Proving the accuracy and reliability of the Bible through prophecy (Proof Jesus is the Christ and Messiah)
What to Know
Prophecy distinguishes the Bible as inspired by God: The Bible itself states that prophecy is a sign from God (Isaiah 46:9-10), setting it apart from other religious texts. Unlike vague predictions, biblical prophecies are precise, detailed, and historically verifiable.
Hundreds of Messianic prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus: The Old Testament contains over 300 prophecies about the Messiah, including His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), His crucifixion (Psalm 22), and the exact timeline of His arrival (Daniel 9). The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm these were written centuries before Jesus, ruling out later manipulation.
The mathematical impossibility of fulfillment by chance: Professor Peter Stoner calculated the probability of one person fulfilling just eight major prophecies as 1 in 10¹⁷— comparable to covering Texas in silver dollars two feet deep, marking one, and having a blindfolded person pick it at random. For 48 prophecies, the odds are 1 in 10¹⁵⁷, a number beyond comprehension.
Many prophecies defied human expectations: Messianic prophecies foretold a suffering servant (Isaiah 53), contradicting Jewish expectations of a conquering ruler. Events beyond human control — such as being betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12) and having His executioners gamble for His clothing (Psalm 22:18) — further prove divine authorship.
Prophecy validates the Bible’s authority and Jesus’ identity: The fulfillment of these prophecies with such precision leaves no room for coincidence. This evidence demands a response—either Jesus is who He claimed to be, or the statistical impossibility of prophecy fulfillment must be ignored.
Another essential point to highlight, in that it underscores the accuracy of the Bible and sets it apart from other religious texts, is biblical prophecy. Biblical prophecy is crucial because it points to the divine authorship of the Scriptures, reinforcing the trustworthiness of the Bible's message due to the extremely low probability of these predictions being fulfilled by chance. The Bible itself speaks to this point that prophecy is a sign from God and shows that the Bible is divinely inspired. God speaks through the prophet Isaiah, "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done… (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV)"
God challenges us to test Him by making predictions about the future that will come to pass. Approximately one-third of the Bible consists of prophecies, many of which concern the promised Messiah and foretell details about His identity and actions. By one count, there are 332 Messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) that Jesus fulfilled. This is why the Dead Sea Scrolls are so significant: they date back to 100 years before Jesus' birth, confirming that the prophecies Jesus fulfilled were written before His birth and were not added or altered later.
While anyone can make predictions, having them come true is an entirely different matter. In fact, the more detailed and numerous the predictions, the less likely they are to be fulfilled precisely. For instance, consider the improbability of someone today predicting the exact city where a future leader would be born in the 22nd century. Yet, this is precisely what the prophet Micah did, foretelling the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem 700 years in advance. Similarly, what are the chances of predicting the manner of death for a new, unknown religious leader a thousand years from now, especially when that method of execution is currently unknown and won't be practiced for centuries? This is precisely what David did in 1,000 B.C. Furthermore, the prophet Daniel predicted the exact time of the Messiah's arrival, approximately 530 years before His eventual arrival.
Imagine making 50 specific prophecies about a person you will never meet. What are the odds that this person will fulfill all 50 predictions? The likelihood diminishes significantly if 25 of these prophecies concern actions taken by others beyond the person's control. For example, how could someone "arrange" to be born into a specific family or in a specific city where their parents don't live? How could one orchestrate their own death by crucifixion, alongside two others, and have the executioners gamble for their clothing, as described in John 16:19 and Psalms 22:18? How could someone "arrange" to be betrayed, to avoid having their legs broken during execution, and to escape from a grave after being killed? It might be conceivable for someone to fake one or two Messianic prophecies, but for any one person to fulfill all these prophecies is impossible without divine intervention.
