The prophecy of Jesus
Can you even imagine what the nation of Israel thought when Isaiah proclaimed that the Lord Himself would accomplish this? In and of itself it’s an oxymoron. A virgin is going to conceive and have a child. Not only that, it was not to be just any son, it was to be the Son of God. And his name is going to be Immanuel, which means God is with us. Prophets were not always believed by the Jews. Many were highly ridiculed. The ultimate test as to their legitimacy is the prophesied event actually happening. Isaiah prophesied for 40 years but this did not come true in his lifetime.
The prophecy fulfilled
Seven hundred years later, Jesus, the Christ is born, and guess to whom—a virgin! You can’t make this stuff up. It is recorded in Matthew 1.18-23 that Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, got a visit from probably the same angel as Mary, telling him to not worry, because she is going to be the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy. Isaiah, you were indeed right. Imagine that! What is so significant to me is the omniscience of God. Not only does the Lord make things happen according to his perfect will, but he is willing to stake his unblemished record on the line for all the world to behold. He provides the details, most times far in advance, and they come about to the very Nth degree.
So, if we can believe the prophecy of our Immanuel, why do we have trouble trusting him daily with the rest of his promises in Scripture? If he loves us so much that he would come to us so that we could come to him, why ever doubt him?
