The Prophets' Candle, Symbolizing Hope

What is Advent? What is an Advent Calendar? What is the hope of the Messiah? Where does the Old Testament prophesy the coming of the Messiah? Readings for the first week of Advent from Got Questions.

Day One: Advent
Advent is the season of the year leading up to Christmas. It is observed with various traditions and rituals by Catholics and other liturgical groups such as Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists. In recent years, Advent celebrations of one type or another have been added to many evangelical services as well...
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See also: "Advent: Anticipating the Arrival of the Savior"

Day Two: The Advent Calendar
The word "Advent" has a Latin origin meaning "the coming," or more accurately, "coming toward." For Christian believers, Christmas is one of the greatest events in the yearly cycle, being the celebration of the greatest gift ever given by God to mankind...
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Day Three: The Old Testament and Jesus
There are many Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. Some interpreters place the number of Messianic prophecies in the hundreds. The following are those that are considered the clearest and most important...
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See also: "Was the story of Jesus written to seemingly fulfill Old Testament prophecies?"

Day Four: Micah 5:2
Micah 5:2 predicts, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." The verse clearly speaks of a coming king in Israel, but does it predict the coming of the Messiah?...
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Day Five: The Son of David
Seventeen verses in the New Testament describe Jesus as the "son of David." But the question arises, how could Jesus be the son of David if David lived approximately 1,000 years before Jesus? The answer is that Christ (the Messiah) was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the seed of David...
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Day Six: Hosea 11:1
Hosea 11:1 states, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." Is this verse a Messianic prophecy? The context of this verse speaks of the relationship the Lord had with the nation of Israel...
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Day Seven: Of Virgins and Young Women
...Matthew 1:23 reads, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, 'God with us.'" Christians point to this "virgin birth" as evidence of Messianic prophecy fulfilled by Jesus. Is this a valid example of fulfilled prophecy?...
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See also: "A Rod of Jesse, born of a Virgin"

The Advent Series:
"The Prophets' Candle, Symbolizing Hope"
"The Bethlehem Candle, Symbolizing Faith"
"The Shepherds' Candle, Symbolizing Joy"
"The Angels' Candle, Symbolizing Peace"

Image Credit: Melly95; Untitled; Creative Commons