The Only Chance of Failure is Your Own Choice!
In previous articles we have looked at science and the Bible and have found that science does not discredit the Bible, they both go hand in glove in their support of each other. We have established that science takes its cue from the divine Word and not the other way round. We have found that the Bible factualizes history. On many occasions when ancient history meets an impasse, the Bible often shows the way. We have shown that history is not a circular repetition of events but the unfolding of His-Story from a beginning to an end in a linear fashion. We have seen that the Bible and its prophecies are all grounded in history demonstrating the origins of humanity, their past actions and the consequences that followed, and finally what the future holds for humanity vis-a-vis their response to God’s instructions to them.
We have shown that Jesus Christ is historical. In this article we will look at the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament written over a thousand years before the event, and how they were all fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ as He lived and died in Israel. Here is a question, “what are the odds of hundreds of prophecies written over a thousand years ago on a particular person all finding their fulfilment in that person? Is that possible?” Before answering this question let us briefly define very simply what ‘Messianism’ or the ‘Messiah’ is all about.
Messianism denotes the age or era when a Saviour will appear on earth to save mankind from self-destruction. There will be global peace forever and no more sin. Affliction will not rise up a second time as predicted in Nahum 1:9. Two of the most prominent scripture are found in the book of Isaiah, in Isaiah 2:4 and Isaiah 11:6-9. Messianic prophecies refer to biblical predictions centering around a saviour. Christians have repeatedly shown how these messianic predictions have all been fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. Scholars reckon that there are over three hundred messianic prophecies in the Bible speaking of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Several of these are repetitions, but we still have hundreds that predict circumstances on the Messiah’s life. Therefore, what are the odds of this ever happening to one person? For private research on this subject one may consult the books (just to mention two excellent ones), Science Speaks by Peter Stoner (June 16, 1888-Mch 21, 1980) and Christ in Prophecy, Study Guide, by Dr. David R. Reagan. If God gave these messianic predictions then we expect all to be fulfilled in one person if God and His word are to be creditable.
As we look at the scientific probability of these predictions finding fulfilment in only one person, Jesus Christ, we will learn something of the nature and origin of that person. These predictions and their successful fulfilment also serve as a warning to humanity that their future will most assuredly depend on their response to God who lovingly gave us these predictions on the coming Messiah. In Luke 24:7 Jesus meets his dejected disciples on the day of his resurrection and “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” This means that Jesus confirmed that the scriptures testify of Him; if this is the case, then all we have to do in order to prove Jesus wrong, is to show that the Messianic prophecies did not all find fulfilment in Jesus’ life. Remember that the Old Testament was completed around 450 BC, hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth in 4 BC.
According to the science of probability, mathematicians say that the chances of one person fulfilling just eight prophecies are 1 in 100, 000,000,000,000,000,000 (1017); one person fulfilling 48 prophecies is 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power (10157), and one person fulfilling 300+ prophecies? Well, only Jesus did it. Let us look at only eight prophecies using the science of probability to estimate the chances of any human, with the exception of Jesus, fulfilling all eight in his lifetime. We are indebted to Stoner (Science Speaks, chap. 3) for the following information.
This prophecy predicts that the Christ is to be born in Bethlehem. Since this is the first prophecy to be considered there are no previously set restrictions, so our question is: One man in how many, the world over, has been born in Bethlehem? The best estimate which we can make of this comes from the attempt to find out the average population of Bethlehem, from Micah down to the present time, and divide it by the average population of the earth during the same period. This was estimated at one to 280,000. Since the probable population of the earth has averaged less than two billion, the population of Bethlehem has averaged less than 7,150. Our answer may be expressed in the form that one man in 7,150/2,000,000,000 or one man in 2.8 x 105 was born in Bethlehem.
Our question here is: Of the men who have been born in Bethlehem, one man in how many has had a forerunner to prepare his way? John the Baptist, of course, was the forerunner of Christ. But since there appears to be no material difference between the people born in Bethlehem and those born any other place in the world, the question can just as well be general: One man in how many, the world over, has had a forerunner to prepare his way? This prophecy apparently referred to a special messenger of God, whose one duty was to prepare the way for the work of Christ, so there is a further restriction added. The final estimate by students was 1 in a thousand, or 1 in 103.
Our question then is: One man in how many, who was born in Bethlehem and had a forerunner, did enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a colt the foal of an ass? This becomes so restrictive that we should consider an equivalent question: One man in how many, who has entered Jerusalem as a ruler, has entered riding on a colt the foal of an ass? Students said that this was a very hard thing to place an estimate on. They knew of no one but Christ who had so entered. They agreed to place an estimate of 1 in 104. We will use 1 in 102.
