Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. (Luke 24:44)
PETER STONER, A RETIRED PROFESSOR from Westmont College, conducted a study that would calculate the probability of one man fulfilling all the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament. He recruited twelve different classes representing about six hundred students. The goal was to get as close to unanimous agreement among them, which meant often adopting the most conservative estimate. Once the study was completed, he submitted his figures to the American Scientific Affiliation, who verified that his calculations were dependable and certainly credible from a scientific perspective.
The most conservative estimate on the odds was one in ten to the 157th power; that’s ten followed by 157 zeroes! The chances are simply astronomical. The professor concluded, “Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.”
The fulfilled-prophecy argument is so powerful that Jesus himself used it on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection. The apostle Paul used it on many occasions. Philip referred to a messianic prophecy in the book of Isaiah with the Ethiopian eunuch.
Everything that was ever written about the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures came true in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This is the biblical foundation upon which we base our hope in Jesus as Lord and Savior. There is one final prophecy to be fulfilled—He is coming again.
Stay alert.
Thank God that our Messiah can be known by both fact and faith!
Doug Schmidt is a freelance writer and editor; he is also on staff with his church as the small-groups director.
