The Christmas Prophecies

12.24.2023

 

Jesus’ first coming fulfilled predictions that the OT prophets made hundreds of years earlier.

Jesus’ second coming, which just may be sooner than we think, will fulfill hundreds of predictions made by Jesus, the OT prophets, and the New Testament Apostles.

I want to read through Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. As we read through this passage, we will notice that God always fulfills His Word!

And keep in mind that if God fulfilled every word spoken about Jesus’ first coming, He will also keep every Word in the Bible about Jesus’ second coming!

God’s Word is always fulfilled!

Isaiah 55:11

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

 

Jeremiah 1:12

Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”

 

Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

 

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

 

Notice the Fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus’ Birth…

 

Matthew 1:18-19

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

Mary and Joseph were betrothed or engaged – This was usually arranged by parents, and lasted one year. They lived with their parents during that year to prove purity.

Pregnancy would annul marriage and bring possible death penalty.

Matthew 1:20-21

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

As Joseph considered divorce, an angel appeared to him in a dream and convinced him that Mary really did conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. He was convinced, and they were married before the year was up.

Expect an increase in angelic assistance as we approach the time of the rapture and second coming!

 

Matthew 1:22-25

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

A quote from 700 years earlier – Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV)

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

 

Notice Jeremiah 31:22

How will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth- a woman shall encompass a man.

 

Jesus’ birth was exactly as prophesied!

 

His 2nd coming will also be just as it is written!

 

Matthew 2:1-10

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

These wise men were Magi, descendants of the Chaldean wise men in Babylon (in Daniel). They were scientists and studied the stars and planets.

 

(2) saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Balaam gave a prophecy that may have circulated at the time.

The Magi must have heard about it, and came to see who this person was, spoken of by Balaam.

 

Numbers 24:17

I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.

 

We really have no way of knowing what the star was…it could have been:

1) the glory of God, like the pillar of fire in OT…

2) a supernova, or an exploding star that was recorded by Chinese astronomers at that time…

3) a meteor or a comet…

 

Nature witnesses major events in the life of Jesus.

 

The star appeared here at His birth…

The earthquake at His death – Matthew 27…

There will be a great earthquake at His 2nd coming!

(3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (4) And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Herod was upset that a person was born who was said to be a king.

He was a descendant of Esau, and was not a descendant of David.

The Jews didn’t recognize him as their king.

He was afraid this baby “king” would jeopardize his position.

(5) So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: (6) ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'”

Notice the prophecy from Micah 5:2 – But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

 

(7) Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. (8) And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” (9) When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. (10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Jesus was probably a year or two old when the wise men saw Him.

 

Matthew 2:11

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold – they recognized Him as King & owner of their wealth.

We give our tithe signifying our allegiance to Him.

Frankincense – a precious perfume consecrated to religious worship – protected by Jewish law, strictly controlled – referred to His Divinity…He is to be worshiped!

 

Myrrh – referred to His death. For anointing the bodies of the dead.

Matthew 2:12-15

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Mary and Joseph continued to enjoy divine assistance…we can expect the same with His return!

Hosea 11:1

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son.

Matthew 2:16-18

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

 

Verse 18 is another fulfilled prophecy from Jeremiah 31:15.

Jeremiah 31:15 (NKJV)

Thus says the LORD: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.

Satan sought to hinder the plan of God then, as he is trying today through the hatred you see of Israel, of the USA, and of Christians worldwide.

 

 

Matthew 2:19-23

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Again, supernatural intervention to preserve His life.

We can expect God to speak to us too in our day, when we need a warning of danger or protection from those who would seek our harm.

 

Judges 13:5

For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

 

Nazareth – Hebrew – Nazar – a sprout or root out of dry ground.

 

Isaiah 53:2

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

 

Isaiah 11:1

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

 

Nazareth was known for social and moral poverty, toil, hardship, and abasement.

 

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

 

Every prophecy about Jesus’ 1st coming came to pass. Now we can be confident that all that is spoken about His second coming will happen just as it is written.

Get ready!

Before He returns, let Him come into your life, into your heart. And into your home!

We can expect our loving God to watch over us and protect us during the time before Christ’s second coming just as He watched over Jesus so that He could fulfill God’s will!