Introduction 

I thoroughly enjoy occasions, especially in Bible study, when there is a choice between one perspective or another, and it turns out the best answer is “Both”. When asked to choose between two options, my favorite response is “Yes”.

Who Is the Son of Man?

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, from Genesis to Daniel, the authors use the phrase “son of man”. In Psalm 8, the poet wrote eloquently of the cosmic status of the son of man. Whom is the poet writing about?

One obvious answer is all of Humanity and any typical specimen. He was saying that Humanity as a species or any individual, including a woman, holds a cosmic status only slightly below that of the spiritual beings (elohim), who rule in the heavens. 

Another view is held by believers in Jesus, God’s Anointed One. While remaining divine, the Son of the Almighty Creator, Jesus was made “a little lower than the heavenly beings (verse 5).” Born of a woman, He emptied Himself of His divine powers – not nature – and lived and acted in trust and obedience to the Father. He depended on Holy Spirit to do the supernatural work He told His apprentices to do, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons (Matthew 10:8)”. Jesus was – and is – fully human, a son of man.

He called Himself the “Son of Man”. Was He referring to His human nature or was he referring to the character in Daniel (7:13-14) who would one day sit with the Creator on His throne? The answer could easily be “Yes”.

Jesus claimed a divine Son of Man status on several occasions. He proved that “the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6)” by healing a lame man. He claimed that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8)” by allowing His apprentices to pluck grain from a passing field, thresh it with their hands (seen as work on the Sabbath), and eat it.

Standing before the Sanhedrin, accused of various crimes against Judaism, Jesus said, “From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64).” The High Priest understood that the prisoner claimed that he was Daniel’s divine being. He called this statement blasphemous and condemned Jesus to die.

Jesus Included All of Humanity

On the other hand, I believe that Jesus did not mean just Himself as a divine entity. He was saying that any human, any son of Adam, has the authority to forgive sins and heal the sick. Any son of Adam (or daughter of Eve) has the status of lord and master over situations on Earth. So, again, does “son of man” refer to the divine Son of God, who “was made a little lower than the [spiritual beings]”? Or does the phrase refer to any and all specimens of Humanity? Again, my favorite response is “Yeah, sure”.

Subjection of All Earth to the Son of man 

Hebrews 2:5-8 uses Psalm 8 to show that one day all the Earth will be brought under the reign of the Son of Man. The New International Version translates the ones subjected to as “them”. The NKJV, RSV, ESV, and others translate the Greek word as “him”. So, will the Earth eventually be brought under the reign of King Jesus or of all Humanity? Again, my answer is “Yes! Indeed!” 

Since all believers in the Anointed One are part of His Body, He reigns over us in Heaven while we reign over all the Earth. I believe that the Ecclesia, His Governing Assembly in every location and worldwide, will one day bring nearly all the population of the world to surrender to His reign in their lives, in their mountains of society.

Only then, will Jesus return on a white horse, take up His throne in Jerusalem, and bring all governments under His reign. It will be then that believers dead and still alive (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) will go out to welcome Him. It will not be an escapist Rapture but a dominionist Parousia.