The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

CHAPTER SIX
THE BIRTH NAMES OF CHRIST
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel “ (Isaiah 7.14).
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace “' (Isaiah 9:6).
The virgin conception of Christ was prophesied many years before His birth in
Bethlehem and, when understood correctly, is one of the foundational doctrines of Scripture.
Genesis 3:15 is the first reference to the coming of Christ; embryonically it anticipated the virgin
birth by calling Jesus “the seed of the woman.” The miracle of the virgin birth was not so much
in the birth but, rather, in the supernatural conception of Jesus. There are five persons in
Scripture with supernatural origins. Adam was created with neither male nor female parents.
Eve's origin involved a man but no female. Isaac was born to parents both of whom were beyond
the age in which they could physically produce children. John the Baptist was born to parents
who were well into old age. But the greatest of the supernatural origins was that of Jesus, whose
birth involved .a virgin but no man.
As miraculous as the virgin birth of Jesus Christ was, the real significance of the event is
that it marked the incarnation of Christ. In the words of John, “the Word was made flesh” (John
1:14). Even Isaiah, the prophet of the virgin birth, alluded to the incarnation when he
differentiated between a human child born and the divine Son given (Isaiah 9:6). The birth of
Christ, celebrated each year at Christmas, marks the time when He emptied Himself to become a
man. Though He always remained God, while on earth, the glory of Jesus was veiled, and He
chose voluntarily to limit Himself in the independent use of His non-moral attributes.
One of the tasks of the parents of a newborn baby is to give that child a name. Usually the
parents will spend several months discussing possible names they may or may not choose. Often
friends and relatives will suggest names they think are suitable. I have often suggested that,
expectant parents consider naming a son “Elmer,” so far without success! The concern of many
parents is to choose a name that expresses their aspirations for their child or suggests by
association a positive role model for the child. When that name is chosen, it has a special
significance to the proud parents of the newborn baby.
Several of the names and titles of Jesus were given in the context of His birth. It is almost
as though the prophets of God sought for the ideal name for the baby Jesus as they anticipated
His coming to this world. In this chapter, we propose to look at several of what may be called the
“Birth Names of Jesus.”
THE DAYSPRING FROM ON HIGH
When Zacharias prophesied at the birth of his son John, he called his son “the prophet of
the Highest” (Luke 1:76). But the emphasis of his prophecy focused upon the One whom he