Biblical prophecies about the birth of Jesus
The major reason why we celebrate Christmas is that it has to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus was given birth to in the manger and to a virgin woman named Mary. This story is not new to us anymore, we hear about it every Christmas and we are happy because of the reason why Jesus was born which includes; saving the world from destruction, by saying the world, I mean the people – Jesus also came to destroy the works of the devil, give us hope, and establish His kingdom.
Before the people knew Jesus or even identify Him, one man has always been talking about Him in the wilderness. John the Baptist was a man who is said to come and prepare the way of Jesus Christ. Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” the is John the Baptist talking about Jesus. Before John the Baptist was born, there had been prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ, talking of the Old Testament.
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son, is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Every time we hear this particular verse of the Bible, we think of Christmas even if it is not the Christmas period because it talks about the birth of a very important person and that is Jesus Christ. Prophet Isaiah was not the only one who talked about the birth of Jesus Christ, there are other prophets that talked about His birth.
To make the prophecy more precise, the location of the birth was mentioned in Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” The book of Micah is one of the books of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. These books were written by prophets that had lived many years before the time of Jesus Christ. This confirms that Jesus was no ordinary person but a special being sent by God.
If we look at the prophecies given by the prophets in the Old Testament, there is one thing that is common to all. They were talking about the establishment of the kingdom. When the prophet, Isaiah talked about Jesus, He said, “the government shall be upon His shoulder”. Micah also mentioned that someone will come and be a ruler.
In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This could mean nothing but that Jesus holds the Key to the kingdom which means that Jesus has a kingdom. This follows what Daniel said about God setting up a kingdom. Daniel 2:44. This kingdom that Daniel was referring to is Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18
Every time we read the verses about the birth of Jesus, we often overlook some things that are mentioned about the kingdom which was to be set up – what type of Kingdom would it be, what is the description.
Looking at Isaiah 9:6, what was mention here mostly is the name of the ruler that will be born. Here we see His name to be the prince of peace, Immanuel, The Mighty God, and others, but in verse 7, Prophet Isaiah described the kingdom. He said “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
In the book of Numbers, the kingdom of Jesus was described also and it was called to be something like a star. Numbers 24:17. From these two verses, it means that the kingdom of Jesus has no end and He is to reign forever. Describing the kingdom as a star means that the kingdom of Christ is a light in this world that is filled with darkness. What is known of the star is to shine because it has light in it. This manifested in two ways.
The first way was when Jesus was born – the three wise men saw a star shining brighter than ever other stars and they were able to follow it to where Jesus was laid. The second is that Jesus is a light that shines bright in the dark world and provides light for everyone to see. John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”