Unto us a Child is born...

For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
--Isaiah 9:6-7

So many of us know the first part of the passage above, thanks to Handel's Messiah and every Christmas radio station and department store that plays "For unto us a Child is born..." over the speakers. We hear that song, and it gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling as familiar memories of Christmases past fill our minds and hearts...and despite the beauty and eternal significance of the lyrics being sung by angelic voices, we so often become numb to what it really means.

What a wonderful promise this is! To a nation that has known only defeat and abuse due to its own choice to reject God, a promise to bring forth a ruler who will establish a righteous, eternal kingdom is overflowing with grace. And even bigger is the promise when we realize that it was not just for the nation of Israel...for God extended His Kingdom beyond His chosen people and onto the doorsteps and into the hearts of all people worldwide! Regardless of our mistakes and faults, our weaknesses and screw-ups, God has called us into His Kingdom and placed us in the arms of a beautiful Leader whose name shall be called...Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

I'd seen this verse before and been deeply moved by it, but something new was pointed out to me the other day, and it has been rocking my world ever since. Continue on after the first part of the passage above, and you see a beautiful promise that is far too often overlooked or cast aside because it doesn't sound as festive as the idea of a child being born. "There will be no end to the increase of His government of peace." Now I've always recognized that there will be no end to God's Kingdom--hence eternity with Him--but it never dawned on me that the verse here is not talking about how long the Kingdom will last. Read it again. It's talking about the fact that God's Kingdom will never cease to increase! God's Kingdom will expand and multiply expontentially for eternity! What an awesome promise!

Look at how this has happened already. First Israel, then the whole world...and the Kingdom of God continues to expand today into places where it has never before reached the hearts of men. People are coming to Christ in droves all over the world. Missionaries are coming and going all over the place. Churches, whether in homes or in tents or in buildings, are popping up all over the place every day.

What does this mean to me? When I'm tempted to lose heart and hear people say that the church is in decline, it will no longer mean anything to me. It can't depress me and won't sink into my heart. For I know the TRUTH of what the Word of God says...

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.