Nearly 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz. Ahaz was afraid because of the threat of rivals in Syria and the Northern Kingdom. God had promised King David that his house would endure and that the Messiah would sit on his throne (2 Sam 7:12-16). If Ahaz had believed this, his heart would not have been troubled. God offered Ahaz a sign, which he refused. In response, the LORD promised to give a sign of His own doing! A virgin would conceive, and the child would be called "Immanuel" which means "God with us."