THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE CHRIST IS PROPHESIED

PROCLAMATION

“Therefore The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After King Uzziah died and his grandson Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin the king of Aram (Syria) and Pekah the king of Israel joined forces and marched up together to fight against Judah and the people were afraid. (Isaiah 7:1-2)  Then The Lord spoke to Isaiah and told him to take his son with him and go speak to King Ahaz and tell him that they planned to invade Judah, but this will not happen. (Isaiah 7:3-7)  Ahaz was a wicked king who knew that The Lord God was The God of his people but his unbelief in and indifference to The Word of God caused Isaiah to tell him to ask for a sign from God to prove what he had told him was true. (Isaiah 7:10-11)  But Ahaz refused to ask for a sign and Isaiah told him that The Lord God was going to give them a sign.  Isaiah told them that Rezin and Pekah would not attack Judah but later the people of Judah would be taken into captivity by the king of Assyria. (Isaiah 7:20)

APPLICATION

This prophesy regarding the birth of Jesus, The Christ, by a virgin young woman was spoken by Isaiah some 600 to 700 years beforehand. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, and 11:1-4)  Many people did not believe it then and many people still do not believe it today.  The Bible documents that there were ten generations from Adam to Noah, (Genesis 5:1-32) and ten more generations from Noah to Abraham. (Genesis 11:10-26)  There were forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus, including fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen additional generations from the exile to The Messiah, Jesus, The Christ. (Matthew 1:1-17)  While the lineage of  Jesus can be clearly documented, what is often questioned is the virgin conception and birth.  The Bible documents that Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin at the time of conception. (Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 1:26-38)  Salvation requires belief in the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ. (Roman 10:9-10)