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THAT Son of Man

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In the three synoptic gospels, the term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” According to Jesus, “ All the tribes of the Earth ” will mourn when “ they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

Son Surpasses Moses

The  Letter to the Hebrews  next demonstrates the superiority of the  sonly word  by comparing it to Moses, Israel’s Great Lawgiver. Implicit in its argument is the priority of the “ word spoken in the Son ” over even the Mosaic legislation, and at this point in the Letter, the comparison is most appropriate. Moses certainly did mediate God’s law to Israel and was the greatest of the prophets. Nevertheless, the “ Son ” surpasses even him in status and glory.

The Faith of Abraham

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In the  Book of Genesis , God implemented His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His Covenant with Abraham, beginning with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland and sojourn to the “ land that I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from him, and the Covenant would bless all the “ tribes of the Earth .” Moreover, from its start, the promise of territory was and remains central to the Abrahamic Covenant.

Bless the Nations

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The promise to bless all nations in Abraham is brought to fulfillment by Jesus of Nazareth, the true Seed of Abraham .  Basic to the biblical perspective of the redemption of humanity is the Covenant with Abraham and his “ Seed .” This Covenant includes the promise that “ all the nations of the Earth will be blessed in him ,” and that he will have innumerable descendants. But how and when will the nations be blessed by the Patriarch? Who are his descendants, and most importantly, who is the true “Seed of Abraham” destined to inherit the promises?

The Message

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The Gospel proclaimed by Jesus is  NOT  about reforming society or fixing governments. His message summons all men and women to repent and join an entirely new social order and political reality, namely, the  Kingdom of God , and his message contradicts the political ideologies of the present “ evil age .” Responding positively to his invitation is vital considering the approaching end of the existing world order and its disappearance from the Earth.