The Christmas Story: The Promised Messiah & King

What are the odds that all prophecies about Jesus' birth would be fulfilled by one person, in the exact locations as foretold?

GOD'S PROMISESEXPERIENCING GOD

Mildred White

12/25/20254 min read

If you find this post helpful and insightful, consider subscribing to our weekly newsletter, and receive access to more devotional and journal pages!

The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does. Psalm 145:13b

The birth of Jesus, the promised King and Messiah, was foretold by the prophet Isaiah about 700 years before Jesus was born. Several other prophets also prophesied about His coming at different times. Was this merely a coincidence, or was it designed by the Creator who sees and knows the future? What are the odds that all these prophecies would be fulfilled by one person, in the exact locations as foretold? If even one had not come to pass, it would have been the greatest conspiracy theory of all time. But since they were all fulfilled, what should we do with Jesus’ claim to be the Savior and King? Would you accept Him as your Savior and King today?

Here is a partial list of prophecies about Jesus’ coming in human form. There are many more prophecies not included here. I hope you will prayerfully reflect on each one as you meditate on His faithfulness, goodness and love for you.

Old Testament Prophesy

Isaiah 7:14 NIV
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

New Testament Fulfillment

Matthew 1:21-23 NIV
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Luke 1:26-27, 1:30-33 NIV
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Micah 5:2 NIV
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

Matthew 2:1-2 NIV
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Hosea 11:1 NIV
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 2:13-14 NIV
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

The Promise Is Not Over

The Christmas story is more than the story of a baby born in Bethlehem. It is the story of a God who keeps His promises. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God promised a Savior, a Messiah, and a King—and at the appointed time, every promise concerning His coming was fulfilled.

Jesus is not simply a figure in a Christmas story. He is Immanuel—God with us. He came into our broken world to save us from our sins, to bring us back to God, and to offer us the hope of eternal life.

But the story does not end at the manger, the cross, or even the empty tomb. Jesus has promised that He will come again. He told His disciples that He would prepare a place for those who belong to Him and that He would come back and take them to be with Him. The King who came humbly as a baby will one day return in glory.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3

This is the hope we have as believers. We are not waiting for an uncertain future. We are waiting for the fulfillment of another promise from the same God who faithfully fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah.

So, as you celebrate Christmas, don't miss the greatest gift God has given us. Pause and look beyond the manger. Look to the One lying in it. The promised Messiah has come. The King has come. The Savior has come—and He is coming again.

The question is no longer whether Jesus came. He did. The question is: Do you believe in Him? Have you received Him as your Savior and King?

If you have placed your faith in Jesus, then Christmas is a reminder that God's promises can be trusted. The One who came to save us is the One who will come again for those who belong to Him.

Jesus is the promised Messiah. Jesus is the King. Jesus is Immanuel—God with us. He came once to save us, and He is coming again. May we be found faithful, watching and waiting for our King.