Matthew 1:21-23, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”

There are many who would be willing to pay for getting their fortune read, and so eager are they to seek out their future. Yet the Bible is filled with extraordinary prophecies which even if one were intoxicated could not have concocted, however making it up is only half of the problem. How does one make prophecy come alive if it’s not God ordained? As words don’t have life in themselves. So just as King Saul sought his future from the dead we too are forced to look down into the pits of darkness when trying to seek the knowledge about ourselves outside of God. Regrettably it is from the dead and not from the heavens.

So when the Apostle Matthew mentions a prophecy in Matthew 1:21-23, he is quoting from the prophet Isaiah written in 700BC (before Christ incarnate). Is that not mind blowing? The prophecy states in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

This prophecy would need a miracle to be fulfilled for the supernatural sign of the virgin birth of the Messiah who would be called Immanuel or God with us. This would be the assurance Israel would see as a sign of the faithfulness of the Lord God to the Abrahamic promise. Thus Jesus Christ is shown to be very God of very God and with us. Therefore Matthew is affirming the full deity of Jesus of Nazareth, as he further elaborated on other prophecies such as Isaiah 8:8 and Isaiah 11:1-15. However an astounding verse in Isaiah 9:6 states,

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”