The Coming Of The Son Of Man

Please turn your Bibles to Luke chapter 21 that can be found on page 881 if you're using the pew

Bible Luke chapter 21

Please go ahead and stand when you have that. I'll begin reading in verse 25 and there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and on the earth the stress of nations and perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken and Then they will see the

Son of Man coming in a cloud with power in great glory Now when these things begin to take place

Straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Amen You may be seated

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank you today for your word. We thank you today for this promise of Christ That he is coming again

We know that this is not information that is owed to us But that Christ has called us friend

That we are not merely servants being told what to do with no explanation of what the plan is

But that we have been told the plan and so we thank you for this friendship of Christ And we pray that we would grow closer friends with him as we learn more what he has told us of the future

We pray that it would strengthen us for the present in Jesus name. Amen Well, I have good news for you

Jesus is coming again He came once 2 ,000 years ago and he is coming again

The unbelieving world is not anticipating this and they will be surprised when it happens as this explains

There are some who even would claim the name of Christ and say that he is not returning

Perhaps you have heard of hyper preterists or full preterists those who claim that Jesus has already come back

And is never coming again Yet we have his promise that he is returning and when he does it will be worldwide

And a worldwide announcement. It will be great and mighty It will be unmissable and it will be something that happens at the final end of all that we have seen here in Luke 21 and it will usher in judgment

In verse 25 he says and there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and on the earth

Distress of nations and perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves So he describes these signs as existing in the heavens and on the earth

These are great signs and they seem to be linked to one another when he talks about the roaring of the sea and the waves

We know from more modern science and observations that That the moon is linked to the tide

Seems that these are related events the signs in the heavens and the signs on the earth

These will be great This is not describing the same things that were spoken of earlier

Verse 11 it talked about there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and pestilence

There will be terrors and great signs in heaven These are describing things that happen Throughout the time when

Christ is coming on verse 11 Describing those things that would take place up into the fall of the temple and even in a way foreshadowing all those things that take place

Now in our own time as we anticipate the return of Christ. There are still earthquakes

There are signs in heaven as there are meteors and eclipses and all kinds of things

Showing God's power But what is being described here is something much more greater much greater in catastrophic than that Because what it describes here is a global response to that thing describes perplexity

Because of the roaring of the sea distress of nations Verse 26 it says people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world

For the powers of the heavens will be shaken People will recognize that something is going on.

This is not like just now when there are meteors or there are eclipses Where people see these things and they go out to watch them and there's no real fear or foreboding earthquakes and hurricanes

Upset people in some relative measure in local spaces and across single nations, but not across Multiple nations as a worldwide thing that it is describing here

There will be perplexity for the very very powers of the heavens will be shaken

It will be known that something great is coming If you imagine the heavens darkening in ways that are not entirely explainable or even if they are

Entirely explainable but in ways that go beyond the heavenly signs that we are used to It would cause a lot of people to wonder what is going on even just the small things that we have seen the small things the the relatively small thing of COVID the relatively small thing of If you remember back,

I guess it was during 2020 also when there were a lot of fires Maybe it was a year after I don't remember there were a lot of fires and the whole sky around here was just orange or red

You know, it's just very foreboding. That was very localized If you think about how much that would do how much more something that was in the heavens and not just a little smoke on earth

Continues on in verse 27 and then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory

And so what will take place the Son of Man will come will come in a cloud He'll come riding from the heavens with power is the ability to conquer

He will be conquering as he comes He will come with authority it's not just standing there passively, but rather he will come with power and great glory

Splendor we see little hints of this in Scripture and Revelation when it describes

Jesus Christ He being the Son of Man Describes him as being bright describes his eyes like fire etc.

Right? There are things that lets you know that he is there is a splendor about him and This vision that John received probably pales in comparison to what will be known then

Jesus at his transfiguration Gave his disciples some peek into that glory

But what will happen when it is fully manifest when that glory is fully manifest it will

Exceed the splendor that has seen before Verse 28 it says now when these things begin to take place

Straighten up raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near Now what does it mean when it says straighten up raise your heads this contrasting working with With ceasing to work someone has their head down and they're working and they cease to work this contrasting shame with with pride

It seems to be contrasting the response of the nation's in fear and trembling to the response of God's people the nation's will

Be confused they will be in perplexity because of the chaos in the world God's people

Instead will respond with this with their heads Upheld because they will know what is taking place that the hour of their redemption is drawing near It will be reason for them not to fear while the whole world is in fear.

