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Prophecy is defined as a prediction of future events.  And depending on one's belief, the value of the prophecy may be highly regarded or highly disregarded.  In either case, Prophecy is nothing to be dismissed, as it is the driving force behind most religions and a basis for the doctrine thereof.

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For the Christian faith, there is one major prophecy that is the basis for the entire Christian doctrine: the virgin birth of Jesus, who would later be called the Christ of God. Let’s explore a few of these prophecies.  And keep in mind that the Prophecy is not a “stand-alone” statement but a series of statements over the years that support the predicted event. Also, keep in mind that when a prophecy is relayed, many factors come into play in its validity.  The Prophecy must be discerned.  Is the source reliable and proven? Does the one delivering it have broad credibility? Is the prediction isolated to one event or several? Another key thing to remember is that a prophecy of one belief is typically not accepted or interpreted  the same as another.  And most importantly, the only way to prove the validity of  any prophecy  is after the events occur and are measured against the prophecy.

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For this time of year in the Christian faith, the most-read prophecy is in the book of Isaiah.

The prediction of the virgin birth of Jesus.   This particular prophecy gave the nation of Israel Hope. Why?

After the rule of Solomon, the nation of Israel went through a trying 400 years of difficult times.  The United Israel once again split into the north and south kingdoms, experiencing prosperity and poverty.  The nation turned to idols and eventually had to face Assyria and later the Babylonian exile.  Isiah prophesied the coming of these events, especially to Judah.  Warnings were not heeded, and those prophecies were fulfilled.  

Issiah also prophesied about a King out of the lineage of David that would sit on David’s throne.  That this king would be both God and Man. That this King would have an unending Kingdom established with Judgement and justice forever. And some 700 years later, in Bethlehem, the Man of this prophecy was born, and his name is Jesus.

Now, at his birth, some 30 generations of David had come and gone.  Or there were approximately 1000 years between David and Jesus.

But there were no flashing lights, road signs, or bill boards point to the time of the birth over that time period, only the Prophecy.  And each person had to live with that.  Each is available to decide for himself or herself the legitimacy of the words of Isaiah.  And at the birth of Jesus, as the Shepherds went through the streets of Bethlehem proclaiming the Birth, each person had to decide if this was really the promised King or was this announcement just madness.

Yes, the prophecy had been relayed, the events to look for had been identified, but the exact timing was not revealed to Issiaih; doubt did exist.  But let's consider the other factors as well.  Israel had drifted away from God. During this time, the split nation had bad rulers. New ideology filtered in.  And the prophecy started to become distant to all but the core believers of the prophecy.

So where are you today? Isaiah prophesied the coming Child that would be God and Man that would sit on the Throne of David. And each year at Christmas, the Christian Faith revisits, Births Jesus again, and waits. But wait for what? Waits to re-live the life of Jesus as it is recorded in the New Testament. And the New Testament is not a  book of Prophecy, it is a history book, I repeat, a history book of the Life of Jesus.

But all too often, the second part of the Prophecy of Jesus is not focused on as much as the nation of Israel, which focuses on the Prophecy of Isaiah.  Consider this, the times we live is not much different than the  time period before Isaiah.  And what about the other part of the Prophecy of Jesus? We are some 2000 years away from the death of Jesus, and we are still waiting for Jesus to sit on the Throne of David and establish the unending Kingdom.  

The second part of the full prophecy is in the Book of Revelation. The prophecy of Jesus involves 4 parts.  His birth, his death, his resurrection, and yes, his return to sit on the throne and establish his unending kingdom.  But unfortunately, Revelation is avoided as a book of horror due to its content and unsettling prophecies that take place prior to the return of Jesus.  As I have read this book several times, I have come to realize 2 important things about the book.  1st.  The unsettling parts of John’s vision are the Judgement and Justice that Isaiah speaks of that Jesus will bring.  The second part is the establishment of the unending Kingdom of Jesus.  This is established after the Judgment and Justice has been completed.

When I look at this book and prophecy, I look at it as a love story.  Here, we have to remember what Jesus suffered for us and then put the book in perspective.  It tells us what we need to look for, what will happen, and how our Jesus will take the throne and rule forever.  

As we approach Christmas this year, read Revelation after you have read Isaiah.  And ask yourself one question: Am I ready to move past the mangar, beyond the Cross, and start looking for the signs of the return of Jesus to establish the Kingdom, the unending Kingdom that Isaiah prophesied about, and the unending Kingdom that is described after Jesus returns and establishes it.

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Amen