People in death’s shadow saw a great light,
That, of condemnation, they need not fear!
Jesus will some day reign on David’s throne;
On His shoulders shall earth’s government rest;
As Mighty God, Prince of Peace, He’ll be known;
All the nations with justice shall be blessed!
His peace and righteousness last forever;
The zeal of God will accomplish this;
A Son is born, chains of sin to sever,
Bringing to people eternal life’s bliss!
Through Isaiah God revealed this future plan Of His comings to redeem fallen Man! Scripture Quoted (NIV) [Brackets added] Prophecy Made: Isaiah 9:1-7—“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he [God] humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee [formerly Zebulun and Naphtali] of the Gentiles, [which is] by the way of the sea [Mediterranean], along the Jordan [River]—‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light [God speaking to Isaiah]; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned, … For to us a child [Jesus] is born, to us a son [of God] is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne, and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time and forever.’ The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Written in the 7th century B.C.)
Prophecy Fulfilled: Matthew 4:12-17—“When Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee… From that time on Jesus began to preach [saying], ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ “ (Written in the 1st century A.D.) Commentary On: “Jesus Foretold: Begins Ministry in Galilee”
There is more prophecy in the scripture quoted from Isaiah than is fulfilled in the quote from Matthew. This is because I only wanted to establish the fact that Jesus began His ministry in Galilee. Jesus has made His First Coming, which is reported in the New Testament of the Bible. He did not complete everything that He is prophesied to do in His First Coming; His reign on the throne of David, His reign over the whole earth, the establishment of justice and righteousness, and many other prophecies will be fulfilled during His Second Coming, which is at an unknown future date. The fact that the promised Messiah is going to come twice was not understood by the Jews, and it is one of the major reasons why they would not accept Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah the first time. To the Jewish mind, the meek and mild Jesus that did not lead a rebellious army against the Roman Empire, winning Israel’s freedom, and confiscating the Israeli throne from the current King Herod; plus the Jesus who let himself be crucified, could not possibly have been God’s promised Messiah. However, this Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, for all that He did the First time was also prophesied in the Old Testament; the Jews simply did not grasp that God was revealing to them two trips to earth by Jesus Christ, and not just one trip.
Most of the things God promised in Isaiah’s quote above will be fulfilled during Christ’s Second Coming. He will sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem; He will rule all the nations for a thousand years of peace and righteousness on earth. They misunderstood the GREATEST thing Jesus came to do: To bring the light of the gospel of grace to a dark world under sentence of death and condemnation, through which whosoever will accept Jesus by faith the first time will have his or her sins forgiven, including the sin of Adam that rests on the head of everyone on earth who has not believed in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah sent from God. In God’s Master Plan the first coming of Jesus is the most important one, for it restored His fellowship with that portion of humanity that believes in Jesus.
If He had not come the Fist time, there would be no church, no born-again persons redeemed from the wages of sin, death, and no eternal life in heaven but for the angels God created that did not rebel against Him! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
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