What Are The Chances?
How Fulfilled Prophecy Strengthens Our Faith
On this Christmas, we are mindful of the many prophecies that predicted the incarnation, when God became a man. One of the most notable is the prediction that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem by the prophet Micah, 700 years before Jesus was born—you guessed it—in Bethlehem.
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” –Matthew 2:5–6
After Jesus was raised from the dead, he walked along the road to Emmaus in his resurrection body with two travelers who got an unexpected Bible study with the King of Kings. “And beginning with Moses,” Luke tells us, “and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27).
The fulfilled prophecies of Scripture bolster our confidence in the reliability of Scripture as the Word of God. Only God knows the future, and occasionally he pulls back the curtain to show us things that are to be. These prophecies both warn and encourage us.
15 Prophecies of Christ in Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
As an example of fulfilled prophecy, here are 15 prophecies that predicted Israel’s coming King, the One we know today as Jesus from the post-exilic prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Some are clearer and more detailed than others, but all point to Jesus. Keep in mind that these predictions were made four centuries before Christ was born.
1. He will be the Present King who proves that God is with us (Hag. 1:13,14; Isa.7:14; Mt. 1:23).
2. He will be the Temple King, filled with God’s glory who comes to make peace (Hag. 2:7; Jn. 1:14; 2:19).
3. He will be the Global King who impresses all nations with his seal of ownership (Hag. 2:23; Lk. 2:29f).
4. He will be the Priestly King, accused by Satan and cleansed by God (Zech. 3:1; Mt. 1:21; Heb 4:14).
5. He will be the Servant King who submits to God’s will (Zech. 3:8; Phil. 2:6,7).
6. He will be the Legal King, descending from David’s Branch (Zech. 3:8; Jer. 23:5; Luke 1:26).
7. He will be the Humble King who enters Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9; Mt. 21:5).
8. He will be the Angry King who confronts false shepherds (Zech. 10:2; Mk. 3:5).
9. He will be the Rejected King worth 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12; Mt. 26:15)
10. He will be the Pierced King, attacked by the wicked (Zech. 12:10; Jn. 19:37).
11. He will be the Shepherd King stricken by God’s wrath (Zech. 13:7; Mt. 26:31).
12. He will be the Announced King, heralded by a bold and gutsy messenger (Mal. 3:1; 4:5; Mt. 11:7f).
13. He will be the Unexpected King who suddenly comes to the temple (Mal. 3:1; Lk. 2:32; Jn. 1:14).
14. He will be the Healing King, the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:1–2; John 1:4–6; 8:12).
15. He will be the Almighty King, the Lord of Hosts, who rules in perfect justice (Mal. 4:1; Titus 2:11f; Lk. 2:13f).
Statistical Probability of Coincidental Fulfillment
Of course, these 15 prophecies are only representative of the hundreds of prophecies in the Bible. What is the statistical probability that these predictions came to be by accident? Even if we grant the possibility of a fantastic coincidence, is that the most reasonable explanation?
Astrophysicist Hugh Ross considers the two thousand prophecies of Scripture and calculated the probability of them being fulfilled by chance was 1 in 101000. That’s a mind-boggling number. To get a sense of the improbability here, consider that it’s about the same chance of winning the California Lottery 125 consecutive times by just buying one ticket each time.
Similarly, math professor Peter Stoner concluded that the chances of just eight prophecies being fulfilled in one single man was about 1 in 1017
Or in other words, the chances are one in a quadrillion. To give a better sense of that number, a quadrillion silver dollars would cover the state of Texas two feet deep. Mark one of the silver dollars, mix it up in the heap, blindfold a man, and tell him to pick the marked silver dollar. He has a one in a quadrillion chance of picking the right one.
My 2024 Advent Poem: What Are the Chances?
Each Christmas, I write a poem for our church family read it the Sunday before Christmas. This year, the poem relates to fulfilled prophecy. I hope you enjoy it, and Merry Christmas!
By chance we’re told the planets spin,
From nothing comes all things,
That life’s a pointless accident,
That ends with hollow rings.
By chance our history unfolds,
There is no grand design.
There is no purpose, point, or plan,
No reason, rule, or rhyme.
But deep within our God-made hearts
We know this can’t be right.
We do not walk this earth by chance,
We walk by faith, not sight.
Still, evidence is what we need,
True faith is built on fact.
We crave a reason to believe,
And for his glory, act.
Our God is with us all the time.
He promised us a King
Through prophets called to speak his words,
And give us songs to sing.
They told us he would gently come,
He’d give up more for less.
With swift and sweet obedience,
The King came wrapped in flesh.
But all of us have human flesh,
In this he’s not so odd.
What makes this King one of a kind,
Is that this King is God.
The scores of prophecies kept safe,
In God’s unrivaled Book,
Recorded there for all to see,
Deserve a thoughtful look.
What are the chances they could be,
Fulfilled in just one man?
What probability exists,
That no one had a plan?
The statisticians calculate,
The probability,
Of one in a quadrillion chance,
That Christmas came to be.
But let us calmly think this through.
It’s possible we know,
To shake the puzzle box enough,
To make the picture show.
What are the chances that each piece,
Finds where it interlocks,
And randomly transforms into,
The picture on the box?
We must not operate this way
To find our peace and rest
By placing faith in random chance
And hoping for the best.
The standard that we use to guide
The choosing of our route
Is now and has forever been
Beyond reasonable doubt.
For no one lives by certainty
What’s probable? We ask
What best explains the multitude
Of Messianic facts?
Consider Christmas came be
According to the plan,
That God designed before the time
That he created man.
The King who came will come again
The Branch will take his throne
The Great High Priest, the Shepherd King
Will gather up his own.
Once rejected, pierced and struck
He soon will strike and pierce
Once judged by sinful, feeble men.
His judgment will be fierce.
The Lord of Hosts will surely come
No army thwarts his way
No brazen human government
Will faze him on that day.
But those prepared by prophets’ words
To greet the King of kings
Will find the Sun of Righteousness
Brings healing in his wings.
This Christmas, just like all the rest
We’ll more than play the odds
By trusting what is probable,
Renouncing lesser gods.
We’ll trust this promise-keeping God
Because his word is true.
And he will do in his good time
What only he can do.
Then once again, our King will come,
We’ll join the cosmic dance.
Around the throne we’ll praise the Lamb
Who leaves no plan to chance.
This is a great article and poem !!! What I love is when the Dead Sea scrolls were found this gave us actual hard copies of the prophecies that pre date Christ’s birth. God has laid it all out for us archeologically,historically and biblically. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Merry Christmas and Glory be to God
Amid the hustle and bustle
The toys and ceaseless noise
The jaded commercialism
Devoid of life's true joys
Rhymes and carols will remind us
Of peace the Savior brings
The annual Bateman poem explains
The joy that Jesus brings