From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 32 of a series. Read part 31.

Because of the Messiah's present position as Prince of Peace, the future glory of the saints is guaranteed.

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, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

In introducing our discussion of the title "Prince of Peace" we noted that the title "prince" in the original language (Hebrew sar) can denote not only a royal personage, but also the individual who occupies the first position of leadership among a group of people. In other words, the individual who has the preeminence.

Prince, Captain, Author, Source

The New Testament gives many proofs of the fulfillment of the Sar Shalom of Isaiah 9:6 in the person and work of Jesus by focusing attention on His preeminence. As the Holy Spirit declares through the Apostle Paul, Jesus

is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:15-18)

One of the New Testament words that parallels the Old Testament word for "prince" appears four times - twice in Acts, twice in Hebrews - to identify Jesus as the Prince of the prophecy given through Isaiah. The word is archegos, which signifies one who is the leader, author, founder, or originator.

When the Apostle Peter healed a lame man by the power of God and was called upon to explain how it was done, declared that it was by the power of Jesus, whom he identified as the "Prince [literally, the author] of Life":

So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince [again this is archegos, i.e., the Author or Originator] of Life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. (Acts 3:12-15)

Likewise, when Peter and other disciples were arrested and brought before the Jewish religious leaders and commanded not to preach the name of Jesus, the apostle once again declared that they had killed the Prince of Isaiah 9:6 -

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!" But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince [once again, archegos, i.e., the preeminent One among His people, the Predecessor of their own future exaltation] and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him." (Acts 5:27-32)

We find the word archegos also used to describe the One who bears the title of Prince in Hebrews chapter 2:

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain [archegos once again, i.e., the originator or author] of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)

Absolute Certainty: Future Events Declared in the Past Tense

The salvation of the people of God is absolutely certain because the Messiah Himself is the archegos of it - the Prince of it, Author of it, the Forerunner into the heavenly glory that we shall all share with Him eternally. Because Jesus occupies the first position in God's plan of redemption, our position as the ones whom He is not ashamed to call His brethren (Hebrews 2:11) is guaranteed.

These things are such a certainty in and through Christ that the Holy Spirit speaks of the entire "golden chain" of redemption in the past tense - as an already accomplished fact:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn [a different word in the Greek, but once again signifying the One in the first position] among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

And so all who are in Christ may testify, with the Apostle Paul,

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-30, 38-39)

Next: The Eternal Priesthood of the Prince of Peace

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