The Prophetic Proof Of Christmas
Prophecy allows the prophet to be an eye witness to coming events....To see events as if he were there in person. The reader becomes an eye witness vicariously, as well. It would be like watching an event which took place 50 years before you were born, but because the video camera captured it, you are taken back to the live action replay.
Jesus fulfilled many Messianic Prophecies. To be exact, He actually fulfilled over 300 Messianic prophecies.
The odds of one person fulfilling only 8 of these Bible prophecies is 1 in One Trillion. That’s 1 followed by 17 zeroes. One person fulfilling 48 prophecies has 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power (that’s 10 followed by 52 zeroes). And one person fulfilling 300+ prophecies, well, There’s just not enough zero’s! That’s something Only Jesuscould and did accomplish!
This baby born in a manger some 2000 years ago, marked the transition between the old and new testaments, and separated time as we know it into BC and AD, and it took us out from under the law and into Grace. Some folks are all about grace until you wonder if there’s anything off limits.Grace is not freedom to sin, but freedom from sin.... Salvation is not something done to you but it is something that is done through you. So, the real message of grace should be, how much has it changed you, since you received Christ. Has grace made a difference in how you live your life? Is your lifestyle any different because of God’s grace?
John 8:32 “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” In other words, You can never discover real truth without Christ in His rightful place, and that’s first place!
When it comes to proving that the babe born in a manger on the first Christmas morning, was none other than the promised Messiah, we need only to let Scriptures speak for itself.
Thousands and thousands of Jews continue to discover theseundeniable proofs and are finding MESSIAH every day, and they’re being set free of the lie of Zionest tradition and ritual.
We’re going to look at some of these prophetic proofs, and see how Jesus’ life was laid out in detail hundred’s of years before his birth and He fulfilled them to the letter.
Isaiah the prophet, wrote his prophesies around 740 years before the Christmas story. David the Psalmist wrote about 1000 years before Christ. Zachariah wrote over 500 years before that first Christmas. Daniel wrote his prophetic words around 600 years before Christ, Exodus was written 900 years before Christmas, and Genesis was written by Moses about 1400 years before the Holy Child Jesus was laid in a stable manger.....
We’re going to look at some Messianic events fulfilled by The Messiah, that were written over a period of 1,400 years before His birth.
Also, it is important to understand that one person might fulfill a few of these prophecies but no one could fulfill all of them. Chances would be astronomical.....
For anyone who is searching and honestly questioning, fulfilled prophecy is the strongest confirmation thatJesus truly is the Messiah. The following prophecies are some of the examples found throughout the Old Testament.
Prophecy # 1, Tells us that Messiah Would Be Born of a Woman
The earliest prediction related to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah is found in the first book of the Bible. In Genesis 3:15, God promises, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
What does this mean? In His judgment on the serpent (Satan), God promised one would come who would crush Satan’s power. Despite Satan’s ability to introduce sin to humanity, his power would one day be overcome by thisson born of a woman.
In Galatians 4:4, the apostle Paul explains this fulfillment, stating, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Jesus is the one who was the predicted son “born of a woman.”
Know that there are divinely appointed “Set times” in your life which have already taken place, but you just aren’t there yet. God has solved the situation and circumstances before you even experienced them. Knowing this, gives you the advantage, because instead of the situation owning you, YOU OWN IT!
Prophecy #2, Declares That Messiah Would Be Born of a Virgin
One of the strongest prophecies related to the birth of Jesus is that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 predicted this approximately 700 years before His birth, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: A virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
Some have argued the word translated “virgin” in this verse refers merely to a “young woman.” While the Hebrew word can be translated either way, the Greek translation of Isaiah, made long before the birth ofJesus, uses a word specifically translated virgin. Those living in the time of Isaiah, understood this passage as referring to a person born of a virgin.
Matthew fills in some of the details for us....
Matthew 1:18 “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about, His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit”.
Matthew 1:22-23 specifically notes, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophetIsaiah, ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ (‘God with us’).”
Prophecy #3 Clearly States That Jesus is the Son of God
Matthew’s Gospel regularly, refers to Jesus as God’s Son, which is a reference to His earthly birth. Jesus was not a son, except in the mind and plan of God, until He was born in an earthly body. Before that He was referred to as “The Word”
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. v2 The same was in the beginning with God. v3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. v14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.
Matthew 3:17 at the baptism of Jesus, the voice of Godwas heard by everyone saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Clear and unmistakable proof that The Messiah, Jesus, was and is the Son of God. It’s in the bible and God’s word is truth.
The Old Testament referred to the Messiah as God’s Son in Psalm 2:7. God said, “You are my son, today I have become your father.” Speaking of Jesus’ physical birth....When my first born came into this world, I was telling everyone I could, “I’m a daddy”, Oh, I was so excited.... I can see God here, just telling all the angels... I’M A DADDY!
Prophecy #4, Predicts that Jesus Would be Born in Bethlehem .
According to the New Testament, Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth but were living in Bethlehem of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth, where they had gone to pay taxes. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth. ..
The phrase “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” was a common expression of that time, used to refer to things that were considered unimportant, insignificant or less than.
This phrase is mentioned in John 1:46 when Nathanael expresses his skepticism about whether Jesus, who was from Nazareth, could be the Messiah. The King James Version of the Bible translates the text as "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"
Oh, I love this.... God says despise not the day of little things, little is much when God is in it... A mustard seed can produce a mighty tree, one shall chase a thousand and two shall put ten thousand to flight.... insignificant things give God greater glory!
