Many of us are familiar with the scriptures about Christmas that we see on the cards we receive. We read Luke 2 or the references in a Christmas sermon. You might even get an occasional Old Testament Bible verse on a card.

But many don’t realize there are nearly 400 specific prophecies about the coming of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Most of these prophecies about Christ were given centuries before and yet all of them were fulfilled. These references and prophecies begin in Genesis and continue throughout the Old Testament.

We reviewed a book published this spring by Bill Perkins and Buck Storm entitled “The List,” which is a novel set in the time that Jesus lived and centers around two rich and powerful Jews. The purpose of the novel is that people would see the events surrounding Jesus’ fulfillment of Bible prophecy from a Jewish perspective.

The novel does a great job of making these prophecies come to life. To have one person fulfill hundreds of prophecies is mathematically impossible without divine intervention. This is a great book for anyone wanting a fresh perspective about Christmas and the life of Christ.

In Isaiah 7:14 it is foretold that “a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name immanuel.” Jeremiah 23:5 tells us that the Messiah will come from lineage of King David and the gospel of Matthew confirms this. There were two small villages by the name of Bethlehem and in Micah 5:2 he says, “But as for you Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you one will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel. His goings are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

Now, an interesting prophecy in Hosea 11:1 says, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” But this is exactly what happened when Joseph and Mary fled with the child to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath.

Other prophecies will tell us that he will enter Jerusalem publicly on a donkey, (Zech. 9:9), he would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9) and he would be crucified, not stoned to death (Psalm 22:16). As you read through the Old Testament, work at “seeing Jesus.” What references do you see that predict the coming messiah?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy. The word Bethlehem means “house of bread,” for Christ was the bread from heaven. “Ephrathah” means “fruitfulness.” As Jesus later told his disciples, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” (John 15:8)

Just as the Child quietly arrived in that town of towns, so He longs to be born again in the hearts of every one of us. Someone once said, “The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart.”

If you are looking for a great Christmas gift that tells this story you might want to get some copies of “The List.” This is a captivating story with an appendix that brings out those prophecies that Nicodemus discovered in the book. It is available at the Sower Book Store locally or wherever books are sold.

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Bob Shillingstad’s religion columns appear Saturdays in The Press. Email Bob: bjshill@mac.com