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Prophecy Fulfilled

Prophecy Fulfilled: Isaiah 9:6 & Israel 1948

Isaiah 9:6 foretells a child with divine titles; the rebirth of Israel in 1948 echoes Ezekiel's vision. Prophecy demonstrates the Bible's accuracy.

Key verses

  • Isaiah 9:6
    For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  • Ezekiel 36:24
    I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.
  • Ezekiel 37:21–22
    I will take the people of Israel from the nations … and bring them to their own land … one nation in the land.

A Child Born; A Nation Reborn

Isaiah 9:6 — Divine titles for a son

Isaiah 9:6 is one of the clearest Messianic prophecies: a child is born, a son is given—and He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. These are titles of deity. The government will be on His shoulder; of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end (9:7). The NT identifies this Child as Jesus (e.g., Luke 1:32–33; Matthew 4:15–16).

Israel's rebirth (May 1948)

Ezekiel 36–37 describes the dry bones of Israel coming to life and the nation being gathered from the nations and brought back to the land. For nearly 1,900 years the Jewish people were scattered; there was no sovereign Jewish state. On May 14, 1948, Israel declared independence. Jesus Himself pointed to the fig tree (often a symbol of Israel) putting forth leaves as a sign of the nearness of the kingdom (Matthew 24:32–33; Luke 21:29–31).

The reliability of prophecy

The fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6 in Jesus, and the dramatic fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision in 1948, illustrate the incomparable accuracy of biblical prophecy. They reinforce our confidence that Isaiah 53—the Suffering Servant—was also written hundreds of years before the one who would fulfill it: Jesus, the Messiah, the Lamb of God.