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(Isaiah 9:6-7)

INTRODUCTION: This Advent season, we have been looking at Four Great Prophecies of Christmas. Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, and so today we come to the fourth and final prophecy in the series.

   1) A Great Battle (Genesis 3:14-15)
   2) A Great Star (Numbers 24:17)
   3) A Great Sign (Isaiah 7:14)
   4) A Great King (Isaiah 9:6-7)

So far, we have looked at the prophecy of a great battle, the prophecy of a great star and the prophecy of a great sign. Today we come to the fourth prophecy – the prophecy of a great king. (Read Isaiah 9:6-7and pray.)

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Today’s prophecy is probably the most well-known of all the four. Countless hymns and songs have been written around these verses, including Handel’s famous Messiah. The dual phrases “for unto us a child is born” and “unto us a son is given” are etched into our culture and almost synonymous with Christmas. The four names given to this child resonate with us. Most people especially recognize the names of Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.

So, this is a familiar prophecy, one that people immediately identify with Christmas when they hear it, but what is the deeper meaning of the prophecy? How was this prophecy received by those who first heard it? In what specific ways does it relate to Christmas?

As we have done with the previous prophecies, we will first look at the background of the prophecy, then the content of the prophecy and then finally the fulfillment of the prophecy in the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

I. Seed / Star / Scepter / Sign (the background of the prophecy)

Let’s begin with the background of the prophecy. The background of the prophecy is found in the three earlier prophecies we already looked at in the series: the prophecy of a great battle, the prophecy of a great star and the prophecy of a great sign. So, this is a great time to make a quick review of these prophecies.

   A. The seed of the woman (“a great battle”)
      – Genesis 3:15

The first great prophecy of Christmas we looked at was the prophecy of a great battle. We found this prophecy in Genesis 3:15 where God told Satan: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) In this prophecy, we learned that a specific individual would be born of the seed of the woman who would defeat Satan and his seed. We also saw an early hint of the prophecy of the virgin birth in the emphasis on the seed of the woman rather than the seed of the man. This is the first prophecy in all of Scripture, and it is specifically a Messianic prophecy, a prophecy about the coming Messiah who will deliver God’s people from all their enemies.

   B. The star and scepter of Judah (“a great star”)
      – Numbers 24:17 (see also Genesis 49:10)

The second great prophecy of Christmas we looked at was the prophecy of a great star. In the prophecy of the star, we learned that the Messiah would be a king who comes from the line of Judah. We found this prophecy in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.” (Numbers 24:17) The star and the scepter are both royal terms, and the scepter brings us back to Genesis 49:10 which foretold a royal line of kings from the tribe of Judah leading up to the Messiah. The prophecy of the star tells us this king who comes from the line of Judah will crush the heads of God’s enemies, which brings us back to the prophecy of the great battle where we learned that when Messiah comes, he will crush the head of the serpent.

   C. The virgin birth (“a great sign”)
      – Isaiah 7:14

And then, in the prophecy of the great sign, we learned about the sign of the virgin birth. We read in Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The Messiah will be born of a virgin, and this male child – born of a virgin, born of the seed of the woman – would also signal God’s presence with us on earth.

II. A great king (the content of the prophecy)

All of this leads us to our fourth great prophecy of Christmas – the prophecy of a great king. Interestingly, this great prophecy is found in Isaiah 9, just two chapters after the prophecy of a great sign in Isaiah 7. The two prophecies are similar to each other. They both speak of the birth of a child, specifically a son. The similarity in content and their close proximity to each other in Scripture show that these two prophecies belong together and should be interpreted together.

   A. A child is born who is a king
      – Isaiah 9:6a

There are three parts to this fourth great prophecy of Christmas. First, the prophecy tells us about a child who is born a king. We read in Isaiah 9:6:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” (Isaiah 9:6a)

Notice the similarity in phrasing between this prophecy and the prophecy of the great sign given two chapters earlier. Isaiah 9:6 says: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” (Isaiah 9:6a) Isaiah 7:14 says: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The two prophecies follow a similar pattern: the word “child,” followed by the word “son,” followed by a descriptive phrase. Once again, the similarity in phrasing and their close proximity in Scripture leave no doubt that the child described here in Isaiah 9 is the exact same person as the child who was described two chapters earlier in Isaiah 7. Isaiah tells us the government will be on his shoulders, which is another way of saying that this child is born a king. So, that’s the first part of the prophecy.

   B. He will be called by divine names
      – Isaiah 9:6b

And then secondly this prophecy tells us that this child who is born a king will be called by divine names. We read in the second part of Isaiah 9:6:

“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6b)

      1) Wonderful Counselor (divine wisdom)

First, Isaiah tells us he will be called Wonderful Counselor. Some translations present this first name as two separate names – “Wonderful” and “Counselor” but we should really view this as one compound name, just like the other three names in the prophecy. The word translated “wonderful” in this name is a word that means “astonishing, miraculous, beyond understanding.” When paired with the word “counselor,” this first name tells us that this child who is born a king will be filled with divine wisdom. He knows things that only God can know.

