God's Name Christ (Prince)

In our previous essays we considered the name Christ (meaning anointed) as it pertained to Christ as King over his kingdom and the name Christ as it pertained to Christ as the great High Priest of his people. In this essay we will consider Christ as the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6).

Daniel prophesied of the coming Messiah (Christ) in Dan. 9:25, 26, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be...And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself..." In the old testament only kings and high priests were anointed. As a rule princes were not anointed. However, this "Messiah the Prince" was an unusual prince. He was a Kingly Prince, thus he is the anointed one (Christ).

In the old testament Israel had a prince for each tribe. According to Num. 7:2 the princes were heads of the house of their fathers, were over the tribes, and represented the tribes. According to Num. 27:1 5 the princes bore judgment in Israel. In Num. 34:18 the princes were to divide the land of Canaan by inheritance. In Joshua 9:15 the princes bound Israel by covenant to an agreement with the Gibeonites. Finally we read in Is. 32:1 that princes rule in judgment. From the above we conclude that princes are rulers, heads, representatives and judges in Israel.

There is an indication in Dan. 9:26 that Messiah the Prince was to be a representative of the people: "...shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." By inference Messiah the Prince was to be cut off as a representative of his people. In Dan. 10:13 we begin to read of a prince named Michael. I maintain that Messiah the Prince, Michael, and
Christ are one and the same. The name Michael means "Prince of God" or "God's Prince." In Dan. 9:13 Michael is called "one of the chief princes." The marginal reading is "the first of the chief princes." In Dan. 10:21 Michael is said to be "your prince." Next in Dan. 12:1 Michael is said to be the "great prince" and is said to "stand for the children of thy people" thus the representative of God's people and this is followed with the people's deliverance and resurrection.

The next time we read of Michael is in Jude 9 and he is called "the archangel."  The word archangel literally means "ruling angel." The phrase "the archangel" means that he is the only archangel. By considering the phrase "Michael the archangel" we see it literally means "Prince of God, the ruling angel." Next Jude 9 reads, "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." In Rev. 12:10 the devil is said to be the "accuser of our brethren." I maintain it wasn't the literal body of Moses but rather the devil's accusations against God's people under the law.

The current world political system is greatly confused or deceived as to what real peace is. The world system thinks that if you can keep enemies separated they will be at peace with one another. Sometimes the only way peace can be had is if the enemy is annihilated. When Michael and his angels fought against the devil and his angels, it was only Michael (Christ) who could annihilate the enemies of God's people. The enemies of God's people devil, sin, death, grave, and hell cannot be destroyed by God's people though they fight against these enemies. Only Christ, the representative and ruler of the people of God could destroy such an array of enemies.

From Christ's conception into the world unto his resurrection from the dead the devil and his angels fought against Christ. We see this war being waged thru Herod and his destruction of the children, Satan's three fold attempt to tempt Christ after 40 days of fasting, by those Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, rulers of the people who tried to catch Christ in his words, in the false accusations and trials leading up to his crucifixion, etc. We see the devil and his angels warring trying to get Christ to sin, or not fulfil some part of
the law or prophecy or break some part of the law. Unable to accomplish
this we see the devil and his legions warring to bring about Christ's death thinking they would get the victory by that means. However, it was by means of death that Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, i.e., the devil and delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. According to II Cor. 5:21 God made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Christ thru his life, death, and resurrection destroyed on behalf of his people which he represented sin, death, hell, the devil, and the grave. The victory is complete, the enemy that was against us has been annihilated!

Is. 40:1, 2 reads, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.  Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Christ is said to be the Prince of Peace. Christ said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you..." According to Eph. 2:13 17 that peace came through Christ's atoning work on the cross: "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain, one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you that were afar off and to them that were nigh."

According to Rev. 12:10 the accuser (Satan) of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. That he no longer has right to accuse us is plainly set forth in Rom. 8:33, 34, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Aren't you glad that the Prince of Peace represented us and as the head, ruler, and chief of God's people has brought peace to us by defeating our enemies for us.

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God's Name Father

When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden after his resurrection he said unto her, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend to my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (John 20:17). By making the statement "my Father and your Father," Jesus tells us among other things that God's being the "Father" of Jesus is somewhat different than God's being the "Father" of us.

To understand this, it is helpful to understand that being a son is not always by natural generation or spiritual birth. Jesus is the eternal Son of God and the Father/Son relationship is an eternal relationship. Jesus was not the Son of God by natural generation or by spiritual birth. The Son of God has no beginning but is eternal. God is called the everlasting Father in Is. 9:6 and Jesus refers to his existence as the Son of God before the world began in the following verses:

1. John 6:38, 39, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me..." From this we can conclude that both Jesus as the Son of God and the Father existed in eternity before the world began! 2. John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."  

Second, Adam is called the son of God in Luke 3:38. Adam was not a son by natural generation but by creation.

Third, Joseph the husband of Mary is said to be the son of Heli in Lk. 3:23, but was said to be begotten of Jacob in Matt. 1:16. Obviously Joseph is Jacob's son by natural generation, but is the son in law of Heli.

Fourth, the nation of Israel is said to be the son of God in Ex. 4:22, 23, "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: and I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: ..." Israel was God's son by covenant arrangement as God had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that Israel would be his by covenant. In similar fashion God has a covenant people that he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; Rom. 8:28 30) and they are declared to be his people in Heb. 8:10.

