Science Speaks (Part 3 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back.  This week we will conclude our series based on the excellent book by Peter Stoner titled Science Speaks.  Enjoy!

Part Three: Messianic Prophecy

The third and most famous section of Peter Stoner's book concerns Messianic prophecy. His theme verse for this section is John 5:39 - "Search the Scriptures because... it is these that bear witness of Me."

Stoner proceeds to select eight of the best known prophecies about the Messiah and calculates the odds of their accidental fulfillment in one person as being 1 in 1017.

Stoner illustrated the meaning of this number. He asked the reader to imagine filling the State of Texas knee deep in silver dollars. Include in this huge number one silver dollar with a black check mark on it. Then, turn a blindfolded person loose in this sea of silver dollars. The odds that the first coin he would pick up would be the one with the black check mark are the same as 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of Jesus.

The point, of course, is that when people say that the fulfillment of prophecy in the life of Jesus Christ was accidental, they simply do not know what they are talking about. Keep in mind that Jesus did not just fulfill 8 prophecies, He fulfilled at least 108. The chances of fulfilling 16 are 1 in 1045. When you get to a total of 48, the odds increase to 1 in 10157. Accidental fulfillment of these prophecies is simply beyond the realm of possibility.

When confronted with these statistics, skeptics will often fall back on the argument that Jesus Christ purposefully fulfilled the prophecies. There is no doubt that Jesus was aware of the prophecies and His fulfillment of them. For example, when He got ready to enter Jerusalem the last time, He told His disciples to find Him a donkey to ride so that the prophecy of Zechariah could be fulfilled which said, "Behold, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey" (Matthew 21:1-5 and Zechariah 9:9).

But many of the prophecies concerning the Messiah could not be purposefully fulfilled - such as the town of His birth (Micah 5:2) or the nature of His betrayal (Psalm 41:9), or the manner of His death (Zechariah 13:6 and Psalm 22:16).

One of the most remarkable Messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures is the one that precisely states that the Messiah will die by crucifixion. It is found in Psalm 22 where David prophesied the Messiah would die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16). That prophecy was written 2,000 years before Jesus was born. When it was written, the Jewish method of execution was by stoning. The prophecy was also written many years before the Romans perfected crucifixion as a method of execution.

Even when Jesus was killed, the Jews still relied on stoning as their method of execution, but they had lost the power to implement the death penalty due to Roman occupation. That is why they were forced to take Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, and that's how Jesus ended up being crucified, in fulfillment of David's prophecy.

The bottom line:

 

The fulfillment of Bible prophecy in the life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth proves conclusively that He truly was God in the flesh. It also proves that the Bible is supernatural in origin.

 

Keep in mind, this series highlighted prophecies that pertained to Jesus' first coming.  There are over 500 Biblical prophecies promising Jesus' second coming where He will reign on earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

 

Time is short!  Before it's too late, won't you trust in Jesus Christ today as Lord and Savior of your life?

 

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Science Speaks (Part 2 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back.  This week we will investigate the accuracy of Biblical prophecy in part two of our book series by Peter Stoner titled Science Speaks.  Enjoy!

Part Two: The Accuracy of Prophecy

The second section of Stoner's book is entitled "Prophetic Accuracy." This is where the book becomes absolutely fascinating. One by one, he takes major Bible prophecies concerning cities and nations and calculates the odds of their being fulfilled. The first is a prophecy in Ezekiel 26 concerning the city of Tyre. Seven prophecies are contained in this chapter which was written in 590 BC:

1. Nebuchadnezzar shall conquer the city (vs. 7-11).
2. Other nations will assist Nebuchadnezzar (v. 3).
3. The city will be made like a bare rock (vs. 4 & 14).
4. It will become a place for the spreading of fishing nets (vs. 5 & 14).
5. Its stones and timbers will be thrown into the sea (v. 12).
6. Other cities will fear greatly at the fall of Tyre (v. 16).
7. The old city of Tyre will never be rebuilt (v. 14).

