No 5

(Immanuel)

This name was given to Jesus signifying the meaning that “God is with us”. It appears three times in the Bible and in every case it refers to the Messiah. The first appearance is in the form of a prophesy by Isaiah – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) We have looked at many of the prophesies in the book of Isaiah. The second time the word appears is also in Isaiah but this time it refers to the land that the Messiah will one day rule over – “And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel”. (Isaiah 8:8). The word “he” in this verse refers to the king of Assyria that God had appointed to chasten His children for their evil and idolatrous ways. The third time it appears in the Bible is when Matthew penned his gospel and described how the birth of the Messiah Jesus was to be fulfilled by the child that Mary, Joseph’s betrothed wife, was carrying – “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. (Matthew 1:23). This name of God is very important because it applies to this very day!! God is with us right now, dwelling in the hearts of the true believers.