Fifth, we are declared to be the children of God by adoption in Eph. 1:5, "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ by himself..."

By taking the above five ways one may be a son and adding natural generation and spiritual regeneration (new birth) there are seven ways the scriptures teach us that one may be a son.

As children of God we are sons of by God's covenant choice, by spiritual birth, and by adoption into the family of God. As children of God we have a son/father relationship with God. We will briefly touch on several of the characteristics that emanate from a father/son relationship:

1. A good father is to lead by example:

a. The Lord told some unbelieving Pharisees in John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." These Pharisees weren't sons of the devil by natural generation, but were following the example of the devil, thus they were of their father the devil.

b. Matt. 5:43 45, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust." Thus we see the Father setting the example for his children of follow.

2. A father is to teach his children:

a. Is,. 54:13, "And all they children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of they children."

b. I Th. 4:9, "But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another."
c. John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things..."

3. A good father chastens his children:

a. Heb. 12:5 10, "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness."

b. Rev. 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten..."

4. A father should have fellowship with his children. In 1 John 1:3 we read, "That which we have seen declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

5. A father commands his children. The commandments of God to his children are summarized in Matt. 22:37 40: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

6. A father hears and answers the petitions of his children. As taught in Matt. 7:7, 8 God hears and answers our petitions: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: for every on that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

7. A father gives gifts to his children:

a. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

b. Lk. 12:32, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

8. A father provides for his children: Matt. 6:31 33, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

9. A good father cares for his children: 1 Pet. 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

10. A father leaves an inheritance to his children: 1 Pet. 1:3, 4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."

What a great Father we are privileged to be the children of!

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Shepherd

In addition to the names of God there are several terms used to describe the character and work of God, such as: shepherd, friend, prophet, mediator, intercessor, daysman, bishop, sun, husband, branch, root, vine, door, physician, resurrection, truth, life, etc.

In this essay we will consider the term shepherd as referring to God. There are several duties and works that a shepherd performs for the sheep of his flock. The shepherd must watch over the flock, feed and water the flock, nurse the sick of the flock, shelter the flock, protect the flock, deliver the flock from danger and lead the flock. Jesus has a shepherd/flock relationship with his elect people. His elect people are called the sheep of his pasture. Jesus refers to himself as the shepherd of his sheep in John 10:2: "But he that entereth by the door is the shepherd of the sheep." Jesus refers to himself in John 10:11 and 10:14 as the "good shepherd:"

1. John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

2. John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine." While there are many in this world that do good things and could be called good, yet Jesus is good in a way that none other is good. Consider the rich young ruler who ran up to Jesus and asked, "Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" To which Jesus answered, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God." Perfection is not gained through the keeping of the law as we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Thus Jesus (God) alone is perfectly good. The tenth chapter of John tells us of several good works of the good shepherd which he did for the sheep (his elect people):

1. He came that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (v.10)
2. He gave his life for the sheep. (v. 11, 15, 17, 18) 3. He gave them safety and pasture. (v. 9)
4. He protects them from the thieves, robbers, strangers and wolves. (v. 1, 5, 10, 12)
5. He calleth his own sheep by name. (v. 3)
6. He leads the sheep. (v. 3, 4)
7. He made his elect among both the Jews and Gentiles one fold. (v.16)
8. He gives eternal life to his sheep. (v. 28)
9. His sheep are preserved in him. (v. 28, 29)
10. He personally knows his sheep and they know him. (v. 4, 5, 14, 27)

In addition to being the good shepherd of the sheep, Jesus is called the great shepherd in Heb. 13:20: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant..." It is quite comforting to the child of God to know that Jesus is both the "good" shepherd and the "great" shepherd. The word, good, speaks of course of Jesus goodness, whereas the word, great, speaks of his ability. For instance, if a person had a problem needing deliverance, there might be a good man who would do all that he could to try to help, but he might not be able to. Whereas there might be a great man who had everything necessary to deliver the one in need but had no care or concern towards him. Jesus not only loves his people, but he, being God, has the power and ability to deliver them from their sins and give them eternal life and preserve them unto glory. Thus Jesus is the ‘great shepherd" of the sheep.

Next, Jesus is called "the Shepherd" of the sheep in 1 Pet. 2:25, "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." Now there are numerous shepherds, especially under shepherds, but Jesus is unique when it came to the salvation of our souls. We could not save ourselves from our sins, nor could any other man save us. Only Jesus was able to save us from our sins, give us eternal life, and preserve us unto glory. Thus he is "the" Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

Furthermore, Jesus is called the Chief Shepherd in 1 Pet. 5:4: "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Jesus is called the chief Shepherd because he is over the under shepherds. The chief Shepherd gives the marching orders, instructions and commandments to the under shepherds. They are to answer to him. The primary responsibilities of the under shepherds are to feed the flock of God (1 Pet. 5:2; John 21:15, 16, 17: Acts 20:28), to watch over the little flocks (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2), be examples to the flocks (1 Pet. 5:3), disciple the people of God (Matt. 28:19, 20; Eph. 4:12), and to build up the church of God (Eph. 4:12). In doing this the under shepherds are to follow the teachings, leadership, and command of the chief Shepherd. Finally, what makes all the above so precious to us is that "The Lord is my shepherd." He is the personal shepherd of each of his sheep.

When we each personally realize that Jesus is "my shepherd" it brings great comfort, peace, and heart felt assurance to each of us. May God bless each of us to better understand that he is our Shepherd.