Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:29-32.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Standing out among My prophets you find Isaiah, his book is the longest of the Old Testament and contains revelations that are still unfolding. He understood and foresaw the Messiah. He prophesized, with great accuracy facts about His birth, Isaiah 7:14, His sufferings, Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-8, His death, Isaiah 53:9-10, and resurrection. Isaiah 53:11-12. He saw the second coming and the new heavens and earth. Isaiah 25:1-9; Isaiah 66:22. But here I wish to bring to your attention a prophecy that I have previously mentioned in these life lessons, but now will focus on it in a deeper way for it reveals the heart of the mystery of the Messiah coming as a baby, as a child.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, God Hero, 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 on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7
When Isaiah is read did you ever wonder about this child given you who shall be called Mighty God and Prince of Peace? This is the Seed we have followed through the prophets and patriarchs that Isaiah reveals as the Son given to you. The child is born but the Son is given. I so loved the world I gave you My only begotten Son. My Son always was, is, and will be, but the child of flesh was born as your Kinsman redeemer. This is what My angel Gabriel many generations later announced to Mary. This Son is none other than God made man in the person of Jesus the Messiah. Colossians 2:9. The Word made flesh. John 1:14. This is My gift to mankind. John 3:16, John 4:10. A secret hidden from before the foundation of the world but realized in the fullness of time. Galatians 4:4. The fullness of the Deity dwells in Him bodily.
That is why He is referred to as Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. You see the child born to you is called “Mighty God.” You know there is no other God but Me. Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 45:5. I spoke this to you long before My Son was actually born so that you, My people, would know the mystery of My Son, and recognize Him when He came—Messiah, the anointed One, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Colossians 2:2-3.
He is also called your Everlasting Father. You know that you have no other Father than Me, Isaiah 64:8. I AM the true God, but My Son is One God with Me so He can also be called by My Name. For I have given Him My Name. John 17:11. And you will note that He is everlasting, no beginning no end, One with Me, the Most High.
And on His shoulder the government will rest. I am a King who runs a Kingdom called the Kingdom of Heaven. Daniel 4:3. It is a Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in My Spirit. Romans 14:17. Justice is the foundation of My throne. Psalm 18:49. My Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and endures through all generations. Psalm 145:13. It is a government, not a religion. I look to increase My territory and see to the well-being, prosperity and peace of My citizens. And I have given all authority in Heaven and on earth to My Son. Matthew 28:18. All judgment is assigned to Him for He is the Son of Man. John 5:22-27.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in your Messiah all will be made alive. But each in turn: Your Messiah, the first fruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to Me, the Father, after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:21-28. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For I “have put everything under his feet.” Psalm 110:1.
Let us look at more of My prophecies about the Messiah. Mysteries that are hidden and later revealed are secrets that I hide for you not from you. They are to be searched out. Proverbs 25:2. My prophet Daniel wrote about the Messiah and when He would come. He prophesied correctly the very day that Jesus would enter Jerusalem at the Passover to be crucified. Daniel 9:25-26.
I gave My prophets many revelations about redemption and My Son’s coming as your savior but you have been very dull about applying them. Isaiah 42:20. You are not like the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times with knowledge of what Israel should do. 1 Chronicles 12:32.
Have you ever read this vision given to Daniel and wondered what it meant? I will now explain.
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14.
He foresaw the ascension and return to Heaven of Jesus after His death and resurrection. He is the Son of Man and the Son of God. I, of course, am the Ancient of Days. Notice how the prophecy matches My words to Mary through the angel Gabriel. You see again the Word I sent to David be fulfilled, a kingdom that will never be destroyed.
Here is a Word about My Son that I sent through My prophet Isaiah:
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and truth the belt of His waist. Isaiah 11:1-9.
This Word was fulfilled in the Messiah, who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh, but who was declared the Son of God with power by His resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness: Jesus Messiah the Lord. Romans 1:3-4. He was from the stem of Jesse (the father of David) and the Spirit came to rest on Him at His baptism in the Jordan River and thereafter remained. Matthew 4:16. Jesus operated in the fullness of the Spirit. John 3:34.
Now consider this passage that you all know from My prophet Malachi:
See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then suddenly the Lord (Adonai, Jesus) you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. Malachi 3:1-4.
