What Are The Chances?

 

Today is Good Friday.  The day that Christians all around the world stop and contemplate the sacrifice by Jesus on the cross to bridge the gap between God and humankind.  I have been asked by a close friend in the past "You aren't one of those Christians are you?  One that takes the Bible literally, are you?"  I've been scolded by a Christian friend not to take the Bible as literal because it isn't trustworthy like a history book.  I've been made fun of by atheists who say I'm unintelligent because I take my faith blindly, without logic or reason.  I respectfully disagree with them all. 

In an exercise of building my own faith,  I have asked myself, "What are the chances?"  Well, come to find out, I'm not the only one that has wondered about that very question. Mathematicians and statistical scholars have asked too, and they have even calculated the odds.  So, here they are:

There are over 700 prophecies written to help us identify the Messiah throughout the Bible.  Prophecies foretelling how, when, where of his birth, death and resurrection.  And don't forget, also his return.

Dr Peter Stoner (Science Speaks, 1958)  calculated the probability  that the chance of one man accidentally fulfilling just 8 of these prophecies is one in 10 ¹⁷ It is a number that is hard to wrap the mind around.  Here is an illustration by Dr. Stoner to help us visualize it:

If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They'll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would've had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.

Now, what are the odds that only 48 of the more than 700  prophecies of Jesus were fulfilled?  Dr. Stoner estimated the odds against that to be 1 in 10 to the power 157. [1]  A number that would fill a  blank page with zeros.  Here is an illustration to help us visualize this number:

How large is the number one in 10¹⁵⁷? Well, it contains 157 zeros! Stoner gives an illustration of this number using electrons.

Electrons are very small objects. They're smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10¹⁵ of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long.

Statistically, any odds beyond 1 in 10⁵⁰ have a zero probability of ever happening by random chance. This is Borel's law in action which was derived by mathematician Emil Borel.

Dr. Stoner concludes,''Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world."

Those are the odds.  If you take blind faith out of the equation and insert mathematical probability and logic, you get a zero probability that Jesus was accidentally or mistakenly the prophesied Messiah. 

That means Jesus came just as God promised. He lived among us just as God promised, He died for you just as God promised.  He rose from the dead just as God promised.  And He will come again in glory just as God promised.  It is a Good Friday, indeed!

Revelation 19:10,

“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

*If you are interested in studying some of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled check out the Bible Study link on the top right of the blog.  I will add it as soon as Resurrection Sunday is over, but for now I am going to go celebrate with my family!

The End of the World as We Know it?

I am watching the posts on the "End of the World", along with millions of others around the world, and have been asked by several people what I think of it.   So here it is.......I think that Harold Camping of Family Radio isn't helping but hurting.  I have read that he has spent $4 million dollars in this campaign funded by followers and supporters to reach lost souls, calling them to repent.  That tells me Harold and many others believe fully in his prediction, but it also tells me they are misguided. 

Matthew 24:26 clearly states that "NO ONE (emphasis mine) knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

One would reason that if any being would know about the hour it would at be Jesus, the One coming back.  Mr. Camping isn't the first to try and figure out the day.  Here is a rundown of a few famous other date setters (of the 200+ recorded):

*400 A.D.- Hippolytus "calculated that 5,500 years separated Adam and Christ and that the life of the world was 6,000 six full 'days' of years until the seventh the day of rest." His calculations in 234 indicted there were still two centuries left. (from A History of the End of the World, Rubinsky and Wiseman, 1982).

*500 A.D.-A Roman priest and theologian in the second and third centuries, predicted Christ would return in A.D. 500, based on the dimensions of Noah's ark.



*950 A.D.- Adso of Montier-en-Der wrote a "Treatise on the Antichrist" which was a response to a number of mid-century crises that had provoked widespread alarm and fear of an end-time apocalypse. Five years later, Abbo of Fleury heard a preacher in Paris who announced that the Antichrist would be unleashed in the year 1000 and that the Last Judgment would soon follow.   
 
*968 A.D.-Panic in Otto's army at an eclipse the soldiers took to portend the end of the world (Gesta episcoporum Leodensium, MGH SS IX, p.202)  And when the last Carolingian dynasty fell with the death of King Louis V in 987, many saw this event as a precursor to the arrival of the Antichrist. King Otto II of Germany had Charlemagne's body exhumed on Pentecost in the year 1000 supposedly in order to forestall the apocalypse.
 
*1000 A.D.-This year goes down as one of the most pronounced states of hysteria over the return of Christ. All members of society seemed affected by the prediction that Jesus was coming back on Jan 1, 1000. There really weren't any of the events required by the Bible transpiring at that time. The magical number 1000 was primarily the sole reason for the expectation. During December 999 AD, everyone was on their best behavior; worldly goods were sold and given to the poor, swarms of pilgrims headed east to meet the Lord at Jerusalem, buildings went unrepaired, crops were left unplanted, and criminals were set free from jails. The year 999 AD turned into 1000 AD and nothing happened.