You may not look like much right now but wait till we see you then....
A group of men were carrying on a friendly conversation. One of them remarked that he had learned to be especially careful about little things in his life. "Would you believe," he said, "that a little thing like a pair of socks changed the entire course of my life?" "I can hardly believe that," replied another man. "Well, it’s true! Once I planned to take a trip with some of my friends on a canal boat, but two days before we intended to leave, I injured my foot while chopping wood. It was only a small cut, but the blue dye in my homemade socks, poisoned the wound, and I was compelled to stay at home. While my friends were on their trip, a powerful preacher came to our town to hold revival meetings. Since I didn’t have anything else to do, I decided to attend. The message touched me deeply, and as a result, I surrendered my heart to the Lord. Afterward I saw that I needed to change my life in many ways. New desires and purposes took hold of me. I’m not the man I used to be, because of little things.
I guess you could say, God used little things to sock it to him!!!!
Matthew 2:3-6 Gives us some insight into the moment Herod got the news from the wise men that had come from the East....
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’
They were reading the prophecy of Micah 5:2-4. Which was written 800 years before Christ was born. There were two places known as Bethlehem during Micah’s time. So, Micah specifically referred to Bethlehem in Judah as the location of the Messiah’s birth. Further, this Messiah would become the shepherd (meaning the leader) of Israel. When Jesus is later put to death, the sign posted over His head calls Him the King of the Jews. Herod was making a spectacle of Jesus, to tell everyone, “This is what happens to anyone in my territory who thinks they can challenge me”.....
Prophecy #5, Details that Jesus Would Come From the Family of King David...
For Jesus to be Messiah, He could not have come from merely any Jewish family. The Old Testament makes several specific predictions about the lineage of Jesus, some thousands of years in advance:
Genesis 22:18 tells us that He would be a descendant of Abraham.
Genesis 21:12 says that He would be a descendant of Isaac
Numbers 24:17 declares He would be a descendant of Jacob.
Genesis 49:10 tells us that He would be a descendant of Judah
Jeremiah 23:5 declares that He would come forth from the lineage of David.
This explains why Matthew’s Gospel opens with the words in, Matthew 1:1-2 “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac was the father of Jacob, Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers”
In Matthew 1:6 He continues to show that through Joseph, the earthly stepfather of Jesus, that he was a direct descendant of David. Though Jesus was born of a virgin, He was of the family of Joseph, and descendedfrom King David.
Luke’s Gospel also records the family line of Jesus, including a different list of names that are the family line of Mary. Luke reveals that Mary’s family line also includes being a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David, fulfilling this prophecy through both sides of the family of Jesus.
Luke 3:23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, of Joseph,(who was related to) David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,(who was related to) Judah, 34 the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, (who was related to)
Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enoch, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, (who was born), the son of God.
Prophecy #6, Tells us that Jesus Received Gifts
Though it received less attention than other prophecies, the gifts of the wise men also represent a completed Bible prophecy. Psalm 72:10-11, recorded by King Solomon approximately 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus, predicted a day when the kings of the Gentile nations would come to the Messiah and bow before Him:
Psalm 72:10-11 “May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.”
The Gentile (non-Jewish) wise men from the east traveled to where Jesus and His family were, with gifts in...
Matthew 2:11 “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (we need to remember that at this time, Jesus was 2 years old, and in a house, not a manger when the wise men arrived)
So, From the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly life, Gentile leaders bowed before Him and honored Him.
Prophecy #7 Describes Jesus as Immanuel
Isaiah 7:14 was written approximately 700 years before Jesus’ birth, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” In addition to His virgin birth, Jesus entered our world to fulfill His calling as Immanuel, meaning God with us.
Matthew 1:22-23 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” Matthew is confirming, as a contemporary of Jesus, that this impossible prediction had indeed, given us another proof that Jesus was God in the flesh.
John 1:1-2 adds further confirmation, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” The one who created the world entered it in human form. Jesus is the literal fulfillment of Immanuel.
These Prophecies were for those who were living Then, but they were also for proof to our time so that the world might know and make the discovery of Jesus, as God, Now, in our time.
God came to earth, so that we could go to heaven to be with Him forever.....Prophecy is one of the greatest proofs that Jesus is who He said He was and who He is today, and that means He will do what He said He would do, now, even as He did then...
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And that is God’s total plan of the ages, all wrapped up in one verse...(Christmas wrapped, I should say)!!
Today, we have seen how God revealed Christ’s coming in supernatural ways to affirm His greatness and glory. Those who are willing to do sincere investigation of the birth of Jesus will also discover that the baby in the manger is the Son of God who changes lives for eternityas they put their trust in Him.
This picture, of a man kneeling before the cross, to give the Lord first place in his life, is the image of what Christmas is all about. The miracles, the wonders, God coming in the flesh, all the suffering, and all that God did over centuries of time, is all about each and every life that comes in surrender to Him.
Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving, and to everyone who invites Him into their lives, no one should ever be satisfied to keep Him all to themselves, but they should want everyone to experience the freedom, joy, and fulfillment that the Messiah brings into every life that receives Him....
Let’s proclaim Him to a new generation of seekers, who are seeking the answer God has given, that is our hope, our peace, our giver of eternal life, here and forever more, in the ages yet to come....
Praise His holy name....We acknowledge who He is, throughout time and eternity...
“Majesty, worship His majesty, unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise”..... Let’s stand together and exalt our Messiah, who was and is, and is to come!!
