December, 2003
by: Jack Hughes
December is the month when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah, Savior, Redeemer, and King of kings. And since we have been doing a series on major prophetic events, I thought I would use this Calvary Review to address five prophecies in the Old Testament that speak of the birth ofJesus Christ.
The Woman's Seed
In Gen. 3:15 as God is giving out the consequences of Adam and Eve's sin, the Lord says to Eve, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” This is a famous and well–known verse because it is the first place in the Bible that the Messiah is mentioned. Theologians often use a big word to refer to this text. They call it the “proto-evangelium,” proto meaning first, and evangelium meaning gospel i.e., the first Gospel. One of the unique qualities of Gen. 3:15 is the phrase her seed. What is unique about these words is that they only appear here in this text. Nowhere else in the Bible is a woman said to have “a seed.” It is always the man who is said to have “a seed.” But here, God says, the woman's seed will bruise the serpent's head.
But if you know the Christmas story, you know that Mary the mother ofJ esus was “found to be with child by the Holy Spirit” (Mt.1:18). The power of the Most High overshadowed Mary and she conceived a child and gave birth as a virgin never having known a man. This is what Gen. 3:15 is referring to. Mary is “her” and Jesus is her “seed.” The virgin birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the promise of Gen. 3:15 given thousands of years before. Eve was deceived by the serpent but her hope was that one day her seed wouldcrush the serpent's head. Jesus defeated Satan through His death on thecross.
A Virgin Gives Birth to God With Us
The virgin birth itself was predicted in Isa. 7:14. Isaiah the prophet prophesied during the reign of Ahaz King of Judah. Judah was being attacked by Rezin, king of Aram and Pekah king of the northern kingdom of Israel. But God was not ready to let Jerusalem be captured, so He sent Isaiah and his young son Shear-jashub, whose name means “a remnant will return,” to relay a message to King Ahaz. Isaiah tells King Ahaz that within 65 years nothing would be left of the two kings who threatened Judah.
God knew that this would be difficult for Ahaz to believe, so God says this to Ahaz in Isa. 7:10-11, “Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 'Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven'”. This is a unique opportunity for Ahaz. God, like a mythological genie, is giving Ahaz a chance to ask for anything he wishes so that God can prove what He promised would come true. But Ahaz, in rebellion and false piety replies to God's gracious command, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” God then responds, not just to Ahaz, but to the entire house of David and says in Isa. 7:13-14,“Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to trythe patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will bewith child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Because Ahaz refused to ask for a personal sign, God promised a sign, not only for Ahaz but for the entire house of David. David came from Judah, and Judah was the tribe that the promised Messiah and King would come from (Gen. 49:10).
God wanted Ahaz to ask for a sign that was “as deep as sheol or as high as heaven.” This is another way of saying, “ask for something huge, incredible, unimaginable, something so impossible that only God could do it.” And, since Ahaz is unwilling to ask for a sign which is “as deep as sheol or as high as heaven,” God provides one. God's sign is amazing in two specific ways. First, a virgin will have a child. Something impossible and something that had never happened before. And secondly, the child's name would be “God with us.”
What has confused some people is that God went on to speak through Isaiah to Ahaz and in Isa. 7:15-16 God also promises that before the child was old enough to discern good from evil, the land of the two kings which were waging war against Judah would be forsaken. This has led some to believe that the child being spoken of would have to be born in Isaiah's life time and hence couldn't be Jesus. Yet, this is a fairly common occurrence in prophecy. God often mixes up both near future with far future fulfillment in prophecies. The near fulfillment is for those who hear the prophecy and the far fulfillment is the ultimate and final fulfillment. So it is here. In Isa. 8:3, Isaiah approaches his wife, referred to as “the prophetess” and she gives birth to a son whose name is Maher–shalal-hash-baz. The name means “swift is the booty, speedy is the prey” — a name which symbolized the defeat of Ahaz's enemies.
Yet, Isaiah's son is not called Emmanuel, nor was Isaiah's son born of a virgin. In fact, there was nothing miraculous at all about the birth of Isaiah's son. It was a standard ordinary birth and could hardly be described as a sign “as deep as sheol or as high as heaven.” Ahaz received the near future sign of the birth of Isaiah's son, but the house of David received the sign of the virgin birth of Jesus by Mary. Mary was literally a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus and Jesus was literally the Son of God (Lk. 1:32, 35). In fact Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tells us that the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in Mt. 1:23. This was the sign for the house of David that was “as deep as sheol and as high as heaven.”
