, us –“so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” Jesus died as the sin offering for us so that we might now live for him. When he walked the earth, he was the ambassador of reconciliation. Now that he ascended, we are ambassadors for or in place of him. We are his representatives with a specific message to communicate on his behalf to the world. Jesus leads this mighty accomplishment by working with us through the holy spirit. Openness to his leadings, willingness to respond accordingly, and boldness to speak forth are all that we need to fulfill our ministry. We are ambassadors for Christ! God Bless You,
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Demonology VI By: Vince Finnegan
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esus gave the twelve disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out; and then, according to Matthew chapter 10, he sent them on a temporary missionary itinerary during which time they exercised the authority. In like manner, he commissioned 70 disciples and sent them two by two. Upon their return, they reported to Jesus “even the demons are subject to us in your name.” Our Lord’s responses were as follows: Luke 10:18-20
Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. ["But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."]
Peter, James, and John on the mountain, which we now call the Mount of Transfiguration. The Master and his top apostles were not there, so the father settled for what he must have considered poor substitutes. He obviously did not hold faith that they could do the job. We do not know how the father or the child presented himself to the disciples, but we do know the disciples also did not have faith in this particular situation. I have had people request help from me without truly believing I had the ability to “that the smallest of faith is enough help. Their negative attitude and lack of confidence affected my . . . faith is indeed required.” helpfulness. If I failed to persuade them to confidence, the encounter ended fruitless for both parties. Such situations like this can even ill effect how the minister views himself or herself.
. . ."I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject if you have faith the size of a mus- Jesus emphatically teaches the to you, but rejoice that your tard seed, you will say to this moun- disciples that the smallest of faith names are recorded in heaven." tain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and is enough to cast out demons but also that faith is indeed required. it will move; ~ Matthew 17:20 Jesus gave his disciples undeniVerse 21 is in parentheses in the able power over demons, which NAS Bible because early MSS do they used quite successfully; not contain this verse. The incluThe disciples who already had apparently, however, they did not sion of the verse introduces a success casting out demons were do so consistently. While Jesus perplexed as to why they had was on the Mount of Transfiguraconcept that is not consistent with difficulty this time. An audacious tion, a man brought his “lunatic” any other records in the Gospels Jesus responds in a forceful, son to the disciples for deliverand the book of Acts. Jesus’ ance, but they were ineffective. confrontational way as if to say, disciples had and today have “What is the matter with you The father then came to Jesus for authority to cast out demons, so people? I gave you the authority; help and the following dialect neither prayer nor fasting is you have the authority; and you ensued. needed, both of which are have to use the authority without Matthew 17:17-21 reservation.” enormously important in many Jesus answered and said, "You ways. The requirement to cast When the man first pursued healunbelieving and perverted out demons is faith! ing for his child, we can assume generation, how long shall I be he was looking for Jesus and not with you? How long shall I put his disciples. Jesus was busy with up with you? Bring him here to 4
Turn Your Foot From Evil By: Mary Ann Yaconis
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mbassadors for Christ are those who not only preach the gospel, but also live according to the gospel. Therefore, Christians are those who maintain virtuous living rather than succumbing to the immoral lust of the flesh.
