The Everlasting Father

“His name shall be called…Everlasting Father”—Isaiah 9:7.

Timeless. There are not a great deal of things in our world today that are truly timeless. Trying to keep up with the newest fads and trends can be overwhelming, especially when trying to find the perfect present for someone. Whatever we purchase this Christmas may be out of style the next. We need to focus on what or who is timeless.

God is timeless. He is the only One who truly is timeless. No matter what may come, He will always be, in His essence, perfect, holy, loving, and just what we need. God is Triune, meaning that He eternally exists as three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity is separate from one another, but the three are still one. All human illustrations come up short in describing the Trinity, so we simply yield ourselves to the mystery of who He is, accepting Him by faith. He has given us of Himself in the person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The next title the prophet Isaiah gives us in our text for today reveals that the coming Messiah is and would be the "Everlasting Father." Everlasting means “eternal.” He is eternal, meaning He does not have a beginning or an end. This is very hard for us to comprehend because our own nature reveals a beginning and an end, but His does not. He is God, without beginning, without end, and without a Creator. He IS the Creator. But this title, the Everlasting Father, does not speak of the coming Messiah as THE Father, as if He somehow replaced God the Father. Isaiah, speaking by the Holy Spirit, meant that He is the exact representation of the Father, God the Father’s exact image or imprint.

Hebrews 1:3 captures the essence of this thought when the author writes of Jesus that, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Jesus is the exact imprint of God the Father, so much so that when Jesus speaks to Philip in John 14:9, He says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father’?”

I believe that John and Isaiah reveal the heartbeat of the coming Messiah. Isaiah was given certain titles that would reveal His nature. “Wonderful Counselor,” revealed that He would have unparalleled wisdom. “Mighty God,” showed that He would be divine. And “Everlasting Father,” reveals His character and eternal nature. The wording in the Hebrew language actually reveals that He is the “Father of Eternity.” This means that He is the Creator who existed before time began! He is timeless! Jesus is not THE Father, but He is A Father, the father of creation, the father of time. Why? Because He created everything; as Colossians 1:16 states, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” Or Hebrews 1:2, “…but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.”

Isaiah reveals that the Messiah who was to come, existed from eternity past, created the world as we know it, stepped into time, and would come to save us! Wow! What a great and divine mystery!

Did you know that this same God who planned salvation since the beginning of time knows every hair on your head? That this same triune God has fixed His love upon you, desirous to reveal Himself to you? Did you know that this great big God has given His Son for your sins and mine? Today, stop and pause for a moment, and focus on God. Think about His love and what He has done on our behalf. Think about the timeless one who has called you to Himself, then realize that He cares for you as a loving father. Remember that this great God who embedded the truths of His nature in the Scriptures long ago can handle the details and trials of your day. So, today, let’s lay everything at His feet, asking Him to guide us, and enable us to live for His glory and bask in the knowledge of His wondrous love! Amen.