“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
From Baby, to the Cross
Many of us are familiar with Isaiah 9:6, a verse commonly read and shared around Christmas that sets our minds on the first advent of the Lord. Here, Isaiah prophecies about the birth of a child, the messiah of Israel and redeemer of the world, who is ultimately God in the flesh. It’s a verse that carries with it tremendous hope for rebellious and fallen man who cannot be saved through his own efforts and leaves us in awe as it also shows how Jesus left the glory and perfection of heaven to step into this fallen world we call home.
In stepping out of eternity and into time, Jesus condescended to our level and entered into His creation so that he could eventually go to the cross. Ultimately, Jesus was born to die. Philippians 2:5-8 illustrates to us how Jesus was humbled even unto death.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
What we celebrate in the first advent of the Lord is that God made a way for humanity to be reconciled with Him through Christ. Why this is worthy of celebrating is that God did not need to provide humanity a means of salvation but would have instead been completely justified in leaving us to face what we rightly deserve – death and eternal torment at the lake of fire (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:11-15).
But God demonstrated His love towards us by not leaving us without hope (Romans 5:8). Instead He sent His son who lived a perfect life to take our punishment in our stead. On the cross, Jesus took on God’s wrath which we deserved thereby satisfying the just nature of God and paid the penalty that we couldn’t pay so that those that believe in Him can have everlasting life.
The first advent of the Lord should ultimately lead us to the gospel message which Paul elaborates on in 1 Corinthians 15, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
When we read Isaiah 9:6, we should be thinking of the full picture of the length God went to to provide us a means by which we can be saved. It’s through this free gift of God that we have hope, and it’s this hope we celebrate on Christmas, but this isn’t where the story ends.
The Coming King
When we go back to Isaiah 9:6 we see it make mention of something interesting, “and the government will be upon His shoulder”. When we continue reading to verse 7 we see Isaiah speak much more about this government, “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this,” (Isaiah 9:7).
Although Isaiah 9:6 has largely been fulfilled in the first advent of Christ, Isaiah 9:7 hasn’t been. What he’s speaking of here is the second advent of Jesus which is still yet future. Isaiah paints a picture of a future reign of Christ on the earth in which there will be unparalleled peace and prosperity on the earth, and true justice, all of this being a stark contrast to our chaotic world today. It’s also during this time when we will rule and reign with Christ on the earth (Revelation 20:4-6).
This understanding of the second advent of Christ should also give us hope and joyous anticipation that the life we’re living now is not the end. That the wickedness we see seemingly go unchecked around us will not go unpunished. That the suffering we see many experience or we ourselves go through won’t last forever and is in fact a blip on the radar compared to the glory that awaits us (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
What we read in verses 6 and 7 of Isaiah 9 are what I like to call “two hopes”. One is the hope we have in Christ when we look backwards to His incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection. The second is the hope that we have when we look forward to His second advent when He will judge the wicked and establish His perfect kingdom here on earth. A perfect kingdom that will never fade away and will then lead into eternity where we look forward to a new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45; 7:14, 22, 26-27; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-4).
Verse 7 ends powerfully with “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this”. This reveals to us the trustworthiness of God who has promised these things. Since God has already been faithful in fulfilling the prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ and in doing so provided us a means of salvation, we can also rest in the assurance that He will fulfill the prophecies concerning His second coming in like manner.
Hope in Christ
As we go on to celebrate Christmas with our families and loved ones I want to first encourage us to dwell on these “two hopes”. Not only do we have a reconciled relationship with God through Christ, but Christ is coming back for the church one day and we will return to the earth with Him at His second coming when He establishes His kingdom on the earth.
Second, I want to encourage us to use this opportunity to share this free gift of salvation and hope we’ve been given with others around us. Many use this time as an opportunity to share gifts with family and friends as a way to express the love and appreciation they have for them. And when we receive gifts we can’t help but express our gratitude to the giver and share what we received with others.
If this is how we behave with perishable gifts and earthly relationships, how much more should we express joy, appreciation, and gratitude to our heavenly Father who has given us the best gift of all through the death, burial, and resurrection of His son? How much more should we be busy using this time as an opportunity to share the free gift of salvation that God provides to others?
Lastly, if you have not placed your faith in Jesus, I encourage you to do so. God sent His son into the world to die for sinners. It’s only through the free gift of God that we can have hope in a reconciled relationship with God and in His return. The world constantly looks towards many things for hope, fulfillment, and satisfaction, but only God can satisfy us. I pray that this Christmas you consider this ultimate gift that God is extending to you in the person of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!
If you have not placed your faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, I implore you to do so today (2 Corinthians 6:2)! The bible makes it clear that our life is like a vapor so tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone (James 4:13-14). We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23) and due to this there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves or somehow work our way to heaven (Isaiah 64:6). Because God is holy He must judge sin. The penalty of this sin is death and ultimately the Lake of fire (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:11-15).
But God, in His love has provided a way to escape His wrath through Christ (John 3:16-18, John 14:6). Jesus paid for our sin penalty by taking God’s wrath in our stead on the cross (Romans 5:8). He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). Although God offers humanity the gift of eternal life through the shed blood of His son, it’s our choice to either reject this gift and pay for the penalty of our sin ourselves or accept it by placing our trust in the one who’s already paid it all in full (Acts 16:30-31, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). I encourage you to make the right decision about Jesus today! It will be the most important decision of your life, for eternal life.