2 Peter 1:3, 4 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. When we partake of God’s nature, we are refusing to allow the world to ruin our lives with evil desires. The qualities to partake of are moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. 2 Peter 1: 8, 9
For if these
qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or shortsighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. When we partake of these superb qualities, we are useful to God and then are true ambassadors for Christ. Where we lack in these virtues, we are generally deceived and thinking only of our momentary lustful pleasure or removal of emotional pain. The promise of God that results from partaking of these virtues is tremendous! 2 Peter 1:10, 11 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; stumble for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. you [Emphasis is added.] The words that are used in 2 Peter 1:10 and 11 are emphatic
and important. We are to be DILIGENT and to PRACTICE so that when temptations strike, we will not stumble. The Scripture verses in Ephesians 4 are very clear concerning thoughts and actions that make us stumble. It begins in our futile (useless, senseless, ineffectual, unsuccessful) mind that has a darkened understanding and is ignorant of God. All of this develops a hard heart. A hard heart is calloused (being heartless, cold hearted, cruel). The hard heart stems from living in the lust of the flesh and PRACTICING every kind of impurity − not just a li5le practicing, but greedy for that impurity. (See Ephesians 4:1719.) The section that follows in Ephesians 4 emphatically tells us that the sin patterns of our old former self are to be laid aside. Most importantly, we are made new by the spirit of our mind so that the new self, which is created in righteousness and holiness, gives no thought to any sin. Parallel to these verses in Ephesians, Proverbs 4 is very clear about this matter of knowing the Word and living it. Proverbs 4: 20-27 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from (Continued on page 6)
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Turn Your Foot From Evil Continued. . . (Continued from page 5)
it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. Concerted effort is required in order to manage our thoughts to reflect righteousness, but it can be done. There are multiple distractions/sins that turn our attention away from looking straight ahead and keeping our foot securely on the path of righteous living. Big problems all started with one small errant thought that was not summarily dismissed. Below are some examples. Lying: As adults, we are tempted to lie for reasons that are self-serving or out of a belief that the lie may “help” someone else. The idea is NOT to lie. Don’t do it the first time. When we tell the lie, it expands and takes on a life of its own. Thinking about telling a lie heads our foot toward evil. The FIRST time we lie leads to destruction, which results in being a liar. The father of lies is the devil (John 8:44), and we become his servant. Hence, just do not tell the first one; speak the truth. Be obedient to God. Stealing: Again, as adults, we think we can take something
that does not belong to us, and yet this action turns our foot slightly to the side for a little evil (a pencil here, a dime there). As a result, we become a thief. A little thievery easily magnifies into a terrible sin pattern. Ananias and Sapphira are recorded in the book of Acts carrying out a plan to cheat God. This ended badly. We are to have self-discipline and to restrain ourselves the first time. Divorce: We know from God’s
“. . .walking upon God’s path gives us entrance into the Kingdom of God.”
Word the importance of the commitment to one another in marriage. This is an example of our commitment to God. When in a repeated heated argument the big “D” word (divorce) first comes out, it opens up the slippery path to destruction. Statistics for the United States for divorce show that 45 – 50% of all first marriages end in divorce; 60 – 67% of all second marriages end in divorce; and 70 – 73% of all third marriages end in divorce. It is paramount that we do not let our foot turn. In that case, what determines whether our foot turns? The thought we hold in our minds makes our foot turn toward 6
evil or stay upon that path of righteousness. Drug/Alcohol Abuse: The evidences of the horrors of drug and alcohol abuse are rampant in our society. The total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States, including health and crimerelated costs and related losses in the workforce, exceed half a trillion dollars annually. (To help with understanding a trillion dollars, the war in Iraq only costs about $200 billion dollars a year.) This number does not begin to cover the cost to abused children, family disintegration, domestic violence, and other crimes (NIDA). Millions of dollars are spent on drug programs that say, “Just Say No.” Teens are pleaded with not even to smoke one marijuana cigarette. Why? The first one leads to the next. One can become sober and clean, but the emotional and physical toll it requires every day to remain that way takes away energy that is rightfully for us to use to worship God. God wants us to turn from evil and not entertain it. Fornication: There is only one first time. After that, having sex outside of marriage, watching pornography, or acting out in other sexually unholy ways becomes easier and easier. Then when deception is lifted by God’s grace and mercy and the desire is to do God’s will, the (Continued on page 7)
Yahweh, The Existing One By: Vince Finnegan
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hat is Your name? Moses inquired of God so he could answer the Israelites when they would question Moses. The response given helps us to understand the name of God and the meaning of His glorious name.