      2) Mighty God (divine power)

Secondly, he will be called Mighty God. This is another divine name. The emphasis here is on power. The word translated “mighty” in this name is a word that means “hero, champion or warrior.” This child who is born a king not only has divine wisdom. He has divine power. He not only knows things that only God can know; he does things that only God can do. He is a warrior, a champion who goes forth to conquer God’s enemies as prophesied in the first great prophecy of Christmas – the prophecy of the great battle.

      3) Everlasting Father (divine life)

Thirdly, he will be called Everlasting Father. This is another divine name, and the emphasis here is on God as the source of all life. This child is everlasting. He does not come into existence at the time of his birth or even at his conception, because he has always existed and always will exist. Not only is he everlasting; he is the Everlasting Father – which means he is the Creator. He is not God the Father; we know this is God the Son. But by calling him Everlasting Father – a father is the source of life –Isaiah is saying he is the Creator. He who has no beginning himself is the cause of all other beginnings. He is the creator of all things; he has life within himself; he is the divine source of all life.

      4) Prince of Peace (divine sovereignty)

And then, fourthly, he will be called Prince of Peace. This is another divine name, and the emphasis here is on his sovereign rule as God. The word translated “prince” simply means ruler. The fact that he is Prince of Peace signifies that this child will bring universal peace to the world.

You put all these divine names together and Isaiah is telling us that this child will have divine wisdom, divine power, divine life and divine sovereignty over all the nations. In other words, he will be divine himself. Or as the prophecy of the great sign in Isaiah 7:14 puts it: “He will be called Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”

   C. He will reign on David’s throne forever
      – Isaiah 9:7 (see 2 Samuel 7:12-13)

So, we are looking at the content of this fourth great prophecy of Christmas. 1) First, a child is born who is a king. 2) Secondly, he will be called by divine names. 3) And then thirdly, he will reign on David’s throne forever. Isaiah goes on to say in verse 7:

“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

This is yet another indication that the child who is born is the Messiah. God promised King David back in 2 Samuel 7: “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

Remember we said that there is a progressive narrowing of the prophecies concerning Messiah as we work our way forward through the Old Testament? First, we learned that the Messiah would be the seed of the woman. (Genesis 3:15) Then we learned that he come from the seed of Abraham. (Genesis 12:1-3) Then we learned that he would come from the tribe of Judah. (Genesis 49:10) And now here in 2 Samuel 7 we learn that he will come from the line of David and that God will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

Isaiah 9:7 picks up on all of these earlier prophecies and tells us that this child who is born a king and who is called by divine names will reign on David’s throne forever. He is the promised Messiah who comes with divine wisdom, divine power, divine life and divine sovereignty to bring peace to the whole world and to reign on David’s throne forever. That is the content of this fourth great prophecy of Christmas.

III. The birth of Jesus (the fulfillment of the prophecy)

We have looked at the background of prophecy in the three earlier great prophecies of Christmas. We have looked at the content of the prophecy here in Isaiah 9. Finally, let us look at the fulfillment of the prophecy now in the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Remember the prophecy had three parts. Let’s see now how Jesus fulfills each part.

   A. Jesus was born a king
      – Matthew 2:1-2

The first part of the prophecy said that a child will be born who is a king. Well, when you come to the New Testament, you find that Jesus was indeed born a king. We read in Matthew 2: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)

Notice the Magi don’t ask, “Where is the who has been born who will one day become king of the Jews?” No, they ask, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” It’s not that Jesus would one day become king. Jesus was born a king.

There are not many people who are born already kings. There are plenty of people born who eventually became kings or who are born next in line for the throne. But has anyone ever been born already a king? There’s only one that I know of! Jesus was born a king, just as Isaiah prophesied so many years before.

   B. Jesus is called by divine names
      – Matthew 1:23; Philippians 2:9-11

The second part of the prophecy said that this king would be called by divine names. “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6b) When we come to the New Testament, we find that Jesus was indeed called by divine names. He is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) He is called Jesus, which means “God saves” or “God is salvation.” He is called Christ, which means Messiah.

Most importantly of all, he is called Lord. We read in Philippians 2: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) “Lord” is God’s personal, covenant name from the Old Testament. God does not share his name with anyone. And yet Jesus is called Lord.

Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor. He is Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is Immanuel. He is the Christ the Lord. Jesus is called by divine names. That’s the second part of the prophecy.

   C. Jesus will reign on David’s throne forever
      – Luke 1:30-33

And then the third part of the prophecy said that this child who is born a king and who is called by divine names will reign on David’s throne forever. Turning to the Christmas narratives in Scripture, we find these words also fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.

We read in the gospel of Luke how God sent the angel to Mary. Mary was troubled when the angel greeted her, but the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

Once again, this is a direct fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus was born a king. Jesus is called by divine names. Jesus will reign on David’s throne forever.

CONCLUSION: And so, the good news of Christmas is that this king who was promised so many years ago in the Old Testament was born on Christmas Eve. The baby born in the manger is more than just a nice idea or a sentimental photo op for a Christmas card. He is the seed of the woman who will defeat Satan and all the enemies of God. He is the ruler from the line of Judah whose appearance was marked by a miraculous star in the sky. He is the child born of the virgin. He is the great king who comes in the line David to reign forever.

Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. This is why we bow down and worship the babe in the manger. The promised king has come! O come let us adore him!

© Ray Fowler

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