“HIS NAME SHALL BE”
Terry R. Baughman
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).
“His Name shall Be … Mighty God.”
It must have seemed strange to hear the prophecy of Isaiah that a future child to be born in Israel would be called Mighty God. Of all names that could be chosen by prospective parents no one would have been so presumptuous to give their child this name. While people of other cultures might dare to deify children, adding to the plethora of false gods, Israel was not like other nations. Their religion was based on a strict monotheism that forbade worshipping any other deity but the LORD, the one true God. From childhood the descendants of Israel were taught the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This teaching of the oneness of God was so ingrained in them that no one would dare to proclaim their child to be the Mighty God.
However, the same prophet predicted that this child, Mighty God, would also be born of a virgin. It was to be a sign to the people that this was indeed a supernatural conception, an unusual birth, and the miraculous fulfillment of prophecy. He said, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The interpretation of Immanuel is “God with us.” This infant would be the manifestation of the Incarnation, God in flesh living among us! That’s why the prophet was justified in saying, “His Name shall Be … Mighty God.”
No longer would God be viewed as distant and unreachable, with the coming Christ-child He would be both reachable and present with us. Never again could one say that God cannot be touched, or that He is unaware of our feeling. This Divine child was born as The Son of God and lived among us, feeling our pain and experiencing the human condition, while preparing to present Himself as the ultimate and vicarious atonement for the sins of the world. God is with us to save us from our sins, to deliver from the power of darkness, and to give us hope for life everlasting.
In the New Testament John gave witness that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14–15). He identified “the Word” as being with God in the beginning and then plainly stated, “the Word was God” (John 1:1). John’s insight into the divinity of Christ was greater than any other Gospel writer. He quoted Jesus declaring, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).
Yes, Jesus was the Mighty God. When Phillip asked to see the Father Jesus stated, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Those who follow Christ come to that understanding. They receive this revelation of Jesus, that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Paul wrote that, “God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).
His Name is … Mighty God!
Scripture:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
Terry R. Baughman
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).
“His Name shall Be … Mighty God.”
It must have seemed strange to hear the prophecy of Isaiah that a future child to be born in Israel would be called Mighty God. Of all names that could be chosen by prospective parents no one would have been so presumptuous to give their child this name. While people of other cultures might dare to deify children, adding to the plethora of false gods, Israel was not like other nations. Their religion was based on a strict monotheism that forbade worshipping any other deity but the LORD, the one true God. From childhood the descendants of Israel were taught the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This teaching of the oneness of God was so ingrained in them that no one would dare to proclaim their child to be the Mighty God.
However, the same prophet predicted that this child, Mighty God, would also be born of a virgin. It was to be a sign to the people that this was indeed a supernatural conception, an unusual birth, and the miraculous fulfillment of prophecy. He said, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The interpretation of Immanuel is “God with us.” This infant would be the manifestation of the Incarnation, God in flesh living among us! That’s why the prophet was justified in saying, “His Name shall Be … Mighty God.”
No longer would God be viewed as distant and unreachable, with the coming Christ-child He would be both reachable and present with us. Never again could one say that God cannot be touched, or that He is unaware of our feeling. This Divine child was born as The Son of God and lived among us, feeling our pain and experiencing the human condition, while preparing to present Himself as the ultimate and vicarious atonement for the sins of the world. God is with us to save us from our sins, to deliver from the power of darkness, and to give us hope for life everlasting.
In the New Testament John gave witness that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14–15). He identified “the Word” as being with God in the beginning and then plainly stated, “the Word was God” (John 1:1). John’s insight into the divinity of Christ was greater than any other Gospel writer. He quoted Jesus declaring, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).
Yes, Jesus was the Mighty God. When Phillip asked to see the Father Jesus stated, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Those who follow Christ come to that understanding. They receive this revelation of Jesus, that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Paul wrote that, “God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).
His Name is … Mighty God!
Scripture:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
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