The Christmas season is a wonderful time for us to rejoice in the fact that Christ chose to come into the world in order to save us from our sins. The fact that God loved humanity so much that He allowed His Son to be born into a world that He knew would reject Him is the greatest show of love that the world has ever seen.
However, for thousands of years before Christ was born, there were prophecies concerning His birth. Dating back to the very beginning of time, the Old Testament is filled with prophetic declarations that the Messiah would come into the world. While the people who lived in the Old Testament waited for the Messiah to deliver them from the captivity that they often found themselves in, they probably failed to fully realize how His arrival could come to pass.
One of the most important aspects of Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies is that it cemented His role as the Messiah. In order for Christ to truly be the Promised Redeemer from God, He had to fulfill each and every Old Testament prophecy. If His life failed to align with one of the God-given prophecies of the Old Testament, He would not have been the Messiah. We can rest in the Lordship of Christ because we know that every Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in His birth, life, death, and resurrection.
Additionally, the fact that Christ fulfilled each prophecy of the Old Testament speaks to the validity of Scripture. The Bible was written over thousands of years by more than three dozen authors. These authors spoke no fewer than three different languages, and some historians indicate that they lived in more than a dozen different countries. The fact that the New Testament writers who wrote about the birth of Christ lived thousands of years after the prophecies were penned down solidifies that Scripture can be trusted. The fact that the writings of the New Testament took place in other countries, and in some cases, on other continents further speaks to the validity of the Bible that we read today.
Today, discover more about four Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled on the night that Christ was born. The specificity that some of these prophecies contained will leave you amazed when you realize that the birth of a baby managed to bring those prophetic words to life for the first time.
The Messiah Would Come from the Seed of a Woman
Genesis 3:15 (NLT)
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Matthew 1:18 (NLT)
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The first promise of a coming Messiah didn’t come from one of the major or minor prophets who are found in the Old Testament. Instead, it was a declaration from God Himself. It’s also no coincidence that this prophecy was given when it was. Adam and Eve had just committed the world’s first sin in Genesis 3. They had eaten the fruit from the one tree that God told them not to touch. Instead of giving up on humanity in that moment, God chose to come to the Garden of Eden so He could set things back on course.
The decree that the Messiah would come from the seed of a woman spoke to the virgin birth. If you notice, God did not address Adam at all during this passage. Instead, He spoke directly to Satan. Satan had convinced Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, and Eve ate it first. With that in mind, God declared that He would send His Son through the seed of a woman, not the seed of the man.
Additionally, He acknowledged that Satan would strike the Messiah’s heel, but the Messiah would strike (or crush) Satan’s head. Heel wounds are not fatal, but head wounds are. While Christ’s crucifixion appeared to be the work of the enemy, His subsequent resurrection forever sealed our salvation.
The Messiah Would Be Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 (NLT)
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come to you on my behalf.
Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT)
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About tat time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
Bethlehem was not an important city to most of the world. History teaches us that it was a small town which was largely filled with those living in poverty. However, God chose for His Son to be born there. This was no mistake. It was God’s way of declaring that His Son was coming for everyone. He didn’t just send Him for the rich and important in society. Instead, He was coming for the forgotten.
Micha’s prophecy came 400 years before Christ was born. The fact that He said that Christ would be born in Bethlehem made little sense to the people of the time, but God’s ways are higher than ours.
The Messiah Would Be Born to a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
Luke 1:35 (NLT)
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”
Virgins don’t give birth. We know how the conception process works. However, the Messiah would not come through traditional means. Instead, He would be born of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah wrote his book of prophecy somewhere between 700 and 1,000 years before Christ was born, yet God revealed to Him that a virgin would give birth to His Son.
Luke’s account of the Gospel includes the conversation between the angel and Mary when she asked how it would be possible for her to give birth since she was still a virgin. Her miraculous conception fulfilled one of the hardest to believe prophecies of the Old Testament.
The Messiah Would Be a Baby
Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Luke 1:35 (NLT)
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”
Finally, the Messiah would make His entrance into the world just like every other human has. While many people were looking for a conquering military leader, they received a baby. While many people missed it, Christ’s birth as a humble baby was another example of prophecy being fulfilled.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son that You gave on the first Christmas. Thank You for verifying the prophecies that You gave in the Old Testament. In Christ’s name, Amen.