Isaiah prophesied that a baby was to be born into the world. But not just any baby. The Messiah, who will rule and be known by four particular names…
The Prophesied Messiah
Christmas is a time of year when we celebrate that child’s birth. It is the time that Jesus came into the world. The Word becoming Flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). And throughout the Bible, this Messiah whom the Jews were look for, was to be known by many names. Immanuel is one of them.
As Luke chapter one says, Gabriel the angel told Mary that she will have a son, and He will be named Jesus. Not only that, but He will be called the Son of God.
When Gabriel visited Joseph, in Matthew 1:20-23, he told him that: “Mary will have son and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus, in Hebrew is “Jeshua” or “Joshua,” meaning “Yahweh saves.”
That’s Jesus, the world’s Savior.
Names have significance!
The book of Isaiah has a few more names that the Messiah will be known by. Names which the child, born around Christmas time, will be called. And they are found in chapter 9:1-7.
The Messiah’s Rule, Isaiah 9:1-7
1But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the, Gentiles.
2 The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 You will multiply the nation,
You will increase their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy of harvest,
As people rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
The Names of the Prophesied Messiah
The focus will be on verses six and seven; so let’s look at that:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…”
This child is, of course, Jesus, the Immanuel. The one that Gabriel said would come. And Isaiah prophesied in chapter 7. This is Christ’s first Advent or coming to earth.
“And the government will rest on His shoulders.”
What does this mean? This is alluding to Christ’s second Advent, when He comes in His millennial kingdom. We see in verse seven that Jesus will be sitting on the throne of David, ruling over Israel in peace.
He will be the authority and lawgiver at that time. And His governance will continue to increase. This means He will continue to rule over the whole world at that time; and then, forevermore.
And this ruler will be known by four names. These names are gifts to the world because they encompass the person and character of who the child born in the manger will be. And that is an amazing insight to look into.
Wonderful Counselor
“Wonderful” means admirable or distinguished, and this child will be that for the nations.
People will gladly listen to Him as the authoritative one. They will be anxious to hear Him teach God’s way and guide them in the right path.
Isaiah 2:2-3 give the description of this Wonderful Counselor.
“Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the House of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us concerning his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
This is Jesus ruling from the throne of David, and from the throne He will do more work than just guide.
Mighty God
Some suggest this name simply means “a godlike person” or something like a hero. It could also be seen as being a champion or victor.
But Isaiah meant more than that!
Isaiah understood that this child was to be God. He is after all, Immanuel, God with us. He is called the son of God; and He is the prophesied Messiah who will have an everlasting throne that forever increases.
But it means more than that!
In the first five verses of chapter nine, we read that the Messiah will do what no other person had been able to do. As a powerful warrior, the Messiah will accomplish the military exploits mentioned in verses 3-5.
3 You will multiply the nation,
You will increase their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy of harvest,
As people rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
If we look back at Isaiah 2:4, it says that in His rulership: “He will judge between the nations, And will mediate for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.”
And His kingdom is ruled perfectly, by what these next two names signify.
Everlasting Father
Many people are puzzled by this title because the Messiah, God’s Son, is distinguished in the Trinity from God the Father. Who is in the Trinity but: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three persons who exist at the same time, are equal in power, and are eternal. [If you want to learn more about the Trinity, check out this article, here.]
So, how can the Son be the Father? Simple answer. It is not talking about the Trinity of God in this verse.
In ancient times, the “father of the nation” was viewed in much the same way as the father of a family should be. It is the father who protects and provides for his children.
In the same way, this Child to be born will become a king who will be a benevolent father to the children of Israel.
That is the task of the ideal king and is also the way God himself cares for his people. He will protect and provide for them and will do it forever. You can see many more examples of this in the Bible and throughout Isaiah, such as 63:16 and 64:8.
Prince of Peace
The Bible says that Jesus is to be King (e.g. John 18:36), but here He is also called a “Prince.” Now don’t be confused by this hierarchy of rulership. For example, in medieval times, or even current British royalty, we would recognize a prince as being the heir or son of the king. The next in-line to rule. That’s not really what it means here.
The Hebrew word is “sar.” This term is generally applied to the chief men of the state. Those who administer the affairs of the provinces. The overseer, leader, or authority over something.
Remember the government shall be upon his shoulders only and it will have no end. It will continually increase. And when a Kingdom or government increases, so must it ways, the duties, the laws, and everything which makes up the Kingdom and keeps it functioning and unified.
That is the role of the Prince of Peace. He is to continue that peace by which his Kingdom is established and runs by. What He says, goes. He closes every case through justice and righteousness from its establishment and forevermore (Isaiah 9:7).
Conclusion
These four titles give us a beautiful picture of Jesus’ person and character as He ushers in and rules His millennial kingdom—and soon after, His eternal kingdom. This Jesus, who is the long awaited for Messiah, who came to earth to show the world God, and to bring us near to Him.
That’s is why Christmas should be celebrated!
It is about Jesus, who holds the name above every name, by which every knee will bow and tongue will confess that He is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
His name is more desirable than great riches; and esteemed better than silver or gold (Proverbs 22:1). Recognize that He is the reason for the season, and no matter what gift one receives during the holiday season, nothing you desire can compare with Him.
Don’t let another holiday pass where you miss out on God’s gift of love and forgiveness which He offers through Jesus Christ. You can check out this article to learn more about accepting Christ as your Savior: “The Ultimate Guide to Salvation in Jesus.”