"Unto Us a Child is Born" The advent of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was foretold since the creation of man.  God told the serpent after it tempted Adam amd Eve in the Garden of Eden, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your heel, and you shall bruise His head”  (Genesis 3:15).  God knew from the beginning that man would disobey and sin, so He made provision to send His son, Jesus, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), to purchase our redemption through His spotless blood.  Satan bruised Jesus’ heel at the crucifixion; but Jesus wielded the fatal blow through His death, burial and resurrection.  Jesus has made the way for us to come back to the Father and receive everlasting life.  There are many prophecies in the Old Testament foretelling the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Most of these prophecies were given thousands of years before His birth in Bethlehem.  Skeptics will claim that anyone can fulfill prophecies given about them to convince others that they are someone they are not.  That may be true when one is old enough to act them out, but how does one fulfill events that surround his birth, and the manner of his death?  These events are beyond man’s control.  Because this is the Christmas season, I will list just a few of the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled in His birth.  The odds of one person fulfilling even five of the messianic prophecies are astronomical and cannot be coincidental. The prophet Micah prophesied Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting”  (Micah 5:2).  This prophecy was recorded as fulfilled in Luke 2:4:  “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child…and she brought forth her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Isaiah prophesied that Messiah would be born of a virgin, and would be an heir to the throne of David:  “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”  (Isaiah 7:14).  In Luke 1: 26-27, 30-33 we read of the fulfillment: “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary…Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this”  (Isaiah 9:7).  God coming to earth in human flesh is a great mystery.  He emptied Himself of His divine privilege to become a servant, and die for our sins on the cross.   Jesus’ birth was not His beginning, He was with God from the beginning of all things (John 1:1-2).  How unsearchable are the riches of Christ, and His ways are far above our ways!   How great a love moved the Creator of the Universe to condescend to be born as a babe in the manger of a stable.  Indeed, it will take us all of eternity and more, to discover the precious truths and mysteries found in our God.  Let us celebrate the advent of Messiah this Christmas, the greatest event that has ever occurred in history. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”  (Isaiah 9:6).