In the months of November and December, Christians throughout the
world begin preparing their homes and emptying their pockets in
anticipation of the Christmas season. God began preparing for Christmas
day way back in Genesis 3. This page is a retelling of the prophecies
foretold in the Bible about the Birth of Jesus Christ.
When Adam and Eve bit into the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil, God spoke the coming of a future savior into existence. In
verse 15, God told Eve that
Her
seed would bruise the head of the
serpent. This prophecy came to pass at the birth of Jesus Christ and
was
declared fulfilled in Galatians 4:4.
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the Law.
We are privileged today to witness the journey of preparation from
the time that God spoke Jesus' birth into existence and brought to pass
the coming of our salvation as we read the written accounts of the
prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus Christ written in the Bible.
As the Son of God
Psalms 2:7 -
I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto
me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Fulfilled
: Luke 1:32-33 -
He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
As the Seed of Abraham
Genesis 17:7 -
And I will establish my covenant between me and
thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting
covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
Fulfilled
: Galatians 3:16 -
Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of
one, And to thy seed, which is Christ
As the Seed of Isaac
Genesis 21:12 -
…in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken
unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Fulfilled
: Hebrews 11:17-19 -
By faith, Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered
up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy
seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from
the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure
As the Seed of David
Psalms 132:11 -
The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will
not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon the throne.
Fulfilled
: Acts 13:22-23 -
…I have found David, the son of
Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of
this man's seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel
a
savior, Jesus.
Romans 1:1-3 -
…the Gospel of God…Concerning his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.
The Set Time of His Coming
Genesis 49:10 -
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (the Messiah, the peaceful
one) come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Fulfilled
: Luke 2:1 -
And
it came to Pass in those days
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the
world should be taxed
Born of a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14 -
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold
a virgin shall conceive
, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel.
Fulfilled
: Matthew 1:18 -
Now the birth of Jesus was on this
wise; When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came
together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 2:7 -
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no
room for them in the inn.
Called Immanuel
Isaiah 7:14 -
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his
name Immanuel
Fulfilled
: Matthew 1:22 - 23 -
Now all this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by his prophet, saying,
Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with
us.
Born in Bethlehem, Judea
Micah 5:2 -
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto
me to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old,
from
everlasting.
Fulfilled
: Mathew 2:1 -
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men
from
the east to Jerusalem.
Luke 2:4-6 -
And Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the
city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem,: (Because he was of the house and lineage of David) to be
taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it
was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered.
Adoration of Great Persons
Psalms 72:10 -
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring
presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Fulfilled
: Matthew 2:1-11 -
Now when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born
King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come
to
worship him. When Herod the King had heard these things, he was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them
where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of
Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in
the
land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of
thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then
Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem,
and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye
have
found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which
they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over
where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw
the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped
him;
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him
gifts;
gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
Just before the birth of Jesus came one final prophesy, spoken by
John the Baptist's father, Zacharias which beautifully summarizes all
the prophecies which had been spoken before and goes on to prophecy
again the purpose of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Zacharias' Prophecy and Praise
Luke 1:68-75
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath
visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of
salvation
for us in the house of his servant, David; as he spake by the mouth of
his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we
should
be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to
perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy
covenant; the oath which he sware to our father, Abraham, that he would
grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him,
all the days of our life
Zacharias then went on to speak of his own newborn child, John -
Luke 1: 76-79 -
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare
his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the
remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby
the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
way of peace.
These prophecies throughout time, concerning the coming birth of
Jesus Christ should become more beautiful to our hearts as we recount
them, than the most beautiful of gifts we could ever hope to place
under
our Christmas trees. How wondrous must have been the knowledge to those
prophets of old, that God would be sending a savior for the world, to
save us from our sins! How wondrous that knowledge becomes today as we
receive the perfect gift of God's own Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Prayer
What a precious gift! What a miraculous treasure is your gift to us
Father! We thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, as we
celebrate His Day of Birth! On this day, we remember, as we should
every
day, the Words written in John 3:16 about the most perfect gift:
For God so loved the world, that he sent his only Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life.
God bless you and keep you this Christmas and throughout each day to
come!
By the Holy Spirit and to the Glory of God
Merrellee Moore - December 13, 1999
