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Selected Prophecies from the Book of Isaiah, Part 2

by Karl Kemp
9/15/2013 / Bible Studies

I'll continue the listing some of the key prophecies regarding the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (we are under Isa. 9:1-7):

ISAIAH 11:1-16 (This significant chapter, which prophesies about the saving work of God's Anointed One, is discussed next in this paper); ISAIAH CHAPTERS 42 and 49 (These chapters, which are discussed in this paper, are filled with prophetic words regarding the saving work of God's Servant); ISAIAH 52:10-53:12 (The Servant of God saves His people by bearing their sins with the guilt and the penalties [including the major penalties of spiritual death and bondage to sin]; a very large number of cross-references could be listed here; ISAIAH 61:1-3 (The Anointed One saves from sin [with the guilt and the penalties], and He judges His enemies [cf. Luke 4:16-21]); DANIEL 9:25, 26 (Messiah, the ultimate Ruler, will be cut off [temporarily]; the approximate time of His (virgin) birth is given); MICAH 5:2 (The eternal Ruler is to be born in Bethlehem [cf. Matt. 2:6; Luke 2:4-7; and John 7:42]); ZECHARIAH 9:9, 10 (The King, who will have a worldwide dominion, comes in humility and riding on a donkey; He will speak peace to the nations [cf. Matt. 21:1-11; John 12:14, 15]); ZECHARIAH 11:12, 13 (We see the Shepherd who is rejected and sold for thirty pieces of silver, which is thrown to the potter in the house of the Lord [Matt. 26:15; 27:3-10]); and ZECHARIAH 13:7 (The Shepherd is smitten [cf. Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27]). ((Genesis 3:15 is discussed in my paper on Genesis chapters 1-3. Psalm 22 is discussed verse-by-verse in my paper on Eschatological Psalms. Psalms 2; 110; Daniel chapter 9; Micah chapter 5; and Zechariah chapters 9, 11, and 13 are discussed verse-by-verse in my book, "The Mid-Week Rapture." Many key verses of Isaiah chapter 53; and Luke 4:16-21 with Isa. 61:1-3 are discussed verse-by-verse in my book, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin: Full Salvation Through the Atoning Death of the Lord Jesus Christ." Isaiah 61:1-3 are discussed in my article, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin #9."))

It is very significant that many of these prophecies have already been fulfilled, either totally fulfilled, or partially fulfilled (and there are many other prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that I have not listed). These prophecies concerning Christ, by themselves, suffice to prove that the Bible truly is the Word of God. ((Also, there are many very significant prophecies that do not deal, at least not for the most part, with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very significant that many of these prophecies have already been fulfilled. See, for example, Dan. 2:28-49; 7:1-28; 8:1-27; 9:24-27; and 11:1-39. Most of these verses from Daniel are discussed in my book, "The Mid-Week Rapture.")) Quite a few times in the book of Isaiah God declared that He was prophesying regarding things that would take place in the future, sometimes the near future, in order to prove that He, and only He, was/is God. He challenged the gods of the nations to do the same thing. See Isa. 41:21-29; 44:7-11; 45:18-25; 46:5-11; and 48:1-16. There is no other God, and there is no other book anything like the Bible.

Now I'll quote Isa. 9:1-7: "But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish [[The last verse of Isaiah chapter 8 prophesied regarding the coming "gloom of anguish" and darkness for the people of Israel (because they had not been faithful to God).]]; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan [The NIV has, "along the Jordan [River]."], Galilee of the Gentiles. [[Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the twelve tribes of Israel. The land allotted to these two tribes was located in the northern part of the land of Israel (along with the tribes of Asher and Issachar). Galilee was located in this area. Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, was in Galilee, and much of His earthly ministry was conducted in Galilee.

Matthew 4:12-16 quote part of Isa. 9:1, 2, demonstrating that this prophecy was fulfilled (in part) in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Also see Luke 1:79. It is clear (clear from our perspective, but not clear from the Old Testament perspective) that there are two separate comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although His first coming was infinitely important, He does not subdue His enemies and fully save His people until His second coming. (I believe He will come again and the rapture will take place right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week.) In Isaiah's generation, and even in the generation that Jesus was born, Israel did not understand that there were to be two separate and totally different comings for Messiah.

