“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT
Isaiah 9:6 is a verse often quoted during the Advent season at Christmas, and it prophesies exactly what happened hundreds of years later: the coming of Jesus as a baby, born to a young teenage peasant named Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. But what about the rest of verses 6 and 7? As we review the Gospels, we find that rather than the Son ruling a government that will never end, His life ended in ignominy on a Roman cross, a life tragically cut short in His early thirties. And as for ruling with “fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David”, His body was interred in a tomb. Surely some will say this prophecy was incorrect.
But these verses start by describing a Son who will be born, destined to become a ruler because “the government will rest on His shoulders”. Straight away, the assumption would be that this boy child would come from a royal household, because to be a ruler, the most likely source would be a new royal prince. The wise men in the Christmas story certainly thought that this would be the case, and so did King Herod. Matthew 2:1-3, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem”.
The new ruler would have several titles, according to the prophecy: “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. The “Wonderful Counsellor” described the kingly wisdom of a monarch such as Solomon. He would be a leader who would always make the best decisions in every scenario and give unfailing counsel to His subjects. But the next title, “Mighty God”, was something no human could attain. Some scholars render the language here as “great hero,” but Isaiah clearly meant to convey that this deliverer of Israel and the world would be divine in and of Himself. He was describing the Messiah, who will ultimately be revealed to be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In addition, this King would be called both “Everlasting Father” and “Prince of Peace.” Many kings have been referred to as the father of their people. However, this king’s fatherhood would not end. He would continue as Father to one generation after another and then to all generations of His people for eternity. In short, He was to be God. This king’s reign over Israel and the earth was not to be an endlessly bloody one, where He would rule with an iron fist. This divine king would be so powerful that He would create lasting peace on the earth, bringing an end to all war. Looking to the future, He will rightly be given the title of “Prince of Peace.” This is one of the names by which we know our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
So we pilgrims look at these verses from Isaiah 9 today and conclude that Jesus will return to this world as the King described in the prophecy. And it all started with the Resurrection of Jesus, when He left the tomb, alive and well, with an eternal body in which he ascended into Heaven. But there has not been a gap implied in the prophecy. There was to be no arrival on earth of the coming King, and then a significant period of time, in which we are still living, while the world waits with bated breath for His return. As we know, the Holy Spirit was given to the world: John 14:26, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you”. The Advocate is none other than the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Other names for Him can be found in the Amplified version of John 16:7, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]”, all names that fit with the prophecy in Isaiah 9.
Daniel was also given a vision of the eternal Ruler. Daniel 7:13-14, “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honour, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed”. Also, the Angel Gabriel, in his message to Mary, said, “He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:32-33). I’m sure Mary was in that upper room on the Day of Pentecost, and perhaps received confirmation that what Gabriel had said would one day come to pass, a day when she will look on the events of the final chapters of Revelation, comforted forever.
So we pilgrims read the Advent verses from Isaiah and consider what they say in the context of the eschatological plan God put into place. In Old Testament times, the coming Messiah was only a dim vision, partially revealed through faithful prophets who were prepared to stand up and declare God’s message. In hindsight, we pilgrims have seen part of the picture. We know that Jesus came two thousand years ago as a baby, fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. And we now look forward to what is yet to happen, praying the prayer at the end of the Bible, “Come Lord Jesus”.
Heavenly Father. Thank You for Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins. We pray for His return, so that we can live in a world “ruled with fairness and justice”. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 