[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Amanah

Bro Esaias, pls explain this passage for me:

John 1:49-51 King James Version (KJV)
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man

Nathanael was convinced Jesus was "the Son of God, the King of Israel". The Messiah was the prophesied descendant of David and heir to the throne of God. The Messiah was called "the son of God" because of Psalm 2:

Psalm 2:1-12 KJV
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord , and against his anointed, saying , [3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. [4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. [5] Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. [6] Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. [9] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. [10] Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Here the Lord's "anointed" (v. 2), or "Christ"(Greek)/"Messiah" (Hebrew), is the king ordained by Jehovah (v. 6). This Christ/Messiah who is the Divinely appointed king is called God's "son" (v. 7). Verses 8-12 prophesy that this anointed king would possess the nations as an inheritance and execute judgment upon them and rule over them. The title "son of God" is a title conferred on Divinely appointed rulers, such as Adam (Luke 3:38), and Israel (Hosea 11:1, Exodus 4:22, Hosea 1:10), and David (Psalm 2:7). All of these find their ultimate fulfillment in the literal only begotten son of God - Jesus of Nazareth.

Nathanael confessed Jesus as Messiah, as Son of God, because of the supernatural sign attending Him (Jesus knew what Nathanael was doing even though He wasn't there physically). So Jesus basically says "You ain't seen nothing yet."

The phrase "angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man" refers to two things.

First, the dream of Jacob:

Genesis 28:10-22 KJV
And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. [11] And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. [12] And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. [13] And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; [14] And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. [15] And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. [16] And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. [17] And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. [18] And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. [19] And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. [20] And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, [21] So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: [22] And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Jacob dreamed about a ladder with God's angels descending and ascending upon it. He said this is the house or dwelling-place of God, the very gate or entrance to heaven. By putting Himself in the place of the stone pillar Jacob anointed with oil (an anointed Rock identified as the Dwelling-place of God and the entrance or Way to God), Jesus was saying Nathanael would begin seeing signs and wonders and other proofs that He, Jesus, was the true Bethel, or House (dwelling-place) of God, the Way to the Father, the anointed Rock.

Second, by referring to Himself as "the Son of Man", He was not only asserting the patently obvious truth that He was a descendant of Adam, that is to say, a male human. But He was also identifying Himself with the expected Jewish apocalyptic figure known as "The Son of Man", which was taken from Daniel 7. Jews speculated about who this character in Daniel's vision would be: Enoch, Elijah, the archangel Metatron, the "Lesser Jehovah", or some other character. Jesus was claiming HE was the Son of Man figure described in Daniel 7. For more information see my thread "The Son of Man" in the Apostolic Articles section of The Library here on AFF. Or click here: ---> http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...ad.php?t=50706

He was asserting that Nathanael would soon begin to see Divine proofs that He, Jesus of Nazareth, was the Son of Man described in Dan 7, and that as Messiah/Son of God/Divine King and heir of David, He was in fact the genuine entrance to the presence of God, the very dwelling place or abode of God (ie God tabernacling with us, God manifested in flesh, etc).