I'll quote part of what John A. Martin said under Isa. 9:1 ("Bible Knowledge Commentary," Old Testament [Victor Books, 1985], page 1052). "In 732 B.C. [Isaiah's ministry began by 739 B.C., the year that King Uzziah died (cf. Isa. 6:1-13)] this northern portion of Israel became an Assyrian province under Tiglath-Pilezer III, thus humbling the people there and putting them in gloom. Under Gentile domination, that area was called 'Galilee of the Gentiles.' [The Assyrians had a policy of deporting (many of) the inhabitants of areas they conquered (cf. 2 Kings 15:29; 17:27-29) and of bringing in different people to live there (cf. 2 Kings 17:24-26). Also, many Gentiles lived in this area before the Assyrian invasion (cf. Jud. 1:30-33; 1 Kings 9:11).]

'The way of the sea' describes a major international highway running through this region. This is the only place where the Bible used this phrase, but it appears often in Assyrian and Egyptian records. The invading Assyrian soldiers took that route when they invaded the Northern Kingdom. From that area the Messiah will arise and will wipe away the gloom and darkness brought on by Gentile domination."]] (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. [[The Hebrew poetry here uses a type of parallelism; parallelism is very common in Hebrew poetry: Isaiah makes a comment regarding people walking in darkness seeing a great light, then he says essentially the same thing (he makes a parallel statement) using different words.]] (3) You shall multiply the nation [cf. Isa. 26:15; 54:1-3], You shall increase their gladness [[Compare Isa. 35:10; 65:14, 18, 19; and 66:10. "You" here in verse 3 (used twice) and in verse 4 apparently refers to God the Father. The nation (Israel) will be multiplied (the NIV has "enlarged the nation") in that the kingdom of God will ultimately expand to fill the earth. God's kingdom will be the only kingdom left on the earth after His end-time judgments are completed (cf., e.g., Zech. 14:9). This will be true in a substantial sense during the millennial kingdom, but there still will be room for rebellion by the peoples of the nations during the millennium (cf. Zech. 14:16-19; Rev. 20:7-10). By the time the new heavens and new earth that are pictured in Revelation chapters 21, 22 are established (after the millennium), there will be no further rebellion in God's worldwide kingdom.]]; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. (4) For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders [cf. Isa. 10:27], The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian [cf. Jud. 7:1-25; Isa. 10:26]. [[The Bible (including the book of Isaiah) shows that the primary enemies that God will overthrow are spiritual enemies (spiritual death, sin, and Satan and his hosts). The Bible also speaks much of God's overthrow of His enemies and the enemies of His people among men. That was true in Old Testament days, and we also see God's overthrow of earthly enemies in the last book of the Bible, in the destruction of Antichrist and his armies after they are gathered to Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16; 19:17-21).]] (5) For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. [Such items will be left for burning after the enemies have been totally destroyed.] (6) For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us [[This child/son born to us is the Messiah (e.g., Isa. 7:14; 11:1; 49:1-3; 53:1-3; and Luke 2:11). First we think of the virgin "birth," but it is also true that Jesus Christ was the first man (though He was and is much more than just a man) to leave death behind and to be "born" into the fullness of eternal life (cf. Psalm 2:7; Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15: 20; Col. 1:18; and Rev. 1:5). Through Christ, all the members of God's true Israel will be born into the fullness of eternal life to reign with Him forever.]]; And the government will rest on His shoulders [[Compare Isa. 22:22. Christ has all authority now, including the authority to fully save those that submit to Him and the authority to overthrow and remove all those (including Satan and his hosts) that do not submit to Him (e.g., Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; and Eph. 1:10, 20-23).]]; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor ((I had a footnote: Most commentators agree with the NASB and the NIV in taking the words "Wonderful" and "Counselor" together, but some agree with the KJV (and the margin of the NIV), which takes these words separately, with a comma in between them. I favor the majority viewpoint, but the other viewpoint is possible.)) [[Compare Isa. 28:29. His "counsel" is of a different dimension; it is extraordinary, to say the least; it is of God in the fullest possible sense. (As Isa. 9:6 shows, along with many other verses, Messiah is God, God the Son). I'll quote part of what Herbert M. Wolf said here ("Interpreting Isaiah" [Zondervan, 1985], page 97). " 'Wonderful Counselor' is literally 'a Wonder of a Counselor.' Miracles are often called 'wonders,' and in Judges 13:18 the Angel of the Lord [the Angel of Yahweh] - perhaps the preincarnate Christ [This is a common view, and I assume it is correct] - gives 'Wonderful' as His name." And I'll quote part of what J. Alec Motyer said here ("Isaiah" [Inter-Varsity Press, 1999], page 89). "Wonderful: literally 'a wonder of a Counselor.' The vast majority of the eighty times the verb 'pala,' its noun (as here 'pele') and adjective...occur, they refer to the Lord, himself and his works. It is the nearest word Hebrew has to the idea of 'supernatural,' here bringing a wisdom far above the human...."]], Mighty God [[Compare Isa. 10:21; Deut. 10:17; Neh. 9:32; and Jer. 32:18. These two words (and the next two words) were undoubtedly somewhat shocking to Isaiah and the old-covenant believers. Somehow, the Messiah, the son of David, the child born to us, is to be deity along with the One who sent Him. He would be the God-man. Other passages in the Old Testament helped confirm this fact, or helped explain how this could be ((I had a footnote: For example, the Messiah was called "Immanuel" ["God with us"] in Isa. 7:14; 8:8 and, significantly, Micah 5:2 informs us regarding the Ruler to be born in Bethlehem that "His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." Another very important Old Testament clue regarding this glorious Person, who was to also become a man (but not just a man), was the revelation about the Angel of the LORD [Yahweh], who was clearly distinguished from God the Father, but who also was recognized as being deity. The significant name "Yahweh" (which was very often used of God in the Old Testament) was used of the Angel quite a few times too, and He was also called "God." (See, e.g., Gen. 22:1-19; 31:11-13; Ex. 3:1-18; Josh. 5:13-6:2; Jud. 6:11-24; and Zech. 3:2. See my paper, "The Name 'Yahweh' and God the Father and God the Son.") The Angel of the LORD, who also appears as the man dressed in linen in the Old Testament, is discussed on pages 165-179 of my book, "The Mid-Week Rapture." On the deity of Christ in the Old Testament also see Psalm 110:1 and Psalm 45:6, 7 with Heb. 1:8, 9; other Old Testament verses could also be listed.)), but we had to wait for the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fuller revelation of His Person and of the triune God (Trinity) given in the New Testament to get a more solid understanding regarding His Person. The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is a foundational doctrine of key importance. The devil has probably fought against this one doctrine more than any other.