God's people will Will rejoice they will have their heads held up high

Knowing that Christ is coming and that he is Redeeming his people now, of course, he has already provided Redemption through the cross that man may be forgiven yet that freedom from sin the freedom from the

Penalty of sin the guilt of sin all those things are true yet There is a manifestation of that truth that we have not seen because our bodies are still affected by sin we still suffer from death and disease but on that day when

God's enemies are completely defeated and he comes for his people all those things will be rid of so that we will his kingdom will be manifest in its power and The redemption that he provides will be fully manifest.

Thus it is spoken of as redemption likewise Similarly in Hebrews, it says that he will come again to save this time unto salvation

The idea is that not that before it wasn't unto salvation But that the kind of salvation that he's bringing is a different kind of salvation than the one that he has already brought

It is one that will be fully manifest and will take people out of the distresses that they still experience as we

Contemplate the truths that are given to us here think it will be helpful to break this up into three different categories

That is the who of this passage the what of the passage and the wind of the passage is who being?

Son of man the what being judgment and the wind being the end the who

Being the son of man this speaks here of the Son of Man. So I've already said the Son of Man is

Jesus Christ. I Did a search through the ESV found that 26 times in the

ESV. He is called the Son of Man it's a very frequent title that he uses for himself and I don't know if you've ever considered the interesting fact that he uses it

So frequently in third person of himself when he speaks of the Son of Man He does not say

I will come he says the Son of Man will will be coming in a cloud with power in Great glory.

Who is it in Scripture that speaks this way of himself is God who speaks this way of himself well, the

Son of Man on one hand is Speaking of a human thus the title son of man.

It is clear that this is one who has divine quality Especially as he speaks of himself in third person indicating

Divine status he speaks of himself as God speaks of himself Saying that the

Lord will do various things Etc. Now, what is The significance of the title son of man

Why is it that this is an appropriate title for Jesus beyond the fact that he is

Born of man that the Christ is born of the Virgin Mary. It means something much more than that that title it refers to one who is a representative of mankind who functions as a as a leader and Representative of mankind and we see this especially in two different prophets.

Those are Ezekiel and Daniel Ezekiel and Daniel are

Contemporary prophets they are prophets that prophesied at the same time

Ezekiel even mentions Daniel. This is something that surprises a lot of people because you usually don't have

Prophets talking about each other is Great men as Ezekiel talks about Daniel one who has not yet died

But they are contemporaries and Ezekiel even talks about Daniel his contemporary God often gives

Individual prophets, but occasionally he gives contemporary prophets to give complementary messages

Perhaps you're familiar with Elijah and Elisha who Prophesy and complimentary ways against the problems of the house of Ahab Less known and the minor prophets there are

Haggai and Zechariah in Zechariah those two give

Give complimentary prophecies about the need to rebuild the temple well

Daniel and Ezekiel are likewise Contemporary prophets and they speak both of This son of man with Ezekiel that term son of man is applied

Repeatedly to Ezekiel that God calls him repeatedly son of man son of man son of man

So it would be helpful to think what makes Ezekiel a distinct kind of prophet.

What is it that distinguishes his? His prophecies from others his status his office from others

He is a priest he is of the tribe of Levi and his job is to prophesy the the corruption in the temple the the destruction of the temple the the fact that it will not last and Instead that the

God's glory is going to be removed from it and instead in the final chapters of Ezekiel that a greater

Temple will be built and notice. What is Jesus talking about in this passage?

What kicked off this whole passage it is the fact that the temple will be destroyed And so Ezekiel is a priest who is concerned about the temple

It's notable that in the very first verse of Ezekiel Ezekiel 1 1 says in the 30th year in the fourth month in the fifth day

Different theories have been proposed for what that 30th year is being measured from but one interpretation that has been common since the early church and I find the most tenable of all is that it is simply speaking of the years of Ezekiel's life that's not an often way of measuring things, but you do see some instances in Noah's life where things are measured by Hit how many years since his birth?

