26. Daß der Herr des Menschen Sohn genannt wird, wo von Seiner

Ankunft die Rede ist, erhellt aus folgendem:

„Die Jünger sagten zu Jesus: Welches wird das Zeichen Deiner Ankunft und der Vollendung des Zeitlaufs sein? Da sagte Er ihnen die aufeinanderfolgenden Zustände der Kirche bis zu ihrem Ende voraus, und fügte in Beziehung auf das Ende derselben noch bei: Dann wird das Zeichen des

Menschensohnes erscheinen; und sie werden des Menschen Sohn in den Wolken des Himmels mit Kraft und Herrlichkeit kommen sehen“: Matthaeus 24:3, 30; Markus 13:26; Lukas 21:27. Durch die Vollendung des Zeitlaufes wird die letzte Zeit der Kirche; durch die Ankunft in den Wolken des Himmels mit Herrlichkeit wird verstanden die Aufschließung des WORTES und die Bekanntmachung, daß das WORT in Beziehung auf Ihn allein geschrieben worden sei.

„Ich sah, und siehe, mit der Himmel Wolken kam eines Menschen Sohn“: Daniel 7:13.

„Siehe, mit den Wolken kommt Er, und sehen wird Ihn jedes Auge“: Offenbarung 1:7. Auch dies vom Menschen Sohn , wie aus Vers 13 daselbst erhellt.

„Ich sah, und siehe! eine weiße Wolke, und auf der Wolke saß Einer, ähnlich einem Menschensohn“: Offenbarung 14:14.

Daß der Herr etwas anderes durch den Sohn Gottes, und etwas anderes durch des Menschen Sohn bei Sich verstanden hat, geht aus Seiner, dem Oberpriester gegebenen Antwort hervor: der Oberpriester sagte zu Jesus: „Ich beschwöre Dich beim lebendigen Gott, daß Du uns sagst, ob Du Christus bist, der Sohn Gottes. Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: du hast es gesagt: Ich bin es; doch sage Ich euch: von nun an werdet ihr des Menschen Sohn zur Rechten der Macht sitzen, und kommen sehen auf des Himmels Wolken“: Matthaeus 26:63-64. Hier hat Er zuerst bekannt, daß Er der Sohn Gottes sei, und nachher sagt Er, daß sie des Menschen Sohn werden sitzen sehen zur Rechten der Macht, und kommen auf des Himmels Wolken, wodurch verstanden wird, daß Er nach dem Leiden am Kreuz göttliche Macht besitzen werde, das WORT zu eröffnen und die Kirche zu gründen; was nicht früher geschehen konnte, weil Er vorher die Hölle noch nicht besiegt, und Sein Menschliches noch nicht verherrlicht hatte. Was durch das Sitzen auf den Wolken des Himmels, und durch das Kommen in der Herrlichkeit bezeichnet werde, ist im Werk vom »Himmel und der Hölle« Nr. 1 erklärt worden.

19. In Relation to His Divine Humanity the Lord Is Called the Son of God, and in Relation to the Word the Son of Man

People in the church know no other than that the Son of God is the second person in the Godhead, distinct from the person of the Father. This has led to the belief that the Son of God was born from eternity.

Because this notion has been universally accepted and has to do with God, no opportunity or consent has been granted for thinking about it with any understanding, not even about what being born from eternity implies. For someone who thinks about this intellectually inevitably says to himself, “This surpasses understanding. But still I say it because others say it, and I believe it because others believe it.”

Be it known, however, that there is no Son from eternity, but that there is a Lord from eternity. When people know who the Lord is, and what the Son is, they may also be able to think intellectually about a triune God, and not before.

[2] The Lord’s humanity, conceived of Jehovah as the Father and born of the virgin Mary , is the Son of God, and this is clearly apparent from the following verses.

In Luke:

...the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, “Hail, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

When she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered how great a greeting this was.

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, ...you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest....

However, Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, the Holy One who is born (of you) will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35)

It says here “you will conceive and bear a Son;” “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest.” And furthermore, “The Holy One who is born (of you) will be called the Son of God.” This makes apparent that the humanity conceived of God and born of the virgin Mary is what is called the Son of God.

[3] In Isaiah:

...the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name God-With-Us. (Isaiah 7:14)

It is apparent that the Son born of the virgin and conceived of God is the one who is called “God-With-Us, ” thus who is the Son of God. The reality of this is confirmed in Matthew 1:22-23.

[4] Again in Isaiah:

...unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; the government will be upon His shoulder. And He will call His name Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

So, too, here, for He is called a Child born to us, a Son given to us, who is not a Son from eternity, but a Son born in the world. This is apparent as well from the prophet’s declarations in verse 7 of the same chapter, and from the declaration of the angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:32-33), where similar words are found.

[5] In Psalms:

I will declare a decree, “Jehovah has said..., ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You....” ...Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way....” (Psalms 2:7, 12)

Neither is a Son from eternity meant here, but a Son born in the world, for it is prophetic of the Lord to come. That is why it is called a decree which Jehovah declared to David. “Today” does not mean from eternity, but in time.

[6] Again in Psalms:

I will set His hand on the sea.... He shall cry to Me, “You are my Father.... ...I will make him My firstborn....” (Psalms 89:25-27)

The subject of this Psalm throughout is the Lord to come. Therefore it is He who will call Jehovah His Father and who will be His firstborn, thus who is the Son of God.

[7] It is the same elsewhere, as where the Lord is called a rod from the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), an offshoot of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6), the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), the only begotten (John 1:18), a priest forever and the Lord (Psalms 110:4-5).

[8] People in the Jewish Church interpreted the Son of God to be the Messiah they were waiting for, whom they knew would be born in Bethlehem.

That they interpreted the Son of God to be the Messiah is apparent from the following passages.

In John:

(Peter said:) “We believe and acknowledge that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69)

Again in John:

“...You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27)

In Matthew, the chief priest asked Jesus if He were the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said, “I am.” (Matthew 26:63-64, Mark 14:62)

In John:

These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.... (John 20:31)

See also Mark 1:1.

[9] “Christ” is a Greek word and means “anointed, ” as does “Messiah” in Hebrew. John says, therefore, “We have found the Messiah, which means, if you translate it, the Christ.” (John 1:42) And in another place, “The woman said..., ‘I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ.’ ” (John 4:25)

The Law and the Prophets, or in other words the entire Word of the Old Testament, has as its subject the Lord, as we showed in the first section, and consequently the Son of God to come can only mean the humanity that the Lord took on in the world.

[10] It follows from this that that humanity was meant by the Son when the Lord was baptized and Jehovah from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22); for it was His humanity that was baptized. And when He was transfigured, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35)

See also elsewhere, as Matthew 8:29, 14:33, 27:43, 54; Mark 3:11, 15:39; John 1:34, 49, 3:18, 5:25, 10:36, 11:4.