Exodus 3:14-15 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM;" and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM [hayah] has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD [Yahweh], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. The words “I am” are translated from the Hebrew word hayah, which is the “to be” verb associated with God’s proper name, (Continued from page 6)
foot, out of habit, appears to turn all by itself to go down the wrong path. The mind then is in a continual battle to maintain the path of God. The main point of this article is very evident. 2 Peter 1:11 states that by living a godly, virtuous life, we will never stumble. God has given us the ability to have the
Yahweh. Hayah was translated elsewhere in the Bible, 75 times in total, as “was,” “come to pass,” “came,” “has been,” “were,” “happened,” “become,” “pertained,” and “better for thee.” “I am” is a wise translation in this context because God is indeed always the existing one, the eternal one. We should not misunderstand what is stated here, “I am” is not God’s name; rather, it is what He is. His name is stated in verse 15 when He said “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, The LORD…sent me to you.” The English words “the LORD” are the Hebrew word “Yahweh.” God’s name is Yahweh, which means existing one, eternal one.
peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." “Alpha” and “omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Rabbis did the same with the Hebrew alphabet as a way to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. It is thus equivalent to saying that He has always existed and that He will always exist.
In the book of Revelation, we see the Greek equivalent to Yahweh when John wrote “who is and who was and who is to come.” Revelation 1:4 and 8 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and mind of Christ. The point of Ephesians 4 is to be meticulous, hard-working, pain-staking, and scrupulous in not entertaining sin the first time. If we fail, then stopping it the second time is harder. Stay upon the path that He has made for us because walking upon God’s path gives us entrance into the Kingdom of God. Our foot will never stumble when we constantly think about and have the heart to do the will of 7
God. We can live this way by not entertaining sinful thoughts the first time. Jude 1: 24, 25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Congo Connection
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o give you more of an understanding and appreciation for the lives of our brothers and sisters in the Congo, we want to share with you some interesting facts about the Congo countries.
population is increasing by over 2 million people a year – the seventh fastest growth rate of any nation in the world.
Two countries in central Africa are commonly called “Congo:” Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of the Congo. They are separated by the Congo River.
Democratic Republic of Congo Located on the Equator, this is the third largest African country, with more than 68 million people. It is locally referred to as “Kinshasa Congo” because of the name of its capital city, Kinshasa. Since 1960, Kinshasa has had four names, four flags, and a civil, tribal, and crossborder war that killed more than 3 million citizens. It was known as the Republic of Zaire in the 1970s and the Belgian Congo before that. Presently the DRC is one of the poorest nations in the world. According to the CIA website, the annual per capita income is only about $300, and the life expectancy is 54 years. The
By Richard and Cheryl Elton
(October - April), temperatures are between 85 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. Crime: One of Africa’s most dangerous cities in terms of crime. With roughly 400 homicides per 10,000 residents, muggings, robberies, rape, kidnapping and gang violence are common. Education: Schooling – none 21%; primary 46%; secondary 30%; university 3%.
Republic of the Congo
Kinshasa Facts: Population: More than 10 million in the metro area. Time Zone: 5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time. Economy: Most commercial jobs are in mineral resources, food and beverage processing, tanning, construction materials, ship repairing, chemicals, textiles, cement. Languages: Main languages are French and Lingala. Climate: Warm and tropical. During the dry season (MaySeptember), temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity; and in the rainy season 8
Sometimes called “Congo Brazzaville,” the ROC is a smaller country, with a population of 4 million. The average life expectancy is 54 years, and the per capita income is $3,900 per year. Capital city: Brazzaville – population 1.2 million. Other large city: Pointe-Noire – 550,000. Languages: French, Lingala, many local languages and dialects. Population: 4.1 million Currency: Franc Religion: Christian 70% (Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%), other sects and traditional beliefs 20%, Muslim (Continued on page 10)
Our Lord’s Ministry By: Vince Finnegan
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he mission of the Church today should be an extension of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our motivation, objective, message, and, to a large degree, method should be similar if not identical to his. Some obvious differences exist such as our message today includes his death, resurrection, ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus pointed to these things but did not elaborate on them because they were part of the great mystery. Other differences exist, but this article will focus on those things that are similar.
The main thrust of his ministry was to make known God and to bring people to God. Jesus stated, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” We too want to remain purposeful in the same endeavor and not fall short by focusing exclusively on Jesus, which seems all too prevalent in the church. Jesus presented himself as a means to an end and not the end itself. His effort was and therefore our effort should be to reconcile man back to God.
