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. . . And if you would stand, we'll sing song 263. Varely, verily, I say unto you, Verily, verily, message ever new, He that believeth on the Son tis true, Hath everlasting life. All my iniquities on him were laid, All my indebtedness by him was paid, All who believeth, Lord hath said, Hath everlasting life. Varely, verily, I say unto you, Verily, verily, message ever new, He that believeth on the Son tis true, Hath everlasting life. Though poor and needy I can trust my Lord, Though weak and sinful I believe his word, O glad message every child of God, Hath everlasting life. Varely, verily, I say unto you, Verily, verily, message ever new, He that believeth on the Son tis true, Hath everlasting life. Though all unworthy yet I will not doubt, For him that cometh he will not cast out, He that believeth, though the good news shout, Hath everlasting life. Varely, verily, I say unto you, Verily, verily, message ever new, He that believeth on the Son tis true, Hath everlasting life. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, Lord, we just want to thank you, God, just for the service that we had this morning. Thank you, Lord, for the souls that were saved this afternoon and through the past week. I pray, Lord, now that you would just be with our pastor, fill him with your power and spirit, for it's in Jesus' name we ask all, but amen. All right, you may be seated, and turn in your song books to song 311. Song 311, we'll sing All for Jesus, song 311. All for Jesus, all for Jesus, All ransom powers, All my thoughts and words and doings, All my days and all my hours, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, All my days and all my hours, All my days and all my hours, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, All my days and all my hours, Let my hands perform his bidding, Let my feet rise, his ways, Let my eyes see Jesus only, Let my lips speak forth his praise, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, Let my lips speak forth his praise, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, Let my lips speak forth his praise, Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit's vision, Looking at the crucified, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, Looking at the crucified, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, Looking at the crucified, Oh, what wonder how amazing, Jesus, glorious King of Kings, To call me his Beloved, Let me rest beneath his wings, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, Staying now beneath his wings, All for Jesus, all for Jesus, Staying now beneath his wings. Amen. So welcome back to Mount Baptist Church on this Sunday evening. And just some church announcements here, but I want to get the soul wanting numbers in for this week. Did we have any on Monday? Three on Monday? And then on Wednesday, two on Wednesday, so that's five. And then I think you guys had two on Saturday, right, brother Jim? So seven. And then today, what did we have today? I know I heard around three, but brother Levi, you guys had one. And then brother Jim. We had three total. So three total in your group. Oh, man, where did you guys go? To the Sunshine place. Oh, nice. Me and Dan had one. You and Dan had one? So we had seven up to today. So we had brother Levi, one, three with your guys' group. So that's four, and then five. And then so five, seven. You guys had one? So eight. So what's eight plus seven? No, I'm just kidding. So 15. Well, we had 15 last week. So keep up the good work with the soul wanting. I was kind of just hoping we'd get to the point where we're in double digits each week, but now we're like 15 each week. So keep up the good work there, and hopefully next week we'll have a really big number with our soloing marathon in Terra Alta. But we'll see how that turns out. Sometimes it could be a poor area and then everybody's turned off to it and all that. But just be in prayer for that. So that is coming up in the upcoming events there for this coming Saturday. But general church announcements, everything should be as usual as far as the church times this week. We have our Wednesday time as normal. And then don't forget about the regional soul winning times on Monday and Wednesday this week. And our Bible memory, we're in chapter three of Colossians, and then 1 John 3.5, and you know that he was manifested to take away our sins and end them as no sin. That is our memory verse for the week. And then don't forget this coming Wednesday we have the Lord's Supper that we're going to be doing after the service, so that will be immediately after the service. And so if you can be in your places for that, this is kind of a special one in the fact that it's right around the time that Jesus was actually betrayed and then obviously crucified. And then we'll have Easter service that Sunday, and we're going to have a fellowship in between. And so instead of going out soul winning that afternoon, although you can if you want, we're going to have a fellowship in between the services, and we're going to have food brought in, which we're trying to figure out. If it's up to Brother Dave, we'll just have hamburgers apparently. But it's not completely up to Brother Dave, so we're not going to have just a buffet of hamburgers. I mean some people are all for it. I mean I like hamburgers as much as the next person, but Brother Dave takes it to another level. But so we're going to have that, and so kind of a busy week if you will, but a good week to celebrate our Lord and what he did for us. And then we got the birthdays and then the pregnancies. All the ladies on here on the pregnancy list, be in prayer for them. So we have four ladies, and just be in prayer for all the ladies that just had little ones. And so that whole transition and recovery process there. And offering boxes in the back there. Mother and baby room, mothers and babies only. And that's all I can think about. We will eventually, once it starts getting warmer, we're going to have to have like a picnic or something like that out at the pavilion and grill some stuff. I don't know, we'll just have hot dogs. Nah, nah. We're going to do steaks. He'll put it on a bun or something. But that's about all I got for announcements. Brother Dave is going to come and sing one more song, and Brother Anthony is going to be reading, what are you reading? Isaiah 9. Yeah, I'm preaching a whole sermon about it. I was thinking of Zechariah. I'm like, that's not right. That was this morning. So I better get in the zone. All right, take your song books and turn to song 322. Song 322 in your song books. We'll sing Living for Jesus. Song 322. Living for Jesus, a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do, Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessings for me. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou in Thy atonement didst give Thyself for me. I, O no other master, my heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone. Living for Jesus, who died in my place, Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace, Such love constrains me to answer His call. Follow His leading and give Him my all. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, Thou in Thy atonement didst give Thyself for me. I, O no other master, my heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone. Living for Jesus wherever I am, Doing each duty in His holy name, Willing to suffer affliction and loss, Deeming each trial a part of my cross. