Advent Gems #8

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Isaiah 7:14 : “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

The best commentary and confirmation of scripture can be found in the scriptures themselves. Isaiah 7:14 is a confirmation of Genesis 3:15: To the serpent, the Lord said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed.”

Notice that it is not the seed of the man and the woman. It is the seed of the woman only.

The Seed of the woman is confirmed in Matthew 1: 18. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

The virgin birth is more fully explained in Luke 1: 26-35: “ 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. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!''

“But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 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.''

“Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?''

“ And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”