My prophet Malachi gives you a lot of information here about the Messiah and he thus released My Words into the earth and set these things in motion. He spoke of a messenger sent ahead to prepare the way for the Lord, this I also spoke to Zachariah, the husband of Elizabeth, in the Temple telling him of the miracle birth of his son John who would be that messenger to prepare the people for the coming of My Son, their Messiah and Lord. John would prepare My people for the manifestation of the Seed, the Christ, God made man, your Kinsman Redeemer, the very One who would come to the Temple.
And Jesus did come to the Temple often, but the first time He came to the temple, He came carried in the arms of Mary as a tiny infant, meek and mild. A little child to lead you.
Before coming to the temple, however, on the eighth day after His birth into the world as one like you in all things but sin, My Son was circumcised according to the law of Moses and the Name of Jesus (Yeshuah) was given to Him. Luke 2:21. The Name that was so important to Me that I had given it to both Mary and Joseph before His birth as the Name by which they were to name Him.
Such a tiny baby to bear such a great Name, the Name to whom every knee in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth must bow. That powerful Name is the only name given among men by which you must be saved. Acts 4:12. And that Name uttered in faith by those who believe will cast out demons at just one command. I gave it to Him. John 17:12. And now both He and I have given it to you. John 14:13-14; Acts 4:12.
Mary and Joseph were careful to keep My Law as given to Moses, so when the days of Mary’s purification were completed, Leviticus 12:6-8, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present Him to Me in the Temple, Luke 2:22. Every firstborn male that opened the womb was Mine and was to be called “holy to the Lord,” this was from the Passover, so the firstborn had to be redeemed, although, the Levites belonged to Me as My portion in the place of the firstborn. And Mary and Joseph came to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Leviticus 5:7. So you see, again a prophecy of Malachi was fulfilled. Then suddenly the Lord (Adonai, Jesus) you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come. Malachi 3:1. Carried in the arms of Mary, suddenly the Lord had come to His temple, the messenger of the New Covenant. The time of grace had dawned in the land.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. Isaiah 9:2.
The Lord Himself, the Light of the world, was presented in the Temple at Jerusalem, and I did not let Him go unnoticed.
Many of My people had been looking for and longing for the promised Messiah and the redemption to come. I took this occasion to fulfill the desire of the heart of a dear servant of Mine who delighted in My promises. His name was Simeon, which is derived from the Hebrew verb שמע shama, meaning “to hear.” In Genesis 29:33 Leah, the wife of Jacob, says, “Because Yahavah has heard (shama) that I was hated and he gave me this one also” and she gives him the name שמעון Simeon, a Hebrew word meaning hearer.”
And this elderly man, Simeon of Jerusalem, was a devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. It had been revealed to him by My Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Luke 2:26. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts right at the time that Mary and Joseph brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required. Luke 2:28. Simeon, with great reverence and awe, took Him in his arms and praised Me for answering his heart’s desire. I will do the same for all those who take their delight in Me. Psalm 37:4. Simeon then proclaimed for all to hear:
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:29-32.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed– and a sword will pierce even your own soul–to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35. Already I was revealing the sacrificial suffering of Christ that would pierce Mary’s heart with sorrow. John 19:25-27.
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, present also and My Spirit revealed to her who this child was. You see, she too delighted in My Law and so was sensitive to My Spirit. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers. She too felt expectant that the promised One would soon arrive and looked for that day. As Simeon held the child, she came up and began giving thanks to Me, and continued to speak of the Messiah to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Do you see something in the names of Simeon and Anna? The name “Simeon (Shama-yon) represents the Mosaic Covenant, the Old Covenant (Shama Israel! The LORD our God is One . . .), the great “Shema” Prayer, which is in the mezuzah on every door frame. “Anna” (“Hannah”) means “grace,” My grace, represents the New Covenant of grace and truth in Jesus Christ. The Law was given to Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. And you will note, Simeon, the Old Covenant, was dismissed in peace and left, but Anna remained and was witnessing to all.
When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. Hebrews 8:13.
I love you. So you see the Good News was already beginning to spread. Some thirty years later in a synagogue in Nazareth in Galilee, My Christ would announce the year of My favor, a jubilee. Isaiah 61: 1-2; Luke 4:17-19.