An examination of the phrase "Son of Man" as used in Scripture with a particular view as to its application in the Book of Ezekiel.

Old Testament Scriptures
The Book of Ezekiel
New Testament Scriptures
Observations
To whom does this phrase refer in Ezekiel?

"Son of man" occurs 108 times in the Old Testament.

All the scriptures which use this phrase:


(Num 23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

(Job 25:6) How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

(Job 35:8) Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

(Psa 8:4) What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

(Psa 80:17) Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

(Psa 144:3) LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

(Psa 146:3) Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

(Isa 51:12) I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

(Isa 56:2) Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

(Jer 49:18) As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.

(Jer 49:33) And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.

(Jer 50:40) As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

(Jer 51:43) Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

(Dan 7:13) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

(Dan 8:17) So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

(Eze 2:1) And he said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

(Eze 2:3) And he said unto me, son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

(Eze 2:6) And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

(Eze 2:8) But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

(Eze 3:1) Moreover he said unto me, son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

(Eze 3:3) And he said unto me, son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

(Eze 3:4) And he said unto me, son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

(Eze 3:10) Moreover he said unto me, son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

(Eze 3:17) son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

(Eze 3:25) But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

(Eze 4:1) Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:

(Eze 4:16) Moreover he said unto me, son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:

(Eze 5:1) And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

(Eze 6:2) son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

(Eze 7:2) Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.

(Eze 8:5) Then said he unto me, son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

(Eze 8:6) He said furthermore unto me, son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

(Eze 8:8) Then said he unto me, son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

(Eze 8:12) Then said he unto me, son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

(Eze 8:15) Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

(Eze 8:17) Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

(Eze 11:2) Then said he unto me, son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:

(Eze 11:4) Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.

(Eze 11:15) son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.

(Eze 12:2) son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

(Eze 12:3) Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

(Eze 12:9) son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

(Eze 12:18) son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

(Eze 12:22) son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

(Eze 12:27) son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.

(Eze 13:2) son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

(Eze 13:17) Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

(Eze 14:3) son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

(Eze 14:13) son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

(Eze 15:2) son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

(Eze 16:2) son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

(Eze 17:2) son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

(Eze 20:3) son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

(Eze 20:4) Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

(Eze 20:27) Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

(Eze 20:46) son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

(Eze 21:2) son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

(Eze 21:6) Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

(Eze 21:9) son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

(Eze 21:12) Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.

(Eze 21:14) Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.

(Eze 21:19) Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.

(Eze 21:28) And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering:

(Eze 22:2) Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.

(Eze 22:18) son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

(Eze 22:24) son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

(Eze 23:2) son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

(Eze 23:36) The LORD said moreover unto me; son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;

(Eze 24:2) son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.

(Eze 24:16) son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

(Eze 24:25) Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,

(Eze 25:2) son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;

(Eze 26:2) son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:

(Eze 27:2) Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;

(Eze 28:2) son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

(Eze 28:12) son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

(Eze 28:21) son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,

(Eze 29:2) son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:

(Eze 29:18) son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

(Eze 30:2) son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!

(Eze 30:21) son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

(Eze 31:2) son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

(Eze 32:2) son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

(Eze 32:18) son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.

(Eze 33:2) son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

(Eze 33:7) So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

(Eze 33:10) Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

(Eze 33:12) Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.

(Eze 33:24) son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

(Eze 33:30) Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

(Eze 34:2) son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

(Eze 35:2) son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,

(Eze 36:1) Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

(Eze 36:17) son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

(Eze 37:3) And he said unto me, son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

(Eze 37:9) Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

(Eze 37:11) Then he said unto me, son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

(Eze 37:16) Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

(Eze 38:2) son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

(Eze 38:14) Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

(Eze 39:1) Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

(Eze 39:17) And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.

(Eze 40:4) And the man said unto me, son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.

(Eze 43:7) And he said unto me, son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

(Eze 43:10) Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.

(Eze 43:18) And he said unto me, son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.

(Eze 44:5) And the LORD said unto me, son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.

(Eze 47:6) And he said unto me, son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.


"Son of man" occurs 89 times in the New Testament.

(Mat 8:20) And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.

(Mat 9:6) But that ye may know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

(Mat 10:23) But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the son of man be come.

(Mat 11:19) The son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

(Mat 12:8) For the son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

(Mat 12:32) And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

(Mat 12:40) For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

(Mat 13:37) He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the son of man;

(Mat 13:41) The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

(Mat 16:13) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the son of man am?

(Mat 16:27) For the son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

(Mat 16:28) Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom.

(Mat 17:9) And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the son of man be risen again from the dead.

(Mat 17:12) But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the son of man suffer of them.

(Mat 17:22) And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

(Mat 18:11) For the son of man is come to save that which was lost.

(Mat 19:28) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

(Mat 20:18) Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

(Mat 20:28) Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

(Mat 24:27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the presence of the son of man be.

(Mat 24:30) And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

(Mat 24:37) But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the presence of the son of man be.

(Mat 24:39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the presence of the son of man be.

(Mat 24:44) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the son of man cometh.

(Mat 25:13) Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the son of man cometh.

