1. The Prophetic Background to the Incarnation
Things to remember:
Many of the texts we see as prophetic wouldn’t necessarily have seemed that way to the writer or their initial audience.
Many texts have more than one fulfilment.
The NT writers (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) use texts in ways that we wouldn’t today.

2. A “potted” history Abraham Moses 1500bc David 1000bc End of OT 500bc
Jesus
Catholic
500
Normans
1000
Reformation
1500 Us
2,000
2,000bc
Creation

3. A “potted” history – The Bible
Old Testament NT
Abraham
Moses
1500bc
David
1000bc
End of OT
500bc
Jesus
Catholic
500
Normans
1000
Reformation
1500 Us
2,000
2,000bc
Creation

4. A “potted” history – The Prophecies
Abraham
Moses
1500bc
David
1000bc
End of OT
500bc
Jesus
Catholic
500
Normans
1000
Reformation
1500 Us
2,000
2,000bc
Creation

5. The Prophetic Background to the Incarnation
Final thoughts:
There are many prophecies about Jesus, but few that detail his actual birth (though, of course, they all depend on this).
No-one at the time understood them. It was only after Jesus’ resurrection that they started to make sense.
Jesus’ birth was not of any great significance to the earliest Christians.