Getting ready for Christmas!

There is so much more depth to the Christmas story than what most people realize. We’re celebrating something miraculous. One of the miracles of the Christmas story would be the many prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth that were given hundreds of years before Jesus came. These prophecies were specific and gave detail about the birth of the Messiah that would have been impossible for someone (especially a baby) to intentionally fulfil, and yet Jesus perfectly fulfilled every prophecy concerning His birth. Let’s look at some of these prophecies.

In their book Science Speaks, Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman say that the odds of any one man in all of history fulfilling only eight of the 60 major prophecies (and 270 ramifications) fulfilled by the life of Christ are 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000.

“3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:3 (NKJV)

 No one gets to choose which family they are born into. This is a prophecy of the Messiah coming in the family line of Abraham, resulting in all families of the earth being blessed. Remarkably, this prophecy was given about 2000 BC and perfectly fulfilled in Christ:

 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham”
Matthew 1:1 (NKJV)

 “So then those who are of faith (in Christ) are blessed with believing Abraham.”
Galatians 3:9 (NKJV) – brackets mine

This prophecy reminds us of the life-changing truth that God’s blessing is available to all people through Jesus. As soon as someone places their faith in Christ, they gain access to that blessing. And more than 4 000 years ago, God was already sending out the promise of this good news to His people!