WHO IS JESUS?
JESUS SAID HE CAN SAVE THE LOST; HE CAN HELP MANKIND, AND THIS IS WHY HE CAME. HE EXPLAINED THAT HE IS ONLY ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE HE IS GOD. THIS IS A HUGE CLAIM TO MAKE, SO WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE HIM?
The prophecies He fulfilled in His lifetime have not been realised by any other man · He made His own prophecies which have all also been fulfilled · He performed miracles that were seen by many witnesses ·The most significant thing He did was to rise from the dead. There is no grave bearing His name and no bones to be found – He is alive.
Jesus said that He is ‘seeking the lost’. Many people are looking for someone who can give them something i.e. money, fame, or power; they want what they can get for their own advantage. But Jesus is seeking people because they need Him; He seeks us not for what He can get but for what He can give. He does not care about your race, riches or IQ; to be qualified for Him to save you, all you need is to see that you are lost and admit that you are a sinner. Sin is to ‘miss the mark’ of what God deems to be perfect, and all of us have to admit that we are not perfect and have all made mistakes – therefore we are all sinners. Jesus is the perfect example of courage, love and integrity; He did not just talk but He was a man of action. He did not just make speeches, but He made a difference by giving His life for the lost. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves – He paid the price of our sins by laying down His life for us. This is the gospel.
Sin is like a debt of $1,000,000,000 that doubles every second. It would be impossible to pay off, so it carries a death sentence – only when you die can it be cancelled. However, just before they sentence you, a man steps forward and says, ‘I will take your place’. This would sound like good news to you, and this, in a nutshell, is exactly what Jesus has done for us – paid the debt we could never pay, died for the sins we deserved to die for. The word ‘gospel’ means good news and we can share this with you because of Jesus.
That is why we believe in, worship and love Jesus. The 100’s of prophecies were right...
The Messiah must…Prophecy Fulfilment by Jesus
Be born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-7
Be adored by great persons Psalms 72:10-11; Matthew 2:1-11
Be anointed with the Spirit of God Isaiah 11:2, 61:1; Matthew 3:16, John 3:34, Acts 10:38
Be hated without cause Isaiah 49:7, Psalms 69:4; John 15:24-25
Be undesired and rejected by His own people Isaiah 53:2, 63:3, Psalms 69:8; Mark 6:3, Luke 9:58, John 1:11
Be plotted against by Jews and Gentiles together Psalms 2:1-2; Acts 4:27
Be betrayed by a friend Psalms 41:9, 55:12-24; Matthew 26:21-25, 47-50, John 13:18-21, Acts 1:16-18
Be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:16
Have his price given for a potter’s field Zechariah 11:13; Matthew 27:7
Be forsaken by His disciples Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31, 56
Be struck on the cheek Micah 5:1; Matthew 27:30
Be spat on Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67, 27:30
Be mocked Psalms 22:7-8; Matthew 27:31, 39-44
Be beaten Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67, 27:26, 30
Be thirsty during His execution Psalms 22:15; John 19:28
Be given vinegar to quench that thirst Psalms 69:21; Matthew 27:34
Be considered a transgressor Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38
Be buried with the rich when dead Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60
Be sought after by Gentiles as well as Jews Isaiah 11:10, 42:1; Acts 10:45
Be accepted by the Gentiles Isaiah 11:10, 42:1-4, 49:1-12; Matthew 12:21; Acts 10:45; Romans 15:9-12
Now that you have seen this comparison, you must answer this question, “What will you do about Jesus?”
So, what is probability? Probability, also known as 'odds', is a branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood that a given event will occur. To begin, let’s look at some interesting “odds”:
Being struck by lightning in a year = 7 x 105 or 1 in 700,000
Being killed by lightning in a year = 2 x 106 or 1 in 2,000,000
Becoming president = 1 x 107 or 1 in 10,000,000
A meteorite landing on your house = 1.8 x 1014 or 1 in 180,000,000,000,000
You will eventually die = 1 in 1
As you can see, the probability of being struck or killed by lightning, becoming president, or having a meteorite land on your house, progressively increases, given the event; however, someone somewhere will be that 1 in 10x, and that someone could be you.
Now, let’s look at one of the most amazing probability studies to be conducted. Dr. Peter Stoner, author of Science Speaks, applied the principle of probability, which states that if the chance of one thing happening is “1 in M”, and the chance of another independent thing happening is “1 in N”, then the chance that they shall both happen is “1 in M x N”, as it pertains to fulfilment of Biblical prophecies.
The Bible is full of prophecies, either events that have happened or events that will happen in the future. In Science Speaks, Dr. Stoner looks at the probability that one man, Jesus Christ, could have fulfilled even 8 of the 300 prophecies that pertain to Him in the Bible. Let’s look at these eight prophecies from the Old Testament pertaining to Christ, their fulfilment by Christ in the New Testament, the probability of one man fulfilling each prophecy, and the sum of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies. Keep in mind, the time span between the prophecies of the Old Testament and the New Testament fulfilment is hundreds, even thousands of years.
Old Testament Prophecy - New Testament Fulfilment Probability
Christ to be born in Bethlehem
(Micah 5:2)
And Herod asked where Christ had been born … they answered Bethlehem
(Matt 2:4-6)2.8 x 105 or 1 in 280,000
Forerunner of Christ
(Malachi 3:1)
John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ
(Mark 1:2-8)
1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
Christ entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey
(Zechariah 9:9)
Christ enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey
(Matthew 21:4-11)
1 x 102 or 1 in 100
Christ to be betrayed by a friend
(Psalm 41:9)
Judas betrayed Jesus
(Luke 22:21)
1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
Christ to be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
(Zechariah 11:12)
Judas sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver
(Matthew 26:15)1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
30 pieces of silver cast down and used to buy a potter’s field
(Zechariah 11:13)
30 pieces of silver used to buy a potter’s field
(Matthew 27:3-10)1 x 105 or 1 in 100,000
Although innocent, Christ kept silent when on trial
(Isaiah 53:7)Jesus kept silent when questioned
(Mark 14:60-61)
1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
Christ crucified
(Psalm 22:16)
Jesus was crucified
(John 19:17, 18)1 x 104 or 1 in 10,000
To answer the question, "What is the probability of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies?", the principle of probability is applied. Therefore, multiplying all eight probabilities together (1 time 2.8 x 105 x 103 x 102 x 103 x 103 x 105 x 103 x 104) gives us 2.8 x 1028, or for simplicity's sake 1 x 1028 or 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Given this and the time span between the writings of the Old Testament and the fulfilment by Christ in the New Testament, the prophecies were either given to the prophets by God, or the prophets just wrote them down as they thought they should be. With Christ fulfilling all eight prophecies, what are the odds the prophets were just guessing?