“God with us”
Isaiah 7:14 “Immanuel” - Matthew 1:23 “Emmanuel”

DURING CHRIST’S MINISTRY THE JEWS DID NOT BELIEVE JESUS, SO HE SAID:

Luke 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

The “Sign” of Jonas:

Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

As Jonah, (Jonas), was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish and came out, so the body of Christ would be three days and three nights, buried, and then come out alive. The prophecy of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was prophesied of even before He was even born!


I. THE TIME OF CHRIST’S BIRTH

1. The 70 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would probably have been too difficult for Mary in the winter (December).
2. A more probable time of the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would be late September, the time of the annual Feast of Tabernacles.
3. The conception of Christ may have taken place in late Decemebr of the year preceding Christ‘s birth. (This is not a certainty.)
4. Our Christmas celebration, in December, may well be recognized as an honored observation of the Incarnation of "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14).John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

II. THE PLACE OF CHRIST'S BIRTH

1. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 Cf. Luke 2:4-7 Micah 5:2 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.
Cf. Luke 2:4-6 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

2. After His birth, Christ was laid in a manger. Luke 2:7 Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
NOTE: Ezekiel 16:4 describes Israel as unswaddled, a metaphor for abandonment.Ezekiel 16:4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

III. THE MANNER OF HIS BIRTH

1. The conception of Christ by Mary was supernatural. Matthew 1:18, Cf. Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Compare Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

DR. HENRY MORRIS HAS STATED:The miracle of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus was not His virgin birth, for it was a normal human birth in every way, but rather His miraculous conception. This was the woman's seed (Genesis 3:15), the "new thing in the earth" (Jeremiah 31:22) and the prophesied virgin conception of Isaiah 7:14. It is explicitly recorded here in Matthew 1:18-25 and also in Luke 1:26-38, then further implied in John 1:14, Galatians 4:4 and other Scriptures.
(Source: KJV Defenders Study Bible, by Dr. Henry Morris, Ph.D.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson - Language: English - DEF 10 ISBN 0-529-10444-x - DEF 10-1 ISBN 0-529-10445-8)

IV. WITNESSES TO THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

1. Mary and Joseph were witnesses to the birth of Christ. Luke 2:15-16 Luke 2:15-16 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

2. Angels were witnesses to the birth of Christ. Luke 2:10-14 Luke 2:10-14 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

3. Shepherds were witnesses to the birth of Christ. Luke 2:8,10-11,20
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

4. Simeon, named for Simeon, son of Jacob, gave witness to Christ as the Salvation of God. Luke 2:25-32 Cf. Genesis 49:18
Luke 2:25-26 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

5. Anna gave witness that Christ had been born. Luke 2:36a, 38 Luke 2:36a, 38 “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: …” 38 “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

6. The Wisemen gave witness that Christ had been born. Matthew 2:1, Matthew 2:9, Matthew 2:11 Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

7. God the Father gave witness to the birth of Christ. Luke 3:22, Luke 9:35, 2 Peter 1:17 (Christ‘s Baptism) Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (The Transfiguration) Luke 9:35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son:hear him. 2 Peter 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

V. SOME PROPHECIES CONCERNING CHRIST’S COMING

1. He would be a "Righteous Branch." Jeremiah 23:5-8.
Jeremiah 23:5a “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,…”

2. He would have a “Kingdom.” Dan 2:44; 7:13-14.
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

3. He would reign on the “Throne of David.” 2 Samuel 7:16; Isa 9:6-7.
Isaish 9:6-7 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. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

4. He would rule the Nations with a “rod of iron.” Ps 2:6-9.
Psalm 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
(This (Psalm 2:6-9) is meant for all those who oppose Christ. Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. YOU BOW NOW OR AT THE WHITE THRONE. AT THE WHITE THRONE IT WILL BE TO LATE FOR SALVATION: Psalm 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

5. His reign will to be Glorious. Ps 72; Isa 2:1-4; 32:1-4,15-20; Zec 14:16-21.

Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote: But when God the Holy Spirit begat the Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of the virgin without any use of a human father, the child that was born was the seed of David according to the flesh. And when Joseph married Mary and took the unborn child under his protecting care, giving him the title that had come down to him through his ancestor Solomon, the Lord Jesus became the legal Messiah, the royal messiah, the un-cursed messiah, the true Messiah, the only possible messiah. The lines are exhausted. Any man that ever comes into this world professing to fulfill the conditions will be a liar and the child of the devil.
(Man’s Ruin: Exposition of Bible Doctrines, Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure, vol. 1, Romans 1:1-32. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952, p. 45-47).