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou in Thy atonement didst give Thyself for me. I, O no other master, my heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone. Living for Jesus through earth's little while, My dearest Treasure, the light of His smile, King the lost ones, He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou in Thy atonement didst give Thyself for me. I, O no other master, my heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone. Isaiah chapter 9. Vibraes, Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Nephthaliah, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan and Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy, they joy before Thee according to the joy and harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For Thou hast broken the yoke of His burden, and the staff of His shoulder, the rod of His oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood, but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel, and all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, they say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones. The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of reason against Him, and join His enemies together, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind, and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. For the people turneth not unto Him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honorable, He is the head, and the prophet that teacheth lies, He is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led of them are destroyed. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows. For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. For wickedness burneth as the fire, it shall devour the briars and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire. No man shall spare his brother, and he shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry, and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied. They shall eat every man up the flesh of his own arm. Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh, and they together shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your word, and thank you for this afternoon. We can continue to learn from your word. I pray God should be with Pastor Robinson and fill him with your Holy Spirit and help us all to learn. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. So you're there in Isaiah 9, and I'm going to preach a sermon. Literally the name of the sermon is Isaiah 9-6 Explained. Now, I preached on this probably when we first started the church. There was this modalism stuff that was going around, and I was really hitting on the Trinity and trying to explain all the verses as far as dealing with the Trinity. And recently I just realized that some of my Trinity sermons weren't up on our YouTube channel, so we posted them, and I was looking over that again. Anyway, I explained Isaiah 9-6 and more so with the Everlasting Father when I went through those sermons, and I'll say this. I believe everything that I said about that is scriptural and applies, and it's found in scripture and all that, but I've actually changed my thoughts as far as what this specific verse is talking about when it comes to the Everlasting Father and what that means. I've actually changed my thoughts on that last year, and I was going to preach on it around Christmastime, but it's one of those things where it just never came. There were other sermons I was preaching, and it just never came up as something I was going to preach. I think I was going through Revelation or something like that, and that takes up a sermon in the Sunday, and then I didn't want to preach this maybe on the Sunday morning or whatever. But I want to preach on this as far as what I believe is talking about with the Everlasting Father, which is all these names when it comes to this. So I'm going to be hitting on kind of the big one first just so you can see where I'm coming from with this. But notice what it says in Isaiah 9-6. It says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. So when I was explaining this before, as far as the Everlasting Father, as far as what that means, I preached about the fact that Jesus came in the name of the Father, He's expressed the image of the Father, He speaks the words of the Father, and kind of like the Elijah to John the Baptist idea there, that John came in the spirit and power of Elias and that Jesus even said, This is Elias which was for it to come, even though he wasn't the person Elijah. And I believe that all makes sense, and it's all still true, okay? And just as much as James 2, I believe James 2, for example, is talking about being the friend of God and perfecting your faith and that you're justified by your works before God to be His friend, and other people may preach that and be like, Well, no, this is just talking about being just before men, or justified before men and not before God, and it's talking about that. Both those doctrines are true doctrines, but obviously I believe the one about being the friend of God is what is contextually what's being talked about. Does that make sense? So everything that I preached about Jesus coming in the name of the Father and being called the Father in that aspect of basically looking like Him and doing everything He does and being in His name, all that's true. But in this verse, I actually believe, when it's talking about being the everlasting Father, it's actually talking about Him being a ruler over the government, like being in the government position of being a father, meaning a ruler over people, okay? And let me explain to you why. First of all, in context, what is this talking about? It says the government shall be upon His shoulder, and I believe all these names are dealing with being in that position of authority, okay? So, you know, wonderful counselor, the mighty God, so obviously Jesus is God, He's God Almighty, but the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and the everlasting Father is the one where you're like, Wait a minute, He's the Son, okay? So, you know, I was completely convinced of what I thought, it was contextually what it was about, until Pastor Burzins brought this up to me when we were at our retreat, we did our retreat last year, and we went out soul winning, and he brought, and I was like, he's like, Have you ever thought of this? And he's like, because he was going through Isaiah, you know, we went through Isaiah, and he was kind of coming through Isaiah the same time we were, and he was coming through that, and he's like, look at this verse right here. Go to Isaiah 22. Now, I'll just tell you right now, this, when I saw this verse, I was pretty much convinced as soon as I saw it, okay? So, it's one of those things where it was just kind of this light bulb, like, yeah, that's what that is. That's what this is talking about. And if you disagree with me, and you agree with my previous self, fine. Because that is somebody to be like, you know, I agreed with what you said before about that, I'm not against you, because, you know what, I have to be against myself, I guess, because I did preach that. I believe everything, like I said, that I said was true. I just don't think in context that's what this is talking about with what I was talking about. I believe this is actually right here in Isaiah 22 and verse 20. Isaiah 22 and verse 20. It says, And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. Okay, so we're talking about Eliakim. And you're going to see that this is very much going to be prophesying about Jesus as well. But a lot of times you'll see that near future like prophecy about a certain specific person, but that certain specific person is like a picture of what Christ is going to be. Okay. So we're talking about Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, in verse 21. And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle. I will commit thy government into his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. So it's talking about Hilkiah, or I'm sorry, Eliakim, and I love this because it specifically states that he's the son of someone else. Right? So he's the son of Hilkiah. The government's going to be committed unto him, okay, and he's going to be, shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Then it goes on to say in verse 22, The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder. Notice that there's a similar term there that when you're, if you're memorizing Isaiah 9 and 6, the one thing you always have to remember is that it's a singular shoulder, right? That he's going to, the government shall be upon his shoulder. It says that the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so he shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none shall open. Does that sound very familiar? Because that's brought up about Jesus in Revelation, that he has the key of David, and he's, what door he opens no man can shut, and what door he opens no, or what door he shuts no man can open. Now this is, this is, keep reading there in verse 23, it says, And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place, and he shall be a glorious throne to his father's house. So Jesus, the Son of God, I believe is called the Everlasting Father because he's a father unto the inhabitants that he is ruling over. The whole point of Isaiah 9 and 6 is that he's, the government is being put on his shoulder, and these are the names he's going to be called, and I believe each name has a purpose for his governing purposes, okay? And the Everlasting Father's not talking about him being God the Father, but the fact that he is a father unto that nation, okay? I'm going to give you some other verses on it, but let's keep reading here, because what I love about this is that it says he's going to be as, he's going to be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but he's going to have a glorious throne for his father's house, right? So it's kind of showing you that, like, if you were to insert Jesus in here, which obviously you can see how this is talking about Eliakim, but how it's obviously, you know, basically picturing what Jesus is going to do, is that Jesus would be a father unto the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah, but he's going to have the glory, his throne shall be glorious to his father's house, meaning God the Father, okay? And Eliakim's not a physical father, like he beget people and had children, right? It's talking about him being a father to a nation, okay? And would anybody doubt that Jesus is going to rule and reign, that he's going to be a ruler over a nation, that the government's going to be committed into his hand, I mean, that's what the whole verse, and like I said, this is why I've gone through this side, because that is the context. The context of Isaiah 9-6 is that the government's going to be put on his shoulder, okay? And here it's like talking about that exact thing, and in verse 24 here it says, And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to the vessels of flagons. So he's going to hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue. You know, the Bible talks about all the children which thou has given me, right? Jesus talks about this, about all the children that God the Father has given him in Hebrews chapter 2, and the fact that, you know, God the Father, obviously we're children of God, you know, and God our Father, right? And Jesus is, you know, he's not ashamed to call us brethren, okay? But at the same time, he is like a father unto us in the fact that he's ruling over us, and, you know, the government is upon his shoulder and all that. I'm going to get some other verses that kind of show this same thing. And just to end verse 25 there, it says, In that day, said the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off, for the Lord hath spoken it. Can you think of who that would be talking about? Jesus being nailed to the cross and the burden being nailed with him, because he, you know, it says that he's blotting out the handwriting of ordinances and he's talking about nailing it to his cross, and it was taken out, he took it out of the way. And, you know, Colossians chapter, chapter 2 for you there. But, so, I personally believe that that chapter, that passage right there, one, is clearly talking about the same type of context. Two, it's in the same book, okay? You're dealing with Isaiah the prophet who, if you look through like Isaiah 7, dealing with the virgin, you know, shall conceive, right? And then in chapter 8, you know, it's talking about Emmanuel, and then in chapter 8 it says Emmanuel, and then in chapter 9 it goes on. It's like the same thoughts that are being built upon, and I believe that Isaiah has given us a little more information as far as, okay, why is he being called the Everlasting Father? So, let me give you a few verses, and this is kind of the main point that I want to get across with this sermon. I'm going to get into the other names and how that correlates to being a leader or a ruler, okay? But go to Genesis chapter 45, Genesis chapter 45. And I'm just going to be honest with you. I heard this argument about Genesis 45, and I didn't think it was like a horrible argument, but I just wasn't convinced, okay, about the Everlasting Father being like a father unto a nation, like being a ruler, and I wasn't against it. I said I didn't think that, like, they were out to lunch to think this as far as an explanation, but when I saw Isaiah 22, I'm like, yeah, that's right. So, I'm just going to say to you, like, I think I was wrong on my thoughts as far as what that passage meant. Like I said, everything I said about, you know, the Elijah to John correlation with Jesus and the Father, I think still fits, okay? But like I said, you can have good doctrine and things that are right and not apply to the right verse, right? And maybe the verse isn't exactly stating that doctrine, okay? So, another reason, you know, like, first of all, I believe that fits perfectly. Second of all, that gets into the fact that when it says the Mighty God, he's the Mighty God. He's the Everlasting Father, and it goes into this thing where you don't have to now explain, okay, well, he's called the Mighty God, but he also is the Mighty God, and, like, trying not to delineate between, you know, like, well, over here, he's called that, but he's not really that. Here, he's called that, but he is that. You know, to me, this actually makes it stronger in that aspect as well, okay? Now, in Genesis chapter 45 in verse 8, this is dealing with Joseph, and Joseph was put in second in command in Egypt, but notice what he says here about what God had made him in Egypt. In verse 8, it says, So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God, he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. So, when it says that he made him a father unto Pharaoh and to his house, obviously, he's not talking about he, like, beget them or anything like that. He's talking about the fact that he's, like, a father figure. He's basically having the authority as a father unto them, okay? And it even says a ruler throughout the land of Egypt. So, it's almost as if when you're using this term, like, made me a father, and it's the fact that it's kind of a way of saying he's ruling over, right? Because it's not the father to be the ruler in the home when you think about that. And Jesus is the head of the church, the house of God, so he is ruling over, he should be the ruler of the church, and he's not God the father, but he is a father unto us in that aspect of being in that position, the head of the church, the house of the head of the wife, and you can see how he's obviously the head of the home and getting into those aspects of the government that, you know, his position in government, if you will. Keep reading there, it says, It says, So, when he's saying that he made me a father, what's he saying? He made me a ruler and a lord over all of Egypt. Now, when it says that he's the everlasting father in Isaiah 9-6, I'm going to get to why everlasting is in there, okay? But also the fact is that if he said, you