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V. A man:
E. Christ, as a man in His humanity, will be like a refuge from the wind and a covering from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land, and at the same time He will reign according to righteousness as the King, under whom there will be righteousness, protection, and enjoyment, in the millennium — Isa. 32:1-8.
F. Isaiah 53 unveils that Christ was a man of sorrows (v. 3) in His humanity to be our Redeemer in detail.
G. Christ, as a man in His humanity, was sitting on the throne of God above the firmament — Ezek. 1:26-28.
H. In Ezekiel 40—43 Christ, as a man in His humanity, measured the holy building of God for His possession among Israel in the millennium — 40:3-5; 43:6-7a.
I. Christ, as a man in His humanity, was walking with the three friends of Daniel in the midst of the fire — Dan. 3:25.
J. In Daniel 10:4-19 the excellent Christ, the centrality and universality of God’s move on the earth, as a man in His humanity, appeared to Daniel for his appreciation, consolation, encouragement, expectation, and stabilization.
K. Christ, as a man in His humanity, was with Israel in the suffering of their dispersion for God’s eternal economy — Zech. 1:8.
L. Christ, as a man in His humanity, measured Jerusalem for His possession so that He would be her wall of fire round about and the glory within her — 2:1-5.
M. Christ as the Shoot of David (3:8; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; cf. Isa. 4:2), as a man in His humanity, will build the temple of God, bear majesty, sit and rule on His throne, and be a priest on His throne, being the counsel of peace between the two — Zech. 6:12-13; Rev. 20:4, 6.
VI. The Son of Man:
А. Psalm 80:15 and 17 say, “Even the stock which Your right hand has planted / And the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself... / Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, / Upon the son of man whom You have strengthened for Yourself”:
1. These two verses refer to the oneness of Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, with the children of Israel (Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15b).
2. Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, was the stock of Israel planted by God’s right hand and strengthened for God Himself; God exalted Him in His ascension by seating Him at His right hand (Psa. 110:1), the highest place in the universe, with the first place, the highest position, the preeminence.
B. Daniel 7:13-14 says, “There with the clouds of heaven / One like a Son of Man was coming; / And He came to the Ancient of Days... / And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, / That all the peoples, nations, and languages might serve Him. / His dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not pass away; / And His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed”:
1. Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, after He was cut off (9:26), after He finished His earthly ministry through His crucifixion, went to God in His ascension to receive the kingdom (Luke 19:12, 15; Rev. 11:15).
2. He, as the Son of Man in His humanity, will be a stone cut out, not by human hands, to crush (Matt. 21:44) all the kingdoms of the world and become a great mountain, filling the whole earth in His kingdom for the carrying out of the eternal economy of God — Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45.
In this chapter we want to see more concerning the revelation of Christ as a man in the Old Testament prophecy concerning the eternal economy of God.
Isaiah prophesied that Christ, as a man in His humanity, would be like a refuge from the wind and a covering from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land, and at the same time He would reign according to righteousness as the King, under whom there would be righteousness, protection, and enjoyment, in the millennium (Isa. 32:1-8). A tempest is a violent windstorm frequently accompanied by rain, snow, or hail. Christ is not only a refuge from the wind but also a covering from the tempest. Although this prophecy will be fulfilled in the millennium, we need to realize that today the church life is a minor millennium. In this minor millennium we can enjoy Christ as the reality of so many rich items.
Isaiah 53 unveils that Christ was a man of sorrows (v. 3) in His humanity to be our Redeemer in detail.
Ezekiel saw Christ, as a man in His humanity, sitting on the throne of God above the firmament (Ezek. 1:26-28). Satan’s realm is in the air, the firmament, but Christ, as a man in His humanity, is sitting on the throne that is in the third heaven, above the territory of Satan. Stanza 1 of Hymns, #132 says,
According to history Christ’s sitting on the throne should be after His death, resurrection, and ascension. But in the Old Testament Ezekiel saw Him sitting on the throne. This is similar to the apostle John’s experience. He saw the New Jerusalem, but the New Jerusalem to him and to us is not yet.
The entire Bible needs our study so that we may have the proper interpretation. The Bible was first written, later translated, and then interpreted. The many different truths in the Bible can be likened to pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. In our study of the Bible, we have endeavored to put together all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. Today I believe that I have finished the work of putting the pieces of the entire Bible together. When all the pieces are put together properly, we can see a clear view.