So when Ezekiel starts everything off in the 30th year that's significant because Ezekiel being a priest the 30th year is the year for priests to begin their ministry, but he is a prophet

That is operating as a priest who has no Who's not in the temple who is in exile, but prophesying about the corruption of the temple

It's glory being removed and that glory being restored in a different temple.

And this is Exactly what Jesus is doing is Jesus not son of man in the same sense representing the people as a priest beginning his

His ministry and the 30th year of his life Telling the people about the destruction of the temple about how if they tear his body down He will raise it up again in three days speaking of the temple of his own body, but then likewise

Him building a temple his church where his glory dwells Jesus is the son of man as a representative of God's people as a priest

Now the other time that the son of man is used with great significance like it's used in Ezekiel is

In his contemporary prophet Daniel. I would like you to go ahead and turn there to Daniel chapter 7 in Daniel 7

Daniel receives a vision of four different beasts. These represent the different kingdoms that will come there's

Babylon and then there's There's Babylon and then there's Persia and then there's

Greece and then there's Rome and out of Rome One arises that there's a horn that grows up out of that final beast

Daniel chapter 7 beginning in verse 9 will read about the ancient of days and then the son of man the ancient of days and Verse 9 it says as I looked thrones were placed and the ancient of days took his seat

His clothing was white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool his throne was fiery flames its wheels were burning fire a stream of fire issued and came out from before him a

Thousand -thousand served him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the court sat in judgment

The books were opened now skipping down to verse 13 I saw in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like the son of man and He came to the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him was given dominion and glory

And a kingdom that all people's nations and languages should serve him His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away in this kingdom one that shall not be destroyed so when it talks about the son of man coming on the cloud of heaven and Jesus speaks of the son of man coming on the cloud of heaven is

Jesus not alluding to this very passage That he is coming with the strength of the king described here one who is given dominion so while the term son of man and Ezekiel refers to one who represents man as a priest here it speaks of one who

Represents man as a king ruling with might dominion coming on a cloud with strength disconnecting the passages

Psalm 104 verse 3 says he lays the beams of his chambers on the waters He makes the clouds his chariot.

He rides on the wings of the wind Describing God it talks about him and his power and his authority in this picture of him riding on the clouds believe that's there's a literal sense in which that is meant not that God has a body but in Christ God does have a body and he will ride on the clouds and it is right to say that God is the

God of heaven exercises power over all creation and the son of man receiving all power from the father rules over his people so when

Jesus calls himself the son of man and talks about him coming he is speaking of himself as a

Representative of mankind in general as both a priest but then also a king who will rule over mankind then we have the what of Is being described this is judgment is describing judgment

He is coming with dominion. He is coming with power The signs of the heavens

Darkening etc. The heavens Having great signs that This corresponding to the great signs on the earth

Shows a great power that Christ is coming with a great power in order to judge all things

Once again, if you just imagine what that would be like so many people go about their lives

Just very consumed by the things of this world consumed by their own their own anxieties thinking about their own needs and Trying to meet them themselves and many people feel quite competent in that especially in our area.

Is there really? Any area with more affluence than ours? It's it's incredible how much affluence is

Concentrated here. And what does Jesus say about the rich man? It is harder for him to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

Why it's because he trusts himself He does not feel the need to contemplate the greater things in life.

He's focused on his own ability to meet his own needs but once the heavens start shaking and it is clear that the

Powers on which people rely thinking that they're relying on their self But really they're relying on God upholding all things once that begins shaking the degree to which people will begin questioning everything asking themselves questions about the

Finitude of their own life and the death that they will eventually face all of that will

Create a great foreboding Recognizing the need to to contemplate the fact that judgment is coming

Now I've mentioned darkness a couple of times that is because I have in my mind

Matthew where the parallel passage in Matthew he focuses particularly on darkness

I'll go ahead and read for you Matthew 24 verses 29 through 31 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the

Sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken then will appear in heaven the sign of the

Son of Man and 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 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 the heaven to the other

So Matthew tells us that the trip that what happens After the tribulation of those days and remember last time we looked at the tribulation

Corresponding to what Luke calls the time of the Gentiles so the tribulation here not referring to something just at the end but talking about the difficulty that God's parents experienced throughout the whole inter advent period between his first advent when he came 2 ,000 years ago and his

His advent yet to come What happens after all that the world?

the Sun Darkening the moon not giving its light the stars falling from heaven

This is a picture of judgment. This is a picture that's used throughout scripture of judgment. It's used

Several times to talk about judgment on particular nations that are representative of the kingdom of the enemy in Isaiah 13 10 speaking of Babylon It says for the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light

The Sun will be dark at its rising. The moon will not shed its light. This is talking about God's judgment on Babylon and Later on in the next chapter.

