In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul extolled our Lord's glorious church (5:27). God planned the church from eternity past (3:11) for mankind's redemption (5:23), and His own glory (3:21). By its existence and purpose, the church reveals God's manifold wisdom to the universe He created (3:10). The church began on the day of Pentecost, about fifty days following Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection (Acts 2). It was established then, and it exists today, as the result of Divine planning, the fulfillment of Divine promises, and the execution of Divine power.
The Ephesian letter also makes it clear (more than 30 times) that the church exists, and God's purposes are accomplished, through Jesus Christ.
- In Christ, we enjoy "every spiritual blessing" (1:3).
- By Him, we become acceptable to God (1:6).
- It is in Him that "we have redemption through His blood" (1:7).
- God placed "all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." (1:22-23)
- He is savior and husband to the church, His glorious bride for which He "gave himself" on the cross (5:25).
Clearly, all of this was God's plan (Ephesians 3:10-11). In keeping with His eternal purpose, God promised to send the Messiah.
In Genesis 3:15, He first made the promise after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. Before pronouncing punishment upon the couple, God said to the Serpent, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." By His death on the cross, the seed of woman, Christ, would receive a minor injury (bruised heel) from Satan. But, Christ's victory over death, through His resurrection, delivered a fatal blow to Satan's head--an injury from which he could never recover.
In Genesis 12:3 and 22:18, God made the Messianic promise to Abraham when He called him out of Ur of the Chaldees: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:3) Because of Abraham's faith and character, God chose to bring the Messiah into the world through him. Many years later, He confirmed the promise to Abraham: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Genesis 22:18) In his letter to the Galatians, Paul identified Abraham's "seed" as Christ (3:16).
Then we have the prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:12-16. About 900 years later, king David received the Messianic promise from Nathan: "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee,...and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be His father, and He shall be My son...But My mercy shall not depart away from Him, as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever." This prophecy had a two-fold application. Initial fulfillment would be seen in Solomon who would inherit his father's throne, with the promise that the royal line would never depart from his house. Too, Solomon would have the privilege of building God's house at Jerusalem. The second application is to the Messiah: Christ Jesus would descend from David to build God's spiritual house and rule over spiritual Israel forever (cf. Matthew 1:1; Ephesians 2:19-22; Colossians 1:13; Luke 1:31-33; John 18:36). This spiritual "house" and "kingdom" is Christ's glorious church.
Then we have Isaiah's prophecy. "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, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. 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 zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6) The Messianic promise was so sure that Isaiah spoke of the future as if already fulfilled. The Son's birth signaled the advent of His kingdom.
The angel told Mary of the child she would bear: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32-33) To this very day, the Messiah rules, having "all authority...in heaven and in earth." (Matthew. 28:18)
Isaiah stated that the Messiah's reign would be upheld, or sustained, by judgment and justice (justice and righteousness, ASV). These qualities are the rock upon which God's throne forever rests: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne: Loving kindness and truth go before thy face." (Psalm 89:14)
Messiah's Identity
Regarding the names for Messiah listed in Isaiah 9:6, Homer Hailey wrote, "The real glory of the one to be born and His relationship to deity are revealed in the names by which He will be called. In the ancient world one's name was viewed as a reflection of all that one was, including qualities of character, whether good or bad, strong or weak" (A Commentary on Isaiah, p. 102). The following designations are true descriptions of Christ's nature and character.
Jesus' identity as God's Son, "being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person" (Hebrews 1:3); Savior of the world, victor over sin and death, and embodiment of all moral and spiritual truth, makes Him the wonder of all ages. The kings and nations of the earth would be smitten with awe over His person and work (Isaiah 52:13-15).
Mighty God
The name "Mighty God" identifies the Messiah as a person in the Godhead. He possesses all qualities, characteristics, and attributes of Deity. The Hebrews author made direct reference to Jesus' Godhood, "But unto the Son He saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.'" (1:8; cf. Colossians 1:15-19)
Everlasting Father
The designation "Everlasting Father" shows the eternity of Messiah's existence. He is not a created being; He is creator. The reference to Jesus as "Father" is not to equate him with the Father--He is not! Does it sound reasonable to you that Jesus would pray to himself (John 17:17)? Jesus was a Father in the sense of provision and protection. In Christ, every need is supplied; in Him we bask in the sunshine of spiritual security. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." (Psalm 103:13)
Prince of Peace
By means of forgiveness, sin is purged from our lives, and we make peace with God. God grants forgiveness on the basis of one's obedience to the "gospel of peace" (Romans 10:13-17). Peter told sinners how to make peace with God; he said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38) The Messiah's shed blood makes this cleansing possible, for when a person is baptized, he is baptized into Christ's death (Romans 6:3-4). The Prince of Peace does not conquer with carnal weapons, but through the gospel of peace, He appeals to men's minds to submit to God. The gospel alone is God's mighty power to save (Romans 1:16). By this means, we live at peace with God, one another (Colossians 3:13), and our own consciences (1 Peter 3:21).
Conclusion
We have noticed that God promised the Messiah and that He faithfully kept His word. Jesus came and was everything the prophets said He would be. He did all they said He would do. "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst.' (John 19:28) God also promised that Jesus will come again, at which time the dead will be raised, all will be judged, the earth will be destroyed, and either heaven or hell will be our eternal home. Consider some of these passages:
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'" (cf. Matthew 25:31-34)
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) Also consider Revelation 20:11-15 and 2 Peter 3:7-14. Do you believe the promise?
Brother Finley has shown, with the words of the prophets, that the Messiah and the church would play a prominent role in God's Scheme of Redemption. The New Testament writers agree with the fulfillments of those prophecies. Despite the attempts of many in today's religious world who tell us that the church was God's plan "B" because the Jews rejected Christ, we can clearly see that His rejection did not come as a surprise. It, too, fit His Divine purpose to pay the ransom price for sin and purchase the church-with His own blood! (KMG)