“Then you will say on that day, ‘I will give thanks to You, O Lord; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.‘ Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.’ Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 12)

And what an incredible period in history that was. Isaiah foretold of this One who would bring salvation to all who seek it – who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, the root of Jesse – in Isaiah chapter nine and chapter twelve.

And this One who came to bring salvation was Jesus of Nazareth. He came. He died. And He rose from the grave on the third day conquering sin, satan, and death that we might come to know Him personally.

Because Jesus was our substitute, God’s anger towards the way we hurt ourselves and one another was poured out on Him.

Because Jesus was our substitute, God has become our salvation, our comfort, our strength and our song.

But Isaiah’s prophetic message did not stop with the incarnation of Jesus the Christ.

Isaiah also foretold of the coming Kingdom of God that would be inaugurated at the birth of the Christ, and completed at the return of the Christ. Much of the scroll of Isaiah has to do with the coming King – the Messiah, the Christ – when he reigns in His future Kingdom. That is the beauty of the interaction between God and Isaiah; the Father shows him the coming of the Suffering Servant who will shed His blood for the sins of the world (Isaiah 42, Isaiah 53) but He also gives Isaiah a picture of the completed work of that Suffering Servant at the culmination of human history when He will rightfully reign in His kingdom thereby removing all fear, all disease, all pain, all sickness, all brokenness, all sin, and all death.

Two comings. One Christ.

And what a magnificent day that will be.

Revelation 21:2-6 declares,

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’  Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.'”

Who will be His people?

Those who come to Jesus.

Where will His people be?

In a new Earth, following a King who – as He is faithful to do – meets His people where they are at, wipes away evil, and reigns in love; joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Why?

Because He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace, the Author of Love, the Suffering Servant, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Almighty Creator who loves His creation so much that He came in the humble form of a servant to suffer with them, die with them, and rise again to save them.

And this we make known to the world. And this we cry from the heights of the mountains to the depths of the valleys. And this we risk everything for.

Because He is worth it.

May billions be met by the Lord Jesus Christ because we made Him known to the world. May billions stand in the presence of His glory and proclaim with us, “He is my comfort, my strength, my song, my salvation.”

And may billions rejoice to know that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in, and to, us” at the coming of our King, Jesus the Christ.