Jesus the Messiah in Isaiah’s Prophecy
1. The Messiah’s Miraculous Birth! (Isaiah 53:1-2) – “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”
2. The Messiah’s Incredible Sinless Life! (Isaiah 53:3) – “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
3. The Messiah’s Sacrificial Death! (Isaiah 53:4-5) – “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
4. The Messiah’s Prophetic Fulfillment to Bring Man Back to God! (Isaiah 53:10-11) – “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
From Beginning to End – The Word
The Mystery of the Incarnation
The word “mystery” is μυστήριον, which means literally a mystery or a secret. It can be described as once hidden but now revealed, particularly in the Gospels.
From Glory to Glory
When Will There Be Peace on Earth?
LOOKING for a KING
1. The Wise Men (Magi) Were Looking for a King—The King of the Jews! (Matt. 2:1-2) – “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews?'”
2. Balaam Prophesied of a Coming “Ruler” King from the Tribe of Jacob Who Would Govern the World! (Num. 24:17) – “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel.”
3. Isaiah Shares Great Hope with the World Because of the Coming Messiah—Jesus Christ and His Government! (Isaiah 9:6-7) – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
While some scholars and theologians understand this passage as a reference to Jesus Christ’s first coming, others see it as a declaration of His second coming. Either way, He’s coming! Compare the two: in His first coming, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. In His second coming, He will be wrapped in a vesture dipped in blood, and His name shall be called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Do you see Him as a baby or as a King?
Isaiah also reflects on His reign as King: “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.”
The Ancient of Days Became the Infant of Days
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
God’s Government
1. God the Son Was Born So That We Can Be Born Again (Isaiah 9:6) – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Some understand this passage as a reference to Jesus Christ’s first coming, while others see it as a declaration of His second coming. Either way, He’s coming! Compare the two:
- First Coming: He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
- Second Coming: He will be wrapped in a vesture dipped in blood, and His name shall be called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
2. God the Son Will Govern This World (Isaiah 9:7) – “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.”
Jesus the Bright and Morning Star
John writes: “Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” (Rev 22:16)
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life.”