John 1:18[KJV] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. The Old Testament provides a great understanding about Yahweh, the one true God. Jesus, building upon this foundation, declares the Father as no one before him had done. Jesus was always in harmony with the will of God; therefore, everything He did and everything that He said was what God wanted done and said. When we view his deeds and listen to his words, we see and hear the will of God in manifestation.
Jesus announced the commencement of his ministry by quoting Isaiah 61 in the Nazareth synagogue, according to Luke 4. He said, "The spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the 9
lord." Jesus did preach to the financially deprived; however, “poor” also means a mental state of humility as in “poor in spirit.” Jesus healed a few blind people and yet enlightened multitudes who were spiritually blind. As an extension of him, we as well want to preach and proclaim the gospel that releases the captives, restores sight to blind, and sets free the oppressed. Many well intentioned Christians spend their time, energies, finances, and other resources to do many good things that help people and enhance society. Jesus limited himself to spreading the gospel of salvation to the lost souls. I am not suggesting we abandon good works; but rather that we not allow them to replace that which Jesus held to be the most important. Many times, good deeds can open the doors to speak the gospel to the unsaved. If our deeds hinder us from carrying out the ministry that Christ gave each of us that is the
ministry of reconciliation
perhaps the deeds are not so good after all. A succinct summary of his outreach ministry is recorded (Continued on page 10)
Our Lord’s Ministry Continued. . . (Continued from page 9)
in Matthew 9:35: “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.” One deception we tend to encounter in witnessing is that many people already seem to know about Jesus and the gospel. “The market has been flooded,” so to speak. However, the reality is that very few hold a correct understanding of what God accomplished through Jesus and fewer know accurately the gospel he proclaimed. What people say today in the name of Jesus Christ has little resemblance to his communication recorded in the Bible and often flat out contradicts that which he taught. Many churches have a written (Continued from page 8)
Congo Connection Continued. .
10%. Education: Literacy – 78% women; 90% men.
Interesting Facts about the Congo River Also known as the Zaire River, the Congo River is the largest river in Western Central Africa – 2,922 miles long. It discharges more water into the ocean than any other river besides the Amazon. Kinshasa is located at the south bank, and opposite lies Brazzaville, at the
statement of beliefs, now easily accessed on the internet. The belief in the Trinity is usually the first thing listed which means that most church members believe that Jesus is God! Words fail me to express how incongruous such a doctrine is to our Lord whose life passion and effort were to enlighten people about the one true God. When talking to those who proclaim to be disciples of Christ, we realize that the ignorance does not end regarding the Trinity. It extends to many other subjects, such as, the commonly accepted beliefs that the dead are alive in heaven or hell, heaven is the eternal destination of the righteous, once you are saved you are always saved, and so on. To remain consistent with Jesus, we should proclaim the same message and
shun the notion that everyone already knows. A final consideration in following our Lord was his continual determination to bring the gospel to all people. He was never content to settle into an area and work with a select group of people. The Gospel of Mark illustrates this point when it records how his disciples encouraged him to go back into the town where he had so much success in reaching people. They said, “Everyone is looking for you.” His response recorded in chapter 1 verse 39 was – "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for." We too should remain faithful to reaching out constantly to new people.
north bank. This is the only place in the world where two national capital cities overlook each other from diagonally opposite directions.
ered for their annual meeting in Kinshasa. Hundreds of people attended, some traveling in from other cities and from the ROC across the river.
Ministry Updates
Continue in Prayer
In Kinshasa, our contacts are Rev. Kennedy Kutukwa Nsilulu and his ministry, The Way Restored, and Rev. Kael Samuel Lulekamu and his ministry, Zoe Church. Rev. Armel Ngo leads
As our partnership with these ministries moves forward, we ask for your prayers as decisions are made as to how further to help our brothers and sisters in the Congo. Financial support is also welcomed. Checks can be sent to Living Hope International Ministries in Latham, NY with a notation of “Congo Fund.”
