The Old Testament contains a great many messianic prophecies. Jesus fulfilled forty-eight specific predictions during His first visit to the earth. A much greater number of biblical texts refer to the end times, Jesus’ appearing, the seven-year Tribulation, Christ’s Second Coming, and eternity.
The fulfillment of Messianic prophecies began with Gabriel’s visit to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:28-38). Along with explaining her supernatural virgin birth, the angel referred her to Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah’s birth as a “child” (Isaiah 9:6-7). His message to the mother of Jesus included the promised millennial reign of her Son: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).
The Isaiah 9 Prophecy
Why did Gabriel incorporate Isaiah’s prophecy into the announcement of Jesus’ birth? First, it reminded Mary that the Messiah would enter the world as a baby. Mary’s response reveals her previous knowledge of the prophet’s words as she expressed her understanding of the great favor bestowed upon her to be the mother of the promised Messiah (Luke 1:38, 46-55). She was likely one of many young women in Israel hoping that they would give birth to the Christ.
Additionally, the angel’s message confirmed the hope of her day, namely that the Promised One of Israel, her Son, would someday sit on “the throne of his father David” and rule over His people. His words brought to mind all the words of this cherished prophetic text: “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, KJV).
Though many in Israel at this time looked for the Messiah to immediately deliver them from the Roman oppression, that doesn’t negate the Lord’s promise. Just as Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s words by entering the world as a baby, in the same way, He will literally fulfill the prophet’s words concerning His future rule over a restored kingdom of Israel.
Did the Jewish Rejection of Jesus Invalidate Isaiah’s Prophecy?
Many pastors and Christian leaders today teach that Israel’s rejection of their Messiah invalidated God’s promise of a glorious kingdom for Israel. They say the church has inherited these promises, albeit spiritually. Proponents of this unbiblical teaching believe that Jesus began ruling over the nations at His ascension back to Heaven.
Gabriel’s announcement to Mary refutes today’s Replacement Theology, which asserts that God rejected Israel after it spurned His Son and replaced the nation with the church. More than that, the angel’s words fully substantiate the Premillennial beliefs that Jesus will sit on the “throne of David” after the Second Coming. Why do I make such a claim?
First, consider how Mary would have understood Gabriel’s words. They would’ve conveyed the idea of a physical kingdom with her Son ruling over the nation of Israel. The idea of a spiritual realm would never have entered her mind.
The angel’s quote of the promise that the Messiah would sit upon “the throne of his father David” would also have conveyed the image of a literal fulfillment of the Isaiah 9:6-7 prophecy. Why would God fill Mary with such hope unless it truly depicted Jesus’ future rule? He already knew about Israel’s rejection of their Messiah and crucifixion, yet the repeating of the promises from the Isaiah text points to their fulfillment regardless of the actions of the first-century AD Jews.
Second, Gabriel specified that Jesus would rule over the “house of Jacob.” This points to the realization of Ezekiel 37:15-28, which foretells the joining of Judah with the northern tribes of Israel under the kingship of David. These words signaled the joyous joining of the nation into one kingdom, which Mary also would’ve understood as a future fulfillment of the Lord’s promises to her people.
Third, the New Testament never places Jesus on the “throne of David” at the current time or in its description of His headship over His Church. It instead places Him at “the right hand of God,” as we see in Colossians 3:1: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Jesus is the “head of the church,” as the Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians (1:22, 4:15; 5:23) and Colossians (1:18; 2:19). His promised rule over all the nations is far different than his current place as the “head of His body, the church.” Of course, He’s sovereign over the affairs of humanity, but that’s far different than saying He is now ruling over the “house of Jacob” seated on the “throne of his father David.”
Just as Gabriel spoke on behalf of the Lord concerning the Savior’s birth, so he also predicted His future reign over a united Israel. How can one say that the first happened exactly as Isaiah prophesied while the other denotes a spiritual reality? To make such a claim implies that He misled Mary, who surely would’ve viewed both the Messiah’s birth and future rule over Israel as tangible outcomes of the Lord’s original promise to Isaiah (9:6-7).
