A Special Child is Coming! (Part 2 of 4)

God will come to earth as a little child so that He can save sinners from their sin.

December 9, 2020

"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."

Isaiah 9:6

Part 2

Yesterday:  A Child Born, A Son Given

“For unto us, a child is born.”
Jesus will add human nature to His deity.

“Unto us, a son is given.”
Jesus will be born a male child, the Son of God, the coming Savior!

 

Today:  All Authority to Reign is His!

“And the government shall be upon His shoulder.”
In the ancient days, the symbol for the authority of government was worn on the shoulder.[1]

“That is the ensign of government; the scepter, the sword, the key, or the like, which was borne upon or hung from the shoulder”[2] (Clarke).

“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut, and he shall shut, and none shall open” (Isaiah 22:22).[3]

Even as the Christ-child entered this world, His reign is sure and right, for Jesus is the King.  From the Garden of Eden, the devil has done his best to seize God’s earth away from Him.  He has dreadful power over the ungodly line that follows him, and they live to do his bidding.[4]  Believers, we can understand why God’s children are hated by men so.  They hate God and everything that He stands for.  Naturally, they will hate us too.

The Messiah will ultimately have the world government on His shoulder in the Millennium.  He is, after all, the “King of kings, and Lord of lords,” and He will rule this earth “with a rod of iron.”[5]  This does not mean that He is powerless to rule in these end-time days.  He is all-powerful!  In fact, God is governing now.  What are the obvious ways we know that He is ruling?

He rules over His creation.  He is the LORD of heaven and earth.  The laws of nature still conform to His decree.  This universe is His.

His Kingdom has been present on earth since the disciples walked with Him.  He is the undisputed King!

He rules in the hearts of every child of God.  He is our Lord and Master!  We are His bond-slaves.

He often overrules the trespass of the devil by claiming sinners as His own.  By His grace, addicts, prostitutes, liars, thieves, murderers, cheaters of all kinds, and all other types of sinners He saves, redeeming them from lives of sin.

He is the Master, Lord, Savior, High Priest, and King over His Church.

Someday, in the future, the great dragon will be cast into Hell.  His influence will no longer felt on earth or heaven, and all will recognize their Sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ!  Praise the LORD!

Tomorrow we will talk about some of the crucial qualities of the Christ-child.  See you then.

 

Quote:
“Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run,
His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Blessings abound where’er He reigns:
the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.”[6]

 

 

 

[1] See Isaiah 9:6 in JFB.  Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.  Isaiah 9:6.
[2] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.  Isaiah 9:6.
[3] This Isaiah wrote, referring to Eliakim, the assistant to King Hezekiah.  Jehovah said that he is “my servant,” a godly man (Isaiah 22:20).  Under Hezekiah, his authority is noted by the “key of the house of David” placed on his shoulder.  This passage is also a prophecy for Jesus.  Once again, Isaiah’s prophecy has a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment.  Jesus will say of Himself, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” (Revelation 3:7).
[4] See, Ephesians 2:2; 6:12; John 12:31; John 16:11; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9.
[5] Jesus’ reign with a “rod of iron” (see Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:15).
[6] The first and fourth verses of “Jesus Shall Reign,” lyrics by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), written in 1719.  The tune is DUKE STREET, by John Hatton, written in 1793.  Copyright Status, Public Domain.