(Adapted from email correspondence.)

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

The term “son of man” was bound to be familiar to the Jews, since they studied the prophetic writings, and since this was obviously a significant prophecy, referring to one who would be king forever.

By referring to himself with the term, Jesus identified himself as this “son of man” in Daniel. This “son of man” accepts worship (v. 14a), and thus he is deity. So when Jesus referred to himself with this term, he affirmed his own divinity. He also affirmed his humanity by the term, since universal authority was “given” to him. As the Son of God he would not have needed this, since as God he would have already possessed universal authority, but Jesus as the incarnation of God received universal authority in his role as Messiah. Therefore, the term entails a full-blown Christian doctrine of incarnation, including the deity of Christ.

Then, we read in Matthew 26:

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (v. 63-64)

Jesus admitted that he was “Christ, the Son of God,” and then he called himself the “Son of Man” in connection to receiving authority and coming on the clouds. In Scripture, God is said to travel on the clouds: “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind” (Psalm 104:3); “See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt” (Isaiah 19:1). Thus Jesus claimed that he was the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, that he was God, and one to be worshiped.

The passage is a quotation of what Jesus said. It includes both an explicit confession of his deity, and an appeal to prophecy or prophetic language that amounts to another confession of his deity. So in one short passage he asserted his deity at least twice. There are many other texts to support the fact that Jesus confessed to be God, but this is sufficient to make the point that he indeed made such a claim.

Therefore, the assertion that Jesus never claimed to be God, but rather insisted on his humanity by calling himself the “son of man,” is shown to be a myth and a false interpretation believed and promoted by ignorant people. Non-Christians are hard-hearted against the Christian faith. They pretend to be Bible experts but cannot carry simple discussions about what it teaches. This is another example showing that they are indeed stupid and sinful people.