Immanuel: God is with Us!
Written by Dale Ebel
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” – Isaiah 7:14 NLT
Far too many cynics have argued that the Hebrew word for “virgin” means “young married woman” rather than virgin. Conception by a young, unmarried woman would hardly be a sign, for such events occurred frequently. A virgin conception would require a mighty act of creation by (Elohim) God Himself! The quotation of this verse in the Renewed Covenant (NT) Matthew 1:21 removes any doubt for the Greek word (parthenos) can only mean “virgin.”
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'” – Matthew 1:23 NLT
A true virgin conception has only occurred once in human history, leading to the birth of Jesus Christ, who as the perfect God/man is the only one who could have be qualified to offer the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of mankind from their predicament.
“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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will do this.” – Isaiah 9:6, 7 ESV
In fulfillment of Isaiah 9:7, the virgin child would be the royal son of David, with rights to the divining throne. “Government” reflects the fulfillment of this verse where the Son will rule the nations of the world (Revelation 2:27). The present-day Israel will one day be occupied by the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace—The Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!
The land will eventually be redeemed and restored to its divinely intended purpose! The drama in Israel is ever so relevant as, eventually, that land will be governed by the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Are you watching the events in the Middle East?
Let us be alert for the baby Jesus will be all grown-up when He comes as our Mighty tattooed Warrior ruling all the nations of the world from His throne in Jerusalem!
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The One sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. … 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. … 16 On His robe and on his thigh, He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” – Revelation 19:11, 13-14, 16 ESV
This Christmas let us celebrate our personal redemption as well as look forward to the future restoration of the land of Israel in which Immanuel will reign.
Stocking Stuffers Suggestion”
I grew up with my mom, Rose Ebel, providing many basics as stocking stuffers. Linda and I carry on her tradition by doing the same for our children and grandchildren. This year in addition to toothpaste, toe-nail clippers, lip balm, etc. we are inserting written copies of The Names of God and The Ten Commandments with my commentary notes in a paper size that can be inserted in their Bibles.
If you would like a copy of each let me know and I will email the 4 pages.
Also, I wrote out a laminated copy of a verse of my choosing, for each child and grandchild.
Looking forward to the Coming King,
Dale