Today is the day we celebrate that God’s Son was born on earth, a plan set in motion since the before the beginning of time. It wasn’t an afterthought, but God’s plan for humanity. Genesis 3:15 reveals that Jesus was destined to destroy the enemy and all of his power, thus restoring humankind to God and giving us the power to live victoriously. We’ve gone through the types of Jesus Christ, but now we will explore the prophecies of His birth that make this Christmas season oh so special.
The Son of God Prophesied
On this spectacular day, let’s go through some of the prophecies of Jesus’ birth in the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament.
Born of a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” As we know, this prophecy was fulfilled with Mary. Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Some people may ask, why was it necessary for Jesus to be born of a virgin? This was essential because God is pure, and if Jesus was going to become a proper sacrifice for our sins, He had to have a pure birth. Jesus was not born as a result of sin, nor tainted by man’s sinful nature since Mary never knew a man. Therefore, when Mary conceived Jesus through Holy Spirit, it set Jesus apart and positioned Him to be the propitiation for our sins. If Mary had not been a virgin, His birth would not have differed from anyone else’s and He would not have been a worthy sacrifice. Jesus had to be sinless for God to accept Him in our place, which was the reason for His birth.
Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Jesus said in the Gospels many times that the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first. So, the birthplace and humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth reflected this. Out of the smallest part of Judah, the child who would grow to hold he most incredible power that exists came to be. We see this fulfilled in Matthew 2:1,” Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,” Though this was the most awaited and important birth of all time, it didn’t have a tremendous presentation. Jesus came to earth in an humble manner, born in a manger, of a virgin who was ridiculed for being pregnant and not yet married, in a small town where “nobodies” lived.
So, don’t dwell on your small beginnings; Christ had small beginnings, and look how impactful His life was upon all of humanity. God has great plans for you, as He did for Jesus and He plans for you to be a pivotal part of the end-time church that brings souls into the Kingdom. Don’t count yourself out because of where you started. Look to Christ and His small beginnings, and let that encourage you. Jesus saved all of us from our sins and is the most powerful being to exist! God has destined you for greatness!
A Star Will Point to His Birthplace
Numbers 24:17 says, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.” We see this fulfilled in Matthew 2:2, which says, “saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” I can only imagine how the wise men felt when they saw that star. This is the One who has been prophesied for hundreds of years, the One who was prophesied to save Israel and all of humanity, and He’s here; He’s finally here! Jesus coming to earth to save us was a plan from the beginning, carefully thought out, and an embodiment of God’s love for us.
Lineage of David
In the Old Testament, God promised David that his kingdom would reign forever, but how could that be? David and his sons died; how could one family rule forever? Isaiah 9:6-7 says, “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, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 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. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Matthew 1 lists the lineage of Jesus, and Matthew 1:16-17 says, “And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” God never forsakes His promises; He always fulfills them. However, David having an everlasting Kingdom wasn’t the only thing prophesied in this verse. It even tells us what Jesus would be called by all of humanity, because someone as wonderful as Jesus can’t just have one name. Additionally, “the government shall be upon His shoulder,” meant that Jesus has the right to rule and be sovereign along with the responsibility to rule and judge, and justice is upon Him (Dake, Finis. Dake Annotated Reference Bible. Dake Publishing, Inc, 1961). It was prophesied that Jesus would eternally have sovereignty and rule over all, thus bringing the promise God made to David hundreds of years prior into fruition.
Gifts Given
The thing I love about going through the birth of Jesus is that almost every aspect of His birth was prophesied; not one detail was left out. Psalm 72:10-11 says,” The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.” We see this fulfilled in Matthew 2:11, which says, “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Jesus’s birth fulfilled so many prophecies at once that it shouldn’t have even been possible, yet as I’ve said before, God works with “impossibilities.” God can do anything He pleases, and His power has no limits; all things are possible with God. If you don’t get anything else out of the prophecies and their fulfillment in Christ’s birth, you should at least have a deeper understanding of the supernatural, miracle-working power of God and that He knows no bounds. So, this Christmas, believe God for the impossible, the undoable, the “you’re crazy and insane,” the “that can never happen,” because in the natural, Jesus could never have been born, yet He was born! Because anything is possible with God!
I hope this helped, and God bless!
RefinedforChrist 
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