The Bible is totally unique in that it provides irrefutable proof of truth in its hundreds of fulfilled prophecies, writing history sometimes thousands of years in advance. Scripture unmistakably identifies Jesus Christ as the Messiah over 330 Old testament prophecies alone, detailing his birth, death and resurrection. Mathematicians like Peter Stoner, (author, professor and Chairman of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena College and Chairman of Science at Westmont College,) calculated the mathematical probability of one person fulfilling just eight of the prophecies. He found that the probability is 1 in 10 to the 17th power - 100,000,000,000,000,000. He went further and discovered that one person fulfilling just 48 of the prophecies is 1 in 10157 probability.
Let's look at just one of these prophesies, detailing the Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem one week before his crucifixion. We will look at Daniel, chapter 9, which was written over five centuries before Jesus Christ was born. Daniel, a captive Jew, was serving under Darius of the Chaldeans when he wrote this prophecy. He had been taken captive as a teenager and he was writing this prophecy as an old man.
"And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
"And he informed me and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of the supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee: for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." (Daniel 9:20-23) Here, Daniel is praying for his people still in captivity. The angel Gabriel is sent to give him understanding of the vision he had seen.
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (vs. 24) The term "seventy weeks" is an idiom used in the Jewish community. If an Englishman says "in a fortnight", we know he means two weeks - it is an idiom. The Jews had weeks of days, weeks of months and weeks of years. Gabriel explains here that the captivity will last 70 years. Indeed, history records the captivity ending during the reign of Cyrus of Persia.
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." (vs. 25) The commandment to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple was given March 13, 445 BC, by Artaxerxes. The book of Nehemiah contains detailed records of the rebuilding process, which was done in dangerous times. From the time of commandment, there will be "seven weeks and three score and two weeks" - in other words - 69 weeks of years, or 483 years, or 173,880 days (since the ancient calendar was based on 360 day years) "Unto Messiah the Prince" refers in the Hebrew to the presentation of Jesus as Messiah the King.
There were times in Jesus' ministry when the people would have taken him as King, yet Jesus would not allow it to take place. When did Jesus finally allow himself to be presented as the Messiah? It was at the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, recorded by all four gospels. The question is - was it fulfilled exactly as prophesied?
As previously stated, the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes on March 13, 445 BC. Scholars have taken up this mathematical prophecy, computed the ancient calendar based on 360 day years, the calendar changes made by Pompillius, and leap years. They arrived at exactly 173,880 days (based of 69 weeks of years of 360 day years) from the March 13, 445 BC commandment to the 10th day of "Nisan" in 32 AD - when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the praises of the people, allowing himself to be presented as a king.
Margin for error? Zero.
Jesus, once reaching Jerusalem, looked upon the city and wept over it, saying that they did not realize the significance of this day; and because of it, the city would be overthrown.
"And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
"For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and shall compass thee round, and keep thee on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children with thee; and they shall not leave one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy salvation." (Luke 19:41-44)
This prophecy was fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, and it was taken apart piece by piece until not one stone remained upon another.
Consider that if Jesus had been a mere man, there were too many prophecies beyond human control to have been arranged. The circumstances and place of birth, for example, had to occur before the scepter departed from Judah, the temple was still in tact, and the genealogical records were available to prove his lineage. The scepter departing from Judah refers to the jews losing the right to exact the death penalty, which happened around 7 AD. Jesus the Messiah had to be born before that power was lost, but die afterward; because he was not to be put to death by stoning (how the Jews executed people), but by Roman crucifixion. Astonishingly, crucifixion was an unknown means of execution at the time that David described it in detail, prophesying Jesus death many centuries before.
There is a multitude of prophecies beyond any one man's ability to conspire. Scholars estimate that there were normally 25,000 plus people living in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. That number increased four times over during festivals, and this was Passover week. How could a poor man with a few disciples bribe that many people to hail him as Messiah? For that matter, if all of it - including the Resurrection - was a carefully contrived plot (although mathematically impossible), such a scam would not have been enough to sustain the apostles, already in fear of the authorities, to launch the early church before willingly going to their deaths as martyrs.
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