βBut thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlastingβ (Micah 5:2).
Todayβs Scripture, written about 700 B.C., prophesies the exact birthplace of Israelβs Messiah.
Notice the Bible is very specific: βBethlehem Ephratahβ pinpoints the Bethlehem in southern Israel (there was another Bethlehem, in Galilee, northern Israel). Bethlehem of Judaea, as todayβs Scripture teaches, is βlittle among the thousands of Judahβ (a little-known village).
The Bible tells us that Bethlehem Ephratah was the birthplace of King David (1 Samuel 16:1-18). John 7:42 reads: βHath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?β Jesus Christ will inherit His father Davidβs throne, and David is a type/preview/shadow of Christ (Isaiah 9:6,7; Luke 1:31-33). Thus, they share Bethlehem Ephratah as their birthplace (cf. Luke 2:4).
βBethlehemβ is an interesting term. Jesus Christ likened Himself to the manna of the Old Testament. He claimed, βFor the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the worldβ¦. I am that bread of life: I am the bread which came down from heavenβ¦. I am that bread of lifeβ (John 6:33,35,41,48). Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1,5,6): βBethlehemβ is Hebrew for βhouse of bread.β Thus, the βBread of Life,β Jesus Christ, was born in the βHouse of Bread,β Bethlehem. Fascinating!
Furthermore, Joseph (Jesusβ legal father) lived in Nazareth. When Roman emperor Caesar Augustus sent out a decree for taxing the people of the empire (conducting a census), Joseph had to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem of Judaea, taking pregnant Mary with him (Luke 2:1-5). Christ was born there in Bethlehem. Some 700 years beforehand, the Bible knew Joseph and Mary would not be in Nazareth for Christβs birth, but in Bethlehem, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of todayβs Scripture. Amazing!
These are evidences that the Bible is a supernatural Bookβindeed, it is Godβs Book. source