Four years after this prophecy was given, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre. The siege lasted 13 years. When the city finally fell in 573 BC, it was discovered that everything of value had been moved to a nearby island.

Two hundred and forty-one years later Alexander the Great arrived on the scene. Fearing that the fleet of Tyre might be used against his homeland, he decided to take the island where the city had been moved to. He accomplished this goal by building a causeway from the mainland to the island, and he did that by using all the building materials from the ruins of the old city. Neighboring cities were so frightened by Alexander's conquest that they immediately opened their gates to him. Since that time, the city of Tyre has remained in ruins and is a place where fishermen spread their nets.

Thus, every detail of the prophecy was fulfilled exactly as predicted. Stoner calculated the odds of such a prophecy being fulfilled by chance as being 1 in 75,000,000, or 1 in 7.5x107. (The exponent 7 indicates that the decimal is to be moved to the right seven places).

Stoner proceeds to calculate the probabilities of the prophecies concerning Samaria, Gaza and Ashkelon, Jericho, Palestine, Moab and Ammon, Edom, and Babylon. He also calculates the odds of prophecies being fulfilled that predicted the closing of the Eastern Gate (Ezekiel 44:1-3), the plowing of Mount Zion (Micah 3:12), and the enlargement of Jerusalem according to a prescribed pattern (Jeremiah 31:38-40).

Combining all these prophecies, he concludes that "the probability of these 11 prophecies coming true, if written in human wisdom, is... 1 in 5.76x1059. Needless to say, this is a number beyond the realm of possibility.  Incredible! 

Please join us next week as we conclude our series of Science Speaks.


If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Science Speaks (Part 1 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Over the next three weeks we will investigate natural science and how it applies to the creation account as well as Biblical prophecy, specifically in regards to the deity and person of Jesus Christ. 

There is an excellent book by Peter Stoner titled Science Speaks. It uses a remarkable illustration to show how Bible prophecy proves that Jesus Christ was truly God in the flesh. The book was first published in 1958 by Moody Press.  Peter Stoner was chairman of the mathematics and astronomy departments at Pasadena City College until 1953 when he moved to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. There he served as chairman of the science division. At the time he wrote this book, he was professor emeritus of science at Westmont. 

Science Speaks is divided into three sections. Two relate directly to Bible prophecy. The first section deals with the scientific validity of the Genesis account of creation, which is where we will begin today...

Part One: The Genesis Record 

Peter Stoner begins with a very interesting observation. He points out that his copy of Young's General Astronomy, published in 1898, is full of errors. Yet, the Bible, written over 2,000 years ago is devoid of scientific error. For example, the shape of the earth is mentioned in Isaiah 40:22. Gravity can be found in Job 26:7. Ecclesiastes 1:6 mentions atmospheric circulation. A reference to ocean currents can be found in Psalm 8:8, and the hydraulic cycle is described in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. The second law of thermodynamics is outlined in Psalm 102:25-27 and Romans 8:21. And these are only a few examples of scientific truths written in the Scriptures long before they were "discovered" by scientists.

Stoner proceeds to present scientific evidence in behalf of special creation. For example, he points out that science had previously taught that special creation was impossible because matter could not be destroyed or created. He then points out that atomic physics had now proved that energy can be turned into matter and matter into energy.

He then considers the order of creation as presented in Genesis 1:1-13. He presents argument after argument from a scientific viewpoint to sustain the order which Genesis chronicles. He then asks, "What chance did Moses have when writing the first chapter [of Genesis] of getting thirteen items all accurate and in satisfactory order?" His calculations conclude it would be one chance in 31,135,104,000,000,000,000,000 (1 in 31 x 1021). He concludes, "Perhaps God wrote such an account in Genesis so that in these latter days, when science has greatly developed, we would be able to verify His account and know for a certainty that God created this planet and the life on it."

