“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14
The word Immanuel means God with us. According to Strong’s Concordance the word “name” in this case means, “a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character.”[1] So, the name Immanuel is a title or implied honor, not a given name. Jesus was the Christ’s given name. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
My point is that it is a true miracle that Isiah the prophet was so accurate in his prophesies. Isiah was given this prophesy by God some 700 years before Jesus’ birth. Even more astonishing, the timing of Jesus birth was prophesied by God through Moses about 1,400 years before His birth. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Genesis 49:10 Shiloh is a Hebrew messianic title, like the Greek term Christ.
Jesus’ birthplace is prophesied by Micha about 700 years before Jesus was born. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micha 5:2 Micha was very specific too, because there were 2 towns called Bethlehem, one in the Roman province of Galilee northwest of Nazareth and the other south of Jerusalem. The one south of Jerusalem was in the ancient past known as Ephratah before its name was changed to Bethlehem. That’s exactly where Jesus was born.
Other miraculous prophesies include Psalm 72:10-11 describing the gifts he would receive soon after His birth, Jeremiah 31:15 describing Herod’s decree to kill the male children in an attempt to kill Jesus, Hosea 11:1 describing the fact that Jesus’ family fled to Egypt, Isiah 11:1 and Isiah 53:2-3 concerning the fact that Jesus was raised in Nazareth and grew up in poverty and obscurity. The truth of the gospel is in the very specifically fulfilled prophesy within Biblical scripture. All of these prophesies are documented in the New Testament. You can believe the Bible without hesitation or reservation. Jesus’ miraculous birth is just one tiny fragment of the proof.
In this Christmas season let us remember our Savior’s birth and keep Jesus the center of our attention. Jesus is the reason for the season and we praise and honor him as we celebrate His birth day.
Merry Christmas!
[1] Strong’s Concordance online, 8034. Shem, Bible Hub.com, retrieved 12/9/17 from http://biblehub.com/strongs/hebrew/8034.htm