There are so many prophecies in Isaiah to mention concerning Christ, that I probably will not have time to cover all of them including the ones outside of Isaiah, but I will try and get as many as possible and finish out the Christmas story. Prophecy surrounding Christ coming as a babe is so wonderful told in scripture but it is not only thing told about Christ. In fact the prophetic word is something to study at length but also to meditate on, for there is much we truly lack understanding because our eyes only hold to the mystery fully seen of the Christ child birth, ministry and cross. A few years back I went through Isaiah and then it was repeated again a few years later. One look solely at the prophecy and other looked at the time period in which the prophecy was given. It was looked at from two different angles. In truth one can read scripture just as it is and read it like a story book and understand quite a bit and one can read it in depth to gain fuller or larger picture of events or time frame a book is written in as well as looking on a subject from one end of the Bible to the other. However you choose to read scripture you will be blessed. Understanding comes with just reading and cross reference over a period of time. There is no way anyone can take the entire Bible and digest it in one year and know the whole thing. Scholars have study scripture for years and have seen it from different views. The main thing as a believer start reading and slowly develop the ability to study and research scripture to understand the meaning.

What did the Gentiles understand about the ensign maybe a lot and maybe nothing at all, what they knew when the Messiah came and began to teach that he spoke to them in a way that they understood. Some might say because Christ was raised among the gentiles he understood the temple language the gentile language. Yet because Christ is the Son of God he would of understood all languages. Point being if we only look at Christ as a man we never see his ability within the human body, as he healed, calmed the sea, or went to the cross crying Father forgive them. If we only see Christ humanity we never see his power to conquer and how he held back from judging the world, yet nature fury held not back on the day of Christ crucifixion. Let us begin our lesson thinking not on human idea of the Messiah but on God's plan to bring forth a son out of the tribe of Jesse. Who is Jesse but the Father of King David. A root was spring forth from David line. Jesse not a king himself, nor was his family, yet he was from Bethlehem. Jesse was a Bethlemite(1 Samuel 16) Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. He would be from the tribe of Judah and Levi. He would be from the priest and a royalty tribe of Israel. What would it matter what tribe Jesus was from, it all about prophetic word of God coming to pass. Now Isaiah is much later then time period of King David that how we know Isaiah is not speaking directly about King David only the ancestory line. David was a king favored by God, despite David sin. David had a heart for God.

Israel knew to follow the line of David watching for the Messiah coming. They knew that he would be righteous and the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon him. He would have wisdom and understanding. Jesus was found teaching the pharisees in the temple as a boy, his wisdom far beyond his years, but he wisdom was admired by many who sought to hear Jesus. He had great compassion and understanding of the people. He also had fear/reverence for God the Father. With the understanding that Christ is one with the Father, the need for fear of God seems a little confusing. Why would Christ need fear. In truth he taught the fear of God, to perhaps help us understand God's judgment and wrath. Jesus walked and taught people as a man not as a God, though he healed as a God and not man. The idea of prophets healing today is not impossible but they did it not by their power. In fact they can only obey God in fear and trembling themselves. It the "prophets" of our world that are boasting of this power without fear is one to be leary of, because they often choose to deceive people for money and gain. God healing power exist, but we need to first reach up to God in humility and fear. Christ prayed/talked to His Heavenly Father. He showed us the need for prayer and the need to honor God when he blesses with answers our prayer. Godly fear is something Christ the Messiah would teach the people. Christ would judge the poor and reprove with meekness making straight understanding of God's word upon the earth. God's judgment does not always come with violence. Often the image of an angry God and fire and brimstone failing, is far from God's intent of judgment, though some of God's judgment comes with his wrath, all of God's judgment comes with his word to convict the heart of man first to repentance and then if sin continues then with fire and brimstone raining down from above. Christ came with the judgment of God's word to all people, not just the poor, but no doubt he enlighten all people of all financial levels because his word spoke truth. Christ slaying the wicked is only address I think two place and only one comes to mind. In the garden when Judas came to get him the soldiers fell back by the power of God. The righteousness or purity of God would surround the Messiah even his loins. No impurity as far as even sex, even though he visited a harlot and healed her daughter at midnight. Yes some of things we see in scripture makes us wonder did it really happen that way. Faithfulness to his call would guide him. No doubt as a human/son of God he had human choices but he choose to obey the ways of God.

The Messiah coming would be at a time when both Gentile and Jewish nation would play and work together. This separation of groups of people were not in vogue. It was part of the Roman world to see all groups of people walking in democracy of a sort. Knowledge of God would be in the land, and ensign would come to the people and the gentiles would seek after the ensign. The ensign being Christ the Messiah of Israel. It hard to picture the time of Christ, without him being a king or even a world wide leader, he was followed in Israel and the known world even heard about him. People from Greece search for him at a passover feast in the book of John. Jesus grew in popularity and as his fame rose it became dangerous, because of the Pharisees wanting Christ dead. Why because his fame took away from the Pharisees finances and would have eventually taken over the little bit of political power they had in the Empire of Rome.

People of Israel would be returned to their homeland from all over at the time of Christ. Christ's earthly parents would flee to Egypt to protect him, only to return when it was safe once more to the land of Nazareth. What we see is God's continual protection on his people of faith, to bring them back to their homeland after exiling them for a time to drive his people to follow him and his path. Roman Empire was a vast empire and yet they were a tolerant rule of different people and their culture. Beginning stages of democracy in the world that dates the Greek empire.

Time period of Christ is right based on what to expect about the state of the world, the knowledge of what the Messiah is suppose to be as far as righteous, full of wisdom and understand and so forth, and including purity and fear of God. Then what is left to know, quite a bit more. That the prophetic vision for the Messiah was not just one chapter but many more. That prophecies tell more about this ensign of Israel that the Gentiles would follow. That the Gentiles would seek to know God's salvation plan for both Jews and Gentiles. How faith in God would be taught to a group of people through Christ popularity, but also taught through the temple and to those like John the Baptist that went to more then the Jewish people in ministry. One has to remember with rebuilidng the temple there had been a separation and division because idolaters were not allowed to help with building the temple. Today our world is litter with idolatry and anyone with wealth might even help build many churches, and sanctuaries. Where the money comes from does not matter to the church world for they hallow it for God's purpose. Is God pleased with idolators enter his sanctuary, is he please with sin in general in our worship centers. Of course not. Yet we must be aware it does exist in the religious world.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for the signs of the Messiah and tell us the time period in which He was to come as far as in a time of freedom and under foreign rule. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion: Zepaniah 3:20 KJV At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.