{"id":2193,"date":"2019-12-25T09:35:37","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T15:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/?p=2193"},"modified":"2022-01-10T21:36:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T03:36:00","slug":"therefore-immanuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/?p=2193","title":{"rendered":"Therefore Immanuel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Christmas Morning Sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTherefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call His name Immanuel.<\/em>\u201d Isaiah 7:14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This verse hit me with unusual force this morning. The beautiful prose strikes one softly, but also hard and true. After one considers its beauty and message for just a few seconds \u2014 and its peace with its mystery \u2014 the question arises\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the there for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve studied Isaiah the past two years, so I know. King Ahaz of Judah is being threatened and terrorized by threats of conquest by two dark kingdoms working together to war against him and remove him from office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The LORD sends His prophet, Isaiah, with a message to the king and the people whose \u201chearts shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.\u201d The LORD\u2019s message is, \u201cThe enemy\u2019s plan will not stand nor shall it come to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also adds, \u201cIf you will not believe, you surely shall not last.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAsk a sign for yourself. Make it hard,\u201d says the LORD to the king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will not ask, nor test the LORD,\u201d says the king back to the Lord\u2019s prophet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds pious and wise, but it\u2019s full of disobedience, disbelief, and really \u201ctesting\u201d the LORD, Who instructed him to ask for a sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The prophet responds with, \u201cTherefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will birth a son \u2014 Immanuel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t doubt it! Believe that the LORD Himself will rise up against your enemies, and you will be spared. You will stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a coming sign recorded in the ancient texts around 700 B.C.. There was a son born to a virgin around 2-3 B.C., and we now recon time by His appearing and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lives\u2026 with us \u2026 within us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immanuel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 6 sets the stage for all believers \u2014 seeing the LORD, high and lifted up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Maybe in a year or years when a godly king is gone, the government is in turmoil, and you\u2019re learning not to trust in man, or even yourself anymore.
\nBut \u201cGod in us \u2014 God with us \u2014 Immanuel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe holy seed is in it\u2019s stump, \u201csays the LORD to His prophet at the end of Isaiah 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 6 sets the stage.
Isaiah 7 gives the promise of help, deliverance, and power. Immanuel.
Isaiah 8 shows the outcome of the scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t have 2000 years of church history \u2014 but 50 years repeated 40 times. Not 4000 years of Jewish history \u2014 but 50 years repeated 80 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s judgment comes upon the culture swiftly \u2014 so much so it will catch them unaware and add to the terror and tenor of the recompense, which will appear merciless, but it was chosen by them. They forgot God to serve themselves and their idols, and thus fell into the traps and clutches of the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Yet to those of the house of faith He writes? (Isaiah 8:16)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the disciples respond, \u201cI will wait for the LORD Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBehold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImmanuel\u201d appearing first in Isaiah 7:14 and three times in Scriptures is a beautiful Name, a beautiful thought, and a beautiful reality. \u201cGod, the Mighty One, is with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Immanuel” Article by Jeff Benner<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImmanuel\u201d Article by Paul Summer<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImmanuel\u201d Article by Jack Zavada<\/a>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTherefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call His name Immanuel.\u201d Isaiah 7:14 This verse hit me with unusual force this morning. The beautiful prose strikes one softly, but also hard and true. After one considers its beauty and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10,9,12,11],"tags":[44,46,45,48,49,47],"class_list":["post-2193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-friendoftheking","category-be-a-leader","category-be-a-man","category-bread-for-the-spirit","category-understanding-our-times","tag-christmas-2019","tag-god-is-with-us","tag-immanuel","tag-isaiah","tag-isaiah-714","tag-with-us-is-the-mighty-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2193"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2209,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193\/revisions\/2209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}