ArchivedJesuss Deity... :: To OmegaTo Omega
I indeed did read your comments on John 3:13. For starters, it could simply be the case that Jesus’ words to Nicodemus ends at verse 12; hence it is John’s words and narration from verse 13 onwards whereby he is speaking after the events of the ministry of Christ. That is, the Gospel of John like the other three, are written AFTER the events of Christ’s earthly ministry. They are narrations informing us of the words and actions of Christ, plus retrospective insights including what GOD’s spirit has revealed to these apostolic writers. Therefore, if verse 13 are the words of John, then John is indeed saying that no man hath ever ascended to Heaven, except for the only man to have come down from Heaven, that is, Jesus, the Son of man, which is currently now (as I John writes) in Heaven. What did John mean by the phrase ‘come down from Heaven’? What did Jesus mean when he described himself as one who had ‘come down from heaven’? Well to ‘come down from Heaven’ is a Jewish synonymous statement which means ‘to come from GOD’ or be sent from GOD or to be commissioned/authorized by GOD.
What was Christ saying to Nicodemus? Jesus spoke of himself in this passage as the Son of Man. As is well known, the title originates in Daniel 7:13 where, 550 years before the birth of Jesus, Daniel saw a vision of the Son of Man in heaven receiving authority to rule with the saints in the future Messianic Kingdom. Jesus used the title Son of Man of himself with the implication that in him was the fulfillment of the vision of Daniel ...It is the title which he specially employed, when he was foretelling to his disciples about the sufferings that were awaiting him (e.g. Mark 8:31, 9:31, Matt 26:24, Mark 9:12, 14:21, etc). Now let us look at (John 3:14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: This verse accompanies John 3:13, that “no one except the Son of Man has ascended to heaven.” The conjunction “and” joins John 3:13 and 14 closely. Both sayings appear to illustrate “heavenly things” which are required to happen to the Son of Man in the divine plan. How then can Jesus have said that the Son “has ascended to heaven”? Simply because this is what had been forecast about him in Daniel. Following a well-established principle of Hebrew thinking, God’s acts may be said to have happened already, once they are fixed in the divine counsels. The past tense “has ascended” may be explained as a past tense of something already been determined in GOD’s plan/will. Thus ”No one [it is written in the book of Daniel] is destined to ascend to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who [in Daniel’s vision of the future] is in heaven.” Therefore, when reading John 3:13-14, special reference to Daniel’s prophecy must be taken into account. The Son of Man is identified with the figure that in the book of Daniel is seen in heaven. He is there not because he is actually alive prior to his birth, but because God has granted Daniel, a vision of the ‘Son of Man’s’ future destiny. At the time of Jesus speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus had not yet ascended to heaven; but the ascension is so certainly prophesied by Daniel that Jesus can say he has ascended, i.e., that he is destined to do so. So, in conclusion, then, John 3:13 is a reference to Christ’s future ascension. If we ask where the Son of Man was before, the biblical answer is found in Daniel 7:13. The man Messiah was seen in heaven in a vision of the future which became reality at the ascension (Acts 2:33), when Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of God. Jesus hadn’t literally descended from heaven and at the time of him talking to Nicodemus, neither had he literally ascended to heaven. Jesus was therefore, speaking in anticipation, of what GOD had ordained via the prophet Daniel, that the Son of Man would ascend to heaven to receive ‘the kingdom of GOD’. Thus neither David [Acts 2:34] nor any other person had ascended to heaven. Contrary to much cherished tradition; the patriarchs have not “gone to heaven.” They are sleeping in their graves awaiting the resurrection of all the faithful [Dan. 12:2, John 5:28-29]; Only the Messiah was destined for that position. Thus Jesus had predicted to Nicodemus that only the Son of Man would ascend to heaven, the same ‘Son of Man’ who had been commissioned and sent of GOD, to suffer many things before entering into his glory. [Luke 18:31-33, 24:25-26,44-46] A human being literally from Heaven before the ascension of Christ was indeed impossible. Now since Christ has ascended, it is possible! We await the literal coming of a human being, a man FROM HEAVEN. This man is the man Christ Jesus, the Son of GOD.
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🌈Pride🌈 goeth before Destruction
When 🌈Pride🌈 cometh, then cometh Shame