Mathematical Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Prophecy

[aaronjm]

"The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ‘we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 10to the 17th power 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."

Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157th power, or 1 in 10,00,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 000,000,000."

(This information was taken from the book Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell.)

The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident. He was who He said He was: the only way (John 14:6).

http://www.carm.org/questions/onlytrue.htm

Edited December 23, 2005 by aaronjm

[Carter]

How big is the chance for faked prophesies?

How big is the chance prophecies can come into being without god?

I can't prove that the bible has faked prophy fullfillments, but I can prove it's very possible to fullfill prophecies without God.

[cymba22]

How big is the chance for faked prophesies?

How big is the chance prophecies can come into being without god?

I can't prove that the bible has faked prophy fullfillments, but I can prove it's very possible to fullfill prophecies without God.

not all the ones required to be the messiah can be faked.

Edited December 24, 2005 by cymba22

[apothanein kerdos]

How big is the chance for faked prophesies?

How big is the chance prophecies can come into being without god?

I can't prove that the bible has faked prophy fullfillments, but I can prove it's very possible to fullfill prophecies without God.

How does a man fake being born in Bethlehem, being born of a virgin, and dying on a cross? That's quite an amazing achievement.

[Guest shiloh357]

How big is the chance for faked prophesies?

How big is the chance prophecies can come into being without god?

I can't prove that the bible has faked prophy fullfillments, but I can prove it's very possible to fullfill prophecies without God.

In order to make any number of prophecies come true, you would have to be in control of every event in your life, and you would also have to be able to control the actions and responses of others to you. You would have to be in control of where, when, and to whom you were born, for starters.

[eric]

Whoosh! Where are all these Wallies coming from. Why can't they pump their bilge water into some else's back yard,

[ted]

The bible can't prove the bible. That is called circular reasoning.

No, that's called your opinion.

t.

[Carter]

No, it is indeed circular reasoning, but not all is circular reasoning, because the biblke isn't writen as one book. To escpe the circular reasoning, you need differnt books, written at differnt dates.

How does a man fake being born in Bethlehem, being born of a virgin, and dying on a cross? That's quite an amazing achievement.

He doesn't...But the ones writing a Story about him could.

In order to make any number of prophecies come true, you would have to be in control of every event in your life, and you would also have to be able to control the actions and responses of others to you. You would have to be in control of where, when, and to whom you were born, for starters.

No...It's very possible to have a revelation that comes true without you controlling it.

But it is possible to control some actions into fullfilled prophecies.

not all the ones required to be the messiah can be faked.

Hi Cymba.

Maybe we should discuss this somewere else.

[AFaceInTheCrowd]

With GOD all things are possible.

[Guest shiloh357]

QUOTE

How does a man fake being born in Bethlehem, being born of a virgin, and dying on a cross? That's quite an amazing achievement.

He doesn't...But the ones writing a Story about him could.

Yes, you would have to produce the manuscript for such a charge to carry any weight. Anyone can make the accusation that the stories were made up, but demonstrating that with credible evidence is a different story.

QUOTE

In order to make any number of prophecies come true, you would have to be in control of every event in your life, and you would also have to be able to control the actions and responses of others to you. You would have to be in control of where, when, and to whom you were born, for starters.

No...It's very possible to have a revelation that comes true without you controlling it.

But it is possible to control some actions into fullfilled prophecies.

Yes a few maybe, but not to the degree that Jesus fulfilled them. To fulfill the number of prophecies that Jesus did, it would require the one doing the fulfilling to be in control of everything including including other people. Jesus' fulfillment was too specific