For to us a child has come, to us a son is given; and the government has been placed in his hands; and he has been named Wise Guide, Strong God, Father for ever, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his rule and of peace there will be no end, on the seat of David, and in his kingdom; to make it strong, supporting it with wise decision and righteousness, now and for ever. By the fixed purpose of the Lord of armies this will be done.
(Isa 9:6-7 BBE)
Who is this child? What is the importance of this child for us? When was this child born, or is he yet to be born? Why is a human child given such grand titles in the prophecy? This article will answer these questions from holy writ.
The quote from the book of Isaiah is one part of the prophetic picture given to the ancient Hebrew prophets concerning the coming of haMashiach (the Messiah). Based on this passage alone, with no other background knowledge, this may not seem to fit Y’shua (Jesus) of Nazareth, aka Jesus Christ, the most famous Hebrew and Jew to ever walk the Earth.
In his life time around 2000 years ago in Galilee and Judea, he did not rule any earthly kingdom. Because of their understanding of the prophetic words about Messiah in Scripture, the religious Jews of the time were expecting the Messiah to come conquering and delivering them from Roman oppression, to become a powerful world-dominating nation again, even more than they were under King David ruling a united Israel hundreds of years earlier.
It was from the lineage of King David that the Messiah was prophesied to come. From indicators in the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry in the Bible, it seems the religious Jews of the day had no idea he was a descendant of King David. To them, he was just another Jew from the area of Galilee.
Jesus affirmed himself as the Messiah to come. Those who believed him, having seen such amazing miracles, signs, and wonders along with his speech which was full of such authority (even the religious Jews of the day who did not fully accept him as Messiah knew he was powerful in both word and deed and admitted such), were excited over the thought that they’d soon be free from Roman oppression when Jesus used all that mighty power to defeat them and free his fellow Jews.
However, Jesus had no such intentions. Not once in his entire public ministry did he ever lift a single finger against Roman oppression or say anything negative about them, as far as the accounts tell us. When his followers did not understand this, he kindly explained it. He told them clearly that his kingdom was not of the Earth, but is of Heaven. His intentions in his coming in the flesh was not to set up an earthly national kingdom like King David had. His intention was to show mankind, both Jew and Gentile, the Way into the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven, which will also one day rule over all of the Earth.
In other words, he make it known he was not just an Earth man, but he was a man from Heaven. His intention was not to change the natural world in his generation, but to bring the spiritual into the natural and teach his disciples how to cause the spiritual to rule, even over the natural. Thus, when he taught his followers to pray he said, “your Kingdom come, your will be done, in Earth as it is now in Heaven.” In other words, let Heaven invade Earth.
Yes, my friends, Jesus came to bring an alien invasion. When we understand this, we see he did fulfill the prophecy. The problem was in the interpretation of the prophecy by the Jewish people of his generation who were desperately wanting set free from being under the Roman thumb. Who can blame them? But, Jesus came to show us true freedom which supersedes natural circumstances. Selah.
Being eternal, God is patient. He is not in a hurry with matters of Earth like we are. We live less than 80 years on average, so we try to hurry and get things done in that amount of time. One who is timeless does not see one generation that way. When the Word of God (John 1) took on flesh and set up his tabernacle among us, he was not viewing it as though everything he needed to accomplish on Earth be done in one generation. He was here for 33.5 years. He did a lot of amazing things and his fame went all over the world from that first generation, without modern technology. Disciples multiplied and took the glad tidings from nation to nation, tribe to tribe, on foot, by camel, by horse, or whatever other primitive transportation they had. The message was spread by word of mouth without internet or phone service.
Here we find ourselves about 2000 years later, and the message is still circulating, now even faster with technology. Don’t be ignorant, his rule is increasing. His fame continues to spread and will continue to. His Kingdom of Heaven has kissed Earth at times in places through dedicated disciples, and this will increase until all of the Earth is covered in the glory of the Most High. He is not in a rush, even if Christians in a generation sometimes give that impression. He saw the end from the beginning and knows exactly how much each generation will see of the Kingdom of Heaven coming in the Earth. He knows the end result, and is not impatient in watching that come to fruition.
Let the Spirit of Truth move on any heart and mind doubting this man, Messiah, and Son, who is the King of kings, whose reign will have no end. This child that fulfills all of the Messianic prophecies is none other than Y’shua (Jesus) of Nazareth, born of the flesh and fully man, begotten of God, the unique begotten Son. Of this one it is written:
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. (Eph 3:8-12 NASB)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach–
(Col 1:15-22 NASB)
We can then see how important this child is! He is not only important to our human species, he is important to all of creation, and when we are stubborn against his reign we keep the creation waiting in suffering.
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Rom 8:19-23 NASB)
Realizing this, which is just a very brief sample of his role and important for all of creation and the sons of man, we can understand why the prophecy quoted from Isaiah puts such grand titles on this child. Yet, in this generation we still deal with this hindrance to the Kingdom of Heaven invading Earth and the bliss that brings to creation:
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Joh 1:9-13 NASB)
Many Christians have rushed about doing religious works to try to remedy this, but in doing so often more harm is done than good. In the United States, founded as a Christian nation, more people in my generation are turned off by Christianity than turned on to it. Twenty something people have made a mass exodus out of organized churches, and I’m speaking of those who were raised going to church regularly. They have departed leaving a very small minority of my generation actively engaged in organized churches.
There is a righteous dissatisfaction among us with what I call Churchianity and the man-made organized religions, whether Christian or otherwise. Sadly, confused people mistake the churches for Christ. Christ did not come to establish another man-made religious system like the one he despised in his own generation. Jesus’ harsh words were reserved for the religious of his generation. He regularly corrected their hypocrisy and even said that when they make so much effort to get converts, they end up making those converts twice the sons of hell as they themselves are. He called them a brood of vipers.
Many thinking the churches rightly represent Christ have turned against him when they turned away from the churches they despised. However, we need this generation of Americans to understand what Gandhi did when he said this:
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Like Gandhi, we need to realize that people with the title of Christian do not always rightly represent the Christ they claim.
Take for example how the average Evangelical Christian these days treats a homosexual person. Is this anything like how Jesus treated “sinners” of his own generation? He was not one, but we ALL are. How easily religious Christians forget that they too need the grace of God to cleanse them by the blood of the Lamb from all iniquity. How quick Churchianity members are to tolerate the horrible gossip and slander that goes on within their own church walls, but how intolerant they are of someone struggling with another action that is out of line with God’s plan and guidelines for us, such as homosexuality.
Such Christians have lost perspective like the religious Jews of Jesus’ generation had. This is why Jesus was found hanging out with the common folk and did not have much nice to say to the religious. He had a way of putting the self-righteous in their place, like this example:
And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luk 7:37-50 NASB)
This is the One we who are Christ-followers proclaim! He is the beginning and the end, and he is your eternally blissful joy and peace! We do not uphold man’s doctrines or traditions, church denominations, or even a single fellowship of churches claiming to be the Catholic (Universal) church. We are not here to promote any of that. My fellows of this generation, seek the truth of this most important child born among us and do not let disgust over human failures in our own generation cause you to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We all need to stop looking at the children of corruption and fix our eyes fully on this most magnificent child to ever be born among mankind, now and forever, the first, and the last!
“For to us a child has come, to us a son is given…” Open up your heart to him fully that he may reign as the Prince of Peace over your while being and give you perfect bliss at his right hand forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
May your times with family and friends in all seasons, including this Hanukkah, Christmas, and secular New Year season, be blessed and full of the grace of haMashiach!
