He Shall be Called "Mighty God"
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Throughout this Advent season we will begin our Scripture reads with two verse from the book of Isaiah. It is from these two verses we get the five prophetic names of Jesus.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The name we are focusing on today is “Mighty God.” The text from Mark’s gospel that illustrates how Jesus fulfills this prophecy is found in Mark’s version of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse. The passage is quite lengthy, so I am only going to read from portions of it, beginning at verse 3:
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Then Jesus warns us to be on our guard as we will be persecuted for His name, go through a time of great tribulation and must discern many false christs and prophets. Finally, Jesus closes with these words:
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Year after year the top selling movies and books are hero movies. We love seeing the world saved and good triumphing over evil. Why is this? In his letter to the Romans the Apostle Paul gives us the reason—God has placed in every human soul the knowledge of Himself and of right and wrong. When we long for a superhero to save the day, we are longing of God.
One of the names used in the Old Testament to reveal Himself was “El Gebor,” which means “Mighty God.” The Hebrew word Gebor is used to describe a mighty warrior or hero. Throughout the history of Israel God reveals Himself as a God who defends and comes to the rescue of His people. The most famous example of this is the Exodus story where He saves Israel from the oppression of the Egyptians. The reason this mornings Advent Candle is called the “joy candle” is because it reminds us that in Jesus, God has come to us a “Mighty Warrior.”
God’s People Need a “Mighty Warrior” to Save Them
God’s People Need a “Mighty Warrior” to Save Them
At the time of the prophet Isaiah wrote our Scripture lesson, Israel found themselves threatened and oppressed. The Northern Kingdom had already been defeated by the Assyrians and carted off into exile and now the Southern Kingdom of Judah was threatened. It was a dark time. God saw their fear, and this is the word He gave to them through the prophet Isaiah:
A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.
Notice what God is saying. He is saying that all that has happened and will happen to Israel is a part of God’s divine plan. God is in control, not the Assyrians. Although it may appear that Assyria is in control, they are nothing more than God’s tool of righteous judgement against sinful Israel. Moreover, although it may appear Assyria’s victory is complete, God has saved for Himself a tiny remnant who will return to their God and their land. It will be the Assyrians who will face total destruction!
This now brings us to Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, from which we read a potion. I again want to place before you Jesus’ closing words in that discourse:
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Jesus is saying that in the future, God’s people will again be in a dark time, but this time it will be far darker than anytime that had come before. He chose his words carefully to remind us of the Old Testament promises. Notice He calls His people “the elect.” Election is used in the Bible of God choosing a small number (a remnant) for Himself. Abraham was but one man, and from him God created a nation. At the time of Elijah, it appeared to him that the whole nation had committed apostasy and he was the only believer left and God said to him:
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
From the call of Abraham to the return of the exiles under Nehemiah God had proven Himself as a Mighty Warrior who rescued His select few from bondage and oppression and now Jesus is teaching us that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy!
During His First Advent, Jesus Came as a “Mighty Warrior”
During His First Advent, Jesus Came as a “Mighty Warrior”
A few days before Jesus gave his Olivet Discourse, He had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey and as He did so the people cried out:
And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
“Hosanna” is a Hebrew phrase taken from Psalm 118, which means “Lord save us.” At the time of Jesus, Israel again found herself in bondage and oppression, but this time their oppressors were the Romans. The great expectation of the Jews at that time was that the Messiah would deliver Israel from their bondage to the Gentile nations.
Jesus did ride in that day as a Savior, but not as one who would deliver Israel from the Romans, but from a greater enemy—Sin and Satan!
The climax of Mark’s gospel is not a great battle against Rome, but the Cross and the Empty Tomb! There Jesus fulfilled Israel’s calling and destiny to be a light to the Gentiles, for not only did Jesus save a remnant for Himself from Israel, but from the nations as well! If you are here today as a Christian, you are here because Jesus is “El Gebor,” the Mighty Warrior God.
This now brings us to the Second Advent:
During His Second Advent, Jesus Will Come as a “Mighty Warrior”
During His Second Advent, Jesus Will Come as a “Mighty Warrior”
As I said before, people often look with fear, not joy, to the Second Advent of Jesus. This is because it will be time of great tribulation for God’s People. In fact, it is call “The Great Tribulation.” I did not read this portion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse earlier, but let me read it now:
For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
It cannot get worse than this! Unless the days of this Great Tribulation were not shortened by God, no believer would survive!
But here is found the reason for our joy. Just as God said through Isaiah that He was in control, not the Assyrians, so it will be in that Great Tribulation at the end of time.
God’s people have already gone through many great tribulations. I have given you a few examples from the Old Testament. If you read the pages of your New Testament you will find examples of tribulation there as well. For example, when the Apostles instructed new believers, this is what they said:
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
The book of Revelation was written not just to encourage believers in the future, but in the present. For example:
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Why is all this important? Because it is not just in the pages of the Old Testament and New Testament that we read of the persecution of God’s people. If you read the pages of your news source carefully you will discover that more Christians today are being persecuted that every before. There was once a time when persecution seemed like a dim reality to Christians in America, today it seems like an almost certain future. In fact, it has already begun in America and when it comes you can be sure that our Mighty Warrior God is in total control! Jesus is El Gebor, the Mighty God!
Let us pray.