*Both Halley's comet in A.D. 989 and a super nova in A.D. 1006 were interpreted as signs of the end. About the same time, the Moslim caliph, Al Hakim, destroyed the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem prompting apocalyptic fear in the west as well as violent anti-Jewish outbursts.
 
*Pope Innocent III predicted the end would come in 1284

*16th century Mother Shipton declared "...The world to an end shall come; in eighteen hundred and eighty-one."

*A 17th Century Baptist preacher named Benjamin Keach predicted it would be in 1689.

*1715 A.D.-Christ's coming; Isaac Newton, a note in his research on the Law of Gravity (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

*1809 A.D.-Mary Bateman, who specialized in fortune telling, had a magic chicken that laid eggs with end time messages on them. One message said that Christ was coming. The uproar she created ended when she was caught forcing an egg into the hen's oviduct by an unannounced visitor. Mary later was hanged for poisoning a wealthy client.


*1836 A.D.-John Wesley wrote that "the time, times and half a time" of Revelation 12:14 were 1058­1836, "when Christ should come" (apud A. M. Morris, The Prophecies Unveiled, p. 361)

*Jehovah Witnesses have predicted the end numerous times, most notably in 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and 1994.
*1953 A.D.-David Davidson wrote a book titled "The Great Pyramid, Its Divine Message". In it, he predicted that the world would end in 1953-AUG.



*1970 A.D.-The late Moses David (formerly David Berg) was the founder of the Christian religious group, The Children of God. He predicted that a comet would hit the earth, probably in the mid 1970's and destroy all life in the United States.   Also, The True Light Church of Christ made its claim to fame by incorrectly forecasting the return of Jesus. A number of church members had quit their livelihoods ahead of the promised advent.
 
*1986 A.D.-(He's back) Moses David of The Children of God faith group predicted that the Battle of Armageddon would take place in 1986. Russia would defeat Israel and the United States. A worldwide Communist dictatorship would be established. In 1993, Christ would return to earth.
 
*The book "88 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1988" came out only a few months before the event was to take place.  After the passing of the deadline in 88 Reason's, the author, Edgar Whisenaunt, came out with a new book called "89 Reasons why the Rapture is in 1989." This book sold only a fraction of his prior release.
 
*In 1992, David Koresh of the Branch Davidian group in Waco Texas changed the name of their commune from Mt. Carmel to Ranch Apocalypse, because of his belief that the final all-encompassing battle of Armageddon mentioned in the Bible would start at the Branch Davidian compound. They had calculated that the end would occur in 1995. After a 51-day standoff, on 1993-APR-10, 76 members died as a result of a deliberately set fire.
 
*Harold Camping in his book "Are You Ready?" predicted the Lord's return in Sept 1994. The book was full of methods that added up Bible numbers up to 1994 as the date of Christ's return. Sept. 15, 1994: Last Day and Return of Christ; Harold Camping; Book: 1994? (pub in 1992) "Last Day and return of Christ sometime on or between September 15, 1994...and September 27, 1994." (p. 531) "I will be surprised if we reach October 1, 1994" (p. 533) Camping hedged his bets though, by offering a back up date of 2011 if 1994 was wrong.
 
*TOMORROW* Harold Camping's back up date of May 21, 2011, 6pm
 
So here we sit....watching another prediction come and go.  Much time and energy is wasted on books, predictions, false teachings, and advertising.  Money that could go to really help the lost, hurting, or poor is squandered.  Precious time is thrown away that could be spent sharing the Good News that sins are forgiven for those who accept and Jesus really is coming back, someday.  Unbelievers stop and stare at it like a train wreck; reaffirming the lie that Christians are crack pots.  This further attacks the reputation and believability of the Bible and believers everywhere as if Judgement Day Predictors like Harold Camping actually represent the TRUTH at all.

There is one thing that Harold Camping is helping to prove...the BIBLE is trustworthy.  If his predictions of Judgement Day were right the Bible wouldn't be; for NO ONE knows the hour, thus sayith the Lord!!!!
 
The Truth is that the end of the world is nearer today than yesterday.  Jesus died for the sin of the world and WILL return.  He doesn't know the hour and neither does anyone else, only God does.  We would be wise to be about the Father's Business until then.  (More on that in the next blog :)
 
  *Notes taken from: http://www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm  and http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2011/05/19/will-the-world-end-on-saturday)

Got Spring?