He talks about the king of Babylon Using the name which is translated in the King James Version Lucifer This has been recognized

By people for a long time by Christians for a long time while it speaks of Babylon It represents this final judgment on the on the kingdom of darkness on Satan then

Ezekiel 32 7 through 8 speaking of Egypt says when

I blot you out I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark I will cover the Sun with the cloud and the moon shall not give its light all the bright lights of earth

I will make dark over you and put darkness on your land declares the Lord God Judgment in both of these is

Symbolized by darkening of the Sun and moon So what is Christ talking about when he's talking about the

Sun and moon being darkened? What will people recognize as they see these signs? What is the foreboding of they will recognize whether they recognize it explicitly or not that judgment is coming and Why does that represent?

judgment Well on one hand it seems quite obvious if God Makes his son to shine on the just and the unjust as this represents a general love

He has for his creation and the taking away of that is a taking away of that Love that final judgment will be the taking away of that love and only letting them feel his wrath but in addition to that we also are told repeatedly of the powers of the heavens as Demonic entities such that a shaking of the powers of the heavens

Represents a final destruction of God's enemies demonic powers Just to read you two passages

Ephesians 2 2 says in which you once walk following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air

The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience the prince of the power of the air

What are the powers of the heavens? What are the power of the air now? God is God of the heavens. This is how Daniel speaks of him

But there is a power of the air that is a demonic power Ephesians 6 12 says for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic powers over this present darkness

They are cosmic powers over darkness now It's interesting that God in judging them essentially gives them over to that darkness.

So the the Tremblings of the heavens the darkness in the heavens represents

God's judgment on the powers of the heavens which represents a Judgment on those who all belong to that kingdom rather than to the kingdom of the

Son of Man That one who is king and priest This is the this is what all that represents now, when

When will this take place this takes place at the end? This is not something that happens and then there's several more stages

The Bible speaks of this age and the age to come this return of the

Son of Man It was what ushers in the age to come there is no time after There is no time after that return now this to walk through the passages that we've had before and give you a reminder of the of the text before and how they have spoken of What will take place?

Let's just begin with verse 9 in verse 9 It says of Luke 21 It says and when you hear of wars and tumults do not be terrified for these things must first take place

But the end will not be at once Nation will rise against nation kingdom against kingdom earthquakes, etc.

Okay, so he says that the end will not be at once as different sign different Wars rumors of wars earthquakes, etc.

Those things go on for Just the whole of the inter Advent period and they have

You can look throughout history and there have been all kinds of calamities. There have been all kinds of wars

These are things that go on throughout. These are not things that Signal the very end the way that he's describing these signs signal the very end, but then after this

He talks about what we read about last week in verse 24 the time of the

Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled now times meaning multiple eras this being all the different eras of The gospel going out to the

Gentiles in between those two Advents Now what happens in the middle of that?

Likewise, we have covered these things before both in recent weeks and also when we did the sermon series on the implications of the

Antichrist But both of those things are mentioned in the text of Daniel 7 which speaks of the

Son of Man and so I think it would be helpful for us to turn once again to Daniel chapter 7 and look at what he says about these things and I will not be able to go in depth to give you all the proofs of the of the timing and of the characters that he speaks of But if you have been following along then hopefully this will hopefully this will connect a few dots even if I'm not able to build the entire cases up for you again and Daniel chapter 7 if you look at Beginning at verse 23

Daniel has asked for an interpretation of the fourth beast that fourth beast

Representing Rome and this is something that is recognized by most

Christians This is not something that's very contingent on Eschat camp of eschatology