Christians don't claim that they fully understand the Trinity (we can only know as much as God reveals, and in our present level of being some things are clearly beyond our ability to fully understand), but the Scriptures clearly teach the Trinity, and this has been the orthodox view of the Christian church from the beginning. The New Testament strongly confirms that Messiah is deity (which means, for one thing, that He is not a created being) with God the Father (e.g., John 1:1-4, 14; 20:28; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:2, 3; Rev. 1:4, 5 [There are many other passages in the New Testament that mention all three Persons of the Trinity together]; Rev. 1:12-17; 5:12-14 [It would be blasphemous to worship the Son with the Father if the Son were not deity with the Father - He is!]; Rev. 19:10, 13; 21:22, 23; and 22:5, 6, 13). The New Testament clearly teaches that the Son of God truly became a man, though not just a man (for one thing, He was not spiritually dead like other men, and He never sinned), that He died in our place as the supremely worthy Lamb of God, and that He is a Person distinct from God the Father (we will say more on this point below). See my recent papers titled, "The Name 'Yahweh' and God the Father and God the Son"; "Who Do We Worship?: Oneness (Jesus only) Worship Songs"; "Who Do We Pray To?"; and "More on the Trinity." They are on my internet site.

I'll quote what Herbert M. Wolf said here ("Interpreting Isaiah," page 97). " 'Mighty God' emphasizes the deity of this Ruler and his military ability. Psalm 24:8 depicts this relationship with the words 'The Lord strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.' In Isaiah 10:21 the 'Mighty God' is identified with the Holy One of Israel."

