“For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
Mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
“Of
the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne
of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6,7)
The
second part of the Messianic Hope promises the “King of Glory”, the prophecy of
which foretells the Second Coming of Christ when He will
subdue all enemies under His feet; put down all kingdoms, will sit on the
throne of David, and ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6). His
second advent will bring in one thousand years of His Millennial reign.
The period
of the Millenium will be so glorious it will overshadow the previous six
thousand years of the history of this earth. There will be no sorrow, sickness,
crime or death; all things will become new, the enmity between man and beast
will cease, the knowledge of the Lord shall flood the earth and all will be
revealed, even how the earth was made (D&C 101:23-34), Satan will be bound so
he can tempt no man (D&C 101:28) and the pure language of Adam will be
restored so that we can all serve Him ‘with one consent’ (Zephaniah 3:9).
And here is
something brilliant. When we think of the ‘Messianic prophecies’, we usually
think of the prophets and the scriptures, but in truth, every believer in
Christ has a part in these prophecies.
“Every
proper and perfect prayer uttered by a righteous man, woman, or child, from the
day Adam stepped through Eden’s portals into his lone and dreary habitation, to
the day the angelic hosts acclaimed the birth of God’s own Son, was in fact a
Messianic prophecy.
“The mere
saying, with sincerity and understanding, of the words of the prayer itself
constituted a Messianic affirmation…..thus witnessing that they knew that
salvation came through Him and His atoning blood.
“Similarly,
every true prayer today is a reaffirmation that Jesus is the Lord and that
through His blood the believing saints are redeemed.
“And so
with every baptism, every priesthood ordination, every patriarchal blessing,
every act of administering to the sick, every divine ordinance or performance
ordained of God, every sacrifice, symbolism, and similitude; all that God ever
gave to His people – all was ordained and established in such a way as to
testify of His Son and center the faith of believing people in Him and in the
redemption He was foreordained to make.
“The words
of those who have spoken of Christ since He lived upon this earth, and believed
in His coming, are ‘Messianic testimonies’……in fulfilment of the prophecies of
His birth and His Second Coming..”
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, 26,27
And so every
testimony we bear of Christ, every prayer we utter, and every act done in His
name, affirms that Christ lived and that He will return. Each time we do so, we
confirm the fulfilment of the Messianic Prophecy of His birth and the Messianic
Hope of His Second Coming. Every man, woman and child who believes and lives
with expectation of salvation through His name, has the power of this prophecy.
If you are a believer, this is Christ’s promise to you:
“In
righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for
thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee….No
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall
rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the
servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” (see Isaiah
54:12-17)
One
day when You return
from
your glorious throne
In
Millenial splendour
Your
power to display;
I
will kneel and confess Your greatness;
I
will join the heavenly throng in song,
And
I will sorrow for the lost
For
whom You suffered for so long.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
No comments:
Post a Comment