Advent: The Prophecy and Promise
The Coming of the Messiah Prophesied – The Righteous Reign of the Coming King!
6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7 NRSV).
What is a Prophecy? A prophecy is a message inspired by God, a divine revelation. The Bible says that prophets “spoke from God as they were moved by Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20, 21) So a prophet is one who receives God’s message and transmits it to others.—Acts 3:18.
What is a Promise? A declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.
What is a Divine Promise? The promises of God reveal His particular and eternal purposes to which He is unchangeable committed and upon which believers can totally depend. These promises are, however, conditional upon obedience on the part of believers.
The Anticipation: The children of Israel had heard the prophecies over and over again—that a Redeemer would come and free them from the captivity of their enemies. The Israelite looked forward to the arrival of Messiah. For example, every pregnant Israelite woman would wonder whether or not the child in her womb was a son, and if a son, might he be the Messiah.
Thus, there was growing expectation for the revelation of Israel’s Messiah in the Old Testament, and the growing expectation, which climaxed at the time of Christ’s coming. One can only imagine that throughout Israel’s history, the anticipation of the Messiah’s coming was great, while at other times the sense of expectancy waned. In many instances, Israel’s hopes seemed to be dashed during the 400 hundred years of waiting after the last prophet, Malachi, had spoken. It is only as we can appreciate the rising and falling hopes of God’s people that we can more fully grasp the greatness of the event of Christ’s birth. But God had promised: A Wonderful Counselor, A Mighty God, An Everlasting Father, A Prince of Peace—and it would be so!
Other References of Bible Messianic Prophecies: Isaiah 7:14 (The Messiah would be born of a virgin, see Matthew 1:22-23); Jeremiah 31:31 (The Messiah will bring the new covenant); Micah 5:2 (The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, see Matthew 2:1-6, John 7:40-43); Zechariah 9:9 (The Messiah would come riding on a colt, see Matthew 21:1-7, John 12:13); Malachi 3:1 (The Messiah would be preceded by a messenger, see Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:76);
It is a good thing to ponder – prophesy and promise – during Advent. To think of God’s promise to us (as we take time out of our busy lives and surroundings) can only help us to better understand how to have a better relationship with God.
What gives me hope is knowing that God keeps His word. No matter how long it takes, if we trust God, God will be with us and He will bring us through. You see, God promised never to leave us or forsake us.
Hope is very important, and when we hope in the Lord He will never fail us. Amen!
Thank you for these reflections as we prepare our hearts for Christmas and the true meaning
May God be with us during this waiting period. It is hard to wait, but when we have our eyes set on the goal it creates purpose. The purpose for Christians is to one day unite with Christ. While on earth we celebrate his ministry. The ministry of light. We are waiting for the light.
Thank you for these reflections as we prepare our hearts for the true meaning of Christmas
This is an important message to get our hearts ready for the true meaning of Christmas.
How interesting – I had never considered the viewpoint of the pregnant women, wondering if their son might be the Messiah.
In these busy times, it is often hard to stay engaged in the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah – so many “everyday things” want our attention.
Pastor – thank you for this online Bible study for Advent.
The Lion and Lamb – ( A question about this prophecy)
The question was asked about these words that have often been quoted: “and the lamb will lie down with the lion”.
This is not an exact quote from scripture but rather a combination of thoughts from a couple of verses in the scriptures.
Isaiah 11:6
“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.”
Isaiah 65:25
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.”
Both of these passages deal with the kingdom age on the earth after the Lord Jesus Christ returns to reign on the earth as King of kings. The ferocious beasts (like the lion) will live peaceably with the gentle animals (like the lamb). Certainly, this will be a literal reality on the earth. However, this picture is also symbolic of the peace that will pervade the entire earth. When preachers speak of the lion and the lamb lying down together, they are referring to the time of peace when Jesus will reign as King over the earth when he returns.