Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14: Immediate Single Fulfillment or Distance Dual Future Messianic Prophecy

Abstract

Prophet Isaiah 7:14 prophesied regarding the birth of “Immanuel” and has been the subject of heated discussion among scholars particularly the exact fulfillment of this messianic prophecy. Scholars agreed that this text has the most vexing question in the entire Messianic prophecies in Isaiah. In fact, scholars have three propositions as to its fulfillment. First, the so-called “nonfulfillment” position which holds that the Virgin and Immanuel were living in the time of prophet Isaiah only. Second, is the position that maintains single fulfillment that suggests that the text is only prediction of the Virgin birth of Christ. Third, asserts of the double fulfillment position that sees a near fulfillment in the prophet’s time and a remote but perfect fulfillment in the New Testament. This research has arrived in the conclusion that the third position is the most preferred. The prophecy has been initially fulfilled during the Old Testament time, since the term “Immanuel” is attributive rather than personal name. The birth of the child “Immanuel” describes how God remains close to His people in the time of national crisis. This “Immanuel” was a type of the real “Immanuel” par excellence. Jesus was not born as Immanuel in the book of Isaiah for it took almost 700 years when the real “Immanuel” was born in the time of the New Testament recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.