What version of the end times you believe on most believe it's Rome, but then they will have different ways of explaining the significance of that So in verse 23 thus he said as for the fourth beast

There will be a fourth kingdom on earth which shall be different from all the kingdoms it shall devour the whole earth and trample it down and to break it to pieces as For the ten horns out of the ten kings and king ten kings shall arise and another shall arise after them

He shall be different from the former ones and shall put down three kings shall speak words against the

Most High and shall wear out the Saints of the Most High and shall think to change the times and the law and They shall be given into his hand for a time times and half a time but the court shall sit in judgment and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed it to the end and the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the

Saints of the Most High His kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey him

Here's the end of the matter as for me Daniel my thoughts greatly alarmed me and my color changed

But I kept the matter in my heart now as we look last week at the end of Daniel Daniel was instructed to seal up the testimony because it is not for his time

He wasn't supposed to understand it all but then we looked at the end of Revelation which spoke of similar things

And found that Christ instructs John That he should not seal up the testimony because it is for him to understand these things at this time are for us to understand

These things are difficult, but they're not so hidden that we cannot understand them so when he speaks of time times and half a time remember that's a

Idiom for three and a half years and we looked at how that was used in both

Daniel and Revelation last week It refers to the inter Advent period it refers to the time between Christ's first coming and time of his second coming

And so he's describing something that takes place over that whole period This is what

Matthew calls the tribulation just that time between the two judgments

Then he says but the court shall sit in judgment in his dominion. This is the dominion of that little horn this one

Representing the Antichrist shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed till the end now if you remember several months ago when we went through second

Thessalonians 2 we saw that the that this man of lawlessness is one who was

Operative in Paul's own time, but would only be revealed later And it was one who would come from Rome and call himself head of the church

But yet persecute God's true followers. And what is this? This is one who comes from Rome persecutes

God's true followers and Somewhere in the middle of those three and a half years his power is taken away

We saw in second Thessalonians 2 that was prophesied that the breath of Christ would come and take away his power this happened in the greatest event that of Western history or really all history since since Christ and That is the

Reformation So the greatest thing in history is the cross and then since that time the greatest thing in history has been the

Reformation That has been that is that point that this is talking about. It's not necessarily a dead sinner point

But it's somewhere in the midst of this three and a half years So we lie on the second half of that now if you're coming in new to all this then

I'm sorry that I'm not able to build up the case for all these things, but if you Go back and you look at the archive of sermons.

I'm hoping that you can find the discerning the Antichrist seer Message that will explain where that is coming from but Evidently enough this is talking about one who is different from the kings that comes before him that comes up out of Rome and persecutes

God's people and whose power is consumed until the end once it is taken away from him and This is what is happening.

Is that Roman Catholicism is declining and his power the Pope's power is being consumed

So this is this is where we are now going back to Luke 21 after after the time of the

Gentiles, then we have this end now we saw that the

Judgment that would come on Jerusalem to destroy the temple foreshadows the judgment that comes at the very end which involves

God's people being surrounded right Jerusalem will be surrounded by enemies What we were told in Revelation 20 is that God's people would be surrounded and That Satan would be released

Once more he would be able to deceive the nations how that's Described here is at the time of the

Gentiles comes to an end in other words, the gospel stops going forward in the same measure that it's going forward now and God's people are surrounded now the difference between that former time when

God's people were surrounded at Jerusalem in 70 AD in this future time is that the temple was destroyed what happens at the final time as God's temple his church

Is surrounded? Meaning that there is persecution everywhere in the kingdom ceases to advance in the same measure that it was before He will come

Miraculously to save his people and this is what we see here that the very final thing that happens

So there's a the the signs that lead right up to the immediate end are Surrounding persecution then signs in heaven and then seeing

Christ in his power now I don't know how immediate each of these signs are. I don't know if that final persecution of the people last ten years

I don't know if the last one year. I don't know if it lasts one month I don't know if the signs in heaven last a year if they last a month, etc but these are the things that come immediately before the end when

Christ returns and they are and this is a

This is a sign that will happen Soon with little warning or excuse me

It is a it is a sign that once it happens Christ return happens soon thereafter.