Living Hope International Ministries of the Congo in Brazzaville. In August, these churches gath10
Jesus Is The Son Of Man By: Sean Finnegan
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n the Gospels, Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man more than any other title. Though this title was most familiar to Jesus, it is the most obscure to modern readers. Opinions vary on just what Jesus meant by calling himself the Son of Man. Some believe the title refers to an angelic, heavenly creature. Others think it denotes Jesus’ human nature (as would be opposed to his divine nature). Many consider “Son of Man” simply to be Jesus’ way of saying “I.” Still others think the title relates to Jesus’ suffering and death or his future role as the returning cosmic victor. Rather than consider each of these theories in turn, we will build our understanding from the ground up, starting with the Old Testament. Then we will move to consider two extrabiblical Jewish texts before finally working on the New Testament. Son of Man in the Old Testament
“Son of man” usages in the Old Testament divide into three categories. The first twelve occurrences place “son of man” in parallel with man. Here are two examples. Numbers 23:19a “God is not a man, man that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, man that He should repent; Psalms 8:4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? In both of these verses, synonymous parallelisms equate man with son of man. This is a standard feature of Hebrew poetry that helps us understand how words and phrases are similar to each other. In fact, every single usage of “son of man” is found in this kind of construction up until the book of Ezekiel. So, the first conclusion of our study is that “son of man” was just another way of saying human being. More than eighty-six percent of “son of man” occurrences are found in the prophet Ezekiel. Each time God is addressing Ezekiel: Ezekiel 2:1 Then He said to me, "Son Son of man, man stand on your feet that I may speak with you!" Ezekiel 11:4 “Therefore, prophesy against them, son of man, man prophesy!” The phrase does not denote a special role that Ezekiel plays; it merely stresses the fact that he is a human being as opposed to God or the other non-human entities mentioned throughout 11
the book. Another prophet who is also addressed as son of man is Daniel: Daniel 8:17 So he [the angel, Gabriel] came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Son Son of man, man understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end." Like the examples in Ezekiel, this verse contrasts the fact that Daniel is a human with God and the angel who are giving him a revelation about the future. So far, out of the 107 instances of “son of man” in the Hebrew Scriptures, 106 of them are just another way of saying human being. Even so, one more verse remains, and this text more than any other provided the impetus for thinking about son of man as a particular title (i.e. the Son of Man). Daniel 7:13-14 13 "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion (Continued on page 12)
Jesus Is The Son Of Man Continued. . . melts when it feels the fire.
(Continued from page 11)
is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
Daniel had just seen a startling vision of various world empires which appeared as beasts coming out of the chaotic ocean waters. Each of these empires is described briefly until finally the prophet’s attention turns upwards to see one “like a Son of Man” coming with the clouds to God and was given eternal rulership over the whole world. In this vision, “Son of Man,” like every other instance in the Old Testament, stresses the humanity of the person. As opposed to the beastly empires, at last a human kingdom would supplant all others. This one resembling a Son of Man stands for both the nature of the final empire as well as the character of its ruler. Though, little more can be deduced about this mysterious human figure from Daniel, we can observe how Jewish literature thought about this text thereafter.
