APPROACH QUESTION:
What do you think is the difference between predictions and prophecy?

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what did the Angel of the Lord tell Joseph in v. 22-23?

1. All this took place [Virgin Mary conceiving through the power of the Holy Spirit; Virgin Mary will give birth to a son; Jesus will save people from their sins.]
2. To fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
3.  'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel'-- which means, "God with us.”

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself why is it so significant that the Angel of the Lord tells Joseph the prophetic statement?

The Angel of the Lord wants Joseph to know that what he is facing now was already prophesized to the prophet Isaiah which will be fulfilled in Joseph's time through the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. So he will have the blessing of naming the child if he chooses to be obedient and take the Virgin Mary home as his wife. More than that by reminding Joseph of the prophesy in Isaiah 7:14 which says, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.", the angel of the Lord is giving credibility to the prophet Isaiah and also making the case for how the Old Testament too points to Jesus which will be fulfilled in the New Testament. This in essence also proves the credibility of God's Word. A prophetic statement made hundreds of years earlier being fulfilled is God's doing in His timing. Prophesy given by the Lord will always come true. This is exciting to know.

It is also very significant because Matthew right away sets the tone to his Jewish audience that Jesus Christ will be the Messiah that they have been waiting for, for all the Old Testament and the prophets point to Jesus, the Savior of the world. This is exciting to know!

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
It is awesome to know that if I want to share about the credibility of God's Word and Jesus Christ, all I need to do is compare the Old Testament prophesies with their fulfillment in the New Testament which point to Jesus Christ. What is exciting to know for me is that all the prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament concerning God have been fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, our Immanuel - God with us. If I want to help unbelievers through their doubts, taking the prophesy approach and showing how Jesus alone could and did fulfill more than 300 prophesies about Himself show that He is who He says He is. Thank you Jesus. This also makes me excited for Jesus' second coming because every prophesy in the Word of God will come through even in our generation even if it means 2000+ years have gone by. Thank you Lord!

It also made me see how important the Old Testament is even for Christians if we want to get to know Jesus of the Bible. I cannot think to myself that I don't need to be bothered with the Old Testament.  God's Word is Eternal and His message from Genesis to Revelation is for anyone. God gave us His Word so through the message, we can come to Him to have a personal relationship with Him as we read, study, and meditate upon His Word. All 66 books of the Bible (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament) are for anyone to read whether believer or unbeliever.

What is more interesting is the prophecies in Isaiah have 66 chapters. Of those 66 chapters, the first 39 chapters deal more with judgment and the last 27 chapters deal with redemption. The first 39 chapters reflect what people have been going through in the Old Testament, and the last 27 chapters point to what they can find through Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!

Jesus said that He did not come for the healthy but for the sick. By sick, Jesus meant spiritually sick. In other words, Jesus came for those who were missing the mark, those separated from God because of their sins, those who have soul sickness [terminology used by AIV staff workers Andrea and Jason], and not for those who think they are righteous already. Jesus' words even apply in this age where Bibles are sent to so many unbelievers so that they may read it and come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I praise the Lord for using Andrea and Jason to help so many Asian students come to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One of the ways, I have seen people come to Christ is by reading the Word and hearing the Word. You cannot believe if you don't know what you are believing in.  Believing in itself is the Work of the Holy Spirit and His grace as the Word of God is taken in. So read both the Old Testaments and the New Testaments allowing God's message to speak to you. As you investigate the life of Jesus daily, you will be excited to come to know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior who is worthy of our praise and allegiance.

At one point in my life I read through the entire Bible in 33 days and got my signature verse for my life including the questions I should ask my bride to be. I now have been married to my wonderful wife Chandraleela for more than 8+ years and have two precious daughters Esther and Evangeline whom the Lord has given to us.