The science of probability attempts to determine the likelihood of a given event occurring. A professor at Westmont College, Peter W. Stoner, calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies concerning the Messiah. These estimates were derived by twelve different classes, totaling about 600 university students. The students meticulously considered each prophecy, the circumstances, and any possibility that men could conspire to fulfill these prophecies. Their estimates were conservative, and even the most skeptical students unanimously agreed. The professor then made these estimates even more conservative and encouraged other skeptics or scientists to review them. Finally, he submitted his findings to a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. H. Harold Hartzler, PhD, of the American Scientific Affiliation, Goshen College, wrote in the forward of Stoner’s book:
“The manuscript for Science Speaks has been carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members and by the Executive Council of the same group and has been found, in general, to be dependable and accurate in regards to the scientific material presented. The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way.”
For example, in Micah 5:2, where it's stated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the professor and his students calculated the average population of Bethlehem from Micah's time to the present and compared it to the average world population during the same period. They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was 1 in 300,000. After examining just eight different prophecies, they conservatively estimated the probability of one man fulfilling all eight as 1 in 10^17. To illustrate the magnitude of this number, Professor Stoner used this analogy: If you mark one of ten tickets, place them all in a hat, and ask a blindfolded person to pick one, the chance of choosing the correct ticket is 1 in 10. Now, imagine covering the state of Texas with 10^17 silver dollars, two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass. Finally, blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up the one marked silver dollar. The odds of him finding the correct one are the same as those of the prophets writing these eight prophecies and having them all fulfilled in one person.
In financial terms, would anyone hesitate to invest in a venture with only a 1 in 10^17 chance of failure? Of course not.
However, this is the kind of certainty offered by God through faith in His Messiah. Based on these calculations, the professor concluded that the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone demonstrates divine inspiration in writing the prophecies, as the likelihood of mere chance is only 1 in 10^17. Dismissing or ignoring the significance of these biblical signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish.
Moreover, there are far more than just eight prophecies (as previously mentioned, some calculations have the total number of prophecies in the Old Testament at 332). In another calculation, Professor Stoner considered 48 prophecies and arrived at the highly conservative estimate that the probability of one person fulfilling all 48 prophecies is 1 in 10^157 — a number so large it's incomprehensible. To find a comparable illustration, we would need to look at the vastness of the universe. Astronomers estimate that the universe contains up to one septillion stars – that’s a one followed by 24 zeroes. This is the total number of stars in the entire observable universe, and the probability of all the Messianic prophecies happening by chance is still orders of magnitude greater (another 125 zeroes added!).
If you're skeptical about the number of prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament, you can review the 48 prophecies here that Professor Stoner and his students used to calculate the odds of these all occurring along with their fulfillment through Jesus Christ.
Many of these prophecies were contrary to Jewish expectations at the time, making their writing even more remarkable. For instance, the sacrificial system and sin offerings were deeply ingrained in Jewish culture throughout the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament, we see how highly the Jewish people regarded the sacrificial system and their understanding of sin. Yet, centuries earlier, prophecies foretold that sin would ultimately be cleansed and forgiven by a person — the Messiah. The New Testament reveals that this Messiah was Jesus Christ, though such a concept would have been almost offensive to people when the prophecies were written.
Sources
1) Peter W. Stoner (1958). Science Speaks: An Evaluation of Certain Christian Evidences. This book discusses the probability of prophecies being fulfilled in Christ.
2) Micah 5:2 - A prophecy predicting the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem.
3) Psalms 22:16-18 - A description of the Messiah’s crucifixion and the gambling for his clothing.
4) Daniel 9:24-26 - A prophecy about the timing of the Messiah's arrival.
5) John 19:33-36 - Reference to the crucifixion and the fact that Jesus' legs were not broken, fulfilling prophecy.
6) American Scientific Affiliation - This organization reviewed and validated the probability calculations made by Stoner.
7) List of prophecies and their fulfillment compiled and edited by James George for New Disciples Class
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/advent-statistical-probability-jesus-fulfilling-messianic-george/