As our "countdown" moves to 10 and into single digits, I thought it would be good to look at some of the Old Testament prophecies and how they are fulfilled in Jesus.
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Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah7:14
This passage's first setting is in about 730BC when King Ahab is fearful of the power of the Assyrians and an alliance of two kings who threaten Israel.
The prophet Isaiah promises him that the "virgin" (can also mean young woman pledged to be married) will have a son who will be the sign that the two kings will be defeated and Jerusalem will be protected from the Assyrians. In the next chapter, Isaiah marries a young woman, who has a son and the prophecy is fulfilled and they recognise that God has been with them.
But many Old Testament prophecies are "double-prophecies" in the sense that they have a "dress-rehearsal" fulfilment in the short-term and the "grand finale" fulfilment in Christ. This passage from Isaiah is a prime example...
The name Immanuel (or Emmanuel) means "God with us."
The New Testament recognises this as a prophecy of the coming of Jesus. 700 years after it had had its `dress-rehearsal` in the form of Isaiah's son, the prophecy was ultimately and finally fulfilled in the birth of Jesus who was more than just a sign of God's presence with His people, but was truly God with us.
Jesus was God made flesh - God with skin. He walked the dusty streets of Palestine. He was hungry, tired, whipped and crucified. He talked, taught, touched and loved. He healed, delivered and forgave. He made God known. He made God accessible. He made God understandable.
And then, because He was really God and really human, He suffered humanity's fate, paying a debt that only God could pay.
He is Immanuel - God with us!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
