Nena Arias | December 5, 2022
Around the year 700 B.C. the prophet Isaiah received this most important and life-changing message for the entire world and millennia to come.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
This passage declares that the government of all nations was to be upon his shoulder, and this is true even today. This is a powerful declaration; the government of all things belongs to Jesus Christ. Believe it or not. And “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” Jesus, the Christmas child, established his Rulership as Savior and Lord in a world dominated by sin and rebellion against God Almighty. This means that he has the last word in the midst of all the hostility and war against him and his followers—his power, government and peace continue to grow. His justice has to allow humankind to exercise their free will, but he reserves the right to set the absolute limit to all of it.
Jesus was, “to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” There is no discontinuity of his accomplishment—it is an ongoing dominion until all his enemies are under His feet (Matthew 22:44; Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 2:8). Believe it or not, ultimately, Jesus rules over the world!
It is impossible to attain world peace without acknowledging King Jesus. No matter how many attempts and treaties men sign for peace, the sinful nature of man brings back the conflict. True peace is the outcome of governments that are under God, the only source of law and order (Isaiah 33:22), “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” To ignore and/or rebel against God’s moral absolutes is to turn away from his law and order; the end result is social chaos, anarchy, war, revolutions and counterrevolutions.
Jesus: “his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” It is utter foolishness to think of peace on earth without Christ as Savior, Lord, and King.
The following are the words from the famous hymn, Joy To The World, by the English hymn writer, Isaac Watts, in 1719. The words are based on the second half of Psalm 98, in the Bible.
Joy to the world! The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
Joy to the world! the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy
Where is the Christmas Child now? He is seated at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19; Acts 7:55; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 8:1; 12:20). He is also in the life of every true born-again person.
Every person is offered a new life in Christ, which is God’s greatest and incomparable everlasting gift. The requirement is “Let every heart prepare Him room.” The peace, power and government of Christ begin in the heart of each individual. It is the only way to successfully confront everyday challenges in a mad and convulsing world.