Amazing Prophecy of Christmas from the Bible:
As we head toward Christmas, let’s look at a well known prophecy about our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem…..and add a little more excitement to the passage. As you may know, the New Testament quotes Micah 5:2 in Matthew 2:6, telling us that our Lord would be born in Bethlehem. The text reads as follows:
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.
This passage from Micah 5:2 is quoted in Matthew 2:6 because it is the only part of Micah’s prophecy that was being fulfilled when our Lord came the 1st time. Micah was written about 300 years after King David lived and about 700 years before our Lord Jesus’ birth. Micah 5:2 connects the Lord to Bethlehem and the ruling lineage of David and the tribe of Judah. The New Testament is quite specific in telling us that Jesus’ birth is tied to this passage in order to establish our Lord’s right to rule and inherit the Davidic throne.
However, while this passage is quoted in the New Testament, its greater context in Micah is often lost to Christians. If you read the next two verses you have the entire story of our Lord Jesus’ life, ministry and 2nd coming and reign in view as well. Micah 5:3-4 reads as follows:
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
These verses tell us some absolutely amazing things about the ruler born in Bethlehem we celebrate this Christmas season as our Lord and Savior. The text says that the nation of Israel would be “abandoned” until a future time. What a strange verse to follow the joyous news of the birth of a Davidic King in Bethlehem in verse 2. And yet, these verses describe exactly what would happen to Israel after our Lord’s 1st coming. Most of Israelites rejected our Lord when he came and ended up scattered and destroyed by the Romans, just as our Lord predicted in Matthew 23:38. Seemingly the nation of Israel was “abandoned” by the Lord as the Gospel went out to the Gentile nations the last 2000 years.
The interesting thing, however, about the prophecy is that the nation of Israel was not totally “abandoned” by the Lord. The Lord still honored His promises to Israel, by restoring the nation and the world in verse 4. This verse references the 2nd coming of the Davidic King from Bethlehem. The text tells us that one day the people of Israel will “live securely” and that “his greatness” will reach to the “ends of the earth”. One day soon our Lord Jesus will return to finish the Christmas story. One day the people of Israel will find peace in the Middle East and the greatness of their Messiah and Lord will be know to the whole world…..and not just to the Christians.
All of us should be excited about what is coming to the world. The Christmas story is much more than a vague, future hope of a ruler born in Bethlehem. The prophecy in Micah outlines the entire history of redemption and the world in just 3 verses. What an amazing thing to see how the Lord can put together a Bible with such accuracy 700 years BEFORE the Christmas story began. May the Christmas prophecy in Micah fill your heart with hope during these challenging days that the Lord is truly Lord of this world and our lives. Have a glorious Christmas!
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As we head toward Christmas, let’s look at a well known prophecy about our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem…..and add a little more excitement to the passage. As you may know, the New Testament quotes Micah 5:2 in Matthew 2:6, telling us that our Lord would be born in Bethlehem. The text reads as follows:
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.
This passage from Micah 5:2 is quoted in Matthew 2:6 because it is the only part of Micah’s prophecy that was being fulfilled when our Lord came the 1st time. Micah was written about 300 years after King David lived and about 700 years before our Lord Jesus’ birth. Micah 5:2 connects the Lord to Bethlehem and the ruling lineage of David and the tribe of Judah. The New Testament is quite specific in telling us that Jesus’ birth is tied to this passage in order to establish our Lord’s right to rule and inherit the Davidic throne.
However, while this passage is quoted in the New Testament, its greater context in Micah is often lost to Christians. If you read the next two verses you have the entire story of our Lord Jesus’ life, ministry and 2nd coming and reign in view as well. Micah 5:3-4 reads as follows:
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
These verses tell us some absolutely amazing things about the ruler born in Bethlehem we celebrate this Christmas season as our Lord and Savior. The text says that the nation of Israel would be “abandoned” until a future time. What a strange verse to follow the joyous news of the birth of a Davidic King in Bethlehem in verse 2. And yet, these verses describe exactly what would happen to Israel after our Lord’s 1st coming. Most of Israelites rejected our Lord when he came and ended up scattered and destroyed by the Romans, just as our Lord predicted in Matthew 23:38. Seemingly the nation of Israel was “abandoned” by the Lord as the Gospel went out to the Gentile nations the last 2000 years.
