The Old Testament contains several major prophecies made hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth that foretold specific details about His first coming.
1. The Virgin Birth (Prophecy made about 700-740 B.C.)
Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel,” meaning “God with Us.”
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:22-23 states how Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus.
2. Birthplace in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 predicts that a ruler over Israel will come out of Bethlehem Ephrathah, a small town in Judah.
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7 note that Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the time Mary and her spouse Joseph were traveling.
3. Jesus’ Divine Names and Titles
Prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 proclaimed: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Fulfillment: The Gospels depict Jesus fulfilling the spiritual and kingly authority described in these titles.
4. Lineage from David
Prophecy: Isaiah 11:1 spoke of a shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse (King David’s father), representing a royal lineage.
Fulfillment: Both Mary and Joseph trace their family tree back to King David in the New Testament genealogies.
Birth of Jesus
Luke 1:26: The Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin.
1:27: Espoused to a man whose name was Joseph (a righteous man) of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
1:28: And the Angel came in unto her and said, “Hail, you that are highly favoured, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”
1:29: And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
1:30: And the Angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary, for you have found favour with God.”
1:31: “And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6), and shall call His name Jesus.”
1:32: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David (2 Samuel, ch. 7).”
1:33: “And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Zechariah, ch. 12:14).”
1:34: Then said Mary unto the Angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
1:35: And the Angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you (Gen. 1:2), and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you (Gen. 1:3). Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called ‘the Son of God.'”
1:36: “And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.”
1:37: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
1:38: And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to your word.” And the Angel departed from her.
Luke 2:1-2
A decree came from Caesar Augustus, and an order from the Governor of Syria, Cyrenius. A census was proclaimed. Everyone should go to his own city and get his name entered. Listen again: everyone should go to his own city and get his name entered.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because Joseph was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.
Joseph: Mary, you are expecting a baby without me. You know, and I know, that I never touched you. (Luke 1:34; Matthew 1:25)
Mary: Yes, Joseph, and not any other man either.
Joseph: Prophet Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. Mary, look, we are going to Bethlehem. See, one more prophecy is being fulfilled, of the prophet Micah: “A ruler over Israel would come out of Bethlehem Ephrathah.”
Mary: Joseph, make haste, look for a place. The time of the child’s delivery has come. I cannot ride on the donkey.
Joseph: Please, sir, give me a place. My wife is expecting a baby.
Man, in a rude voice: Man, look for yourself. No place! Guard, shut the door.
Mary: Voices are coming from behind the curtain.
A woman’s voice: Oh, sir, I am Martha, wife of this house’s master. Your wife’s position is very bad. Do not waste time. Go to the stable of our animals. Go there. If anybody asks, tell them Martha has sent you. That stable is ours.
Joseph: Curse these Romans! What an order in this bad cold weather!
A donkey’s footstep is heard departing from the place.
Mary Is Standing by the Crib of the Newborn Baby Jesus
Martha seems tired, as she has given help with Mary’s delivery.
Martha: Joseph and Mary, your baby boy is very sweet. What will you call Him?
Mary: Jesus.
Martha: Jesus?
Mary: What the Angel told me to call His name.
Joseph: Yes, He will be called Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Voices of people come, and a few shepherds enter in where Mary, Jesus, and Joseph are staying. Cows, donkeys, and sheep in the stable have warmed the place on the cold night. Luke 2:8-14, 15-16, 17-20.
Martha: Why have you people entered my husband’s stable? Go out!
One shepherd, who seems elder to the others, said: Lady, we came here to see the newborn child, as the Angel has told us. We were in the barren fields looking after our flocks of sheep, when a light flashed around us, and lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon us, and our surroundings were filled with the glory of God.
Second shepherd: And the Angel said to us, “Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
Third shepherd: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Fourth shepherd: “And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Fifth shepherd: And with the Angel there was a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Matthew 1-12
Jesus is nearly two years old and playing near His parents. The three Magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar (Wise Men), arrived from the East to visit Jesus, stating they had seen a star and came to worship the newborn King of the Jews. So naturally they went directly to the king’s palace. At their quest, King Herod was deeply disturbed by this news. Seeing that the child was not born in his palace, he saw Him as a direct threat to his throne.
Herod called together the chief priests and scribes to determine where the Messiah was prophesied to be born. The religious leaders cited the Prophet Micah, confirming that the ruler would come out of Bethlehem in Judea. Herod met with the Magi privately to find out the exact time the star had appeared. Herod sent them to Bethlehem, instructing them to report back once they found the child, under the false pretense that he also wanted to worship Him. So the Angel of the Lord advised the Magi not to report to King Herod, and to go back another way home.
The Magi arrived at the house of Joseph, and they saw Jesus playing in front of Mary.
One said: There is born the King of the Jews, for we have seen His star in the East. We are here to worship Him. We were following the star, and we are very happy to see the star has stood at your house. And we are very happy to see the newborn King.
They worshipped Him and offered treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And they took another way back, as the Angel had told them.
Flight to Egypt and Recall of Prophecy
Hosea 11:1 stated, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:14-15 describes Joseph taking the infant Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod the Great (a Palestinian Jew), and then returning after Herod’s death.
Realizing the Magi had bypassed him, Herod became furious and ordered the Massacre of the Innocents, the execution of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and its surrounding area. Herod grew intensely angry when he realized the wise men had tricked or outwitted him by returning to their home country through a different route. To ensure he eliminated the newborn “King of the Jews,” Herod used the exact time frame the Magi had previously given him regarding when the star first appeared.
The prophecy of the Massacre of the Innocents is found in Jeremiah 31:15: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Fulfillment of Prophecy, Matthew 2:17-18: Herod sent soldiers to kill every boy aged two and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding district.
Failure to Reach Jesus: Herod’s order failed to harm Jesus because an Angel had already warned Joseph in a dream, prompting him to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt.
Who can say Jesus had a unique birth? A virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit. God the Father lived in Him (incarnated) and worked. His teaching was of His own. He said He does not need witnesses of others. He blessed the shortage of food of a poor family. With five loaves of bread and two fishes, He fed five thousand men and their families. He stopped cyclones and calmed the sea. He cured lepers, gave sight to the blind, the lame walked. He walked on the water, like His Father God used to walk (Genesis 1:1). He forgave sins of sinners. He completed the teaching of all prophets with His only one sentence: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and strength” (Matthew 22:37; Deuteronomy 6:5), and second, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
He gave His body and blood, in the shape of bread and grape juice, to enable us to become one like Him, as He is one with Holy God. Betrayed by His friend and His own people, He was given to the Gentiles for death. While dying on the cross, He forgave those who were responsible for that. He taught: give to God what belongs to God, and to government what belongs to government. He was crucified, died, buried, and arose the third day as He said. He ascended to heaven, to come again, to judge the nations and reward them.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This world, to make peace with God, with His sacrifice of His life, for the sin which Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden.
Remember, Jesus is altogether lovely. You don’t have to become Christians, but only have intimacy with Him in your quiet time. Talk with Him, and you will feel energetic and get your want before you ask.
Please, whoever needs to know more of Jesus Christ, His work, and blessings, you may ask me. Jesus Christ bless you.