The only disappointing thing about Stoner's book is that he spiritualizes the reference to days in Genesis, concluding that they refer to periods of time of indefinite length. Accordingly, he concludes that the earth is approximately 4 billion years old. In his defense, keep in mind that he wrote this book before the foundation of the modern Creation Science Movement which was founded in the 1960's by Dr. Henry Morris. That movement has since produced many convincing scientific arguments in behalf of a young earth with an age of only 6,000 years.

Peter Stoner calculated the probability of just 8 Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in the life of Jesus. As you read through these prophecies, you will see that all estimates were calculated as conservatively as possible.

1. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
   The average population of Bethlehem from the time of Micah to the present (1958) divided by the average population of the earth during the same period = 7,150/2,000,000,000 or 2.8x105.
2. A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).
   One man in how many, the world over, has had a forerunner (in this case, John the Baptist) to prepare his way?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
3. The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
   One man in how many, who has entered Jerusalem as a ruler, has entered riding on a donkey?
   Estimate: 1 in 100 or 1x102.
4. The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
   One man in how many, the world over, has been betrayed by a friend, resulting in wounds in his hands?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
5. The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
   Of the people who have been betrayed, one in how many has been betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
6. The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter's field (Zechariah 11:13).
   One man in how many, after receiving a bribe for the betrayal of a friend, has returned the money, had it refused, and then experienced it being used to buy a potter's field?
   Estimate: 1 in 100,000 or 1x105.
7. The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
   One man in how many, when he is oppressed and afflicted, though innocent, will make no defense of himself?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
8. The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).
   One man in how many, since the time of David, has been crucified?
   Estimate: 1 in 10,000 or 1x104.

Multiplying all these probabilities together produces a number (rounded off) of 1x1028. Dividing this number by an estimate of the number of people who have lived since the time of these prophecies (88 billion) produces a probability of all 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of one person. This probability is 1in 1017 or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That's one in one hundred quadrillion - Absolutely amazing!

Please join us next week as we investigate part two of Science Speaks.


If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? (Part 4 of 4)‏‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back.  In this week's final segment of this series we will examine the fourth element found in John 8:21-30 that defines how a person can die in sin - being willfully ignorant...

Being Willfully Ignorant 

When someone hears a speech or sermon about Jesus Christ, but doesn't let it register in their hearts, that person is willfully ignorant.  The Jewish leaders had enough evidence about Christ, they just refused to believe, and in their chosen ignorance, even mocked Him.  They were willfully ignorant of Christ's identity:

"So they were saying to Him, 'Who are You?'" (John 8:25)

Far from being an honest question, this comment by the Pharisees could be paraphrased as such: "Who do you think you are, fella?  These are some pretty ridiculous things you are saying, telling us that we're going to die in our sin.  Do you know who you're talking to?  We're the spiritual elite!  Who do you think you are?  You're just some nobody from Nazareth, who has come down here to tell the leaders of Jerusalem how to run things.  What gives you the right to assume the role of equality with God?"
Such willful ignorance is manifested in other places in Scripture.  John 8:19 says:

"So they were saying to Him, 'Where is Your Father?'  Jesus answered 'You know neither Me nor My Father.'"

In essence, Jesus is saying, "You are hopelessly ignorant.  You think you know God, but you really don't.  And you think I'm a fake, so you don't know Me either.  You can't recognize the truth because you are so dominated by sin."

Do you recall the blind man healed in John 9, and all the Jewish leaders wandered how the blind man was able to see, admitting their disbelief in Jesus' power?  In verse 30, the blind man replies:

"The man answered and said to them, 'Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.'"

This blind man had more sense than these Jewish leaders.  Why?  Because those leaders willed to be ignorant of the truth.  Hell will be filled with people who are there simply because they willed to be ignorant, not wanting Jesus making claims on their lives.  They didn't want to know the truth; they were satisfied with what they already believed.  To the closed-minded Jews who questioned His authority, Jesus said:

"If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself" (John 7:17).