I'll quote part of what John N. Oswalt said here ("Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39" [Eerdmans, 1986], page 247). After mentioning that some dismiss the translation "Mighty God" here he says, "there is no reason to depart from the traditional rendering ["Mighty God"]. Wherever 'el gibbor' occurs elsewhere in the Bible there is no doubt that the term refers to God (Isa. 10:21; cf. Also Deut 10:17; Jer. 32:18). This king will have God's true might about him, power so great that it can absorb all the evil which can be hurled at him until none is left to hurl (53:2-10; 59:15-20; 63:1-9)." The last two references cited by Oswalt prophesy regarding the Lamb-Warrior's overpowering and totally subduing all His enemies.

I'll quote part of what F. Delitzsch said here ("Commentary on the Old Testament" by C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Vol. 7 [Eerdmans, 1976 reprint], pages 253, 254). "The...name 'El gibbor' attributes divinity to Him [the Messiah]. ... There is no reason why we should take 'El' in this name of the Messiah in any other sense than in 'Immanu-El' ['Immanu' means 'with us' in Hebrew]; not to mention the fact that 'El' in Isaiah is always a name of God.... And finally, 'El gibbor' was a traditional name of God, which occurs as early as Deut. 10:17, cf. Jer. 23:18; Neh. 9:32; Psalm 24:8; etc. ... Undoubtedly this appears to go beyond the limits of the Old Testament horizon [in that we see that Messiah is deity with God the Father here]; but what if it should go beyond them?" Delitzsch went on to point out that even though the incarnation is included in this prophetic name, it went beyond the Old Testament consciousness (including for Isaiah) to adequately comprehend this truth.

And I'll quote part of what Edward J. Young said here ("Book of Isaiah," Vol. 1 [Eerdmans, 1983 reprint], pages 337, 338.) "Isaiah here brings out an important contrast. By means of the words...'child' and 'is born' [both words were used earlier in this verse] he [Isaiah] has called attention to the Messiah's humanity, but by the phrase el gibbor we are brought face to face with Messiah's deity. This interpretation is strengthened by the word pele in the first name. He is a Wonder, and in the light of this strong designation, we may well expect that in the second name also the prophet is attributing deity to the Messiah.

What then did Isaiah mean by his use of the term 'el' and why did he employ it? In answering these questions we must remember that the wondrous prophecy which we are now studying was not primarily the product of Isaiah's own thought. ... It was a revelation of God. ... To what extent he himself understood the import of what he was writing we have no way of knowing. The revelation was made to him, however, that Messiah was a divine Person. In the light of the New Testament we learn that this revelation was an adumbration of the doctrine of the Trinity [that is, it foreshadowed the doctrine of the Trinity in a vague way]. Isaiah, in other words, is now given a glimpse of the fact that in the fullness of the Godhead there is a plurality of Persons. ... With this revealed truth [that Messiah is 'el gibbor'] may our hearts delight, for He who is born the mighty God is therefore able to save all those who put trust in Him."]], Eternal Father [[This name also strongly indicates the deity of Messiah. He is Father of His people in the eternal dimension. Taken in the fullest sense, this includes His work at creation (e.g., John 1:1-3) and the fatherly care of His people (e.g., saving, guiding, protecting, and providing everything that is needed).

I'll quote part of what J. Alec Motyer said here ("Isaiah" [Inter-Varsity Press, 1999], pages 89, 90). "used of the Lord, 'father' speaks of his concern (Ps. 65:5), care and discipline (Ps. 103:13; Pr. 3:12; Is. 63:16; 64:8); cf. Ps. 72:4, 12-14; Is. 11:4."