(Mat 25:31) When the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

(Mat 26:2) Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

(Mat 26:24) The son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

(Mat 26:45) Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

(Mat 26:64) Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

(Mar 2:10) But that ye may know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

(Mar 2:28) Therefore the son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

(Mar 8:31) And he began to teach them, that the son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

(Mar 8:38) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

(Mar 9:9) And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the son of man were risen from the dead.

(Mar 9:12) And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

(Mar 9:31) For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

(Mar 10:33) Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

(Mar 10:45) For even the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

(Mar 13:26) And then shall they see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

(Mar 13:34) For the son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

(Mar 14:21) The son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

(Mar 14:41) And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

(Mar 14:62) And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

(Luk 5:24) But that ye may know that the son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

(Luk 6:5) And he said unto them, That the son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

(Luk 6:22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the son of man's sake.

(Luk 7:34) The son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

(Luk 9:22) Saying, The son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

(Luk 9:26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

(Luk 9:44) Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

(Luk 9:56) For the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

(Luk 9:58) And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.

(Luk 11:30) For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the son of man be to this generation.

(Luk 12:8) Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the son of man also confess before the angels of God:

(Luk 12:10) And whosoever shall speak a word against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

(Luk 12:40) Be ye therefore ready also: for the son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

(Luk 17:22) And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the son of man, and ye shall not see it.

(Luk 17:24) For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the son of man be in his day.

(Luk 17:26) And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the son of man.

(Luk 17:30) Even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man is revealed.

(Luk 18:8) I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

(Luk 18:31) Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man shall be accomplished.

(Luk 19:10) For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

(Luk 21:27) And then shall they see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

(Luk 21:36) Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the son of man.

(Luk 22:22) And truly the son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

(Luk 22:48) But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss?

(Luk 22:69) Hereafter shall the son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

(Luk 24:7) Saying, The son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

(Joh 1:51) 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.

(Joh 3:13) And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven.

(Joh 3:14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up:

(Joh 5:27) And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the son of man.

(Joh 6:27) Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

(Joh 6:53) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

(Joh 6:62) What and if ye shall see the son of man ascend up where he was before?

(Joh 8:28) Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

(Joh 12:23) And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the son of man should be glorified.

(Joh 12:34) The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The son of man must be lifted up? who is this son of man?

(Joh 13:31) Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

(Act 7:56) And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the son of man standing on the right hand of God.

(Heb 2:6) But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

(Rev 1:13) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

(Rev 14:14) And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Just a quick note. In every case in the New Testament where we find the phrase "the son of man," it is always emphatic in saying "the son" as opposed to "a son," with the following exceptions: John 5:27; Heb. 2:6; Rev. 1:13; 14:14.

84 times is this phrase used in the 4 gospels. In almost every case it is Jesus speaking of himself or it is his audience referring to what Jesus said. Out of these 84 times only 1 time (John 5:27) does it not use the emphatic "the son of man."

Of the one time this phrase is used in the Book of Acts it is used by Stephen to describe what he saw (Acts 7:56,) and he uses the emphatic "the son of the man."

"Son of man" occurs 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel.

It seems abundantly clear that the use of this phrase "Son of Man" in the book of Ezekiel does NOT refer directly to our Lord Jesus.

To validate this thought, consider the following from chapter 3:

Eze 3:10-17 "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. [11] And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

[12] Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. [13] I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. [14] So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. [15] Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

The river Chebar was located in Babylon and is a tributary to the Euphrates River.
When could this ever apply to our Lord Jesus? When would He be "astonished" among the captives by the river Chebar?

[16] And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [17] Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me." Did the Heavenly Father wait 7 days (of even 7 years - a day for a year) to appoint Jesus has "a watchman unto the house of Israel?" Clearly not.

Again, consider chapter 5:1-2.

Eze 5:1-2 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. [2] Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them."

How could this refer to our Lord Jesus?

Eze 24:16-18 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. [17] Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. [18] So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Surely this is not speaking of our Lord Jesus.

Clearly these points make it necessary for us to look for another answer as to just who is the "Son of man" in the book of Ezekiel.

While it may seem to be the same reference as John is in the book of Revelation (i.e., referring to those saints still in the flesh during our Lord's second presence,) it appears that it better refers to the primary human representative of our Lord at at His Second Advent, i.e., Pastor Russell.

At this point we want to be very careful. We are referring to his position as "The Messenger to the church of Laodicea," "That faithful and wise servant," "The man clothed in linen with the writer's inkhorn," etc. We are not referring to the man Charles T. Russell. While he appears to have been a remarkable individual, it is not to him as a man, nor even as a brother in Christ to which this phrase "Son of Man," as used in the Book of Ezekiel, applies. It is strictly to the pre-ordained position.

Just as it was with Paul, John, Arius, Waldo, Wycliffe and Luther before him, so it was with Pastor Russell. The individuals who filled those positions were NOT predestinated to be the messengers to the Church. It was the position that was predestinated. The Lord then chose the individuals who best fit the position at the appropriate time and then overruled and specially dealt with them for the fulfillment of His purposes.