TUESDAY December 24, 2019
Immanuel
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14
Many people challenge the miracle of the virgin birth in Scripture, but what is incredible is that Isaiah the prophet spoke a prophecy about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ 750 years before He was born! God gave mankind a sure sign “…the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.” The word virgin in Hebrew is “almah,” meaning, “young woman.” Eight out of nine times almah is translated virgin, because young, unmarried women in the Hebrew culture were strictly to be virgins before marriage.
When the Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), the translators used the word Parthenos, a word descriptive of a young woman who has never known a man sexually. Joseph never had relations with Mary until after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25). Mary’s conception of Christ was a miracle––amazing (Luke 1:35).
The word virgin in some of the newer translations of the Bible has been changed. Instead of the word virgin they have used the phrase “young maiden,” which discredits the virgin birth and incarnation of Jesus Christ. Isaiah foretold that Jesus Christ would be born of a virgin, and He would be called Immanuel. What is the meaning of the name Immanuel? The word Immanuel means, “God with us” or “With us is God.” Immanuel is the prophetic name of the Messiah.
The miracle and marvel of Immanuel––God with us––defies description… Jesus was the heart of God wrapped in human flesh. He was God in the garb of humanity. He was God walking the earth in sandals. (Henry Gariepy)
This Jesus, the Christ of God, who made the universe and who sustains all things by his powerful word, was a tiny babe among us. He was comforted to sleep when He whimpered in His mother’s arms. Great, indeed, is the mystery of godliness.
~A.W.Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!