My signature verse from the Lord which motivates me to share these devotionals is: "But life is worth nothing to me unless I use it to do the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others about God's Mighty goodness and love!" (Acts 20:24)

It is through the Word of God, my beloved dad was saved because my mom would read to him Psalms from the Old Testament and the entire New Testament multiple times in 70 days. On the 70th day before leaving this earth, my dad gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus. It started with the love shown by my mommy and the power of God's Word to change lives.

I ask you now dear friend, how can prophecy make you believe in Jesus?
Dear friend, if you are having trouble believing in Jesus because you want more proof about who He says He is and the credibility of God's Word, all you have to do is look at the prophesies in the Old Testament and compare them to what happened in the New Testament. These prophesies about Jesus could not have been preplanned or arranged by any human being without the intervention of the Lord. Only the Lord made them come through and because they have come through we can believe in the Word of God to be the Truth. Because the Word of God is Truth for Jesus says, 'Thy Word is Truth', we can also believe in Jesus who says, "I AM the Truth.....' No one comes to the Father except through me'. It is prophesy that can help you believe in Jesus if you are so much into the scientific method. For prophesies stated in the Old Testament coming through in the New Testament could have been observed. The data then becomes the factual account of the prophesy coming through. Thank you Jesus.

When I was on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, we had a student come to speak to our fellowship about how he came to believe in Jesus Christ. He shared about how he was a devout Atheist who did not believe in the existence of God but through people who shared their life with him, he came to look at prophesies in the Old Testament and confirmed their fulfillment in the New Testament. The more he looked, the more everything pointed to Jesus who would become our Immanuel - God with us. So, he gave his life to Jesus Christ and shared with us the credibility of God's Word and it's power to transform his life from being an Atheist to a follower of Christ.

Friend, if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior and have doubts about believing in Jesus, all you need to do is take the time to see how Jesus has fulfilled everything the prophets have spoken about and how God's Word is the Absolute Truth. When you seek the Lord with an open mind, you will come to know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior who wants to be your God this Christmas season.  So comes as you are and receive the Lord Jesus into your life for He has promised, 'I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me!'

Friend, know that prophesies in the Bible have always come true and will continue to come true. If you take prophesy seriously, let God’s Word speak to you not only through the New Testament but also through the Old Testament realizing the New Testament makes so much more sense and becomes exciting to read when we realize most of the events that took place in the New Testament were prophesized in the Old Testament revealing why Jesus Christ came to earth!

Prophesy still matters today and the Book of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelations and other books of the Bible have prophesies that have come true in the past and that will come true in the future. The key is that none of them have been proved to be false. Predictions can be true or false but when God gives prophesy it will always come true.

Friend, you have the opportunity to study prophesy in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Word of God is near you and able to transform you. Pick up the Word and read it. Ask the Lord to let it speak to you this Christmas season so you can experience Jesus Christ, who has come to be our Immanuel - God with us!

If psychics, tarot cards, crystal balls, etc maybe fascinating to you, they do not have the answers to life. Many times people hear someone predict something about themselves and it plays in their head. Without realizing, they themselves many times make that happen and think wow, he/she told me that it would happen and it did. Now they get more sucked into the occult. Predictions and prophesies are not the same. Predictions don't always come true. Prophesy from God's Word always comes true.

Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe knows the plans for you friend and they are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Yes, He does! We need not know what the future holds for us if we take the present as a gift and allow Him to guide us daily.  The future is not a mystery with the Lord. Claim the promises God has for you that you can claim for your future. There are prophesies in the Bible that have proven to be true! That is exciting to know for you and I to confidently testify about prophesy. Yes, it is!

Jesus testifies to His love for you based on being born on Christmas day as God-incarnate so one day He could rescue you and deliver you, not just you but all humanity who takes refuge in Him. Jesus' birth was prophesized to Isaiah even before the Angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph.  How amazing! Thank you Lord!

So friend, if you take prophesy seriously, you will come to believe in the Word of God as you ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you.

