Now all of this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet. See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 HCSB
bibleprobe.com reports that there are over 360 prophecies foretold about the coming Jewish Messiah – hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus fulfilled all of those prophecies. Of these 360 prophecies, there are 109 that only Jesus could have fulfilled. To mention a few: Micah 5:2 predicts that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 7:14 predicts He will be born of a virgin. Malachi 3:1 predicts that the temple will be standing when the Messiah comes. Isaiah 35:3-5 predicts that He will perform many miracles. Psalm 78:2 predicts He will speak in parables.
The odds of Jesus fulfilling just eight of the prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies. This verse in Matthew is referring to the prophecy made by Isaiah stating that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and He would be called Immanuel or “God is with us”. God came to earth in human form through Jesus Christ and He continues to be “with us” every day through the presence of the Holy Spirt.
Challenge: Every believer has access to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Christ is with us through the good and the bad times of life. He is near to help us and guide us in the right direction. Thank God for providing Jesus as your Savior and for “being with you”.
Note: God was with me during prostate cancer surgery. Thanks to all who were praying for me. I am home recovering. I appreciate your continued prayers for a quick recovery.