For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Like a number of Bible prophecies, this word of the Lord through Isaiah, as we learned last Sunday, has both a nearer-term and longer-term fulfillment, the distinction of which was not entirely visible to the prophet himself at the time of the revelation. This prophecy points to both the first and second comings of our Lord Jesus Christ to earth. In His first advent the Eternal Son of God was born in Bethlehem – the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) to reveal the living God to us. He died for our sins according to the Scriptures…and was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4), so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). But the second coming of Jesus Christ is also described in Isaiah 9:6-7 including His magnificent, millennial rule from David’s throne. We have the advantage and privilege of being able to look back to Jesus’ first advent, and forward to His second advent – with full assurance that what God spoke through His prophet will indeed come to pass. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may we celebrate the unfolding of God’s eternal plan for all the ages, centered in the person and work of the Eternal Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.