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victoriasas 04-Oct-23, 19:40	Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Messianic Prophecies What are the odds of Jesus Christ fulfilling eight Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament that were written 500+ years before His birth to the Virgin Mary and earthly ministry? A college professor put the odds at 1 in 10^28, or, written out, 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. (And Jesus Christ fulfilled more than eight Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.) Here are the eight Messianic prophecies considered for the study by Peter Stoner (credentials at bottom of post) and excerpts from his comments underneath the prophecies. • "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) <<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?>> <<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 10 to the fifth was born in Bethlehem.>> • "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.” (Malachi 3:1) <<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? The students said that the 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 students finally agreed on one in 1,000 as being extremely conservative. Most of the members thought the estimate should be much larger. We will use the estimate as 1 in 10 to the third.>> • “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) <<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? The 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. The students thought that at least in more modern times any one entering Jerusalem as a king would use a more dignified means of transportation. They agreed to place an estimate of 1 in 104. We will use 1 in 102.>> • “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 13:6) <<Christ was betrayed by Judas, one of His disciples, causing Him to be put to death, wounds being made in His hands.>> <<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? The students said that it was very rare to be betrayed by a friend, and still rarer for the betrayal to involve wounding in the hands. One in 1.000 was finally agreed upon, though most of the students would have preferred a larger number. So we will use the 1 in 10 to the 3 power.>> • “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) <<The question here is very simple: Of the people who have been betrayed, one in how many has been betrayed for exactly thirty pieces of silver? The students thought this would be extremely rare and set their estimate as one in 10,000, or 1 in 10 to the 4 power. We will use 1 in 10 to the 3 power.>> • “And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.” (Zechariah 11:13) <<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? The students said they 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 10 to the 5 power.>> • “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) <<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 defense for himself? Again my 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 10 to the 4 power. We will use 1 in 10 to the 3 power.>> • “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:16) <<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 10 to the 4 power, which we will use.>> www.preceptaustin.org I should note that Daniel 9:23-27 is an extremely specific prophecy of when the Messiah would be crucified. But it’s somewhat convoluted, which is likely why it wasn’t included. Here are the verses in the KJV… “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:23-27) And some articles explaining the prophecy… enduringword.com www.gotquestions.org I should add that not all Bible commentators consider Zechariah 13:6 to be a Messianic prophecy. Here are the credentials of Peter Stoner… <<PETER W. STONER, M.S. Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953; Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953-57; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.>> sciencespeaks.dstoner.net
victoriasas 05-Oct-23, 09:29	Couple of thoughts on the above… • Just how long are the odds of 1 in 10^28? Longer than the odds of a single protein forming by chance (which, if memory serves, is 1 in 10^17) which is a necessary precursor to life. The article I based the above post on gave this example to illustrate the odds of 1 in 10^17, which are the odds 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.” (The odds of 1 in 10^28 answers this question: One man in how many men, the world over, will fulfill all eight prophecies?) <<Suppose that we take 10 to the 17 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.>> www.preceptaustin.org • Jesus Christ fulfilled 324 prophecies, according to the website linked below - far more than the eight cited in Professor Stoner’s example. <<How many prophecies did Jesus fulfill? The Bible is full of Messianic prophecies. Mathematician Peter Stoner counted the probability of one person fulfilling even a small number of them. And he concluded, the chance of a single man fulfilling “just” 48 of the prophecies found in the Tanakh (Old Testament) would be one in 10 followed by 157 zeros! In other words, that’s an unimaginable – to me – number! And how many prophecies did Jesus fulfill? Let’s find out. Almost Seven Times that Many What if He was Messiah prophesied? After all, Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) fulfilled not just the 48 specifically Messianic prophecies. In fact, He fulfilled more than 324 individual prophecies that related to the Messiah! The first calculation was amazing enough for me. So, the probability of one man fulfilling 324 prophecies must be a number beyond comprehension for anyone!>> firmisrael.org • But couldn’t Jesus and His disciples arranged for prophecies to be fulfilled by their actions? In a few cases, such as Jesus riding on a colt into Jerusalem, yes, but most prophecies were outside their control or required the cooperation of their enemies - people who did not believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah and would have no reason to help Him fulfill prophecies. • That Jesus Christ fulfilled 324 prophecies related to the Messiah in the Old Testament proves (to me) that He not only was the promised Messiah but that the prophets wrote those prophecies under the inspiration, guidance and control of God’s Holy Spirit. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

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victoriasas
04-Oct-23, 19:40

Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Messianic Prophecies

What are the odds of Jesus Christ fulfilling eight Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament that were written 500+ years before His birth to the Virgin Mary and earthly ministry?