You can do that right now friend! Repent of your sin and confess them to the Lord. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse you with His precious cleansing blood to wash you clean. Believe that He rose on the third day to give you Eternal Life. Acknowledge that He is the Lord of the universe who you and I have the privilege of serving and being His children. This is exciting to know! He will dwell in your heart if you ask Him!

Won’t you come to Jesus this Christmas season of 2018 if you do not know Him personally?

Won’t you testify about Jesus and the love of Jesus in your life for He desires to give you a new identity?

No matter where you have been or what you have done, you can come to the Savior and make Him Lord of your life. He wants to be your Lord and Savior if you ask Him to!  Your age, sex, ethnicity, economic status, race, religion etc does not matter as the Lord can make an impact in your life just as you are when you come to Him. He reaches out to you with His Helping Hands.  

So friend come to Jesus this Christmas season in all your pain, brokenness, and hurt and find healing in Him.

The Israelites were facing years and years of captivity and there was a desert time of hundreds of years before John the Baptist came to prepare the Way for Jesus Christ. People could have held on to their own misery but instead those that looked forward to the Lord Jesus Christ were transformed. Those who looked forward to the Lord Jesus Christ looked to the future of the open doors instead of dwelling in the closed doors. You too can do that in your life friend. Yes, you can friend. Jesus is there for you friend. Hold on to Him and you will be holding on to hope!

Come as you are and receive the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. You will never be the same again. Don't focus on the closed doors in your life but look to the One who opens new doors for you as He reaches out to you in His grace. 

My loving wife Chandraleela wrote to me once, "When the door of  happiness closes another opens but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us."

How true that is my friend. Many times we are so focused on what we lost or don't have that we don't see what the Lord Jesus has opened for us.

Take this time to investigate Jesus and come to know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior. You have a golden opportunity to start this Christmas season  with the Lord Jesus on your side no matter what happened before. Let me assure you, the transformation you will see in your own life. When Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him, there life will never be the same again, never be the same again. You will have a totally new perspective on life as you spend daily time with Him praying, reading & studying the Bible meditating on its precepts, and being plugged into a Bible believing fellowship of believers.

I would like to invite you to Oakland International Fellowship if you are looking for a church community to be part of.  You can contact me at 412-641-9426 for more information. We meet on North Dithridge St in Oakland in the City of Pittsburgh, PA in the center of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University campus.

Even as you face the storms of life, the winds cannot shake you for you will have a firm foundation on Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages when you take Him as your Immanuel - God with us for He is God-incarnate come into the world to save you and me! Praise the Lord!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ to come and dwell in your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart and believing. Yes, you can!

May the Lord Jesus use prophecy to strengthen your faith in Him and the credibility of God's Word so you can share Christ confidently!

"People Remember, Openly Prophecy Has Eternal Credibility, Yes!" (P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y)/"How can P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y make you believe in Jesus?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me about prophecy and how much we can learn about you Jesus when we study prophecy. Thank you for coming into this world to save us. I pray for those who need the covering of your precious blood to save them. Help us Oh Lord, to seek you so that we will find you. Help us not to ignore the Old Testament as Christians because through the Old Testament, we come to know more and more of you. Thanks so much Jesus. Save us from our sin and deliver us Oh Lord. Help us to seek you daily. Thanks for the new life you give us. It is so exciting to study your Word and learn of you. I need you in my life Jesus. Please forgive me of all my sins for I am so sorry. I accept the antidote of your blood for the virus of sin for only you can cleanse me. Come Lord Jesus and cleanse me with your precious cleansing Blood. Thank you for opening your Word to me. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior believing in my heart that you were raised from the dead and sit at the right hand of the Father.  You are my Lord. Thank you for being the Lamb of God to take away my sin. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior and changing me. Thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit and I believe you who began a good work in me will finish it to completion as I confess my sin before you and repent of it. I give myself to you, all that I am and ask you to make something of my life. Thank you Jesus so much. Thank you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)