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Come, Follow Me · Old Testament 2026 · Week 52

“We Have Waited for Him, and He Will Save Us”

December 21–27, 2026Christmas: Old Testament prophecies of Christ11 passages

For a whole year we've read the Old Testament. This Christmas week gathers the passages that looked forward to Jesus Christ: the lamb God would provide, the star out of Jacob, the Shepherd, Immanuel, the child whose name is Wonderful, the ruler from Bethlehem, and the servant who bore our griefs. Then Luke 2 shows the waiting fulfilled.

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The text shown is the King James Version, the Church's preferred English Bible for classes and meetings. The General Handbook lists the ESV and NRSV as helpful translations for ages 14 and up. They are copyrighted, so they open on their publishers' sites. Highlighted verses have a study note with links to compare that verse.

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    Study guide

    This week's readings come from across the Old Testament. These notes show how the prophecies, symbols and names connect to Jesus Christ.

    How to read this week

    • Read the prophecies, then their fulfillment. For each passage, look up where the New Testament quotes it (listed in the notes). Seeing the two side by side is the heart of this week.
    • Look for symbols, not just predictions. The manual invites you to see Christ in symbols: a lamb, a star, a shepherd, a rock, living water, a branch, a light. Many of them appeared in our readings this year.
    • Learn His names. Isaiah 9:6 gives five titles. Each one tells you something about who Jesus is and what He does for you.
    • Remember the waiting. These words were spoken centuries before Bethlehem. Israel waited through exile and silence. Isaiah 25:9 is the cry of people who kept hoping.
    • End with Luke 2. After a year in the Old Testament, the Christmas story reads differently: you know how long the world waited.

    Waiting for the Messiah

    1. c. 2000 BC — Abraham offers Isaac on Mount Moriah: “God will provide himself a lamb” (Genesis 22)
    2. c. 1400–1200 BC — Balaam sees a Star out of Jacob (Numbers 24)
    3. c. 1000 BC — David, the shepherd king, writes psalms (Psalm 23)
    4. c. 735 BC — Isaiah gives the Immanuel sign to King Ahaz (Isaiah 7)
    5. c. 740–700 BC — Micah names Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
    6. c. 430 BC — Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet, looks for the Lord to come to His temple
    7. c. 5–1 BC — Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem (Luke 2)

    Symbols and names of Christ

    PassageImageWhat it means
    Genesis 22:8; Exodus 12The lambA sacrifice God provides. Jesus is “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18–20).
    Numbers 24:17The starLight and royalty: the star the wise men followed; “the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
    Psalm 23The shepherdOne who leads, feeds and protects, and lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
    Exodus 17:6; Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 47Living waterLife-giving water from the rock, the fountain and the temple (John 4:14).
    1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 118:22The rock and the cornerstoneA sure foundation (Helaman 5:12).
    Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5The rod and the BranchNew life from David's family tree.
    Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 9:2; Micah 7:8The lightLight in darkness. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
    Isaiah 7:14Immanuel“God with us.”
    Isaiah 9:6Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of PeaceFive names that describe His nature and work.

    Book of Mormon witnesses

    • 1 Nephi 11:13–21 — Nephi sees the virgin in Nazareth and the Lamb of God.
    • 2 Nephi 17–21 — Nephi copies Isaiah 7–14, including the Immanuel sign and Isaiah 9 and 11.
    • Mosiah 3:5–8; Mosiah 14 — King Benjamin foretells the Savior's birth and mission; Abinadi quotes Isaiah 53.
    • Helaman 14:2–6; 3 Nephi 1:13–21 — Samuel foretells the signs of His birth, and they come to pass: a day, a night and a day without darkness, and a new star.

    Questions for the week

    • Which Old Testament symbol of Christ means the most to you after this year of study, and why?
    • Which of the names in Isaiah 9:6 do you most need Jesus to be for you this Christmas?
    • Isaiah 25:9 says, “we have waited for him.” What are you waiting on the Lord for, and how does Christmas help you keep hoping?
    • How does reading Isaiah 53 change the way you see the baby in the manger?
    • How could your family's Christmas traditions point more clearly to Jesus Christ?

    Conference talks & Church resources

    Talks the Church's lesson points to this week, plus other Church resources that teach from these chapters.

    Scholarly papers

    Faithful scholarship from BYU and related publishers, tagged with the chapters each one discusses.

    Podcasts & video

    Christmas episodes from weekly Come, Follow Me shows.