A college professor put the odds at 1 in 10^28, or, written out, 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

(And Jesus Christ fulfilled more than eight Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.)

Here are the eight Messianic prophecies considered for the study by Peter Stoner (credentials at bottom of post) and excerpts from his comments underneath the prophecies.

• "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)

<<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?>>

<<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 10 to the fifth was born in Bethlehem.>>

• "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.”

(Malachi 3:1)

<<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?

The students said that the 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 students finally agreed on one in 1,000 as being extremely conservative. Most of the members thought the estimate should be much larger. We will use the estimate as 1 in 10 to the third.>>

• “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)

<<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?

The 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. The students thought that at least in more modern times any one entering Jerusalem as a king would use a more dignified means of transportation. They agreed to place an estimate of 1 in 104. We will use 1 in 102.>>

• “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”

(Zechariah 13:6)

<<Christ was betrayed by Judas, one of His disciples, causing Him to be put to death, wounds being made in His hands.>>

<<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?
The students said that it was very rare to be betrayed by a friend, and still rarer for the betrayal to involve wounding in the hands. One in 1.000 was finally agreed upon, though most of the students would have preferred a larger number. So we will use the 1 in 10 to the 3 power.>>

• “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)

<<The question here is very simple: Of the people who have been betrayed, one in how many has been betrayed for exactly thirty pieces of silver?

The students thought this would be extremely rare and set their estimate as one in 10,000, or 1 in 10 to the 4 power. We will use 1 in 10 to the 3 power.>>

• “And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.”

(Zechariah 11:13)

<<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?

The students said they 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 10 to the 5 power.>>

• “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)

<<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 defense for himself?

Again my 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 10 to the 4 power. We will use 1 in 10 to the 3 power.>>

• “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”

(Psalm 22:16)

<<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 10 to the 4 power, which we will use.>>

www.preceptaustin.org

I should note that Daniel 9:23-27 is an extremely specific prophecy of when the Messiah would be crucified. But it’s somewhat convoluted, which is likely why it wasn’t included.

Here are the verses in the KJV…

“At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

(Daniel 9:23-27)

And some articles explaining the prophecy…

enduringword.com

www.gotquestions.org

I should add that not all Bible commentators consider Zechariah 13:6 to be a Messianic prophecy.

Here are the credentials of Peter Stoner…

<<PETER W. STONER, M.S.
Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953; Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953-57; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.>>

sciencespeaks.dstoner.net

victoriasas
05-Oct-23, 09:29

Couple of thoughts on the above…

• Just how long are the odds of 1 in 10^28?

Longer than the odds of a single protein forming by chance (which, if memory serves, is 1 in 10^17) which is a necessary precursor to life.

The article I based the above post on gave this example to illustrate the odds of 1 in 10^17, which are the odds 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.”

(The odds of 1 in 10^28 answers this question: One man in how many men, the world over, will fulfill all eight prophecies?)

<<Suppose that we take 10 to the 17 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.>>

www.preceptaustin.org

• Jesus Christ fulfilled 324 prophecies, according to the website linked below - far more than the eight cited in Professor Stoner’s example.

<<How many prophecies did Jesus fulfill?

The Bible is full of Messianic prophecies. Mathematician Peter Stoner counted the probability of one person fulfilling even a small number of them. And he concluded, the chance of a single man fulfilling “just” 48 of the prophecies found in the Tanakh (Old Testament) would be one in 10 followed by 157 zeros!

In other words, that’s an unimaginable – to me – number! And how many prophecies did Jesus fulfill? Let’s find out.

Almost Seven Times that Many

What if He was Messiah prophesied? After all, Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) fulfilled not just the 48 specifically Messianic prophecies. In fact, He fulfilled more than 324 individual prophecies that related to the Messiah! The first calculation was amazing enough for me. So, the probability of one man fulfilling 324 prophecies must be a number beyond comprehension for anyone!>>

firmisrael.org

• But couldn’t Jesus and His disciples arranged for prophecies to be fulfilled by their actions?

In a few cases, such as Jesus riding on a colt into Jerusalem, yes, but most prophecies were outside their control or required the cooperation of their enemies - people who did not believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah and would have no reason to help Him fulfill prophecies.

• That Jesus Christ fulfilled 324 prophecies related to the Messiah in the Old Testament proves (to me) that He not only was the promised Messiah but that the prophets wrote those prophecies under the inspiration, guidance and control of God’s Holy Spirit.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”

(Isaiah 46:9-10)

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