It Was All Planned - Bruce Atchison

One of many  wonders of Christ's birth is that it was prophesied long before he was born. Readers of Matthew's and Luke's gospels will find frequent references to fulfillment's of many Old Testament prophecies. These references are provided to show the descendents of Israel that Jesus truly was the long-awaited messiah.

But what is that to us twenty-first century gentiles? These fulfilled prophecies show us that every event of the virgin birth of the Saviour was planned. Nothing was left to chance or whim.

We can see as early as Genesis 3:15 how Christ would be the seed of a woman and not a couple. God said to Satan, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)proclaimed,   "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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) elaborates on the method of Christ's birth. "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." And as we can read in Matthew 1:23, the name means God with us.

Even the place of Christ's birth was no accidental happenstance. Micah 5:2 (KJV) says, "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."

There are so many other prophecies which were fulfilled by the birth of Jesus that, I believe, a whole book could be written about them alone. These predictions of the messiah were given to give the people of Israel hope but they also prove the divine authorship of our Holy Bible. Let's be like Mary and ponder all these things in our hearts.