Scriptures That Shaped Their Author
Jesus' most dramatic claim in the Gospels is that He is equal to God - that He is God in the flesh. In John 10:30, He states, "I and the Father are one." Moreover, Jesus describes His relationship with God as a Father-Son relationship. Although there is no previous basis for the concept in Judaism, Jesus claims that He is literally the Son of God, who created the universe and sustains it daily together with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus explicitly makes the claim to be the Son of God again and again throughout Scripture (for example, John 5:24-25).
Nevertheless, "Son of God" is not Jesus' favorite title for Himself. Instead, the vast majority of the time when Jesus refers to Himself, He calls Himself the "Son of Man." Jesus calls Himself the "Son of Man" seventy-nine times throughout the Gospels, and twenty-nine times in the Gospel of Matthew alone! This is a strange title; at first glance, it appears as though it would apply to any human male. Yet Jesus uses it as a Messianic, even divine, name. Where does this use of "Son of Man" come from?
The Son of Man
Coming on the Clouds of Heaven
The prophet Daniel, who clearly had a significant impact on Jesus' thinking, speaks of a vision of the end times. In his vision, after a series of monstrous beasts that represent empires, there comes "one like a Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven." This "Son of Man" is presented to the Ancient of Days (God), who gives Him an eternal kingdom. You can read the vision in Daniel 7:9-14.
Jesus not only uses this story to identify Himself; He also quotes this line directly in Matthew 24:30 and 26:64. It is clear that a huge portion of Jesus' self-identity comes from this passage. In the midst of His earthly ministry, Jesus chooses to reinforce to Himself and His disciples that there is more to come - that the same man who seems 100% human is in fact also the divine being described in Daniel 7. Notice that in Daniel He is called "one like a son of man" - in appearance mortal, but in reality much more than merely human.
The return of Jesus on clouds with power and glory is essential to His entire ministry and self-identity. Do we recognize the same significance of the return of Jesus today? What would it mean to live in light of His promised return?
Extras
The mainline denominations (Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, etc) have tended to avoid any discussion of the return of Jesus in recent years, as though it is a topic that is too confusing or too unbelievable to discuss. On the other hand, much of the non-denominational world has obsessed with the end of the world - fixating mainly on the book of Revelation and "Christian" fiction like the Left Behind series. We need to reclaim the doctrine of the Second Coming and reground it in the person of Jesus.
If we want to know what the return of Jesus will be like, we should NOT go first to Revelation. Instead, we should go first to the source - Jesus Himself. He speaks of His return in every Gospel. For example, read Matthew 24:15-31. Then, after reading Jesus' account of His return, we should try to compare other Scriptural accounts into what Jesus says - not the other way around!
For more fun with Daniel and Jesus, note also that Matthew 24:15 is a reference to Daniel 9:27.