Long ago, after the fall of Adam and Eve, God promised them a redemption story, a plan to be delivered from the powers of sin. As we travel down this road of history, we notice how sin begins to spread throughout the hearts of man. We then come across a Hebrew man named Isaiah, a prophet. His purpose was to enlighten the Israelites on their backsliding. Isaiah had many prophecies to be recorded, however, I would like to draw your attention to this special one, ‘The Immanuel Prophecy’.
Read with me to learn more about where in the Bible this special prophecy is recorded! The Bible reads, “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)
Hm… a child to be born and His name already predetermined. This child must be special and His name must hold meaning. The prophecy continues, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)
A prophecy is a message from God to humanity. The purpose of this prophecy was to give the Israelites, and generally speaking, everyone hope for the power to overcome the troubles of this sinful life. Essentially, this prophecy pointed to the help of a savior. At the time this prophecy was presented, the Israelites were in a deep state of rebellion. They were in need of someone to lead them back to God. And so, after about 600 years – He was born, the One who would provide a road of salvation for all willing to accept.
Some of the first few to behold this miracle were a group of shepherds guarding their sheep and “…the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” (Luke 2:10-12; 16, NIV) Is this story starting to sound familiar?
For Simeon and Anna it certainly does! After His birth, Mary and Joseph took the Child to the temple to perform certain ceremonies. Simeon was a man “who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25, NIV) And then there was Anna, “the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old;…she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:37, 38, NIV) Imagine how they must have felt when they witnessed the Messiah with their own two eyes just like God had promised them! We can assume they must have read the scrolls of Isaiah’s prophecy, hundreds of times. Oh, what a beautiful promise to be fulfilled! This young Babe, fulfilling a 600-year-old prophecy simply by being seen.
Now we remember how Isaiah states that “the virgin will conceive”, which establishes the presence of his mother, but, who was his father? Let us see, “…she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18, NIV) This exceptional combination was vital to the capabilities this Child contained. And to remember how Isaiah registered the character of this Child; he was to be a Counselor, a mighty God, an Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. And what of His name? “…they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’). (Matthew 1:23, NIV) There lies a reason for it all! “God with us”. The Divine Nature of this Child is the manifestation of God in human flesh, as I said before, God’s promise of a redemption story.
This Babe, this special Child we have now discovered as Immanuel (otherwise known as Jesus Christ) has given us a way to restore the opportunity of maintaining an intimate relationship with God once again. We now have the key: A life without Jesus is a life without God. God’s gifting us with Immanuel was to show His utmost desire to be reunited with His fallen children. Christ was the defining character who revealed that within our human nature, we are incapable of performing the duties required to maintain a connection with God, but through a unique, supernatural union we are more than able.
Christ’s conception was indeed incredible; we too have the option to experience an incredible start to a new life. We can also embark on an extraordinary journey toward a new life by inviting Christ to become a part of who we are. When you open your hearts to the urgent callings of the Holy Spirit, the more you will adapt the perfect example of character Christ has left for you. How will you allow your soul to witness this wonderworking power today?
