Matthew 24:29-31 (NRSVCE)
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the suffering of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’
with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call,
and they will gather his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
Though we don't know when, but the Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ is coming back for sure. But as we ponder of His coming, have you consider to get ready with the coming of Jesus Christ, The Son of Man? Are you excited to see Him coming on the clouds of Heaven?
Honestly, I am on the pondering stage still about His coming, I might say I want to see Him coming on the clouds of Heaven, getting ready, but not prepared yet.
Let me share then my pondering so as to get ready. First I mull over why did Christ Jesus used ‘The Son of Man’ with regards to His coming rather than ‘The Son of GOD’. Why Jesus still used that title, when at that time, Jesus had already had all splendors and He is of great power and glory riding on the clouds of Heaven.
Searching the Holy Scripture, Jesus often used this Title ‘The Son of Man’ in connection with the ideas of His suffering and humiliation while He is on earth and also the power that He has as The Son of Man, and the glory and honor that the Son of Man will have after He had fulfilled those prophecy written about Christ in the Old Testament. So the Title ‘The Son of Man’ will connect us right away about His suffering and sacrifice made for us. And these made us acknowledge Him being the Christ, the Messiah.
At these thoughts, the Holy Spirit leads me to the passage of what Jesus have told in Luke 12:8-10. Here is what it says;
8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Although Jesus as The Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6), He revealed that in verse 10 of the former passage, that everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. My pondering continued to Jesus Covenant of Forgiveness through His Blood (Matthew 26:28) that is still available for us in this days. Though my thoughts are not the whole answer to why Jesus still use the Title ‘The Son of Man’ instead of ‘The Christ’ or ‘The Son of GOD’ who already possessed all the power and great glory now and at the time upon His coming, I believe, Jesus intend to extend to us, the believers nowadays until He comes, that we will be all forgiven through His great mercy for us, since He will consider that as no one have not sinned, Jesus will take that as our offense on Him as the Son of Man, and thus He could forgive all those who will repent because of Him as still ‘The Son of Man’ until He comes. 1 John 2 says that Christ is our Advocate until now and onto the end of times. John said; “1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
When He left us, He gave us the Spirit through His words (John 6:63), Jesus Christ made the assurance that whenever we do wrong, He will absorb all our sin against Him as the Son of Man and not against the Holy Spirit or against His words. Because those who reject His words through sinful actions will have their judge, the word that He has spoken will serve as the judge (John 12:48). Only then we can say, we are getting ready when we surrendered to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we do not continue to live in sinning.
With regards to preparation, we should be mindful on the examples of Christ, how He lived as the Son of GOD, He chose to suffer and be humiliated as the Son of Man to set us an example (1 Peter 2:21). Receive then Christ and be prepared to suffer, if we endure, we will also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:12). AMEN
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