The Birth of the Messiah
Throughout the history of mankind, there is no question more important than this one, “Who is the Messiah?” If you find the Messiah, you have found the Savior and the only means of forgiveness of your sins!
The word “Messiah” is a title that comes from the Old Testament of the Bible, the Word of God, and means “Anointed One,” indicating God’s Anointed Savior King. We see this title in the prophecy of Daniel, Daniel 9:26, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off…”
In the New Testament, the same Old Testament word is translated by the title, “Christ.” In John 1:41b, we find this clearly indicated, “…We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
God loves you and wants you to know with certainty His only appointed Savior. In order to assure you and convince you of this, God has given many, many prophecies about this person. In looking at these prophecies, you will be able to discern the one whom God is speaking of and the one in whom you must believe in order to be saved.
In this series of Bible studies, we will look at several key prophecies about the Messiah. We want to encourage you to pray for God to open your understanding and to help you come to a firm conviction regarding this most important question, “Who is the Messiah?”
Prophecy: Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
In this study, we will consider this single prophecy by the prophet Isaiah, written between 740 BC and 680 BC. Within this prophecy, we will discover three truths about the coming Messiah.
Truth 1: The Messiah will be born of a virgin.
Written over six hundred years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, this prophecy gives a clear sign regarding the coming Savior. In order to identify the Messiah, you must find a baby boy that was born of a virgin. What an incredible prophecy! This simply means that the Messiah will be born of a woman that never had physical relations with a man before giving birth to her firstborn son.
Over the course of human history, we only find one person born of a virgin, Jesus of Nazareth. Consider the following text:
Matthew 1:18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
Even before the conception of this baby, the angel Gabriel came to a young woman, a virgin name Mary. Gabriel told Mary that she would become pregnant without ever knowing a man. Consider this discussion that followed:
Luke 1:34-37 “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
How could a virgin become pregnant and bear a child? Only one answer – it was a work of God and nothing is impossible with Him.
Truth 2: The Messiah will be a man.
This point is a bit elementary, but it is extremely important. The prophecy states, “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.” Simply stated, the Messiah will be a human being, specifically a man.
If we consider the witness of the Gospels, it is clear that Jesus of Nazareth was a man, not a spirit or a vision, but a human being. Among many other proofs, the Scripture presents that Jesus was born (Luke 2:6-7), grew up (Luke 2:52), was hungry (Matthew 4:2), became tired (John 6:4), wept (John 11:35), and died a bloody death (John 19:30-35).
Truth 3: The Messiah will be God.
The name Immanuel (or Emmanuel) means “God with us.” How would the Messiah actually be “God with us?”
In Matthew 1:19-23, we find the continuation of the previous text that we already looked at. Mary was a virgin yet with pregnant. The problem is that Mary is engaged to marry a man by the name of Joseph. Consider what takes place:
Matthew 1:19-23 “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
What a remarkable text! Mary is a virgin and she is with child. The angel Gabriel is sent by God to give an explanation to her fiancée Joseph. In addition to the explanation, Gabriel instructs Joseph to call the child by the name of “Jesus.” But, why “Jesus” and not “Emmanuel?” Consider the next two verses of the same text:
Matthew 1:22-23 “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
According to this inspired explanation, the name “Jesus” was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, “they shall call his name Emmanuel.” But, how can that be?
a. The meaning of the name “Jesus” is “Jehovah saves.” The name “Jehovah” is the personal name of God (Exodus 3:14).
b. The angel Gabriel said that this child was to be called “Jesus” for this reason, “for he shall save his people from their sins.” In other words, according to the angel Gabriel, this child was to be called “Jehovah saves” because “he himself will save.” In other words, this child was Jehovah God Himself!
c. Then, at the end of the text, we find why all of this took place. It was in order to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. In this explanation, the accomplishment of the prophecy is not in the name itself, but in the meaning of the name, “God with us.” This baby is Jesus, Jehovah saves, because he himself is God with us. He is the true, literal Emmanuel!
d. How is it that this baby would save us from our sins? According to the Word of God, Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on this earth from approximately 33 years. During that time, he fulfilled many other prophecies, did many miraculous works, and made certain declarations that proved that he was the Messiah, God come in the flesh. At the end of that time, according to the plan of God and prophecies of Jesus himself, Jesus Christ died a sacrificial death for the sins of mankind. Through his death, a way of salvation has been made for men. The only condition is that man must turn from his unbelief and sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Consider the following promise:
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Conclusion:
Have you come to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as God’s only appointed Savior of men? God has given you everything necessary for you to be persuaded that Jesus is the Savior.
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
According to this and many other promises in God’s Word, if you will repent of your unbelief and sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, he will save you and forgive you of your sins. We want to urge you to trust in Christ alone for salvation today!
Please contact us if you have any questions or if we can help you understand more about the Word of God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.