DAY 6: THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES

The Bible from Genesis to Revelation tells a single story of how God saved mankind.

Throughout the Bible we see God for tell His redemption plan through types and shadows or straight up word for word prophecies. 

Let's take a look at some of them today.

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1. Genesis 3:15 NIV

[15] And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

This was right after we had messed up and before being kicked out of Eden. Just a reminder of how early God had this whole redemption thing planned after mankind's enmity with the devil was established. The “offspring” and “he” here refers to Christ, the offspring of the woman who will defeat the enemy (crush his head) through the sacrifice of his body (strike his heel). A strike to the heel is a temporary injury while a crush to the head is fatal.

2. Genesis 22:18 NIV

[18] and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

This was God's promise to Abraham after he was tested with sacrificing his son Isaac.

It is important to note that it says “your offspring” not offsprings and from Galatians 3:16, we know that this refers to Jesus. Through whose sacrifice the whole world becomes reconciled to God.

Galatians 3:16 NIV

[16] The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 

3. Isaiah 7:14 NIV

[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 

No beating about the bush, no coded language, just an on-point word from Isaiah giving some specifics regarding the birth of Christ centuries before He was born.

4. Micah 5:2 NIV

[2] “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

This was the text that the scribes and chief priests used to predict where Jesus was born when Herod asked them.

5. Isaiah 9:6 NIV

[6] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Another nail-on-the- head message from Isaiah.

People whose lives were a foreshadow of Christ's 

Isaac

The birth of Isaac is a foreshadow of the birth of Christ. Isaac was a child promised to his parents just as Jesus was a child promised to Israel. Jesus' conception was impossible per natural terms and so was Isaac’s'.

Moses

Moses was born to save his people from bondage. At his birth, Pharaoh was killing newborns, a parallel of Herod's killing of children when he heard of Jesus' birth.

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From this we see why the prophet Simeon described Jesus as the consolation of Israel. Think about the concept of the avatar in the legend of Aang or the seeker in the legend of the seeker, those are just modern pop culture examples of what the Messiah meant to the people of Israel.

His birth, life and death had been the expectation of many saints. Many of who did not live too witness His ministry. For Simeon, this was a 'finally" moment, this was a sunrise in the darkest period of Israelite and human existence.

For Prophetess Anna, this was her answered prayer. She had spent decades

in seclusion praying for the coming of the Messiah and now she beheld him, a little baby in her arms.

At last, help has come.