Untitled Sermon

English Standard Version Chapter 7

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and obehold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the cAncient of Days

and was presented before him.

14  pAnd to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all qpeoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

rhis dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”7 61 But ihe remained silent and made no answer. jAgain the high priest asked him, “Are you kthe Christ, the Son of lthe Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and myou will see the Son of Man nseated at the right hand of Power, and mcoming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest otore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard phis blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they qall condemned him as rdeserving death.

“The term ‘Son of Man’ was not a reference to the humanity of Jesus, but to his divinity. When Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man he was referring to his divinity.”1

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God at his trial (see Mark 14:60-64). This is where Jesus alludes to Daniel 7:13-14: Jesus’ reference to “the Son of Man” who would be “coming on the clouds of heaven.

McDowell quotes Rob Bowman and Ed Komoszewske to explain: “In Daniel’s vision, the humanlike figure possesses all judgment authority and rules over an everlasting kingdom. The notion of frailty and dependence is absent. The description of the figure as coming with the clouds also identifies him as divine, since elsewhere in the Old testament the imagery of coming on clouds is used exclusively for divine figures.”2

1 Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, More Than a Carpenter (Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale House, 2009), 20-1.

2 Robert M. Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2007), 246-7.