There is little warning The Bible frequently speaks of this as him being a thief in the night

I'd like to read to you a catalog of verses about this because it is such a frequent picture Luke 12 39 through 40 but know this that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming

He would not have left his house to be broken into You also must be ready for the

Son of Man is coming at an hour. You do not expect first Thessalonians 5 2 through 3

For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night While people are saying peace and safety destruction will come on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman and they will not escape 2nd

Peter 3 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief The heavens will disappear with a roar the elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare

Revelation 3 3 remember then What you received and heard keep it and repent if you will not wake up I will come like a thief and you will not know what hour

I will come against you. That's to the church Sardis Revelation 16 5 behold

I am coming like a thief blessed is the one who stays awake Keeping his garments on that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed

So while there may be some foreboding there will not be time to respond and repent and defend there be no such things once this happens there

There will be no chance for people who are found on the wrong side of his kingdom

Being found against his kingdom rather than in his kingdom. This will likewise be something that is seen universally

This is not something that will just be seen in one place Jesus said that earlier in Luke in Luke 17 23 through 24 and they will say to you look there look here

Do not go out and follow them for as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other

So will the Son of Man be in his day? So in other words, he's warning about what he warns earlier in this chapter of Luke 21

There will be people coming and saying that Christ has returned when he returns It will not be something that's only seen in one place it will be seen across the the signs and the heavens will make it evident across the world and this universal sign will be a sign of the reversal of the

Situations those who have been humbled under persecution will be exalted those who are proud and exalting themselves over God's people

Will be humbled This has been the theme in Luke in many ways something that I've been mentioning a lot as we have read the first chapters of 1st

Samuel is Mary's song Mary's song Really in a lot of ways kicks off this whole book of Luke Before that you see that Elizabeth and Zechariah are waiting for the

Redemption of the people and then what is it that sets apart? Simeon and Anna and the temple it's they're waiting for the consolation of Israel these people who are poor in spirit and Waiting for an exaltation waiting for the proud to be humbled and the humbled to be exalted

This is all This is all Canonized in Mary's song as it were

Mary sings my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my

Savior For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant for behold from now on all generations

Will call me blessed for he was mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name and his mercy is for those

Who fear him from generation to generation? He has shown great strength with his arm he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts and he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate

He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty he has helped his servant

Israel and remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and his offspring forever

He Sends away the rich He fills the hungry and is this not what Jesus has been doing throughout his ministry those who are proud the

Pharisees do not Want know why he's going to the sinners and tax collectors But he is eager to raise up those who are truly humble and spirit those who are coming to him for mercy

But those who are proud and think they have everything in themselves. He humbles on That day there will not be time.

He will come like a thief Whether You face judgment because of your natural demise or because of this supernatural return of the

Sun You do not want to be surprised by Christ coming. Do you not think that there will be time?

There will not be time turn to him now repent of your sins. Now. He is merciful. He is forgiving the

On the cross he has died for his people He welcomes all who come to him into his kingdom

Do not be like the one who thinks that they can just save following Christ for the end of their life or think that they can get their act together before they come to him as It says in that one hymn that we sing if you tarry until you're better You will never come at all don't be like the man who built up his barns

Thinking that on that day he would then rest it was all taken from him.

He had been foolish I consider Pharaoh. What did Pharaoh do? He hardened his heart repeatedly until that ninth sign came.

What was the ninth sign? darkness Was there time for him to repent when the ninth sign came by this time?

His heart's too hardened. And so what came next death death of the firstborn son

Death in his own household and yet God gave to his people a lamb Lamb to die in the place of them.

They could put the blood on their houses and the Their sons were saved and what does this represent

Christ as he will explain in the upcoming chapters represents himself that he is The Passover lamb.

He is the one who has died in place of those who trust in him Do not be like Pharaoh Hardening your hearts until that darkness comes that ninth sign comes and then the tenth sign

Comes soon after and there is no time to repent come to him now Turn to him now if you are not part of his kingdom, you will be destroyed the other kingdoms have no chance no chance

If you are part of his kingdom then continue Resisting temptation and continue doing so encouraged.