Spring is here!  Finally!  We are so happy to see the first bit of color break through the brown and burst into our garden reminding us that new life is just around the corner.  The most important season of the Christian calendar is upon us, Easter, or Resurrection Sunday as some prefer to call it. 

Recently we have started a new family devotional book in the evening with our children that is written one lesson for each day of the year.  Being in April we could feel the anticipation growing that we were getting close to the cross.  Every night it has been getting closer and then last night...PLOP!  There it was in our laps, a challenge of our present day thinking.  

There is a very respected teaching in the world today that interprets Matthew 27:46 "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as a moment when God turned His back on Jesus at the sight of the sin of the world hanging on Him.  My intention in explaining this is not to open up a theological can of worms, because believe me I am no theologian, but to challenge the believer to see Jesus and His words clearly. 

It is an important question to ponder, did God forsake Jesus (for even a second) or didn't He?  If the answer is yes, then why does He say over and over in His Word that He will not ever leave or forsake me?  After all, I am dirt, not fit to tie the sandals on the feet of Christ. (See Deut 31:6,8, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5, Psalms 23:4, 37:25)  

I have personally struggled with this concept for most of my Christian life until a couple of years ago.  I heard a teaching by Voddie Baucham where he helps to explain these words uttered by Christ from the cross. 

First, we need to understand that in the times of Jesus very few had the Word on paper.  Some wealthy people and temples were the owners of the scrolls containing Scripture.  For the masses the way the Word was shared was verbally as the scroll was read or memorized and then recited.  The Word of God was handed down generation by generation as an oral tradition. 

Second, we need to know that in a temple service the "reader" would call out the first line of the passage to let the people know what was about to be read.  Today, the passages are organized by chapter and verse for the believer.  If you look in your Bible at the words in Matthew 27:46 and then look at the cross reference it sends you to Psalm 22:1.  Actually every gospel account sends you to Psalm 22:1.  Why?  Because Psalm 22:1 is the very words Jesus said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." (In the Hebrew and then translated into the Greek for the New Testament reader) 

You see Jesus knew the Word better than anyone that has ever walked the earth before or since.  The Jews were there watching the scene unfold.  They had been waiting for a Messiah to come and fulfill the prophesies for hundreds of years.  Jesus was fulfilling them as they watched, but some were just not getting it.  The way my Pastor would tell us to turn to Psalm 22:1 today, Jesus was telling them to recall the Psalm and compare it to what they were first hand witnesses to at Golgotha.  Here is the 22nd Psalm in it's entirety:

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?


My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.


Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.

In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.


To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.


But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.


All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.


“He trusts in the LORD,” they say,
“let the LORD rescue him.


Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”


Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.


From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.


Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.


Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.


Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.


I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.


My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.


My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.


Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.


All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.


They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.


But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.


Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.


Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.


I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.


You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!


For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.


From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.


The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!


All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.


All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.


Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.


They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!

The Word says Jesus knew the plan.  He knew exactly what He was supposed to do.  He asked God to let the cup pass if there was any other way.  There was no plan B.  It had been set from the foundations of the earth.

John 19:28-30 says, "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.'  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (see Psalm 69:21)

I do not believe the modern day teaching that says Jesus was reacting from a feeling  of abandonment from God, like what was in our family devotional last night.  But I believe His words hold deeper meaning and that Jesus was directing an unbelieving crowd to the truth with His final breaths.  He still directs us today with those precious words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  Just turn to Psalm 22:1 and see that "HE HAS DONE IT!!!  Oh Glory!  He will never leave us or forsake us!!!

Part 3 "Cut to a Stump"

People often ask how can I be so strong and confident in my faith? I have just had another personal tragedy, my 4th miscarriage at the 3 month mark. Knowing that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever gives me the strength to carry on. I wake up each morning and open my Bible and remind myself that He is my Rock and will never leave me. I have walked away from Him in the past, but He never left me. I have learned over my life that God doesn't change...people do. I have made a conscience choice to follow Him and allow the growth I need to mature and become more like His Son everyday.

Something amazing happened to King Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 of Daniel. It was 30 years after Daniel's buddies were saved from the burning furnace. The king had another dream and he asked Daniel to tell him what it meant. "The tree you saw, which was strong , with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air--you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground." Daniel 4:20-23

God allows tragedy to strike us that is undeniable. But why? Well, it is impossible to live in this world and not face hardships. Life without pain and sin is Heaven not earth. God uses everything that happens in our lives to grow us and He helps us to overcome whatever we face if we let Him. I love the example of the tree being cut to a stump. King Nebuchadnezzar had an amazing and flourishing kingdom. Historians tell us that Babylon was the richest and most luxuriant Empire of all time. God allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to be cut back to a stump, for the purpose of being stripped of disease and grown back into a glorious sight. "The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules." Daniel 4:26 That is exactly what happened. The king was stripped of almost everything. He finally acknowledged God and praised Him alone. (verse 37)

