Prophecy 4

The Messiah is to be God

Prophecy 4: The Messiah is to be God

As it was written in the Tanakh (NIV & TLV),

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Titles of the Messiah

In Isaiah 9:6, the Messiah is to rule and provide blessings and peace that will have no end. He has four honorary titles:

“Wonderful Counselor” is pointing out that He has supernatural wisdom and the ability to govern and lead the people. He is great and wonderful, for He had a great plan to carry out long ago, which can amaze all mankind (Isaiah 25:1). This plan is contained in chapters 2, 11, and 24 through 27 of the book of Isaiah.
“Mighty God” indicates the nature of Almighty God Himself. (Isaiah 49), the Son of the Most High.
“Everlasting Father” means that He is eternally present and His kingdom will never end.
“Prince of Peace” means that He is the peace (Shalom) and He can give spiritual peace to all who believe in Him.

How did the Messiah Jesus Fulfill this Prophecy?

No Man can See God and Live

Here is a conundrum: How could a human being see the Lord and live according to Exodus 33:20?

When Moses asked God to show him His glory, here is what God said:

Exodus 33:20 “But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

God can appear to His People in human likeness

According to the Tanakh, this is what He did:

For example, our God revealed Himself to Abraham in the flesh when He visited him. In Genesis 18:2, Abraham greeted the three men ( שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים ) who came to visit him. However, in verse 13, it was revealed that the person with whom Abraham had been conversing was a divine Person because He called Himself God (Adonai) (יְהוָה ).

Genesis 18:13 “Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ “

Another example is that Jacob wrestled with God. In Genesis 32:25, it began with a man ( אִישׁ֙) wrestling with Jacob. However, in verse 30, Jacob (Israel) realized that this man was God, so he said he saw God ( אֱלֹהִים֙) face to face.

Genesis 32:25 “When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.”

Genesis 32:30 “So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Jesus is God

It is through the Jewish Messiah that we see the Father because Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9).

John 14:6-7: ⁶“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:9 “Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

In the New Covenant, the gospel of John describes that Jesus is the creator of everything: He is the father of time and eternity.

John 1:1-3 “¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Jesus was a wonderful counselor when He was on earth, and you can depend on Him now. He counseled Nicodemus to recognize that He couldn’t do these miracles unless He was from God Himself (John 3:10–15). He counseled the woman at the well to face her sinful past and trade her shame for salvation (John 4:28–30). He counseled the paralyzed man by the pool and provided healing and power (John 5:1–9).