CHAPTER 49 ISATAH 9:6 Isaiah 9:6 presents us with a very significant prophecy concerning the Messiah. 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. Many persons are of the mistaken belief that this prophecy has already been fulfilled in its entirety, but that is certainly not so. In seeking to understand this prophecy, it is important to first recognize that its fulfillment extends over a very long period. Its fulfillment occurs at different stages in Jesus’ life and spans over three thousand years. It began when Christ was born and will culminate at the end of the Millennium. Listed below is the chronological order of the fulfillment of this prophecy. PROPHECY FULFILLMENT 1. For unto us a child is born...and | At Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem of his name shall be called | Judah184 Joy Penrose-Davis Wonderful. 2. Unto us a Son is given...and | At the inception of Jesus’ public his name shall be called | ministry. ..-Counselor ...and The Prince of Peace. 3. The government shall be upon | From the beginning to the end of his shoulder, and his name shall | Jesus’ millennial reign. be called...The Mighty God and The Everlasting Father. The fulfillment of the prophecy relating to Jesus’ birth is recorded in the opening chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. This is the first aspect of the prophecy which says, For unto us a child is born. At the birth of Jesus, another aspect of the prophecy was also fulfilled. This pertains to his name which Isaiah tells us would be called Wonderful. When the Messiah was born into the world he was given a new name. He was no longer called the Word but was now called Jesus (Yeshua). And...the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:20-21). Appearing to Joseph in a dream, the angel of the Lord informed him of the name by which the Child should be called. God did not leave the naming of His Son to his earthly parents, but as his heavenly Father He did so Himself, because the Messiah had to be given a name commensurate with his purpose. The name given is called Wonderful because it is the saving name. It is the only name given whereby man can be delivered from the bondage of Satan, receive forgiveness of sins and be reconciled to His Maker. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The second portion of the prophecy, unto us a son is given, was not fulfilled until thirty years after Jesus’ birth (Luke 3:23). This occurred at the commencement of his public ministry. Although inJesus Christ is not God 185 keeping with the law, his earthly parents had presented Jesus as a baby in the temple to his heavenly Father (Luke 2: 21-24), as the Son of God he had not yet been given or presented to the world. The events leading up to this occasion were his baptism by John the Baptist and his anointing by the Holy Spirit appearing in the form of a dove and resting upon him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16-17). is my It was precisely at this point in time that the second aspect of the prophecy, unto us a son is given, began its fulfillment. Immediately after Jesus’ baptism and his anointing by the Spirit, in the hearing of all the people present, the Father, speaking from heaven in an audible voice, publicly presented His Son to the world: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17). Following this, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, where, after fasting for forty days and forty nights he was tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1-11). Having overcome the devil’s temptations Jesus returned to Nazareth, the city in which he resided and as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day. While there, he was handed the scroll of Isaiah the prophet from which he read the following portion of scriptures in the presence of the congregation. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD... (Isa. 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19). This is a Messianic prophecy spoken by Jesus through the prophet Isaiah while in his pre-existence. After returning the scroll to the Minister, Jesus informed the congregation that in that very moment the scriptures were being fulfilled in their presence. In the synagogue on that Sabbath Day, in the presence of the congregants, the Father again, now by the written Word, presented His Son to the world as the