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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#CC9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="043005a0dwnjzk.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="EDWARD WATSONS WEBWORLD"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B> | </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>EDWARD WATS</B><B>ON'S WEBWORLD</B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION"><U><B>SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PART 1: DOES JESUS HAVE A PREEXISTENCE?"><U><B>PART 1: DOES JESUS HAVE A PRE-EXISTENCE?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="1"><U><B>1</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id87.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PART 2: IS JESUS GOD?"><U><B>PART 2: IS JESUS "GOD"?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="1"><U><B>1</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id89.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2"><U><B>2</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id90.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3"><U><B>3</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>4</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id92.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="5"><U><B>5</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="6"><U><B>6</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="7"><U><B>7</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="8"><U><B>8</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PART 2: CONCLUSION"><U><B>PART 2: CONCLUSION</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id98.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PART 3: ARE JESUS AND JEHOVAH THE SAME?"><U><B>PART 3: ARE JESUS AND JEHOVAH THE SAME?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="1"><U><B>1</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id100.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2"><U><B>2</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id101.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3"><U><B>3</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="4"><U><B>4</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id103.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="5"><U><B>5</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="6"><U><B>6</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id105.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="7"><U><B>7</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id106.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="8"><U><B>8</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id107.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PART 3: CONCLUSION"><U><B>PART 3: CONCLUSION</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SECTION 2: APPENDIX"><U><B>SECTION 2: APPENDIX</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id109.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SECTION 2: CONCLUSION"><U><B>SECTION 2: CONCLUSION</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id137.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBREVIATIONS"><U><B>ABBREVIATIONS</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>[MORMONISM. The Faith of the Twenty-first Century. Volume 1. Edward K. Watson. (Liahona Publications. Copyright © 1998 Edward K. Watson.) pp. 275-276. MORMONISM: Section 2, Part 2, Chapter 4. All rights reserved.]</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <U>CHAPTER 4</U></div> <bR> <div> <B>JESUS: The Son of Man / The  Son of God </B></div> <bR> <div>      The term “ Son of Man” referring to Jesus Christ is used 88 times in the NT with Jesus using the term in reference to himself 84 times. The term “Son of God” referring to Jesus is used 46 times in the NT,<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >1</FONT> and 124 times if its equivalents (the Son, my Son, etc.) are included.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >2</FONT> The usage of these two terms in the NT is very interesting since “The Son of God” is always used by others in reference to Jesus but he himself always used the “Son  of Man”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >3</FONT> with him only using “the  Son of God” indirectly, as the recipient of the term or as a confirmation of the inquiries of others (Matt  4:3,6;  8:29;  14:33;  26:63;  27:40,43; Mark  3:11; Luke  4:3,9,41;  8:28;  22:70; John  1:49;  3:18;  5:25;  9:35;  10:36;  11:4,27). Not once did Jesus ever deny the label of “the Son of God.”</div> <div>      The title, “Son of Man”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >4</FONT> when used in reference to Jesus Christ is vastly different with the 108 times it is used in the OT. In the OT (predominantly in Ezekiel and Daniel), it simply means “man” or “a human” but in reference to Jesus means something vastly more which isn't clearly explained in the Bible. What kind of “Son of Man” feeds five thousand men from five buns of bread and two tiny fish (John  6:7-14)? What kind of “Son of Man” will return in the clouds of heaven (Dan  7:13-14; Matt  24:30;  26:64; Mark  13:26;  14:62; Luke  21:27; Acts  1:9-11; 1 Th  4:16-17; Rev  1:7)?<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >5</FONT> What kind of “Son of Man” has pre-eminence and rules over the entire universe (Dan  7:13-14; Rom  9:5; Eph  1:20-23; Col  1:15-18) and will gather all things within him at the Last Day (Eph  1:10-11; Col  1:20)? What kind of “Son of Man” received the right to judge because he is the “Son of Man” (John  5:27)? What kind of “Son of Man” performs the works he did and be what Jesus was?<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >6</FONT></div> <div>      Jesus was convicted of blasphemy (Matt  26:65; Mark  14:64) but his words didn't fit the charge (Lev  24:15-16). The questions of the high priest and the responses of Jesus merely show Jesus claimed to be the “Son of Man;” the “Son of God” and the “Messiah.” Why was it blasphemy to claim such if the “Son of Man,” “Son of God” and “Messiah” were purely human? It's obvious that when these three titles are applied to one being shows such a being is considered “God.” Anyone who claims to be these three things is claiming to be “God” which explains the reaction of the high priest and these Jewish religious leaders' charge of blasphemy. This proves Jesus was claiming prerogatives that only belonged to God.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >7</FONT> This attitude reflects the previous accusation: “We're not going to stone you for the good deeds you've done but for blasphemy! Because you, a mere man, make yourself God!” (John  10:33).</div> <div>      There is more to the “Son of man” than man/a human when used by Jesus as a self-designation. We understand it to mean “Son of Man” not “Son of man,” and is in reference to the nature and name of the Father. We view God the Father as being “an exalted man” whose name is “Man ” (see MORMONISM: Section 1). It is from God that the entire human family derives its name (Eph  3:14-15). What is the entire human family called? “Man.” If we are called “Man” and our name is from God's name, what then is God's name? Naturally “Man.” We are his offspring, mankind. We belong to his kind. “Man-kind,” after “Man,”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >8</FONT> making the phrase “Son of Man” (i.e., “Son  of Adam”)<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >9</FONT> interchangeable with “Son of God.”</div> <div>      We believe Jesus was telling the truth when he said he repeatedly declared the name of God (John  17:26) but the absence of him mentioning any recognized Divine Name in the NT in reference to the Father shows his repeated usage of “Son of Man” as a self-designation reveals “Man” is one of the names of God, just like some would identify themselves as the “son of Mark” or the “son of Frank” or the “son of Billy-Bob.”</div> <div>      Consequently, the “Son of Man” means Jesus is the Son of “Man” which is one of the names of God. “The Son of Man” = “The Son of God.”</div> <bR> <div> <B>[ENDNOTES]:</B></div> <bR> <div> 1.BAGD. pp. 833-835.</div> <div> 2.DJG. p. 769.</div> <div> 3.BAGD. p. 835.</div> <div> 4.UDNT. p. 39.</div> <div> 5.Also see 1 En 61:8; 62:2-3; 69:27; OTP. 1:42-43,49;  <I>b. Sanh. </I>96b-97a; 98a; <I>Num. Rab</I>. 13:14 (on 7:13); <I>Midr. Ps.</I> 21:5 (on 21:3); 93:1 (on 93:1); <I>Frag. Tg. Exod</I>. 12:42.</div> <div> 6.Also see 1 En 46:1-6; 69:27-29; 71:1-17. From HCNT. 183; OTP. 1:34,49-50.</div> <div> 7.DJG. p. 852.</div> <div> 8.This accounts for the confusion in 19th century Mormon thought concerning the Adam-God theory since “Adam” not only has reference to a specific person, our primordial male ancestor, but also means “man/mankind/humans/head/Homo Sapiens” and “Man” is one of the personal names of Heavenly Father” making “Adam” one of the names of Heavenly Father. Jesus is the “Son of Man” i.e., the “Son of Adam” (ben-adam). See PHEC. p. 167 & f.68. For an examination of this issue see MORMONISM: Section 6.</div> <div> 9.PHEC. p. 167.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="mailto:ewatson@shaw.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:ewatson@shaw.ca"><U>e-mail me!</U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>