And I'll quote part of what F. Delitzsch said here ("Commentary on the Old Testament," Vol. 7, page 253). This name, 'Eternal Father,' springs out of the last name, 'Mighty God' "for what is divine must be eternal. The title Eternal Father designates Him, however, not only as the possessor of eternity...but as the tender, faithful, and wise trainer, guardian, and provider for His people even in eternity (Isa. 22:21). He is eternal Father, as the eternal, loving King, according to the description in Ps. 72." We will further discuss the name "Father" for God (for God the Father and for God the Son) in a separate section after we finish discussing Isa. 9:7.]], Prince [Although the translation "Prince" sounds good with "of Peace," the Hebrew noun used here could also be translated "Ruler," or other ways.] of Peace [This Hebrew noun ("shalom") includes the ideas of completeness, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, contentment, and friendship.]. [[Compare Isa. 11:6-9; 26:12; 32:17; 53:5; 66:12; Zech. 9:10; John 16:33; Rom. 5:1; and Eph. 2:13-17. Messiah solves the sin problem in His atoning death, and He brings us "peace" with God. Flowing out of peace with God comes every other kind of peace (including inner peace, peace in the body of Christ, peace with others, and peace with our environment) and well being, and we will ultimately experience the fullness of the "shalom" of God that attends eternal glory, where everything is in divine order. In context with the rest of Isa. 9:1-7, there is an emphasis here on the peace that comes through Messiah's overthrowing every enemy of His people and establishing His righteous, perfect government that will last forever. Messiah is the Prince/Ruler that will establish Peace throughout God's eternal kingdom.]] (7) There will be no end to the increase of His government [[His authority extends everywhere now; He will reign in the worldwide kingdom throughout the millennial kingdom, then He will rule (with God the Father) over the new heavens and new earth in the eternal state (e.g., Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:25-28; Eph. 1:10, 20-23; and Rev. 22:1, 3).]] or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom [Compare Isa. 11:1-10; Luke 1:32, 33. It is a common Biblical theme that the ultimate King was to be a descendant of David, which Christ was (according to the flesh).], To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness [[Without justice and righteousness there can be no peace. Injustice and unrighteousness, by definition, are not part of God's perfect will - these things are not compatible with divine order. Isaiah chapter 53 shows how the Messiah solves the sin problem and makes His people righteous. Isaiah 53:11 speaks of Him as the RIGHTEOUS ONE who makes RIGHTEOUS His people. (Isaiah 53:11 is discussed on pages 26-29 of my book, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin: Full Salvation Through the Atoning Death of the Lord Jesus Christ.")]] From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD [Yahweh] of hosts will accomplish this. [[The "LORD [Yahweh] of hosts [armies]" refers to God the Father here. "He" in Isa. 9:1 (twice) and "You" and "Your" in Isa. 9:3, 4 also refer to God the Father. In that He is the One that gives the child/son spoken of in Isa. 9:6 (and He does a whole lot more than that), it can certainly be said that the glorious, saving work accomplished by Messiah that is spoken of in these verses is accomplished by God the Father (who sent His Son, anointed Him, etc.).]]

Further Discussion Regarding God as Father:

In the Old Testament the word "father/Father" was used more than five hundred times. Reading through the Old Testament verses listed under father/Father in my concordance (NASB), I found eleven verses (not counting Isa. 9:6) where God was pictured as Father to His people (Deut. 32:6; Psalm 68:5; 103:13; Prov. 3:12; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:4, 19; 31:9; and Mal. 1:6; 2:10; also cf. 2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13; 22:10; and Psalm 89:26). In the New Testament we find the word "Father" used of God much more often than in the Old Testament, 264 times. It is used exclusively of God the Father in the New Testament; it is never used of God the Son, the Messiah. ((I had a five-paragraph footnote: We were not prepared to adequately understand the New Testament name/title of "God the Father" (or "the Father") before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, which (for one thing) made a gigantic difference in the relationship believers have with God. The New Testament reveals the Person of God the Son (the old covenant believers did not comprehend the Person of God the Son) and it reveals the glorious fact that new covenant believers actually become born-again sons of "God the Father" through new-covenant salvation in union with God the Son. "God the Father" actually becomes "the Father" of His born-again children in a very real, very special sense.

It causes substantial confusion when Christians use the term "Father" for Jesus Christ (the Son of God) now that we have been given the much fuller, New Testament revelation regarding the triune God. It was reasonable in Old Testament days for Messiah to be called "Eternal Father" in this very important prophetic passage. It was an effective way to emphasize His deity. In the same way that it was reasonable to call the Angel of the LORD [Yahweh] "Yahweh" or "God," it was reasonable to call Him "Eternal Father," and especially in the middle of a glorious prophecy that emphasized His deity and dealt with His saving work. Christians who deny the Trinity typically use Isa. 9:6 as one of their primary proof texts, but quite improperly.

There are literally hundreds of verses in the Bible, mostly in the New Testament, which demonstrate that God the Father and God the Son are distinct Persons within the Godhead. Very often the Father and the Son are mentioned together in the same passage as separate Persons: They talk to one another; they talk about one another; the Father sends the Son; the Son goes back to the Father; the Son is at the right hand of the Father; and the Son reigns with the Father and is worshipped with the Father. The oneness doctrine is widespread in our day, and I believe that many of those holding that doctrine are true Christians. I must also say, however, that I consider this teaching to be a substantial error, and it is one of the most divisive issues in the body of Christ.