know, called him a father, the Prince of Peace, if he said that, you can understand how that would correlate to a position of authority in government, okay? Go to Judges 5, Judges 5. Judges 5 and verse 6. Judges 5 and verse 6. Like I said, you could disagree with me on this. It was just one of those things that I think this fits better. I think the other explanation I had fits, but you could have two explanations to answer a passage that are legitimate, like sound, you know, type of arguments, and, you know, it makes sense, it's doctrinally sound, but both of those can't be, it can't be both, right? It's one or the other, right? And I personally have taken the choice that, okay, what I was explaining before doesn't exactly fit the context perfectly like it should. This fits the context more, okay? Judges 5 and verse 6, it says, In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jeol, the highways were unoccupied and the travelers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel until that I, Deborah, arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. Now, I'm not saying this was what should have been done, or this is like the best case scenario of what should have been going on in Israel, but even Deborah is liking that to a mother over a nation because she's the one that rose up and actually did something, right? And that's another sermon for another day when you had Barak, I mean Barak. He was supposed to be the judge. He was the one that was supposed to be the one that was rolling over, but Deborah was the one that had to step up. He didn't even want to go to battle unless she came with him. So that shows you the state of the nation, if you will, but that the woman, if you think about a king or if you think about a queen, the queen would obviously not be like none to a father over a nation, it would be like none to a mother. And so a king would be like none to a father over a nation. And so that's what I believe you're dealing with here. Go to 1 Corinthians 4, dealing with others that are considered as a father but not physically fathers, right? And Paul was one of those. Paul was never married. He didn't have physical children. But notice what it says here. 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 14, it says, I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. Wherefore, I beseech you, be followers of me. So when it talks about him being, you know, someone being a father unto a nation, what's the point of calling him that? Besides obviously that a father in a home would have the lead, right? He'd be the authority structure. The point of the father is the lead so that others follow, right? And so the idea here is that Jesus is going to be the leader and we're following his lead, okay? And when Paul's stating here, he begat them, meaning he won them to Christ, right? And he's saying that you have a lot of instructors but you don't have many fathers, meaning that I begotten you so I'm as a father unto you as far as that goes. So basically his children in Christ, he's basically saying follow me, basically as a son would follow a father, okay? Even though he's not physically a father, okay? That's kind of the point I'm trying to get across here is that Paul wasn't physically a father. You know, Deborah didn't actually birth everybody in Israel, right? But she was as a mother, you know, she rose up a mother in Israel. And Pharaoh, I mean obviously Joseph didn't birth all the people in Egypt, but he was made as a father unto that nation. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 19, Philippians chapter 2 and verse 19. Now Timotheus or Timothy, you know, Paul says actually multiple times in both 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy that he's his own son in the faith. So basically I believe that Paul won him to the Lord, that's why he's stating that. But in verse 19 here of Philippians chapter 2, it says, But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state, for I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state, for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that as a son with the father, he has served with me in the gospel. So when you're dealing with what it represents as far as like the father-son relationship, if you will, of Paul and Timotheus or Paul and his children in the faith, if you will, is the fact that they're following him and they're serving with him. Does that make sense? Could you see how that would apply to Jesus? That we follow in his steps and that we serve with him. Notice that Paul's saying serving with me because we're ambassadors for Christ and we are his workers. He's the husband man. We're obviously the laborers, but we're working with him, right? And that's what I believe it's talking about when it's talking about the fact that he's the everlasting father. And I had another verse in here that I wanted to hit on. Where did I put that? Did I not put it on here? There it is. Why is it all the way there? Okay, so I'll get to it, maybe. One thing I wanted to mention is like why is it everlasting, Father? Well, it's because Jesus is from everlasting and to everlasting because he's God, okay? So that's the reason he's a father unto the nation. And obviously you think about the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And it'll be, you know, he's going to rule over the nation of Israel and obviously that's going to be forever as well. But the fact is that I believe it's stating that he's everlasting. It's just like he's in the everlasting priesthood, right? So when it comes to this position, it's not something that's going to end. So I believe that's why it's putting that in there as far as everlasting Father. And I don't believe it's talking about God the Father, okay? Obviously God the Father is everlasting as well, but I believe you're talking about the position that he's in as far as being a father in this governmental position that he's in, okay? Now, it also is very clear that we're talking about a son in this passage, right? So go back to Isaiah 9-6 because just like the Eliakim and Hilkiah example, it says that he's the son of somebody and that he's going to be a father, you know, over these inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea, right? Or Judah. You see that same correlation, right? When you read this passage, what do you see first of all? A son. The person you're talking about is a son, right? So we're not taken away from the fact that he's the son of God and we're not saying that God the Father and the son are the same person. We're stating here that this is the son, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And so I believe it's showing you that it's the son, just like Eliakim was the son of Hilkiah, but then he's going to be a father unto these inhabitants. That's why he's going to be called the Everlasting Father. But then he's going to have the kingdom of his father David, you know, even physically speaking, but then the kingdom of God the Father, if you will. Go to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 is quoting Isaiah 9-6 to a certain extent. It definitely references Isaiah 9-6 and 7. So this is obviously the prophecy of Jesus being born. So remember, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. It says in verse 31, so Luke 1 and verse 31, it says, Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and he shall be called the Son of the Highest. So notice that it doesn't say he's going to be called the Father, God the Father, in this passage. Because the whole passage is actually stating that we're talking about the Son, and that the Son is going to be called, the Son is going to be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and he's going to be called the Son of the Highest. Because the Son of God is going to be called the Everlasting Father for a certain reason. But notice in this passage in Luke, nowhere