Without Christ, Prophecies Would Be Unfulfilled

Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
—Isaiah 7:14

What would the world be like if Christ had not come? As we began to see yesterday, if Christ had not come, many prophecies in the Bible would be unfulfilled.

Consider that Jesus’ place of birth was prophesied 700 years before He was born. Micah 5:2 says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.” Of all of the cities in the world, God pinpointed a tiny town with fewer than 1,000 people. When we sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” there is a reason we say “little.” Yet of all the cities in the world, 700 years before it happened, God said Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Savior.

The manner of Jesus’ birth was also prophesied hundreds of years earlier. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” God prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. The Hebrew word used in this verse means one and only one thing: it means a virgin, someone who has never had a sexual relationship with a man. God prophesied that the mother of Jesus would be a virgin. Why is a virgin birth necessary? There are several reasons I could give you. But the most important reason is that the sin nature is passed on from the father. So if Jesus had a human father, He would have received a sin nature. Because He was born of a virgin, with only a heavenly Father, then Jesus did not inherit Adam’s sin nature.

There are many other prophecies about the Messiah’s ministry that would be unfulfilled if Jesus had not been born. Isaiah 9:1 says His ministry would begin in Galilee. Zachariah 11:12-13 prophesied that the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Psalm 22 gives details of the death of the Messiah, nearly 1,000 years before crucifixion was invented by the Romans. Isaiah 53:12 prophesied that the Messiah would be crucified between two thieves. Psalm 34:20 prophesied that not one of Messiah’s bones would be broken during the crucifixion. Isaiah 53:9 prophesied that the Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s tomb.

There are hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah—61 major prophecies—that Jesus Christ fulfilled. If Christ had not come, all of these prophecies would have been left unfulfilled. And that means if Christ had not come, we would not have a Bible we could trust.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “If Christ Had Not Come” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.