Dear brethren,

The Old Testament is the shadow of the good things to come in the New Testament, and thus everything in the Life of Christ and His works are mentioned in it, whether in prophesies or symbols or characters. As we are approaching the Nativity fast we would like to highlight some of the prophesies about the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ:

• He is from the seed of Jacob: “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num 24: 17).
• And from the tribe of Judah: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen 49: 10).
• From the stem of Jesse: “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.” (Isa 11: 1-2).
• The born is Most High & son of Most High: “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her. The Lord will record, When He registers the peoples: This one was born there” (Psa 87: 5-6).
• His birth and name: “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” (Isa 9: 6).
• His birth from a virgin: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa 7: 14).
• His place of birth: “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 are from of old, From everlasting” (Mic 5: 2).
• The time of His birth: “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times” (Dan 9: 25).
• His dwelling among us: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord” (Zec 2: 10).

Please remember the church, the servants and their services always in your prayers, and may the blessings of St. Mary the mother of God, and the blessing of the Nativity fast be with us always, Amen.

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