is it going to say anything about him being called God the Father. It's actually going to say he's going to be called the Son of God. And it says, keep reading there, it says, And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. Why? Because Jesus, according to the flesh, is of the seed of David. Remember, he's the root and the offspring of David because physically speaking, he's the offspring of David, but he's God, so he's actually the root of David. He's the one that created David. But it says of his father David, which fits perfectly with the Eliakim, you know, Hilkiah, Eliakim, both physically and spiritually. Because spiritually speaking, you think about the fact that, well, God's his father, right? So God the Father, and he's going to have the throne of his father, you know, if you will. And then you have the fact that the physical manner of the physical flesh and the fact that it's of David, right? Physically, David is his father, physically speaking, because he's of the seed of David. And that's why he's called the Son of David over and over and over again in the New Testament. And there's nothing wrong with that, but what you have to understand is that he's not just the son of David, he's also the root of David. He's the beginning, okay? So, then where did I stop there? Verse 33, it says, And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the high shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. So, this actually fits perfectly with what this is stating. The only thing that I think is kind of like when you see the term hell, or you see the, not hell, but saved, or you see things like that, and you automatically think we're talking about being saved from hell, that if you see the term Father used, you're automatically thinking it's God the Father, okay? And I can understand that thinking, and obviously, you know, when I was explaining this to begin with, I was taking it to that extent, that the everlasting Father was talking about God the Father. But, if you're thinking about government positions, you see throughout the Bible that someone that's in that position is regarded as a father. And even this, I'll say this, is that people that are positioned as authority are considered gods, if you will, sometimes in the Bible. They'll basically say that I made you a god unto so and so, right? So, when it says he's the mighty God, you know, it's basically saying that he's obviously in dominion, right? Because you think of what that term even means, like what God means is like a supreme being, if you will, or supreme over like dominion over something. You think of the term adodomini, you know, which is A.D., in the year of our Lord, and domini is where you get that term Lord, which is where you get the term like dominate, right? And so, obviously, God is dominant, you know? But that's what that term even means. So, you can see how it's taking it, like he's not just God over these people. He is God, okay? He's not just a father of them. He's the everlasting father, meaning that he will have no end. Like his reign will not cease. He will constantly be a father over these inhabitants and have rule over them. That will be forever, okay? It will be everlasting. And that's what I believe it's stating there is that it's an everlasting position, if you will. And it states that later on, like in the next verse, it states that his kingdom will have no end. It will be forever. But the New Testament always shines light on that because it's referencing Isaiah 9 and 6, but it's saying he is the son of God. He's the son of the highest. That son that's given is the son of God, but here's some titles that are given to him as far as what he's going to do in that position, okay? So I hope that makes sense with the everlasting father. I personally believe it's just Isaiah 22 is just really where I'm looking at that. I'm like, that just fits perfectly. That's line upon line, like exactly what Isaiah 9, 6, and 7 is hitting on, and it kind of gave... Isaiah 22 gives you like just physical people and talking about them. It's obviously still a prophecy of Jesus to kind of, I believe, explain here's what Isaiah 9, 6 is talking about. So let's talk about these other names. So you have everlasting father. That's kind of the big one that you're like, what are we talking about here? Again, I think that's talking about being a father over a nation or a ruler over a nation, if you will, or over the world, if you will. What about wonderful? Well, wonderful, I believe, would represent the fact that he's obviously wonderful. But when you think about that term, look at Psalm 40 and verse 5. And something that keeps being brought up when you think of this term wonderful is works, wonderful works. And I believe the one aspect of Jesus being king and being the ruler is that he's going to do wonderful works. He's going to have goodness. He's just going to be good and wonderful altogether, and that's why he's going to be called that, because he's going to be a benevolent dictator. He's going to do great things and wonderful works as a leader. And you think about the politicians and the leaders that we have today, that's what we'd love for them to do. We'd love for them to just do great things and accomplish great things and all that, but who's actually going to do that? In the end, Jesus is going to be the one that actually is going to rule with a rod of iron. He's going to be the one to smite the nations with the sword that proceedeth out of his mouth. He's the one that's going to actually bring justice and judgment to light. He's going to actually rule in this benevolent dictatorship the way it should be, and he's going to be wonderful at it. But it's going to be wonderful works that are going to be done by him, and so I believe that's a perfect name to be given unto him in his reign. In Psalm 40 and verse 5, it says, Many, O Lord my God, are they wonderful works, which thou hast done, and thy thoughts, which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Okay, so we're talking about God and his wonderful works and he's basically saying, I can't even come up, there's just so many. Go to Psalm 78 and verse 4. Psalm 78 and verse 4. Psalm 78 and verse 4, it says, We will not hide them from their children, showing to generations to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done. Now what's interesting about that verse is actually how when it says, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, thou hast perfected praise, that it comes from this passage, partly of this passage and partly of another passage. It says, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, thou hast ordained strength in another psalm, and here it's talking about perfecting praise out of the younger generation, out of the children, and when you put those two together, that's where you get that verse, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, thou hast perfected praise. You're talking about Jesus here, okay, and his wonderful works. Obviously, Jesus did wonderful things, and it talks about he went about doing good. Go to Psalm 107 and verse 8. Psalm 107, verse 8. Psalm 107, verse 8. It's cold up here. You turn that air on. Psalm 107 and verse 8, 15, 21, and 31 are all the same verse, okay? So I'm not gonna say it that many times, but just so you know, this is repeated. It says, oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. You don't have to turn there, but in Psalm 11, verse 4, it says, he hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. In Isaiah 25, go to Isaiah 25, and what you'll see a lot, actually, is how these names kind of meld together with what he's going through, okay, meaning this is that what the next name is given, counselor, okay? So you'll see throughout the Bible, and I just showed you a few here that obviously God's works are wonderful and his goodness is wonderful. Everything about him is wonderful, but that he's gonna have that name because he's gonna do great things in that position, okay? In that position of authority, he's gonna be wonderful at it, so much that his name's gonna be called that. He's gonna be called wonderful. But in Isaiah 25, verse 1, it says, oh, Lord, thou art my God. I will exalt thee. I will praise thy name, for thou hast done wonderful things. Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. So wonderful counselor, and when you're talking about the Lord and what he's going to do, he's gonna do wonderful things, and his counsels are faithful and true, faithfulness and truth. Now go to Isaiah 28, verse 29. Isaiah 28, verse 29. And remember, I kept saying wonderful works, wonderful works, wonderful works that God's going to do and what Jesus is going to do when he's rolling and raining. It's gonna be wonderful works that he's going to do, and I believe that's why he's being called wonderful. Then he's gonna be called counselor, and in Isaiah 28, verse 29, it says, this also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. See how those two things kind of go together? And they're even mentioned, obviously, right after each other, but wonderful counselor. So counselor, why would he be called a counselor? Go to, uh... Go to... I'm trying to see how much I want. I have too many pages, okay? So I'm trying to see what I want to put in here. Go to Romans, chapter 11. I had Isaiah 40 on here, but it's kind of the same thing. I'm gonna read to you a little bit of Isaiah 40. It says in Isaiah 40, in verse 13, it says, who had directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor, had taught him, with whom took he counsel, who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding. And so when it talks about him being counselor, what I believe that's basically stating is he's gonna teach. He's going to teach you knowledge and wisdom and faithfulness and truth. That's going to be his counsel, okay? He's going to be the counselor, and here's the thing, when it comes to this, there's many counselors in the world, and you could say, well, even as a pastor, you're sort of a counselor, right, because you're giving instruction and trying to give understanding, but no one can come close to the Lord himself, okay? He's called the counselor, okay? In verse 33, so here in Romans, chapter 11, verse 33, O the death of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out, for who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor, or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again, for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever, amen. So when you think about all the knowledge and wisdom that's being taught by any man of God, you have the counselor, the counselor, and I want you to think about how great this government's going to be when Christ is rolling and reigning, that he's going to be wonderful. That's the first thing to say about him. He's going to be wonderful. He's going to do wonderful works, but then his counsel, I mean, his counsel's going to be above any counsel that's ever been. I mean, think about wanting somebody in a position of authority that has good counsel. How about the Lord Jesus Christ? He is the counselor, and you know what? Who hath taught him? Who hath instructed him? He is the instructor. He is the teacher, and I thought this was an interesting thought anyway, dealing with counsel, because obviously it talked about the spirit of God, you know, basically being a counselor, and obviously I think God the Father is also a counselor, right? How about all three of them are? You think about Jesus said, I am going to send unto you another comforter, and in another place it talks about the Holy Ghost being the comforter, and that's a title that's given to the Holy Ghost, but another comforter means that there's another one, because Jesus is a comforter and the Father is a comforter, because God is the comforter, okay? But how about this, and I never really thought of this until I was kind of thinking about this passage about being a counselor. Go to Proverbs chapter 11, Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 14. I've always looked at this verse in a physical manner, which I think is accurate to look at it that way, but how about in Proverbs chapter 11 verse 14 it says, Where no counsel is, the people fall. So you want good counsel, you want good advice, right? But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. How about the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, right? You have a multitude of counselors, right, when you're dealing with the Trinity. And Jesus is obviously the counselor as much as I believe the Holy Ghost would be considered a counselor and the Father would be considered a counselor, but you're going to have the Son of God sitting on his throne as the counselor, because when you think about Daniel, this gets brought up a lot, the counselors, the magicians, you know, like all the stuff are coming before him, bowing down before his image, and that term counselors, they have counselors, kings have counselors, but how about this, the king is the counselor. You know, and you have like these things that you'd have in a kingdom that you'd want, you want people to have good counsel and have, you know, intelligent people that know what they're doing, and with Jesus' rule and reign and his government and his throne, he will be the counselor. And so there's many verses on this as far as like in the multitude of counselors. It says in Proverbs 15 and verse 22, without counsel purposes are disappointed, but in the multitude of counselors, they are established. Every purpose is established by counsel, and with good advice make war, so Proverbs 20 and verse 18. It says in Proverbs 24 and verse 6, for by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war, and in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. Think about how Jesus is going to be ruling and reigning. He's going to be making war with, you know, anybody that's going against him. He's going to rule with a rod of iron and smite the nations with the sword that proceedeth out of his mouth and how he's going to be the counselor, but he also is the fullness of the Godhead bodily in that the Father is dwelling in him, the Holy Ghost is dwelling, and he giveth him not the Spirit by measure, and that in the multitude of counselors, I mean, you have the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, God there, and obviously the person of the Son of God is the one that's sitting on the throne for a thousand years. Then he's going to give that kingdom up to the Father, and then he's going to rule and reign, you know, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, and going down the line. I go to Psalm 33, Psalm 33 and verse 10, because when you think about this passage in Isaiah 9, 6, is the idea that you have these heathen nations, and the fact that, you know, Gentile nations, all this, and what that's just talking about is just nations of the world that are ruling now. The finale is that all those nations are going to be given unto Jesus, and he's going to rule and reign. And when you're dealing with counsel and him being the counselor, in Psalm 33 and verse 10, it says, The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. He maketh the devices of the people of none effect, the counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. You know, there's many places that state this. In Proverbs 19, 21, it says, There are many devices in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. And just many over and over again dealing with the counsel of the Lord. How about I go to Isaiah chapter 11. Isaiah chapter 11. So I'm just giving you some reasons of why he's got these names, right? Why is he being called Wonderful? Why is he being called Counselor? I think this is a strong reason why he's