In Ezekiel 40—43 Christ, as a man in His humanity, measured the holy building of God for His possession among Israel in the millennium (40:3-5; 43:6-7a). According to Ezekiel’s measurement, that holy building will be wider than today’s Holy Land.
Christ, as a man in His humanity, was walking with the three friends of Daniel in the midst of the fire. Because Daniel’s friends would not worship the idol of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar gave the commandment to throw them into a blazing furnace. When he looked into the midst of the fire, Nebuchadnezzar said, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not harmed. And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods” (Dan. 3:25). This story in Daniel occurred about six hundred years before Christ was actually born as a man.
In Daniel 10:4-19 the excellent Christ, the centrality and universality of God’s move on the earth, as a man in His humanity, appeared to Daniel for his appreciation, consolation, encouragement, expectation, and stabilization.
Christ, as a man in His humanity, was with Israel in the suffering of their dispersion for God’s eternal economy (Zech. 1:8). The children of Israel offended God and were given up by Him to be exiles in foreign countries. While they were suffering in their dispersion, Christ, as a man in His humanity, was with them in order to maintain Israel for God’s eternal economy. If Israel had ceased to exist, how could Christ have been born to carry out God’s eternal economy? Israel had to remain in order for Christ to be born.
Christ, as a man in His humanity, measured Jerusalem for His possession so that He would be her wall of fire round about and the glory within her (2:1-5). Christ as a man would be a wall of fire around Jerusalem for her protection and the glory within her for His expression.
Christ as the Shoot of David (3:8; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; cf. Isa. 4:2), as a man in His humanity, will build the temple of God, bear majesty, sit and rule on His throne, and be a priest on His throne, being the counsel of peace between the two (Zech. 6:12-13; Rev. 20:4, 6). Between the two means between the priesthood and the kingship. In the Old Testament no king could be a priest. But in the millennium both Christ and the overcomers will be kings to reign and priests to serve God. These two responsibilities will be reconciled in both Christ and the overcomers. The overcomers will be priests, drawing near to God and Christ, and kings, reigning over the nations with Christ in the millennium (2:26-27; 12:5). As priests, they satisfy God and Christ with the enjoyment of their service, and as kings, they reign for God and represent God, shepherding man for man’s enjoyment and satisfaction. This is a reward to the overcomers. The believers who are defeated in this age will forfeit this reward. However, after being dealt with by the Lord in the millennium, these defeated ones will participate in the blessing of this reward, which will be to serve God and represent God in the priesthood and the kingship in the new heaven and new earth for eternity (22:3, 5).
In the prophecy concerning the eternal economy of God, Christ is a man, and He is also the Son of Man. Of course, the Son of Man is a man, but there is a difference between the Son of Man and man. Christ as a man is simple, without any relationships or involvements. But as the Son of Man coming to seek and to save sinners (Luke 19:10), He is full of relationships and involvements.
Psalm 80:15 and 17 say, “Even the stock which Your right hand has planted / And the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself... / Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, / Upon the son of man whom You have strengthened for Yourself.” These two verses refer to the oneness of Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, with the children of Israel. Matthew 2:15 quotes Hosea 11:1, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” The Son here refers to both Christ and Israel. Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, was the stock of Israel planted by God’s right hand and strengthened for God Himself; God exalted Him in His ascension by seating Him at His right hand (Psa. 110:1), the highest place in the universe, with the first place, the highest position, the preeminence.
Daniel 7:13-14 says, “There with the clouds of heaven / One like a Son of Man was coming; / And He came to the Ancient of Days [the eternal God]... / And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, / That all the peoples, nations, and languages might serve Him. / His dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not pass away; / And His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, after He was cut off (9:26), after He finished His earthly ministry through His crucifixion, went to God in His ascension to receive the kingdom (Luke 19:12, 15; Rev. 11:15).
He, as the Son of Man in His humanity, will be a stone cut out, not by human hands, to crush (Matt. 21:44) all the kingdoms of the world and become a great mountain, filling the whole earth in His kingdom for the carrying out of the eternal economy of God (Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45). The entire Bible reveals that Christ is a stone in three aspects. First, He is the stone for His temple (Psa. 118:22; 1 Pet. 2:4-5). Second, He is the stone for us to trust and rely upon (Isa. 28:16). Third, He is the stone crushing the enemies. All these aspects of Christ are for the carrying out of the eternal economy of God.