I have a tree in our yard. This is my favorite tree, a magnolia right outside my bedroom window. Every year we have lived here I have watched it grow and bloom. I take a picture of it in each of the 4 seasons, because it is so beautiful in each one. This is it above when it was in full bloom one spring. We noticed that it was looking sick last year and called the tree guy. He gave me the worst diagnosis, our tree had a soil born virus. The remedy? Cut it down, burn it, and never plant anything there again. I was crushed. I couldn't believe something so beautiful was going to be nothing but a memory. Mike lovingly cut away every branch with the vascular disease. All that was left was a stump and a few branches. It looked dead all fall and winter. Then an amazing thing happened. A few weeks ago we noticed some green growing from the stump!

Little by little we are watching healthy green leaves emerge from the stump and slowly climb up the few branches left. I look forward to the day when I look out my bedroom window again and see my magnolia in its' full and splendid bloom. I have confidence, because I know firsthand that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Nothing is impossible with Him. He wants to grow us all back into the splendor and glory in which we were created.

Part 2 "Do you know the Rock?"

"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces." Daniel 2:44-45

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Part 2

This rock represents the kingdom of Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. This kingdom will fill the whole earth and never be destroyed. Jesus is described over and over in scripture to be the rock, foundation, stone the builders rejected, capstone, the living stone, chief cornerstone, and so on. (see Psalm 118:22-24, 1 Pet 2:4-8, Isaiah 29:16, Matt 21:42-43, Mk 12:10, Lk 20:17, Acts 4:11, Eph 2:20, Ro 9:33 & 10:11)

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream....it terrified him to the point of hysteria. He knew it meant something big and he paid attention. He didn't rest until an explanation was given. God gave Daniel the dream and it's meaning. At the time of the dream only the head of gold, Babylon had been fulfilled. If every single part of the the statue's pretold analogy has been fulfilled up to the toes over a span of 2,600 years then it is logical to assume God will fulfill it to the end as well. I do not know when the end will come, no one does, but I know we are not at the shoulders or belly button, we are under the feet. The Rock is coming...do you know Him?

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

Part 1 "Neb's dream...interpreted and fulfilled."

Ever feel like some Scripture is over your head or just plain doesn't make any sense? Well, I have, which is why I was reluctant and excited at the same time to study the books of Daniel and Revelation. I am going to post a recap of what I have been studying in small bits so as not to overwhelm, because it is exciting...mind blowing stuff...ENJOY!!!

What started the whole series of events in the time of Daniel was the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had. (Daniel speaking) "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue -an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then, the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and gold were broken into pieces at the same time and became chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the huge rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth." Daniel 2:31-35 (NIV)

One of the remarkable things about Daniel recounting this dream to the king is that the king had told no one the dream, but demanded they tell HIM what he saw! Daniel was given the knowledge from God to tell King Neb what he saw and then he told him what it meant.

" This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory........you are that head of gold. After you another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-for iron breaks and smashes everything-and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw the iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay." Daniel 2:36-43

Okay, so here is the prophetic dream fulfilled up to date....

the HEAD was made of gold, famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar, historical fulfillment: the Babylonian Empire, 626-539 B.C.

the CHEST was made of silver, famous ruler was Cyrus the Great, historical fulfillment: the Medo-Persian Empire, 539-331 B.C. (the two arms represent the two sides which united to conquer Babylon as the Medes and Persians)

the BELLY and THIGHS were made of bronze, famous ruler Alexander the Great, historical fulfillment: the Grecian Empire, 331-63 B.C.

the LEGS were made of iron, famous rulers were Octavian (Augustus), Tiberious, and Nero, historical fulfillment: the Roman Empire, 63 B.C-A.D. 476

the FEET made of iron and baked clay can be interpreted as the outgrowth of the divided Roman Empire. The toes on the feet may very well represent a political system yet to come. This is the time up to now continuing until Christ's return.

The dream given to Nebuchadnezzar by God, revealed and interpreted by Daniel by God, and perfectly fulfilled to date over the span of 2600 years by God....AWESOME! One of the cool things to me is the representation of the Roman Empire in the legs and feet and how the iron is mixed in the toes. Roman culture is mixed into every culture alive right now. Us for example, our system of laws and democracy, the architecture of our governmental buildings, even our stadiums! As Mike and I have traveled all over Europe together and toured Rome...it is undeniable that the world as we see it today has evolved from a strong Roman influence. Just look around. We are living in a prophetic fulfilled time with more to come.