Jesus Christ Fulfilled Around 300 Prophecies in the Old Testament About the Messiah: Was that Coincidence?

Christianity's beliefs rests primarily on the the person of Jesus Christ who, historically, walked this earth more than 2,000 years ago, claimed to be God, both directly and indirectly, whose life was written and accounted for in the gospels and whose birth and other details of His life were prophecied hundreds of years before His arrival (there are around 300 references or prophecies throughout the Old Testament, which was written over a thousand-year period, about Jesus). 

Many years ago, the Christian Victory Publishing company offered a $1,000 reward for anyone who found, other than Jesus, a person, living or dead, who was able to fulfill half of the predictions concerning the Messiah as listed in the book Messiah in Both Testaments by Fred John Meldau. The reward still remains unclaimed. 

Now, for Jesus, a real and historical figure, to have fulfilled those 300 prophecies from the Old Testament - how unlikely was that? Was it pure coincidental? Was it an accident? 

There was a computation made on the probability of Jesus fulfilling just 8 chosen prophecies below.

Eight of around 300 prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament: 

1-Born in Bethlehem from Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."


2-Preceded by a messenger from Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 40:3 "A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord ; make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God."

3-Enter Jerusalem on a donkey from Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

4-Betrayed by a friend from Psalm 41:9

Psalm 41:9 "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."

5-Sold for thirty pieces of silver from Zechariah 11:12

Zechariah 11:12 "I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver."

6-Money thrown in the temple and given for a potter's field from Zechariah 11:13

Zechariah 11:13 "And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter."

7-Be silent before accusers from Isaiah 53:7

Isaiah 53:7 "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

8-Crucified with thieves from Isaiah 53:12

Isaiah 53:12 "...Because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors."

The chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled just the eight (8) prophecies mentioned above was computed (from Stoner in "Science Speaks") to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000) or 1 out of 100 Quintillion (Q).

For us to better appreciate, Stoner illustrates it and I adjust it to our terms for better understanding. If we were to take 10 Q silver dollar coins (different from the kennedy half dollar) or the old one peso coin (twice the diameter of the present one peso coin) and lay them on every land area of the Philippines, the coins would cover the country 4 feet and 8 inches deep. Now, mark one of these coins and stir the whole mass of coins and ask a person to look for the marked coin. Tell him that he could travel anywhere in the Philippines to try and look for this coin but he has only one chance.

This is the same chance that a person would be able to fulfill the 8 chosen prophecies above  - and they were all fulfilled in Jesus Christ (plus around 292 prophecies more).

The fulfillment of around 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about the Jewish Messiah establishes a solid confirmation of Jesus' credentials as the Messiah, the Savior.

It's up to us to choose, with this one of many facts about the case of Christ as being a man-God being presented, if we will believe or choose not to. Many can laugh at those who believe, and they can even mock and ridicule Christianity itself. But, truly believing Christ as more than religion but a person whom anyone can have a real and genuine relationship with is not something that  needs to be forced or shoved down the throat on anyone. That is a choice each of us have to make. I just appeal that you consider this compelling evidence as you make your decision.