In this week’s episode of our ministry’s television program, Christ in Prophecy, we reflect on the First Advent when Jesus Christ came to the earth.

How amazing that there are 300 general prophecies and 109 specific prophecies in the Bible, which foretold of Christ’s First Coming! Jesus fulfilled them all, exactly and in detail. The fulfillment of all of these overwhelming number of prophecies proves that Jesus Christ is indeed the long-awaited Messiah, and so we can place our faith and trust in Him as our Savior and Lord.

When it comes to the First Advent prophecies of Jesus Christ, there are 19 specific “Christmas prophecies” that we are now going to explore. Through these, along with many other evidences, we can know that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah because He fulfilled prophecies that were given hundreds of years before He was even born.

1. From the Shemite Branch of Humanity (Genesis 9:26)

Nathan Jones: Let’s go all the way back to Genesis 9:26, which prophesied that the Messiah would come from the line of Shem, who was one of the three sons of Noah. “And he said: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.'” The line of Shem, meaning the Semitic peoples.

2. Through Abraham (Genesis 12:3)

Tim Moore: We can also travel down the Messiah’s line, starting with Abraham. When he was originally called, he was still known as Abram. God called him to leave the land where he had been raised and follow God to live in what would become the Promised Land. And, because Abram believed and obeyed God, God made a promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” That promise has tracked all the way forward through the generations to the Messiah’s birth and beyond to today.

3. Through Abraham’s Son, Isaac (Genesis 17:21)

Nathan Jones: The messianic line would not go through all of Abraham’s descendants, for it wouldn’t be Abraham’s son Ishmael from whom the Messiah would derive, but it would be through Abraham’s other son, Isaac. We can read about that ongoing promise in Genesis 17:21. “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” It was a prophecy that Isaac would be born, and through him, the covenant would be carried.

4. Through Isaac’s Son, Jacob (Genesis 28:14)

Nathan Jones: We also learn that it wouldn’t be to Isaac’s son Esau that the messianic line would derive, just as it hadn’t been through his uncle Ishmael, but the covenant promise would go from Abraham to Isaac and then to his other son Jacob.

Tim Moore: The Lord had said in Genesis 28:14 to Jacob that He would bless him. “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” God’s promise points to the coming One who would bless both Jew and Gentile alike. It’s not the firstborn Ishmael or the firstborn Esau who was blessed, but rather God chooses according to His own will, and in this case, the younger sons became the sons of promise.

5. Through the Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8)

Nathan Jones: Yes, God should have technically chosen the oldest son of Jacob, Reuben. Based on the Old Testament’s account of ancient Middle Eastern customs, but no, God instead picked Judah as we read in Genesis 49:8. “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you.” So, the royal line of the Messiah would come through the tribe of Judah out of the 12 tribes of Israel.

6. Through the Family of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)

Tim Moore: The messianic line would travel down through Judah to David, who was the son of Jesse. God’s added promise that David and His lineage would continue and rule on a throne forever is called the Davidic Covenant. Even today, we speak of Jesus returning to reign from the throne of His forefather, David.

Nathan Jones: And that’s where we get the sixth prophecy in Isaiah 11:1. “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” This prophecy identifying the Messiah says the Messiah is not just a descendant of Jesse, but he’s also a forerunner of Jesse, which means the Messiah has to be divine.

7. Through the House of David (Jeremiah 23:5)

Nathan Jones: The Davidic Covenant is confirmed in Jeremiah 23:5. “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.'”

The Messiah would have to fulfill this exact family line; otherwise, He wouldn’t qualify. What’s interesting is that when the Jewish people were ejected from their land in 70 A.D., the messianic lineage was erased going forward because the Jewish people didn’t really follow their lineages after the dispersion of the Jews into the world. So, Jesus had to come at the time and place that He did to prove His genealogy was proper. We can read Matthew 1 and Luke 3 to get the full genealogy of Jesus, both through His earthly father, Joseph and then through Mary.

Discover all 19 Christmas prophecies on The Christ in Prophecy Journal blog, or watch this week’s episode of Christ in Prophecy!

“For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

“For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire'” (2 Peter:18-22).

It is not uncommon to hear stories about unpleasant experiences in church, be it from individuals who still cling on to the faith or those who drifted away from the truth. They probably had enough of barely bearable hypocrisy – from people who claim to be but are not the case!

The razor-thin veneer of decency does not take very long to peel off. True colors become a chilling reality check. Are these people any better than those you come across in some seedy precinct? As a matter of interest, they could be far worse!

In these final moments of the Age of Grace, worldliness permeates where the bulk of mainstream churches are concerned. This, indeed, is the fertile ground for breeding unrighteousness and blatant lawlessness. It is very easy to understand; once God is sidelined and the flesh takes the driver’s seat, it is dead easy for the wrong type of wisdom to creep in.

“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:15-16).

People who are driven by self-interest will surely go all out to get what their hearts desire, even if this results in stepping on many toes and subsequently causing numerous train wrecks. Not just those who sit in the pews; these instances of selfish intent involve elders, deacons, and, sadly speaking, pastors!

“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19).

Waste no time talking to these people about the truth in the counsel of God. They are truly against God because they love the world.

Of course, there are guys and girls who listen to all that falsehood – choosing the path of perdition over the way of righteousness. At the end of the day, it is like any earthly institution – everything fashioned by the flesh and not the Lord!

It then becomes very much like the dog-eat-dog environment in a rough part of town. Nothing good comes out of it when there is an ongoing clash of personal interests. Finding brotherly love will seem like a joke here!

“But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

Expect to find loads of sugar-coating behind daggers in this sort of setting. Would a deacon, or for that matter, the pastor, be of help in a personal crisis? Sounds like playing Russian roulette! Godlessness begets heartlessness; these individuals will definitely capitalize on weaknesses, even to the point of destroying lives.

Such is the trademark of pitiless workers of iniquity. They probably hold a Bible with many parts of it covered in correction fluid. They would quote passages of Scripture for their personal convenience; the workings of the Holy Spirit are pushed aside! Worse of all, they would deliberately misinterpret and distort the truth, thereby leading to phony doctrines of demons which, in turn, undermine the spiritual well-being of many.

That is why it is better that they did not encounter the truth in the Living Word; they abuse and confuse rather than encourage with correct teachings.

“These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual person’s, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (Jude 16-19).

Do not expect any peace of mind from this crowd. They are hell-bent on promoting strife more than anything else – it could be the ticket to that proverbial gravy train. Enough to cause many to lose heart. It is not uncommon to come across people who turn their backs on the Gospel because of gross mishandling by the above-said workers of iniquity. Paul, in his time, could see such a day come to fruition; this is the solid purpose of 2 Timothy 3:5:

“having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

The Body of Christ should have nothing to do with these sensual types. They are much like a sore that can prove gangrenous in a short time. Sounds a bit like a tough call in these days. But the reality is impossible to throw out of the window. What is the point of having fellowship with scores of people that walk in darkness and put on Christ for ulterior motives? Better off to have a small group that is serious about the things of the Lord and able to focus on eternity versus the transient nature of the world. No harm done if the online option is resorted to.

There are swathes of counterfeit followers of Jesus Christ all over the globe. They belong to the I, me, and myself category. Try talking to them about what’s in store for them by way of quoting Matthew 7:21-23. It probably would stir up some cynical laughter!

Do truly reckon that these folks will laugh no more in the near future. The undeniable fact that these people are around shows that our moment of redemption is very close. Once we are gone, they will be around to face His fury. They never knew Him in the first place, so how can these folks expect Him to give them some space?

Maranatha

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com