Opus 2025-555: Advent Calendar: Day 5, More Prophecy

One of the most troubling details of the birth of Jesus is the claim that Mary was a virgin. I think of one popular Bible commentator, William Barkley, who has so many great insights to share, and yet rejects the virgin birth.

One of the reasons why we need to accept and believe in this truth is that it was prophesied by Isaiah.

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Left by itself this verse might be overlooked, and Bible commentators will say that it had an application in the day in which it was pronounced. However, when you look at the gospels, you find that it is reinforced and reinterpreted to make it clear that God had this planned from the beginning.

Sometimes God works through the world of physics. Sometimes he works through the world of miracles. We have to be able to accept both and have the discernment to see, which is which. One of the litmus tests that I am able to use to determine whether someone is a biblical Christian is the virgin birth. it is a clear statement in both the old and New Testament. To my knowledge, there is no disagreement in the other church about it. The only disagreement is between the Catholic view, saying that she remained virgin and the protestants saying that she had other children.

Embrace the miracle. It’s part of the mystery of Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-320: Advent Calendar: Day 3, The Impossible

)pen day three.  Inside you will see a small scroll.  On the back you will see a scripture reference:

(Isa 7:14 KJV)  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

We are now down to some basics.  We see the first indication of the name of this Person.  I would wait to explain the name but it is important to lift this from just a prophecy of Isaiah’s time to one that looked forward some 700 years.  Immanuel means “God with us”.  It isn’t like today where you pick a cool name or make one up.  In those days names meant something.  They meant double when Isaiah looked down through history and said “Immanuel”.  I know it is important because one of my early Nativity roles was Isaiah reading from a scroll.

Even more basic is the idea of the virgin birth.  If this was all we ever had you could make a case for the Hebrew word meaning young woman, but it isn’t, all we had I mean.  We have the clear statement of two gospels in which the Greek word is clear.  This is a prophetic statement about the incarnation, the Virgin birth.  

If you are a Christian it is hard to deny the virgin birth.  It is prophesied in Isaiah.  It is documented in Matthew and Luke.  To deny it is to deny the Bible as the inspired word of God.  If you have a problem with miracles then maybe you need to do a little more meditating on the power of a God who spoke the universe into being.  It was a fitting setting for the moment that God became flesh and dwelt among us.

homo unius libri