A Divine King to Rule the Nations
In the near following context of Isa. 7:14, we have another text which speaks of the birth of Jesus. Isaiah, speaking from God, promises that the people in the area of Galilee who live in darkness will see a great light(Isa. 9:2; Mt. 4:17; Lk. 1:79). That great light is described for us in Isa. 9:6 with these words, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
This is some name! Isaiah begins by telling us that the child to be born will be a “son,” who is given to “us” and He will be a king for “the government will rest on His shoulders.” This was amazing but it had happened before. Other sons were born who grew up to be kings. But what makes this child unique is His name, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” There is only one person who rightfully bears this title and that person is God. Isaiah lets us know that the child to be born of the virgin will be none other than God in human flesh!
The Ancient of Days is Born
Another of the significant prophecies about the birth of Christ is found in Mic. 5:2. Micah was a prophet and a contemporary of Isaiah. He preached judgment to both the northern and southern tribes of Israel and Judah. Yet, in Mic. 5:2 the Lord gives hope to His people and promises that after they are judged a deliverer will be born. Micah predicts,“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”
This prophecy is significant because it tells us 1) the place of Messiah's birth — “Bethlehem,” 2) the function of the Messiah — “to be ruler in Israel,” 3) and the identity of the Messiah — “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” This last phrase means that the Messiah would be none other than the eternal God, the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:9, 13)! The Jews understood that this verse was speaking of the Messiah because when Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah was to be born, they quoted Mic. 5:2 (Mt.2:6). Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He was born a king and He was born the Ancient of Days.
A Forever King and Kingdom
The fifth and final prophecy which speaks of the birth of Jesus is found in both II Sam. 7:12-16 and I Chron. 17:11-14. Both of these texts record what is called the “Davidic Covenant,” a promise God made to David concerning the future of his royal line. In II Sam. 7:1-7 Nathan the prophet lets David know that God does not want him to build a temple for God because he is a man of war and bloodshed. Then the Lord encourages David and says to him, “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” This text, like Isa. 7:14, has both a near future and a far future aspect of fulfillment.
In the near future aspect, this prophecy was fulfilled by Solomon who was 1) David's descendant, 2) built a house for God, 3) was King of Judah, 4) was figuratively a son to God, 5) was literally corrected by God through the sons of men, and 6) never had God's lovingkindness taken from him. Yet the ultimate far future fulfillment of the Davidic covenant is realized in Jesus Christ who 1) was David's descendant, 2) was literally the Son of God and God was literally His Father, and 3) God's lovingkindness never departed from Him. Still to be fulfilled in the future after the Second Coming of Christ is the rest of the prophecy 4) the Messiah's kingdom will be established, 5) the Messiah's kingdom will last forever, and 6) the Messiah will rule forever on the throne of David. Ezra, who wrote after the death of Solomon, wrote I Chronicles and emphasizes the Davidic Covenant and true temple worship.
Ezra, who writes after the death of Solomon, leaves out the part of the prophecy which says, “when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men” because it was already fulfilled. Ezra only quotes the part of the prophecy that refers to the Messiah. Gabriel the angel who appeared to Mary alludes to the Davidic covenant in Lk. 1:32-33, and says of Jesus that “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
What do you suppose is the mathematical probability of one person fulfilling all the prophecies above? How many people have been 1) born of a virgin, 2) are called “God with us,” 3) are born to rule the nations, 4) have the name Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, 5) are born in Bethlehem, 6) are born the Ancient of Days, 7) are of the royal line of David, 8) are literally the Son of God, 9) literally have God as their Father, 10) are destined to have a kingdom that will never end, and 11) are destined to rule on the throne of David over the house of Jacob forever and ever? There is only one. His name is Jesus.
Jesus, the Son of David, came to earth to live a perfect life, die on the cross for the sins of the world, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day. If you don't know him as your personal Lord and Savior, you need to repent. You need to turn from your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. He will forgive you, save you from the consequences of your sin, and transform you into a new creature. This is what Christmas is all about — “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16).