Prophecies of a Triumphant Messiah: Fulfilled in Jesus

The birth of an unusual child:

The messages of the prophet Isaiah resonate with messianic images and themes. One of these prophecies concerns the birth of a significant child who is described in highly elevated terms. We will consider Isaiah’s prophecy in two parts:

• The Immanuel prophecy in Isaiah 7

• The Prince-of-Peace prophecy in Isaiah 9

The Immanuel prophecy in Isaiah 7

The Hebrew name Immanuel means, “God with us.” Many Christian churches are named “The Church of Immanuel” because Jesus is considered to be this promised Immanuel — the presence of God with us. The origin of the name lies in the Old Testament, where it appears in Isaiah’s prophetic text.

During a period of conflict with the northern kingdom of Israel, King Ahaz of Judah took gold and silver from the Jerusalem Temple to pay the king of Assyria for protection (2 Kgs 16:7–8). God sent the prophet Isaiah to inform Ahaz that he had nothing to fear and to deliver a warning: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isa 7:9). However, Ahaz clung stubbornly to his reliance on pagan support. When Isaiah urged him to ask God for a reassuring sign — anything at all, whether “in the depths or in the heights” — Ahaz refused, using the excuse that he did not wish to test God (Isa 7:10–12). The offended prophet responded:

“Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa 7:13–14).

The identity of this promised child is not made clear, but Isaiah’s prophecy goes on to develop a highly elevated description of this boy (in Isaiah 9). The Gospel of Matthew regarded this as an ancient reference to the coming of Jesus:

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’” (Matt 1:21–23).

There is some controversy about whether the child in Isaiah’s prophecy was indeed said to be born of a virgin, because the Hebrew Masoretic Text uses the term almah — young maiden. However, in Isaiah’s time a young unmarried Jewish girl would certainly be expected to be a virgin. But more importantly, Isaiah calls the birth an “ot,” which was the term for a miraculous sign from God (Exod 4:8; 2 Kgs 20:8; Deut 6:22), often associated with His covenant work (Gen 9:12; Exod 31:13). In Targum Jonathan (an Aramaic translation/interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures), Isaiah explicitly invites Ahaz to request a sign from God in order “that a miracle may be done for you.” The implication is that when Ahaz refuses to ask for this miracle, the subsequent sign from God — the child Immanuel — would be a highly significant event, not merely another ordinary birth. It is interesting that in an online Torah class, Rabbi Baruch teaches that this promised child is the same messianic individual described in Daniels’s vision as the person who will establish God’s eternal kingdom:

“The Son of Man that Daniel speaks of is the same one that Isaiah tells us is born of a virgin and is called Immanuel. Hence, He is not just a Son of Man (a human being), but He is also the Son of God.”

The unusual name “God with us” echoes God’s repeated promises that He would one day again dwell with his people:

• “I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people” (Lev 26:11–12).

• “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst” (Zech 2:10).

• “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant . . . My dwelling place will be with them” (Ezek 37:26–27).

• “And the name of the city from that time on will be: ‘The Lord is there’” (Ezek 48:35).

Christians believe that these promises were fulfilled when God came to dwell among His people through His Son Jesus:

• “The Word became flesh and dwelt (“tabernacled”) among us” (John 1:14).

• “The Son is the image of the invisible God . . . For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Col 1:15–19).

• “It is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work” (John 14:10).

And Jesus’s promise: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20), echoes God’s own words: “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isa 41:10).

Isaiah’s extended prophecy describes the work of a messianic “branch” in the line of David who will judge God’s enemies and establish eternal peace (Isa 11): in these last days, God will forgive His people (Isa 44:22), swallow up death forever, and wipe away all tears (Isa 25:8). John’s Revelation, the last book of the Bible, depicts the eventual fulfillment of this prophecy through the return of Jesus:

“God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:3–4).

A central Old Testament theme therefore reaches its fruition in the New Testament. After the rebellion in Eden, God barred humanity from His presence; but He promised to one day again dwell with His people, and this reconciliation is achieved through the work of His Son Jesus as Messiah and Immanuel — God with us.