Son of Man in Extra-Biblical Jewish Literature Outside of the Old and New Testaments, the Jewish people produced a good deal of other literature. There are historical, fictional, proverbial, and prophetic writings which comment on major figures and themes in the Hebrew Scriptures. These sources are helpful to understand how Jewish people around the time of Jesus were thinking about matters in a way similar to someone a thousand years from now while studying someone in our own time could observe what movies were most popular in the early twenty-first century in order to understand background information. Two texts in particular that give us a window into how the Son of Man was understood are The Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra and The Similitudes of Enoch. Written in the first century, The Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra (also called 4 Ezra) provides a glimpse into Jewish thinking about the Son of Man around the time of Jesus. Here is an excerpt: 4 Ezra 13:3-4 3 As I kept looking the wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea. And I saw that this man flew with the clouds of heaven; and wherever he turned his face to look, everything under his gaze trembled, 4 and whenever his voice issued from his mouth, all who heard his voice melted as wax 12
This “figure of a man” goes on to defeat an innumerable multitude with a stream of fire from his mouth which instantly turned them to ashes. Next he calls to himself another multitude of peaceful people who rejoice to see him. Later on, when the dream is interpreted, the human figure is revealed to be “he whom the Most High has been keeping for many ages, who will himself deliver his creation; and he will direct those who are left” (4 Ezra 13:26). A few verses later, he is called God’s Son (4 Ezra 13:32). Let me stress that this is not a Christian document, nor did the Jews consider it Scripture. It is a fictional work written in apocalyptic style speculating about a famous biblical hero. Even so, it helps us see one way Jesus’ hearers may have understood his selfdesignation as the Son of Man. However, before we turn to the New Testament, we will first consider another Jewish nonbiblical literary work. The Book of Enoch (also called 1 Enoch) breaks into several major sections which were composed at different times. The portion of it that interests us is called The Similitudes of Enoch (1 Enoch 37-71), in which the phrase “Son of Man” is used seventeen times. Composed in the early first century, this Jewish book speaks of the Son of Man as the agent of God’s final judgment: 1 Enoch 69:27, 29 27 And he sat on the throne (Continued on page 13)
(Continued from page 12)
of his glory, And the sum of judgement was given unto the Son of Man, Man And 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…. 29 And 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. This is the third Parable of Enoch. Note that again, like the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra, the human figure from Daniel is spoken of as a particular person (not just as a symbol for God’s Kingdom), and this person serves as God’s agent of final judgment and reward. Furthermore, in Enoch it is clear that the Son of Man will be the king to rule on the throne of glory before God (the Lord of Spirits). All but one of the usages of “Son of Man” in Enoch refer to the end -times agent of God. For both the authors of 4 Ezra and 1 Enoch, “Son of Man” has become a title for a specific endtimes figure, not just another way of saying “human being.” Son of Man in the Gospels Jesus lived in a politically tumultuous time. Rome had occupied the land of Israel for nearly a century, and tensions were mounting. A little more than thirty years after Jesus’ death, the Jewish Revolt began.
It culminated in the sack of Jerusalem and the destruction of the second temple, which had stood for almost six centuries. Because of the Jewish holy days which emphasized deliverance from Pharaoh of Egypt, Haman of Persia, and Antiochus of Syria, the Jews were constantly remembering year-by-year how God had delivered them from oppressive foreign empires. This coupled with the Abrahamic promises wherein God gave the land to Abraham and his descendants caused many in Judea to look for deliverance. There had
“Jesus probably used the title as a humble self-reference.” been several messianic movements before the time of Jesus, and there would be more after him. The people were hungry for liberation, for home rule, for divine intervention, and for the Messiah to come. In such a tinderbox, to claim outright to be the Messiah would have been suicide. In fact, when people found out that Jesus was the Messiah, he generally told them to keep it quiet. (Obviously, this policy changed after his death and resurrection when Christ’s followers began proclaiming Jesus’ identity to all the nations.) Before thinking more about why Jesus preferred calling himself the Son of Man over 13
the Messiah, we need to overview the biblical data. Out of the eighty-eight instances of “Son of Man” in the New Testament, eighty-four of them are found in the Gospels, all on the lips of Jesus. The majority of instances of “Son of Man” are used reflexively by Jesus simply as a substitute for “I.” Here are a couple of examples: Mark 2:10-11 10 "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins "-- He said to the paralytic, 11 "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home." Luke 19:9-10 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." In each of the four Gospels, most of the Son of Man sayings are of this type. The definition is similar to the examples from the Hebrew Scriptures where “son of man” merely means a human being, not that anyone ever doubted Jesus was a human being (at least not until much later). However, none of the occurrences of “son of man” in the Old Testament are reflexive—no one ever calls himself a son of man. Apparently, this way of speaking developed after the close of the Hebrew Bible. Still, I think the two are related. Since a son of man is calling attention to (Continued on page 14)