The oneness doctrine may seem to make God easier for the human mind to understand, and it sounds reasonable if we are willing to limit ourselves to a few verses that fit the oneness doctrine, but it cannot stand when we take into account all that the Scriptures teach on the topic. By the way, it is not surprising that we cannot fully understand God. We are required to believe all that the Scriptures teach about Him, whether we can fully understand or not. There certainly is no basis to say that the triune view of God presented in the Bible is unreasonable. We will understand God a whole lot better after we are glorified, but even then I'm quite sure that we won't fully understand Him.

The verse we are studying (Isa. 9:6) even guards against the oneness doctrine in that this "son will be given to us." The Bible makes it clear who does the giving: God the Father, who sends His Son to save us. I mentioned that the Angel of the LORD [Yahweh] of the Old Testament helps us understand the Son of God and His deity. It is equally true that the Old Testament clearly distinguishes between this Angel and God the Father. I also mentioned Psalm 110:1 as another verse that helps us understand the deity of Christ. That verse also clearly distinguishes between David's Lord (the Messiah) and God the Father (who is called "Yahweh" in Psalm 110:1). This is the end of the five-paragraph footnote.)) The fatherhood of God is also pictured on a much higher level in the New Testament than in the Old Testament.

There are several closely related reasons for the exaltation of the fatherhood of God in the New Testament, which we will discuss in this paragraph and the next paragraph. Jesus taught His disciples that God the Father was their Father (e.g., Matt. 5:16, 45, 48; 6:9). He also taught them that God the Father was (in a very special sense) His Father (cf., e.g., Matt. 10:32, 33; 11:25-27; 16:27; and Luke 23:46) and that He (in a very special sense) was the Son of God (cf., e.g., Matt. 11:27; 28:19; Mark 14:36; Luke 10:21, 22; and John 3:31-35). The Son "who comes from above" (John 3:31) was sent from heaven by God the Father (cf., e.g., John 3:13, 17, 34; 6:57, 58; 10:36; and 1 John 4:9); He was with the Father in the beginning, before creation began (e.g., John 1:1; 17:5). Jesus frequently mentioned that He was going back to the Father (e.g., John 16:28; 20:17), and He is often pictured in the New Testament in heaven/the heavenly dimension after His ascension (e.g., Acts 2:33; 3:17-21; 7:56; 1 Cor. 15:20-28; Eph. 1:18-23; Rev. 1:1, 4-7; 5:1-14; 21:22, 23; 22:1, 3). In every one of the verses just cited, the Son is clearly pictured as a Person distinct from God the Father.

Those who are united with the Lord Jesus Christ through faith (based on His atoning death and by the Holy Spirit, who indwells every true Christian) become sons of God the Father (through the unique Son of God) in a very special sense. They become born-again sons of God. God the Father has a very special love for God the Son (e.g., Matt. 3:17; John 3:35; 5:20; and 17:24, 26). Through God's glorious plan of salvation, Christians become objects of this love the Father has for His unique Son (cf. John 17:20-26; 16:26-28; and Rom. 8:28-39). After we are glorified (born into the fullness of eternal life), we will enter into the full dimension of what it means to be sons of God who are loved (in a very special way) by God the Father, but in this present life we can begin to walk in some of this glory. Jesus, who had/has an Abba Father relationship with God the Father (Mark 14:36), has opened up for us a similar relationship with the Father (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).

For more on this important topic see my papers, "The Name 'Yahweh' and God the Father and God the Son"; "Who Do We Worship?"; "Who Do We Pray To?"; and "More on the Trinity." They were all written later than this paper on Isaiah and are located on my internet site (karlkempteachingministries.com).

We will go on to a study of Isaiah chapter 11 in Part 3.

Copyright by Karl Kemp

http://www.karlkempteachingministries.com Karl Kemp worked as an engineer in the space field throughout the 60s. He became a born-again Christian in 1964. He received an MA in Biblical Studies in 1972. He has been a Bible teacher for 45 years. See the website for more info on his books, papers, etc.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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