The interesting thing, however, about the prophecy is that the nation of Israel was not totally “abandoned” by the Lord. The Lord still honored His promises to Israel, by restoring the nation and the world in verse 4. This verse references the 2nd coming of the Davidic King from Bethlehem. The text tells us that one day the people of Israel will “live securely” and that “his greatness” will reach to the “ends of the earth”. One day soon our Lord Jesus will return to finish the Christmas story. One day the people of Israel will find peace in the Middle East and the greatness of their Messiah and Lord will be know to the whole world…..and not just to the Christians.
All of us should be excited about what is coming to the world. The Christmas story is much more than a vague, future hope of a ruler born in Bethlehem. The prophecy in Micah outlines the entire history of redemption and the world in just 3 verses. What an amazing thing to see how the Lord can put together a Bible with such accuracy 700 years BEFORE the Christmas story began. May the Christmas prophecy in Micah fill your heart with hope during these challenging days that the Lord is truly Lord of this world and our lives. Have a glorious Christmas!
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Dear Friends,
What a joy to welcome you to our web site. It is always amazing to see how the Lord connects people to Himself. The Lord will use anything and anyone to seek and save His people for a wonderful life with Him. May our Lord draw you closer to Himself and His plan for your life through your time "checking us out".
The heart of the Bible's story and our ministry is seen in the picture at the top of this page. We all live in the shadow of the Cross and the shining Gospel truth that our sins are forgiven and that we have eternal life. Our Risen Lord Jesus has truly conquered sin, death and Hell and He is Lord of all and coming again soon. The brightness of His Life gives us a reason to live today, hope for tomorrow and an understanding of the real purpose of life itself.......knowing Him.
Our church family is a place where you will hear powerful preaching and teaching of the Word and spiritually grow in new and fresh ways. We are a church committed to prayer and missions around the world. We are a church that is committed to understanding and experiencing His amazing grace. As a result, our church is devoid of legalism. We earnestly want everyone to freely and fully experience the joy of being "in Christ" as part of the Lord's New Creation. We want to share that wonderful, new life with as many people as possible........maybe with you.
We think you will find our church to be a very welcoming place to visit. You won't be left alone on a typical Sunday. We all know how hard it is to visit a church for the first time....we have been there. We hope the information, sermons, pictures, videos and articles on this web site will give you a flavor of our ministry. However, the best way to learn about our ministry is with a personal visit. May our Lord draw you to visit us and find out what the Lord may have planned for your life.
May our Lord Jesus bless and keep you always.
Pastor Jeff
What a joy to welcome you to our web site. It is always amazing to see how the Lord connects people to Himself. The Lord will use anything and anyone to seek and save His people for a wonderful life with Him. May our Lord draw you closer to Himself and His plan for your life through your time "checking us out".
The heart of the Bible's story and our ministry is seen in the picture at the top of this page. We all live in the shadow of the Cross and the shining Gospel truth that our sins are forgiven and that we have eternal life. Our Risen Lord Jesus has truly conquered sin, death and Hell and He is Lord of all and coming again soon. The brightness of His Life gives us a reason to live today, hope for tomorrow and an understanding of the real purpose of life itself.......knowing Him.
Our church family is a place where you will hear powerful preaching and teaching of the Word and spiritually grow in new and fresh ways. We are a church committed to prayer and missions around the world. We are a church that is committed to understanding and experiencing His amazing grace. As a result, our church is devoid of legalism. We earnestly want everyone to freely and fully experience the joy of being "in Christ" as part of the Lord's New Creation. We want to share that wonderful, new life with as many people as possible........maybe with you.
We think you will find our church to be a very welcoming place to visit. You won't be left alone on a typical Sunday. We all know how hard it is to visit a church for the first time....we have been there. We hope the information, sermons, pictures, videos and articles on this web site will give you a flavor of our ministry. However, the best way to learn about our ministry is with a personal visit. May our Lord draw you to visit us and find out what the Lord may have planned for your life.
May our Lord Jesus bless and keep you always.
Pastor Jeff
