“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

At this time of year gift giving and festivities abound.  The celebration of Christmas is often reduced to the material things we are able to give to our loved ones and those which we in turn are blessed to receive.  More often than not in the midst of all the activity, the true meaning of Christmas is lost or forgotten upon the hearts of most.  Let us take time now for a few moments to restore our hearts back to the true meaning of Christmas.  During this time we will find a Gift greater than all others.

These above words by the Prophet Isaiah were uttered approximately 750 years before the birth of Christ.  They constitute one of the most astounding prophecies ever given in the Bible.  The reason for their great significance is that they reveal the manner in which this great Salvation, which had been predicted from the time of the Garden of Eden, would come into the world.  It would come in the form of a virgin born Son.  Because of the unique nature of His conception and birth this baby boy would not harbor the fallen human characteristics of its father or its mother.  Mary simply served as a willing vessel to contain His (Christ’s) developing human form (for nine months).  Having always been God from eternity past, the Son of God was to be born into this world to become a Man.  The name “Immanuel” means “God with us”.  One may ask, “Why did He need to come and become a Man?”  Up until the time of Christ, animal sacrifices were offered to merely cover the sins of the people. A person’s Faith in what the sacrifice represented (the coming Redeemer) was accepted by God to provide a covering for their sin. The sins were only covered, but never taken away.  But when Jesus came into this world, He said, “Sacrifice and Offering You [the Father] would not, but a Body have You prepared Me” (Heb 10:5).  This refers to the fact that it was God’s full intention to provide a Physical Body for Christ that would be acceptable to God as the only Sacrifice needed to fully pay for our sins.

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