In other words, for the willing heart, the truth is available.  But they weren't willing.

You may ask, "But how can people be like that?"  The answer is simple, men are like that because they love their sin:

"Men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

Because of their sin, the Pharisees didn't want to expose themselves.  They were so smug in their self-righteousness and confirmed in willful ignorance that they turned their backs on the truth.  That's tragic, because that puts them right into the category of those who have heard enough information to believe the truth, have rejected it, and are going to receive a punishment more sever than others:

"How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29).

In other words, the greater punishment in hell is reserved for the people who knew the truth but trampled on it.

These Jews were also willfully ignorant of Christ's authority:

"Jesus said to them, 'What have I been saying to you from the beginning?  I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things from which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.'  They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father" (John 8:25-27).

Because the Jews refuse to accept what Jesus had been saying, Jesus doesn't provide them with any further revelation.  But He does say that He has words of judgement to speak concerning them, which come from the Father, who:

"...has given all judgement to the Son" (John 5:22).

Willful ignorance brings judgement, as do unbelief, earthbound attitudes, and self-righteousness, and the Pharisees were characterized by all of them.  In their spiritual blindness, they didn't recognize who He was or understand He spoke to them about God the Father.  They just thought He was talking about some judgement on His own part.  Judgement is a terrible result for those who continually refuse to hear the truth.  That is why Jesus warned:

"He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 13:9).

The Jews also gave evidence of their willful ignorance of Christ's immortality:

"So Jesus said, 'When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me'" (John 8:28).

But you ask, "How were the Jews going to know that and what did the Father do at the death of Christ to verify the claims He had made?"  He raised Him from the dead!  Repeatedly the Bible teaches this.  In effect Jesus says, "When My resurrection comes, then you are going to have to look honestly at My claims."  And many of the Jews did.  When it had become known that Jesus had been resurrected, the church was born, and literally thousands of people in the city of Jerusalem did see the truth and believe (Acts 2-3).  There was a great response.  Perhaps out of the very crowd who stood before Jesus' crucifixion, there were some people who later became a part of that early church.

Finally, the statement in John 8:29 shows that many of the Jews were willfully ignorant of Christ's unity:

"And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

The Pharisees could not comprehend Christ's unity with God.  So Jesus in essence says, "You are going to know the Father is with Me and has sent Me and that all the claims I made are true, in the day that I am lifted up to be crucified, because the result of death is going to be the resurrection."  But for now, they didn't know.  Many of them never knew and consequently died in their sins to be separated from God for eternity.

If we could transport ourselves back in a time capsule and meet those people so we could understand the tragedy of rejecting Christ, we would get a little idea of the intensity and the fearfulness of such a warning as Jesus made here.  Those self-righteous, earthbound, unbelieving, and willfully ignorant Jews didn't need to die in their sins - there was and IS another option:

"As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him" (John 8:30).

Aren't you glad for that?


A Closing Call to Action!
 
Here at Encouraging Concepts, we can't always preach the positives; sometimes we must preach the negatives, because the negatives are what is often needed to bring souls to Jesus Christ.

If you have never committed yourself to Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you are separated from Him by a gulf that you could never span on your own.  Not all of your good deeds, self-righteousness, or religion could do it.  The only way that gulf can be spanned is for you to recognize your sin and to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you have a desire in your heart to do that now, just simply in your heart pray something like this:

"God, I want Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I believe He died for my sins and was raised from the dead.  I receive Him now.  I don't want to die in my sin.  I want to go where You are."

If you do that in sincerity, He will hear your prayer and your life will be:

"transferred... to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).

If your faith is weak, ask Him to help you believe.  If you need more information so you can make that decision, and you truly want to know Him, ask God to teach you the truth about Christ.  This is the most important decision you will make in your life, do not take it lightly. 

Please don't delay in your acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior.  None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.  Time is short and your eternal destiny depends on it!


If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success! 
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)