Why has he given us this information? He has told us these things in order that we would be able to endure and yet he likewise does not give us a time for the very same reason

He has told us that it is a certain time He has told us that it is a finite time so that we would march toward that end

But he has not given the day or the hour why so that we would be always ready and watchful

Be always ready and watchful Resist temptation knowing that it is a short time that you have on this earth and he is coming

Live awake live vigilantly live in the light rather than the darkness

Those who live in darkness will have more darkness heaped on them and they will be judged Live courageously on that last day.

Everyone else will be struck with foreboding and perplexity But God's people will be able to raise up their heads knowing that the redemption has drawn near if this will be true

Then ought it not in a great measure to be true now that we know our redemption is coming

Even if it is a ways away still Should we not live as people who know that there is no condemnation for us

Do not be ashamed of the gospel as you interact with the world Do not worry about what they think about you on that last day

It will be clear what they should think of you and what they should think of themselves Speak boldly now

There's another way to think about your role in this time in between the two advents, but on a particular side of that given the the rough middle point the thing that happens in the midst of that where the little horn has his power taken away and That is the way that you should think about Christ's status as a son of man

Having importance in your own life what it means to live in light of that Consider how

Jesus Christ is called the only begotten Son of God and in him we are sons of God Hopefully you who are students of the

Bible that is a very intuitive thought for you that Jesus is the only begotten Son and yet In him we are sons of God and share that status in a secondary way

Can that be true? Can that be said of being sons of man? Can we say that we are sons of God in the only begotten

Son? Can we say that we are likewise sons of man in the

Son of Man? I? Would argue that if you understand what that term means, yes, you can in 2nd

Peter Or excuse me in 1st Peter chapter 2 He speaks of the temple that Christ is building and remember

Christ is talking about the destruction of the temple and in 1st Peter He's talking about the creation of his temple the church

And what does he say about us being put together as living stones? How does he describe us but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation of people for his own possession a

Royal priesthood think about what that term means. What is the meaning of Son of Man with those contemporary prophets?

Ezekiel pointing to the term Son of Man representing priesthood Daniel pointing to the term

Son of Man representing kingship. What are we in Christ Jesus the only Priest and King we are

Secondarily priests and kings in him. We are if you have trusted in Jesus Christ. You are part of a royal priesthood and So, what does that mean if he?

Being the Son of Man is coming in judgment. Are we given any way that we are to likewise participate in judgment?

Especially now while we are on this earth Continue reading in this but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation of people who is called a

People for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people once you had not received mercy But now you have received mercy beloved

I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers

They may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of his visitation So what is your role as being part of a royal priesthood?

It is to act honorably among the Gentiles so that on that last day on that day when

Christ returns They may see your good deeds and glorify

God in the day of visitation on that last day your good deeds Will be used to contrast with their evil deeds that they may be judged that that power of Christ's King Would be seen in his own royal priesthood in a way that condemns the world at that final day that power that he is coming with as King that power and glory is one that happens not with him

Independent his people, but him being a true king that is over a true people is one that happens through us

That we are a people that that in a sense are part of his plan of glory and splendor

You know we've looked before in recent times at other passages that talk about this that while the son has a

Splendor unto himself. It is the bride and her good deeds. That is

The greatness of his splendor on that last day according to Revelation 19 and 20 and So what is the means that he will use to show the wickedness of them and judge them as?

King and priests it is through his kings and priests That he will do this and that he will judge the world your call is not merely to wait

And bide your time while he comes and then does that thing you have a role in that thing as he is the

Son of God and You are sons of God in him. So he is the Son of Man and you are part of the royal priesthood you are called to participate in That preparation for that day that he returns when that judgment will take place that his glory might shine forward in Your deeds that as he has forgiven you as it said in the first part of that passage

He's called you for his own for possession forgiving you Receiving mercy then having received mercy.

He also transforms you to live righteously and then by that righteousness

You are in our one King our one priest a king and a priest who participates in judgment

Underneath him our great King in priest. I Would call you to this

I would call you to recognize the Son of Man and to live in light of the

Son of Man In his coming not as one who is merely passing time, but as one who understands his role being placed

Covenantally in the Son of Man being Engrafted into him as the vine and Your role as a royal priesthood in participating in that judgment

May you live in the light because those who live in darkness will be consumed by it.