being called Counselor. In Isaiah 11, verse 1, it says, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And just so you know, that's talking about Jesus. He is the branch, okay? And then it's gonna talk about seven spirits that are gonna be resting upon him. This is, you know, if you were in Revelation, when we went through Revelation, the seven spirits of God, which are the seven eyes of the Lord, and it gets into this idea of what these are. I believe this explains what these are. It says in Isaiah 11, verse 2, And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. So even among those seven spirits that are resting upon the Lord Jesus, right, it talks about how there's this stone, there's one stone, and then there's seven eyes upon that stone, and then it talks about how you see the lamb as if it had been slain with seven eyes, which are just seven spirits of God, you know, going on and on and on about what it says in Revelation about this, that these are attributes that are resting upon Jesus, okay? And so no marvel that he'd be called the counselor when he's rolling and reigning. So I'm not sure how much further I want to go with that one. Again, I kind of have too many pages here, so I'm trying to limit this because you can go on and on about it. Let me show you Zechariah, Zechariah chapter 6. And the reason I want to show you this is because how these kind of, like I said, how these names kind of go together, hand in glove, and how they're all kind of, I mean, if you think about it, if you're in a position of authority, they all kind of work together, right? That you're going to do wonderful works, you're going to have great counsel, you're going to be like a father unto the nation, and they're going to want to follow you and serve you, right? That you're like a mighty God, you know, meaning that you're over dominion over this, and obviously he is God, he is the mighty God, and that's what it's stating there. But then the Prince of Peace, and, you know, the last one that's mentioned there, and this one kind of hits on the counsel and the peace part of it, and it says in Zechariah chapter 6 and verse 12, and it says, And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the branch, he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne. Sound familiar? Because Jesus is king and priest. He's the high priest after the order of Melchizedek, and he's the king of kings, right? And the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Between both what? His throne and the priesthood. And so I think that's interesting how the counsel of peace, he's the Prince of Peace, but he's also the counselor at the same time, and how that works together. The mighty God, you know, that's just, you know, he's God. So like I said, you can think about what that even means to be like a god over a nation, right? You know, you could regard someone as being a god. They would look at Caesar in Rome and say he's a god, you know? But there's a difference between being a god, you know, over people and being the god, right, of the universe, the almighty. And just to show you a passage here, obviously you have, I want you to go to Habakkuk chapter 1, but I'm going to give you some verses in Revelation dealing with Jesus being the almighty. It says in Revelation 1, 8, it says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the almighty. And, you know, you say, well, is that talking about Jesus the Son? Well, it says the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Revelation 22, 13 says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last. And it says in Revelation 2, 8, the first and the last, these things, saith, the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. So who was dead and is alive? Obviously Jesus. He's the first and the last, which would also make Him the almighty, okay? He's God almighty. And, you know, obviously you have the, the reason I mentioned that one is because Jehovah Witness is like, well, He's the mighty God, but He's not the almighty God. So I don't believe that there's a difference between that. I think it's just kind of giving you more, you know, like He's the mighty God, but He's almighty. I think that you're dealing with the same thing when you're using these phrases. But look at the, how about the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, which it means all powerful, okay, which is synonymous with almighty. That's talking about the Lord Jesus in Revelation. Habakkuk 1, verse 12, it says, Are thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God? Mine holy one, we shall not die, O Lord. Thou hast ordained them for judgment, and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. So the mighty God is from everlasting. That's interesting because when you're dealing with Isaiah 9 and 6, what particularly is that talking about? How Jesus is going to be born, right? A child is given, or I'm sorry, a child is born until a son is given. And Micah 5, too, go to Micah 5 and verse 1 and 2 there, dealing with this, that I like how Habakkuk 1, 12 is stating that the Lord, that God is from everlasting and He's called the mighty God, okay? And then that Jesus, when it's talking about Him being born in Bethlehem, states that He's from everlasting. So in Micah 5, 1, it says, Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops. He hath laid siege against us. They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. So this is talking about Jesus being a ruler and a judge, but they're going to smite Him upon the cheek. It says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratath, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that is, to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. So this ties in perfectly with Isaiah 9, 6. This is obviously talking about the birth of Jesus because it's brought up in Matthew chapter 2. And we're talking about from everlasting, the mighty God is from everlasting, and you can see how that would fit as well, okay? And you know the verses as far as Jesus being God. This is a sermon to prove that, but there's many verses on the fact that Jesus is God, and we can leave it at that. I mean, that's another sermon for another day. Now, the Prince of Peace, the last one I want to hit here, there's so many avenues you can go about this, but go to Ezekiel chapter 37. You're like, really? That's where you're going? But, you know, when you think about the Prince of Peace, you can obviously think about how He's the head of the principality, and you can think about the fact that the gospel peace, and I definitely think that correlates here, but I want to show you something here in Ezekiel chapter 37. This is also in chapter 34, but for sake of time, I didn't put it in here, okay? So Ezekiel 34 and Ezekiel 37 talk about this. And what's interesting about this is that in Isaiah 9-6, it talks about the fact that He's going to be called the Prince of Peace, and then it goes into the fact of His government, the government and the throne of David and how that's going to be forever, okay? So keep that in mind, and if you want to, you can look at it. It's verse 7, actually, Isaiah 9-7. It says, of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end, okay? So you see that? His government and His peace shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. So do you see that? It's talking about the government and peace. There shall be no end. It's talking about the throne of David. It's talking about, you know, how this is going to be established forever. So Ezekiel chapter 37, look at verse 24. Verse 24 says, And David my servant shall be king over them. Now, spoiler alert, but David's been dead for a long time once you've read this. We're talking about they're in the captivity, the Babylonian captivity when this is being written, okay? And David my servant shall be king over them, and they shall all, I'm sorry, they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgment and observe my statutes and do them, and they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelled, and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children and their children's children forever. And my servant David shall be their prince forever. Now, I'm going to, first of all, I'll show you as well like this is talking about Jesus, but obviously when it's talking about my servant David, he's going to be talking about his throne. Look at verse 26. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will place them and multiply them and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever. My tabernacle also shall be with them. Yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Why? Because God's going to come down and the tabernacle of God is with men. And that David, it says, my servant David shall be their prince forever, and he's going to make a covenant of what? Peace. And that of his government and his peace, there shall be no end. And then go to Acts chapter 2, and just so you know, when it's talking about, you would think it's just straight up says David there, but Jesus is the son of David. And physically speaking, according to the flesh, obviously he's God and he never had a beginning, but physically speaking, he's the son of David. And notice what it says in Acts chapter 2 in verse 29. It says, Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. So it's kind of the same thing that he's stating here. It's like, David's dead, okay? Just so everybody knows, he's dead and he's still on his tomb right now, okay? Same thing I would say in Ezekiel when you're reading that and this prophesying about David, you know, reigning as a prince forever. David's dead, okay? Now obviously he's spiritually alive, right? He's in heaven. But we're talking about the fact that when it's saying, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he's dead, therefore being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. There's the throne that shall have no end. That's why it states in other places that the throne of David shall never want a king to sit upon it, and want meaning like have need of. Why is it not going to have need of that? Because Jesus is sitting on it and he will always sit on it. And so David, you know, in terms of spiritually speaking, he's talking about Jesus. And going into the fact that he's the prince forever and he's going to have a covenant of peace, the prince of peace. And that covenant of peace, you can imagine, we'll be talking about salvation. How about some verses, you know, just a verse, just one that always just comes to mind when I think about peace when it comes to the salvation. Romans 5, 1 says this, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So that everlasting covenant, that covenant of peace, because we've had peace with God. And there's many verses that you can see on this when it comes to the fact that, you know, he made peace through the blood of his cross, right, and just over and over again. Read Ephesians chapter 2 in your spare time and just see how many times it talks about how he's making peace through his blood and he's drawing an eye through the blood of Christ, making peace, so making peace, breaking down the wall of middle partition. I can't speak. Now, when it comes to him being a prince, there's other places where it mentions him being a prince, and you don't have to turn there, but in Daniel chapter 9, dealing with the prophecy of Jesus coming and obviously even with the Antichrist coming, it calls him Messiah the prince, the Messiah the prince, okay? And in Acts chapter, go to Acts chapter 3, and you say, well, prince, that kind of seems like he's, like, you know, a prince is like the son of a king or something like that, you know, and you think about, like, how prince, you have princes and princesses, and then you have kings and queens, but prince just means principality, right? If you think about, like, a principal of a company, they're the first, okay? They're the ones that are heading it up, okay? So sometimes when it's used prince, it'll talk about the prince of princes, right? It says that Jesus is the prince of princes. He says he's the king of kings. He's the lord of lords, and it's just another term to be used there, and when it's talking about prince, it's not saying, you know, diminishing who he is or that he's a king, but basically it means, like, he's principal of that, right? He's the principal of such and such, and in Acts chapter 3 and verse 14, it says, But ye denied the holy one and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. Acts chapter 5 and verse 30, Acts chapter 5 and verse 30, it says, The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. So many times he's called a prince. He's the messiah, the prince. He's called the prince of peace, obviously, in Isaiah 9-6, and the prince of life, and just a prince and a savior, right? But lest you should think that, well, prince, that means, you know, what about all the kings? Wouldn't all the kings be over him if he's just a prince? Go to Revelation chapter 1 and verse 5. Revelation chapter 1 and verse 5. And I think I've got my point across with the prince of peace. So the big point of the sermon was to really kind of show you what I believe the everlasting father is dealing with, and the fact that he's being made a father unto Jerusalem and the inhabitants, you know, kind of dealing with how alike him is likened unto that. He's being a ruler over them, and everlasting because he's God. You know, he's everlasting, okay? But just because he's called the everlasting father doesn't mean it's God the father, okay? And in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 5 it says, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. So he's the prince of the kings of the earth. It means he's the principal, right? I mean, you think of that term principalities. He's the head of all principalities and powers. It says that multiple times. And he's the prince over that. So the prince of peace, I mean, would anybody deny that he's the principle of peace? I mean, the idea that Jesus brought peace by the gospel, right, the gospel of peace, and what he did, you know, coming for us, and obviously Isaiah 9-6, what is it dealing with, him coming into this world, and ultimately he brought peace to those that believe on him, and, you know, I think it all fits together there. So that's Isaiah 9-6 explained. Actually 9-6 and 7, I guess I got to put on there. But just dealing with the everlasting father and what it's talking about there, that's my thoughts on that. Let me know what you think. Again, if you agree with my former self a few years back, you know, I can see where you're coming from, but I think that fits context a lot more dealing with when you couple that with Isaiah 22. So let's end with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for today and thank you for your word and pray that you'd be with us throughout the rest of this week. Thank you for all the souls that were saved, and I do pray that you'd be with us throughout this week with soul-winning efforts, with the Lord's Supper, with the soul-winning marathon coming up on Saturday, and also with our Easter service where we'll obviously praise you for raising from the dead, but also with the fellowship there. We just pray that you'd be with our church, and we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Everybody, if you'd like to come and sing one more song, and that will be dismissed. All right, take your song books and turn to song 324. Song 324. And if you would stand, we'll sing Draw Me Nearer, song 324. I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and atoned Thy love to me. But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee. Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord to Thy precious bleeding.