Got Faith?

The Mathematical Probability of Jesus Fulfilling
The Old Testament Prophecies as Israel's Messiah

Got Faith?

- Jesus The Messiah Statistically Proven -
(Download MP3)

The greatest accomplishment that can ever be attained in a person’s life is the salvation of their everlasting soul…and “faith” is the critical component that makes it all happen:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him…He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Hebrews 11:6; John 3:18 KJV)

So, how much “faith” does it take to become a Christian once the Holy Spirit calls a person to believe in Christ?

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 KJV)

Jesus said it only takes “mustard seed” size faith to believe in Him. But, then again, a simple “probability study” can certainly help that “faith” to grow. Because as you’re about to see, the statistics I’m referring to are based on the Biblical prophecies concerning Jesus, and the fulfillment of those same prophecies which confirmed Him to be “the Messiah”.

“And he [Jesus] said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” (Luke 24:44 KJV)

You see, Peter Stoner, in his book “Science Speaks”, stated that the probability of just eight particular prophecies being fulfilled in one person’s life is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (1 in 10^17). And as it concerns Jesus being “the Messiah”, the eight prophecies that he used in his statistical analysis were as follows:

1. Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem
(Micah 5:2; fulfilled in Matt. 2:1-7; John 7:42; Luke 2:47).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

2. Messiah is to be preceded by a Messenger
(Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; fulfilled in Matthew 3:1-3; 11:10; John 1:23; Luke 1:17).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

3. Messiah is to enter Jerusalem on a donkey
(Zechariah 9:9; fulfilled in Luke 19:35-37; Matthew 21:6-11).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

4. Messiah is to be betrayed by a friend
(Psalms 41:9; 55:12-14; fulfilled in Matthew 10:4; 26:49-50; John 13:21).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

5. Messiah is to be sold for 30 pieces of silver
(Zechariah 11:12; fulfilled in Matthew 26:15; 27:3).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

6. The money for which Messiah is sold is to be thrown “to the potter” in God’s house
(Zechariah 11:13; fulfilled in Matthew 27:5-7).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

7. Messiah is to be silent before His accusers
(Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Matthew 27:12).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

8. Messiah is to be executed by crucifixion as a thief
(Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 53:5,12; fulfilled in Luke 23:33; John 20:25; Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27,28).
(See full Scriptural proof text.)

Now, at the time of his study, Peter Stoner was Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College. In fact he used twelve different classes (representing some 600 university students) to calculate the probability of one man fulfilling the preceding eight prophecies made concerning Jesus being the Messiah.

The students worked out their estimates, carefully weighing all the factors. They discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances for any opportunity in which men might have conspired to fulfill a particular prophecy. In fact they made their estimates conservative enough so that even the most skeptical students agreed.

However, Professor Stoner then took their estimates and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair.

Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. They verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented (Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4).

For example, the Scriptures in Micah 5:2 state that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2 KJV)

In order to analyze this prophecy, Professor Stoner and his students determined the average population of BETHLEHEM from the time of Micah to the present. They then divided it by the average population of the earth during that same period of time and concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000 (one in 2.8 x 10^5 - rounded).

Then, after examining the eight different prophecies, they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17. And to illustrate how large the number 10^17 is (a figure with 17 zeros), Professor Stoner gave the following illustration:

If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all 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 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They'll 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've 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 them in their own wisdom (Idem, 106-107).

So, Professor Stoner concluded from his statistical analysis that the fulfillment of all eight prophecies not only proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies but it also proves that Jesus is the Messiah. In other words, the likelihood that Jesus was able to fulfill all eight prophecies by mere chance is only one in 100,000,000,000,000,000.

This is the kind of sure investment offered by God for those who put their faith in His Messiah. I mean, is there anyone who wouldn’t invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10^17?

Another way of saying this is; any person who minimizes or ignores the significance of the Biblical prophetic signs that identify Jesus as the Messiah is foolish.

However, for those who are truly weak in their faith, Professor Stoner had the following to say about Jesus fulfilling 48 prophecies: “… We find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be one in 10^157.”

Now, that’s an enormously large number that represents an extremely small chance. In fact let’s try to visualize it with yet another example. However, the silver dollar we’ve been using is entirely too large: we must select a smaller object.

The electron is about as small an object as we can imagine. It is so small that it will take 2.5 times 10^15 of them laid side by side to make a single file line one inch long. If we were going to count the electrons in this inch long line, and we counted 250 each minute (day and night), it would take us 19,000,000 years to count them.

But that’s not enough! We need a cubic inch of these electrons. And if we tried to count them (counting 250 each minute both day and night), it would take us 19,000,000 times 19,000,000 times 19,000,000 [nineteen million times nineteen million times nineteen million] or 6.9 times 10^21 years to count them all.

However, a one-inch cube packed full of electrons (15.625 times 10^45) is the approximate number of electrons in all the mass of the known universe, but yet we need 10^157. So let's suppose that we're somehow able to come up with this enormous number of electrons (10^157). We then take out one electron from the group, mark it, and thoroughly stir it back into the whole mass of electrons. A man is then blindfold and told to pick the right one. (The blindfold is optional.) What chance has he of finding the marked electron? One chance in 10^157!

Such is the chance of any one man fulfilling any 48 prophecies. Yet Jesus Christ fulfilled not just 48 prophecies, not just 61 prophecies, but 332 individual prophecies that were prophesied by the Prophets concerning the Messiah.

So what is the statistical projection representing the possibility of Jesus Christ fulfilling 332 prophecies? Does it really even matter after our 48-prophecy illustration? I mean, given those odds, would you bet against it?

Conclusion: Any person that rejects Jesus Christ as the Son of God rejects a fact proven more absolutely than any other fact in the history of the world!

- Jesus The Messiah Statistically Proven -
(Download MP3)

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Eight Proof Prophecies And Their Scriptures

1. Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem

Prophecy:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.” (Matthew 2:1-7 KJV)

“Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” (John 7:42 KJV)

“And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” (Luke 2:47 KJV)
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2. Messiah is to be preceded by a Messenger

Prophecy:

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3 KJV)

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” (Matthew 3:1-3 KJV)

“For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” (Matthew 11:10 KJV)

“He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” (John 1:23 KJV)

“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17 KJV)
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3. Messiah is to enter Jerusalem on a donkey

Prophecy:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;” (Luke 19:35-37 KJV)

“And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:6-11 KJV)
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4. Messiah is to be betrayed by a friend

Prophecy:

“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalms 41:9 KJV)

“For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” (Psalms 55:12-14 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.” (Matthew 10:4 KJV)

“And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.” (Matthew 26:49-50 KJV)

“When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” (John 13:21 KJV)
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5. Messiah is to be sold for 30 pieces of silver

Prophecy:

“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” (Zechariah 11:12 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26:15 KJV)

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,” (Matthew 27:3 KJV)
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6. The money for which Messiah is sold is to be thrown “to the potter” in God’s house

Prophecy:

“There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.” (Zechariah 11:3 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.” (Matthew 27:5-7 KJV)
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7. Messiah is to be silent before His accusers

Prophecy:

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.” (Matthew 27:12 KJV)
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8. Messiah is to be executed by crucifixion as a thief

Prophecy:

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” (Psalms 22:16 KJV)

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10 KJV)

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed…Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:5,12 KJV)

Fulfilled:

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” (Luke 23:33 KJV)

“The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25 KJV)

“Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” (Matthew 27:38 KJV)

“And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.” (Mark 15:27-28 KJV)
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