Why is Christ called our eternity?
I must confess I have never this before, but your question did make me think of a verse that is somewhat connected with the thought that Christ is “called our eternity.” I’m thinking of Isaiah 9:6 which reads, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And HIS NAME WILL BE CALLED Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, FATHER OF ETERNITY, Prince of Peace” (DARBY version). No one has ever questioned that Isaiah is speaking of Christ. Let’s break this down in a few words and then we’ll take a closer look at the expression “Father of Eternity.”
“A Child is born” refers to the HUMANITY of Christ. John 1:14 bears this out, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (NKJV).
“…unto us a Son is given” speaks of His DEITY. John 3:16 and 1st John 4:9 declare, “God so loved the world that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON….In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON INTO THE WORLD.”
“And the government shall be upon His shoulder” looks on to the time when Christ will reign as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (see Revelation 19:11-16).
“And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God” describes His MAJESTY, WISDOM and POWER.
Now let’s dwell on His name, “Father of Eternity.” In using the word “Father” it is NOT teaching us that He is “God the Father,” for as we saw earlier that He is the eternal SON who was sent by God the Father. The word “Father” simply suggests the He is the “Source” of all things; in other words, He is the Creator. He has been called the “architect of the ages” and this is confirmed in the following passage: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Paul echoes this same marvelous truth in Colossians 1:16-17, “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.” So, Christ is Himself ETERNAL and He is the SOURCE of all things! When the prophet Micah was inspired to write of His birth in Bethlehem he wrote these sublime words, “The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are FROM OF OLD, FROM EVERLASTING.” He truly is the “Father of Eternity.”
Let’s muse for a minute on the last name, “Prince of Peace.” When Christ does come to establish His Kingdom on earth (see Matthew 24:29-31 and 25:31-34), He will bring TRUE PEACE to this earth. The next verse says, “Of the increase of His government and PEACE there will be NO END, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even FOREVER” (verse 7). The peace that men have tried, in vain, to establish will finally come when the “Prince of Peace” comes! And is it not precious to see that “there will be NO END” for it will be “FOREVER?” The “Father of Eternity” will bring a peace that lasts throughout ETERNITY! (346.5) (DO)