READ | Galatians 4:4-7
Since Creation, God was orchestrating world affairs to set the stage for the arrival of His Son. In the meantime, He used prophecy to keep alive people’s hope for a fresh beginning and a new relationship with Him.
So many Messianic predictions are recorded in the Old Testament that the likelihood of one man fulfilling them all was slim. However, Jesus Christ’s birth, life, and death happened exactly as the prophets foretold. Isaiah proclaimed, "Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name [God with us]" (Isaiah 7:14).
Micah told the Jewish people their leader would come from the tiny town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). The timing of Messiah’s arrival was revealed to Daniel, who recorded the timeline in his writings. (Note: The word "week" in Daniel 9:25-26 actually has the meaning of "seven years"—just as in Genesis 29:27.)
God Himself gave a direct prophecy in Genesis 3:15, when He told Satan, "[The seed of woman] shall bruise you on the head." It was an indication that Christ would defeat him. A careful comparison of Jesus’ life with the prophecies of Scripture leads to only one conclusion: Jesus is the promised Messiah, who brings every willing person into a new covenant relationship with the Father.
The hope of a coming Messiah sustained the Israelites through centuries of chaos and captivity. That messianic hope is still available in our day through the One who came, died, and rose again for us. Those of us who have received Jesus Christ as Savior have an unbreakable covenant relationship with God—and the promise of eternity with Him.
Such a Christmas promise should sustain us in the worst of times and prepare us for the best of times.
Michael