Too Many Prophecies Not to be True!

Our Text this week, which is Jeremiah 33:14-16, transitions us from the Old Testament to the New Testament as we look at just one of many Prophecies in the O.T. relating to the details surrounding the Birth of Jesus Christ.  I sit here a bit frustrated with Group Publishing because I've been going by the scope and sequence in the directors guide in order to know which scriptures to study in preparation for this blog and my Sunday School lesson.  Unfortunately I've been studying the wrong lesson as they stuck a new one in not listed in the manual.  Thus, this will be a bit off the cuff but fortunately, it's a topic I'm familiar with and have much passion about.

I use to really get into apologetics.  Although, this is also the name of a Christian band only spelled differently (ApologetiX) this is not what I'm talking about.  Nor is it the study of how to best apologize to someone.  If you're familiar with the term, I am "apologetic" for my silliness involving my description of apologetics, but I thought I should clarify in case there are those unfamiliar with the term (plus I never pass on an opportunity to make a goofy joke).  Anyway, apologetics is simply theological efforts to show proof of one's faith.

One such apologetic argument involves the probability of one person fulfilling all the prophecies given in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah.  As you may know, there are many prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament.  People have used statistical analysis of probabilities to calculate various "odds," if you will, of certain events occurring.  According to the website Good News Dispatch here are the odds of certain events occurung:

• Being struck by lightning in a year - 1 in 700,000
• Being killed by lightning in a year - 1 in 2,000,000
• Becoming president - 1 in 10,000,000
• A meteorite landing on your house - 1 in 180,000,000,000,000   

Also according to Good News Dispatch, Dr. Peter Stoner applied the laws of probability to 8 of the over 300 prophecies of the Messiah found in the Old Testament and determined that the probability of those 8 prophecies being fulfilled in the life of one man were:

1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.  

Please don't ask me how to say this number because I have no idea other than to say it is 10 to the 28th power.  All I know is anyone wanting to argue that the Old Testament Prophets just got lucky are simply kidding themselves.  The words of the prophets were God inspired and came to fruition in the life of Jesus Christ.  Let's just say the odds are against it being otherwise.

I challenge you this Christmas season to take time to review the many O.T. prophecies as they relate to the details of the Christmas scriptures.  Share and discuss these scriptures and this evidence with your family in order to give them a deeper understanding of the significance and meaning of Christ's Birth. Below is a list of several of them for your review:

Numbers 24:17 (The Star)
Psalm 72:10, 15 (kings bringing gifts)
Isaiah 7:14 (Virgin Birth)
Isaiah 9:6 (For unto us..)
Isaiah 11:1(Stem of Jesse)
Isaiah 60:3,6 (Coming of kings with gifts)
Jeremiah 31:15 (Innocent children killed - See Matthew 2:16-18)

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (Branch of David)  
Hosea 11:1 (Jesus called out of Egypt - See Matthew 2:15)
Micah 5:2 (Bethlehem)
Malachi 3:1-2 (messenger of the covenant)

My prayer is that as this Christmas season begins that you and your family would embrace the powerful depth of the Christmas message that was not only delivered 2000+ years ago in Bethlehem but was prophesied 100s of years before it occurred and is ours for the receiving yet today.