Brian2
Veteran Member
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of man who will come in the clouds of heaven, but did anyone ever wonder why Jesus did not say “and then shall they see me coming in the clouds of heaven?” Jesus always referred to the Son of man in the third person.
Jesus does identify Himself as the Son of Man in various Gospel passages.
eg. Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Jesus seems to have used the title "Son of Man" to draw attention to the fact that He was human and to draw attention to a specific OT passage where the Messiah is also called "son of man". Dan 7:13,14
Look carefully at Mark 8:38. Look at how the verse is separated by a semicolon and then Jesus says “of him also” indicating that the Son of man is someone other than Himself who would come in the glory of his Father.
Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Again, in Matthew 16:27, Jesus said that the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father. Jesus did not say “I will come in the glory of my Father.”
Jesus did not say "I will come AS the glory of my Father",,,,,,,,,,,,,something Baha'u'llah claims to be.
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Moreover, not once in the entire New Testament did Jesus ever say He was coming back to earth. Rather, Jesus said His work was finished in the world and He was no more in the world.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Why didn’t Jesus say He was going to return to earth if He had been planning to return to earth? If Jesus was planning to return to earth why did Jesus say I have finished my work, the world will see me no more, and I am no more in the world?
John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Since Jesus did plainly say (John 14:3) that He was going to return, the quotes you have given above combined with John 14:3 do not mean that Jesus would not return. They have to mean that Jesus was just about to finish His work on earth and was leaving BUT WOULD RETURN one day.