Prophecies Concerning Messiahs Birthplace 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 are from of old,
From everlasting. ” (Micah 5:2, emphasis added)
Bethlehem Fulfilment
Now Mary was engaged to Joseph, a direct descendant of King David. When he discovered Mary was pregnant, it appeared that she had betrayed him. Bitterly disappointed, he wanted to break off the engagement.
Read and Learn More Key Biblical Messianic Prophecies
But being a good man and a devout Jew, he desired to do it discreetly; so that Mary would not be shamed and disgraced.
She would have a Son and He was to be named JESUS, meaning Saviour; because He would save the people from their sins.
Overawed by the mystery of Mary having been chosen to be the mother of the Saviour King, Joseph’s concerns were banished.
He did as the angel had commanded and married Mary as originally planned, but the marriage was not consummated until after the birth of her firstborn son. Joseph, of the lineage of David, was not the physical father of Jesus, but he became His legal father.
Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth before the birth of Jesus. About that time, Caesar Augustus had ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire. In Israel it was customary to register at a person’s ancestral home; so Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, the city of David.
While they were there, the time came for Jesus to be born. However, as Bethlehem was crowded with visitors registering for the census, there were no rooms left at the inn. So Jesus was born in a humble stable, wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid in a manger.
Witnesses Angels
That night, there were shepherds in the fields nearby guarding their sheep. Suddenly an angel of God appeared to them and the light of God’s glory shone around.
The angel told them not to be afraid because he had some wonderful news for all people. That day a Saviour had been born in David’s town, the Messiah and Ruler. He told the shepherds that they would find the Baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a manger.
Then a huge angelic choir joined the first angel, singing God’s praises and giving him glory, announcing peace toward all men and women on earth.
Witnesses Shepherds
The shepherds quickly ran to Bethlehem. They found Joseph and Mary, and the Baby lying in a manger, just as the angel had said.
After the shepherds had seen Him they spread the news of what had happened and everyone who heard their story was amazed.
Witness Simeon
On the eighth day, to fulfill the Jewish Law, the Baby was circumcised and named JESUS. After Mary’s days of purification were completed, they went to Jerusalem, to present their firstborn to God (Exodus 13:1-2).
Living in Jerusalem at that time was an old man named Simeon. He was a devout Jew, waiting expectantly for the coming of Israel’s Messiah. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that he would see the Messiah before he died. He was led by the Spirit to the Temple, just as Joseph and Mary arrived with Jesus, to carry out the rituals of the Jewish Law.
Simeon took Jesus up in his arms. He blessed God and said that the LORD would now let him depart in peace, for he had seen His salvation, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of God’s people Israel.
Jesus’ father and mother marveled at the things that Simeon had spoken. Simeon blessed them, and he told Mary that there would be controversy in Israel concerning her Son and it would cause her pain, like a sword piercing her heart.
Witness Anna The Prophetess
Anna was a widow and very old; she continually served God in the Temple with fasting and prayers. Seeing Simeon holding Jesus and praying, she also gave thanks to God for Him. Then she spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for national deliverance.
Witnesses Three Learned Men
Sometime after Jesus was born, learned men came from the East to Jerusalem. They had seen a supernatural star announcing the birth of the King of the Jews and had come to worship Him.
When King Herod heard of this he was deeply troubled. He gathered the Jewish religious scholars together and asked them where Messiah would be born. They answered that it was written, by the prophet Micah, that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Then Herod held a secret meeting with the wise men, to find out when the star had appeared. Afterward, he sent them to Bethlehem and told them to let him know when they found the Child, pretending that he also wanted to go and worship Him.
The star they had followed from the east led them again and hovered over the exact place where the Child was.
When they entered the house and saw the Child with His mother, they fell and worshipped Him. Then they presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The wise men were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod and they returned to their own country by another route.
An angel warned Joseph in a dream to take the Child and His mother to Egypt, because Herod would hunt for the Child and kill Him. Joseph left while it was dark, taking Mary and Jesus with him. The family remained in Egypt until after Herod’s death.