In Scripture the theme of Immanuel, which means “God with us,” gets repeated over and over with God’s people.

The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 says,

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.

This prophecy specifically predicts the king Hezekiah, who would be God’s man that would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrian Empire. In history, Hezekiah represented Immanuel, God with us, because he stood his ground by trusting in the Lord even when the Assyrian army had surrounded and laid siege to Jerusalem. By Hezekiah’s trust in God, Jerusalem was delivered and the Assyrian army was defeated.

The prophecy was repeated at the prediction of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:23). In Christianity today, we have commonly celebrated Jesus as Immanuel when we celebrate Christmas, but to Mary, Joseph, and the people of God in the first century, it had an actual historical meaning in their lives.

For the angel to call the coming child (Jesus) Immanuel meant that God was going to raise up a man in their day who would be a leader who would take a stand for God.  The person’s presence, called  Immanuel, would literally mean that God was with them in their day to change things. Because of the prophecy, they were expecting God to raise up a Hezekiah–like figure who would deliver the people of God from the crises of their day.

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by performing signs, wonders, and miracles and demonstrating that God was with Him and with the people of His day. Further, He demonstrated Immanuel when He established the church, and the apostles began to imitate His works.

God’s ways have not changed for today. He still gives prophecies of Immanuel, God with us, and raises up leaders to be Hezekiah–like and Christ–like people  These leaders will take a stand for God and experience that God is with them. God then uses these leaders to deliver His people from the crisis of their day.

In 2011, we can still say that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. We can also say that God is still raising up Immanuel in our midst, by raising up people who will take a stand for God and experience God’s practical presence for victorious daily living today.  You and I could be Immanuel.