Jesus Is The Son Of Man Continued. . . (Continued from page 13)
one’s humanity in contrast to God, angels, or demons, Jesus probably used the title as a humble self-reference. At least, this would be one way for his hearers to understand it. Either this was just a common way of speaking at the time of Jesus, or else it was Jesus’ own unique self-designation. If the latter was the case, then probably most people who heard him call himself the Son of Man would just conclude that he was rather humble always to call attention to his humanity and to the fact that his life was a mere vapor which lasts for a moment and then disappears or a flower which blooms gloriously but before long withers away. In fact, Jesus’ own brother James warns against speaking presumptively as if we have more control over our futures than we really do: James 4:13-15 13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." So this is the first layer of meaning − Jesus is the Son of Man because he is a human being and one that humbly recognizes his limitations. In fact, quite a few of the Son of Man
sayings are uttered in the context of Jesus’ impending suffering and death. In order to grasp the second layer of meaning and pick up where we left our discussion of extrabiblical Jewish literature, consider these texts: Matthew 24:29-31 29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY
with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Mark 14:61-62 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
POWER, and
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Luke 17:26-30 26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: Man 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. John 5:26-29 26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Man 28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who (Continued on page 15)
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committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. These sayings and others like them in the Gospels clearly show that Jesus understood the Son of Man to be much more than just a humble title expressing his finitude as a human being. The Son of Man is a title for God’s cosmic agent through whom He will judge His enemies and reward His people at the end of time. This second layer of meaning is rarer than the first layer, but it is highly significant. Furthermore, “Son of Man” can be used as a synonym for Messiah or Christ. Notice the high priest’s question in Mark 14:61 above. He asks if Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus replied affirmatively by quoting from Daniel 7:13 calling himself the Son of Man. Thus, the Son of Man is the Messiah, the Son of God, the one through whom God will set the world right. Even so, this higher more narrow meaning of Son of Man would not be readily assumed by his hearers. The genius of Jesus’ adopting this title for himself was that it allowed for both meanings. We have already seen by observing some extra-biblical texts that
Jews knew of a cosmic figure called the Son of Man who would establish God’s Kingdom. However, we have also seen how in the Jewish Scriptures the phrase always just means a human being. Thus, Jesus’ hearers would have to decide for themselves who they believed him to be. However, if Jesus went around calling himself the Messiah, the Roman authorities would immediately identify him and his movement as a threat and take quick decisive action to eliminate him. Jesus knew this and did not want to cut his ministry short. So, when someone first met Jesus, he or she probably did not immediately think that he was the one who would come with the clouds to subdue all the world governments and bring all people under God’s reign. However, after hearing him speak, watching him heal the sick, or witnessing him cast out demons, some would surely wonder. They may begin to wonder if this rabbi really was the Son of Man rather than just a son of man. Was he the one they longed for? Was he the Messiah? This was the heart of the question Jesus asked his disciples at Caesarea Philippi: Matthew 16:13-16 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You 15
are the Christ, the Son of the living God." In conclusion, the title “Son of man” did not automatically mean Messiah or Son of God. Though all of the usages in the Old Testament refer to an ordinary human being in contrast to God or other spiritual beings, by Jesus’ times, “Son of Man” had become the title for God’s agent who would usher in the age to come in power and glory. Thus, both meanings were true of Jesus, and he knew that very well. He is the humble son of man who suffered and died as the representative of all humanity. Even so, the good news is that the story did not end with a dead Messiah in Joseph of Arimathea’s cold dark tomb. God vindicated him, raised him from death to immortality, and exalted him by ascending him to His own right hand—the highest place of authority in the universe. This humble representative man, this son of Adam and Son of God, will come and accomplish his full role as the Son of Man when he is “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution” (2 Thes. 1:7-8) on the day “when he comes to be glorified in his saints…and to be marveled at among all who have believed” (2 Thes. 1:10). Maranatha—Come Lord Jesus! (All Bible quotations are from the NASB. 4 Ezra was quoted from the NRSV. 1 Enoch was quoted from Charles’ OT Pseudepigrapha, volume two.)
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