Isaiah 9:6a For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
Christmas Plans
God had planned for that first Christmas, no detail came as a surprise to Him.
God gave us these details to make sure that everyone would understand that this was His plan.
Prophecy
Prediction of the specifics of events happening years from now is impossible.
God doesn’t predict the future—He already knows the future
Prophecy is simply telling the truth exactly as God has revealed it.
when it is fulfilled exactly as God said, we understand that God is all-knowing.
Fingerprints
God told the Old Testament prophets many specifics about the birth, life and death of Jesus.
To a specific family
For example, before Jesus was born, many rabbis were teaching that the messiah was just going to appear
They didn’t understand that Jesus was God from eternity past and therefore had no beginning, but was going to come to earth as a baby,
Jesus was being offered as a gift from God.
For example the Messiah had to be descended from Abraham
The Messiah had to be a descendant of King David
Jesus’, and only Jesus’ lineage was preserved and documented completely.
Jesus could not have been in the Royal Blood line,
God had cursed the royal line because Jechoniah was so wicked
Jesus was descended from David by blood through Mary, his mother
In a specific place
And of course, the Messiah had to be born in a specific place; in Bethlehem near Jerusalem:
Bethlehem means house of bread.
Bethlehem is where the Passover lambs were born.
Bethlehem was full of livestock, and was a smelly place. The manger was a feeding trough.
In a specific way
Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
This prophecy eliminates everyone else who has ever lived.
Why God sent Jesus
Jesus illuminates God for us.
God loves us and gave His son to save us.
That God sent His son to redeem the world John 3:16-17.
16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17.