Prophecies of the Lord's Advent

Readings from the Word

Read one or more prophecies of the Lord’s coming:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1,2).

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6).

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2).

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

 Discussion Ideas

1. The Lord came on earth in a time of spiritual darkness. The heavenly light of truth no longer shone in people’s minds, and they were lost. People had turned away from Jehovah and His commandments, and so He sent messages foretelling His birth into the world. These prophecies kept hope alive in the dark times and prepared people to receive the Lord when He came.
2. The stories of the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem, the shepherds and the wisemen coming to worship Him, and all that the Lord did during His life on earth—these fulfilled the prophecies and confirmed that Jesus was the Messiah.
3. The messages of the Lord’s coming still speak to us today. For we, too, can be in a state of spiritual darkness. And in this darkness, we need the Lord to be born into our hearts. We need to look for Him in the truths of the Word with the desire to use these truths in our daily life. Then the heavenly light of the Lord’s Divine Truth can shine in our minds and guide our ways, leading us to His eternal happiness and peace.
4. The prophecy in Isaiah talks about a wolf together with a lamb, a leopard with a young goat, a calf with a young lion and that a child will lead them (Isaiah 11:6). This prophecy illustrates the importance of innocence—the willingness to be led by the Lord. The innocence of childhood is like a prophecy of the genuine innocence that people can have by looking to the Lord and trusting in Him.
5. Think about the names of the Lord in Isaiah 9: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Each one tells us something about the Lord—His work on earth and what He continues to do for us.

Read more about the Christmas prophecies

• “Looking Forward to Christmas” by Alfred Acton (ages 4-6)
  People looked forward to the Lord’s coming into the world because of the many prophecies in the Word that predicted that He would be born into the world.
• “Christmas Lesson: A Little Child Shall Lead” (ages 7-10)
  Talks about the Christmas prophecy in Isaiah 11:6 and helps us think about how it applies in our lives.
• “Waiting for Christmas Day” (ages 7-14)
  The Lord gave prophecies of His coming on earth, so that the people would be thinking about Him and would be ready to receive Him.
• “His Name Is Wonderful” by Donald Rose (ages 15-17)
  One of the Christmas prophecies said that His name would be called “Wonderful.” And it is wonderful that the Lord came into the world to save us and continues to care for us.
• “I Am the Light of the World” by Peter M. Buss, Jr. (ages 18 and up)
  This sermon explores light and darkness, focusing on how the prophecy in Isaiah (9:2) can help us understand the nature of God, what He longs to do, and the kind of life to which He leads us. 
• “And His Name Will Be Called” by Grant H. Odhner (ages 18 and up)
  Explores the development of the Lord in our lives, represented by the names He is to be called in Isaiah 9:6. 

Projects and activities for all ages

• Bethlehem Lay Sleeping Song Video (ages 2-10)
  This song tells the story of Christmas as given in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. 
• Light of the World (ages 4-14)
  Use light colored crayons or pastels on dark paper to illustrate light in the darkness. 
• His Name Shall Be Called (ages 4-14)
  Make a picture of the Lord, thinking about the names mentioned in Isaiah 9. Then write the names around the picture. 
• For Unto Us a Child Is Born (ages 3-7)
  Use the coloring page and other pieces of the project to show the baby Lord in the manger with Mary and Joseph. 
• Peaceable Kingdom (ages 3-14)
  Color pictures of animals mentioned in Isaiah 11 and use them to make Christmas ornaments or a table decoration. 
• Prayers for Children on Waiting for the Lord (ages 7-14)
  Three prayers for children, including “We pray that You will prepare our minds to receive You.” 
• Match Prophecies with Illustrations (ages 9-14)
  Match cards with illustrations of prophecies to cards with the text of the prophecies. 
• Cards for Matching Prophecies and Their Fulfillment (ages 11-17)
  Match prophecies of the Lord's coming with New Testament passages showing how the prophecies were fulfilled. 
• Unto Us a Child Is Born Poster
  The prophecy from Isaiah 9 with a lovely color border. 

Conclusion

How might we respond to the Lord’s coming? Perhaps we will echo the words of this prophecy, given thousands of years ago. “It will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation’” (Isaiah 25:9).

Sign up to receive notification when new highlights like this are published. Subscribe.