There seems to be no relation between the fulfilment of this prophecy and those which we have previously considered. We may then ask the question: One man in how many, the world over, has been betrayed by a friend, and that betrayal has resulted in his being wounded in his hands? Students finally agreed upon 1 in a thousand, though most of the students would have preferred a larger number. So we will use the 1 in 103.
The students thought this would be extremely rare and set their estimate as one in 10,000, or 1 in 104. We will use 1 in 103.
This is extremely specific. All thirty pieces of silver are not to be returned. They are to be cast down in the house of the Lord, and they are to go to the potter. You will recall that Judas in remorse tried to return the thirty pieces of silver, but the chief priest would not accept them. So Judas threw them down on the floor of the temple and went and hanged himself. The chief priest then took the money and bought a field of the potter to bury strangers in. Our question is: One man in how many, after receiving a bribe for the betrayal of a friend, had returned the money, had it refused, had thrown it on the floor in the house of the Lord, and then had it used to purchase a field from the potter? Students doubted if there has ever been another incident involving all of these items, but they agreed on an estimate of one in 100,000. They were very sure that this was conservative. So we use the estimate as 1 in 105.
One man in how many, after fulfilling the above prophecies, when he is oppressed and afflicted and is on trial for his life, though innocent, will make no defence for himself? Again, students said they did not know that this had ever happened in any case other than Christ’s. At least it is extremely rare, so they placed their estimate as one in 10,000 or 1 in 104. We will use 1 in 103.
The Jews are still looking for the coming of Christ; in fact, He might have come any time after these prophecies were written up to the present time, or even on into the future. So, our question is: One man in how many, from the time of David on, has been crucified? After studying the methods of execution down through the ages and their frequency, the students agreed to estimate this probability at one in 10,000 or 1 in 104, which we will use. If these estimates are considered fair, one man in how many men, the world over, will fulfil all eight prophecies? This question can be answered by applying our principles of probability. In other words, by multiplying all of our estimates together, or 1 in 2.8 x 105 x 103 x 102 x 103 x 103 x 105 x 103 x 104. This gives 1 in 2.8 x 1028, where 28 means that we have 28 cyphers following the 2.8. Let us simplify and reduce the number by calling it 1 in 1028. Written out this number is 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
This is the answer to the question: One man in how many men has fulfilled these eight prophecies? But we are really concerned with the answer to the question: What is the chance that any man might have lived from the day of these prophecies down to the present time and have fulfilled all of the eight prophecies? We can answer this question by dividing our 1028 by the total number of people who have lived since the time of these prophecies. The best information available indicates the number to be about 88 billion or 8.8 x 1010. To simplify the computation let us call the number 1011. By dividing these two numbers we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017.
Editor’s note: It is probable that 88 billion or 8.8 x 1010 assumes a growth rate for the earth’s population which is much too small – that most of the people who have ever lived are still alive today – suggesting that this number may be too large by a factor of ten. If so, this will affect the final result by the same factor of ten; ten times fewer total people who might have fulfilled these prophecies means only one- tenth the chance that one of them might have done it by accident. Our number would become 1018 instead of 1017. The number used in this book is very conservative.
Let us try to visualize this chance. If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all of the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one.
What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom. Now these prophecies were either given by inspiration of God or the prophets just wrote them as they thought they should be. In such a case the prophets had just one chance in 1017 of having them come true in any man, but they all came true in Christ.
This means that the fulfilment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of those prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 1017 of being absolute. Sometimes we weigh our chances in the business world and say if an investment has nine chances in ten of being profitable, and only one chance in ten of being a failure, it is safe enough for us to make the investment. Whoever heard of an investment that had only one chance in 1017 of failure?
The business world has no conception of such an investment. Yet we are offered this investment by God. By the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior we know, from only these eight prophecies which lack only 1 chance in 1017 of being an absolute proof, that that investment will yield the wonderful dividend of eternal life with Christ. Can anyone be so unreasonable as to reject Jesus Christ and pin his hope of eternal life on such a slim chance as finding the right silver dollar among this great mass, covering the whole state of Texas two feet deep? It does not seem possible, yet every man who rejects Christ is doing just that.
More than three hundred prophecies from the Old Testament which deal with the first advent of Christ have been listed. Every one of them was completely fulfilled by Jesus Christ. And all for your sake and mine. Folks, we cannot fail to be saved by Jesus Christ except that we personally reject His overtures of love, forgiveness, and restoration. Please, choose life and not death! Next month we will consider some more of this information.
If you have any comments or questions please contact Pr. Ron Henderson at ronhende@outlook.com.
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