What Is the Probability of the Reality of Jesus Christ?
- Dr. Roger Barrier Preach It, Teach It
- Published Jan 06, 2020
Editor's Note: Dr. Roger Barrier went to be with the Lord on February 16th, 2024. Dr. Barrier's family is honoring his legacy by continuing the ministry of Ask Roger and preachitteachit.org for years to come as they share more than two thousand still-unpublished sermons and Ask Roger articles. All articles authored by Dr. Barrier that are published and republished are done posthumously.
Dear Roger,
My friends and I recently bought a couple of lottery tickets. We don’t do it often, but the potential payout was over several million so we decided to try our luck. Then when I got to thinking that our chances were one in 7 million I vowed never to buy another one. I decided buying lottery tickets is like driving by the store and tossing $20 bills out the window. But I do have a question. Does the Bible give us the probability of the reality of Jesus Christ?
Sincerely, Crystal
Dear Crystal,
No, the Bible does not give us a clear-cut probability of the reality of Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, using probability theory (found in any high school algebra textbook) we can still come up with a rather close approximation.
It’s not hard to use a few fulfilled prophecies to get an idea of the probability that Christ is alive and well – and exactly who he said he was!
Let’s say that “X” is three, “Y” is four and “Z” is five.
The probability of all three coming together, independently, is 1 in “X” times “Y” times “Z”, OR 3×4×5 =60. The odds of all three things happening simultaneously and independently from one another is 1 in 60 (This is not the same as flipping a coin 10 times in a row and getting heads each time.)
Let’s imagine that one in 10 men are bald and that one in 1,000 men have lost a finger. Then, one in how many are both bald and lost a finger? The answer is that 1 in 10×1000 equals one in 10,000 men are both bald and have lost a finger!
Some 300 Old Testament prophecies predict things about Jesus. Can we figure out the probability that all will be accurately fulfilled in one person? Yes! Certainly!
When I was a teenager, I came across a probability chart regarding the reality of Jesus Christ. As best I can remember the chart came from the Moody Bible Science Series. I’ve included some details from it in sentence structure within this article to use it as a guideline. I want to help illustrate the fact that believing in Jesus is a wise and rational decision.
10 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
Out of 300 predictions, we will examine 10. Notice that all 10 are Old Testament prophecies which begin with Micah (742 B.C.) and continued down to Jesus’ day.
You may feel free to adjust the odds as you see fit. I’ve tried to be conservative in my estimates, which I imagine will be generally in the ballpark with yours. However, no matter how much we adjust the odds, the chance of all 10 prophecies coming true in one person is incredibly remote.
1. Prophecy: Bethlehem Born
Prediction: Micah 5:2, Fulfillment: Matthew 2:1, Probability: 1 in 57,000
2. Prophecy: Virgin Born
Prediction: Isaiah 7:14, Fulfillment: Luke 1:26, Probability: 1 in 100,000,000
3. Prophecy: Gambled For His Clothes At Death
Prediction: Psalm 22:18, Fulfillment: Mark 15:24, Probability: 1 in 10,000
4. Prophecy: Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem On A Donkey
Prediction: Zechariah 9:9, Fulfillment: Matthew 21:1-11, Probability: 1 in 20,000
5. Betrayed By A Friend
Prediction: Psalm 41:9, Fulfillment: Mark 14:10, Probability: 1 in 10,000
6. For 30 pieces of silver
Prediction: Zechariah 11:, Fulfillment: Matthew 26:15, Probability: 1 1n 50,000
7. Death By Crucifixion
Prediction: Psalm 22:16, Fulfillment: John 19:17, Probability: 1 in 250,000
8. Pierced In His Side By Sword
Prediction: Zechariah 12:10, Fulfillment: John 19:34, Probability: 1 in 50,000
9. Buried With Rich And The Poor
Prediction: Isaiah 53:9, Fulfillment: Luke 23:32, Probability: 1 in 50,000
10. Resurrection
Prediction: Psalm 16:10, Fulfillment: Luke 24:6-7, Probability: 1 in 100,000,000
When we total up the probabilities, we discover that the odds of one man independently and simultaneously fulfilling all 10 prophecies are 1 in 1,642,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
That’s 1 in 16,425 with 47 zeros behind it.
Or, scientific notation looks like this: 16,425 x 1047
How Vast Is This Improbability?
How big is this number? It is huge. We’re talking about virtually impossible odds.
For example, let’s put 10 silver dollars in a hat. Then, let’s mark one of them with a distinctive mark. Ask a blind man to pick up the marked silver dollar. His chance of doing it is one in 10.
Or, let’s cover an entire parking lot with silver dollars 2 feet deep. Ask the blind man to pick out the marked silver dollar. But, a parking lot is way too small when we try to visualize our extravagant number.
Let’s cover the entire state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep. Then stir them all up and again asked the blind man to pick out the right one. He doesn’t have a chance.
But, again, this is still too small.
Now, blanket the entire earth landmass with silver dollars 120 feet high. That’s still not enough.
So, imagine a huge sphere filled with silver dollars stretching from the center of the Sun 2,793 billion miles to the center of the planet Neptune. Notice, we are describing a sphere, not a circle. That’s just about right.
We know in our hearts that the blind man will never find the marked coin. But, Jesus hit it right on the button! Only Jesus fulfilled the improbable.
Sharing the Probability of Jesus Being Real is a Faith Builder
Dwelling on the incredible probability that Jesus Christ is real is a great faith builder.
You see, Christians seem to come in two categories.
It’s my observation that some Christians, like my wife, have a very simple faith with which they seldom or ever doubt the reality of Jesus.
I’m more like doubting Thomas. I want to see it to believe it. I do all sorts of studies and have experiences that help build my faith because I tend to doubt. So, sharing the probability of Jesus Christ being real may be used in evangelism.
We never know when sharing this reality may be just what we need to help someone find Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Understanding the meaning of the fulfillment of 10 prophecies provides assurance that Christ is who he said he was—and that our faith in him is well placed.
If any of the 10 prophecies failed to come true then we are faced with two conclusions. First, the prophet made a mistake. However, as best we can tell none of them made a mistake. That means that if Jesus failed to fulfill even one prophecy then he is not Christ.
However, since he did fulfill all 10, the only conclusion is that he really is the Christ. That's a faith builder!
Surveys reveal that about 80 % of all Christians who come to Christ do so out of a sense of compassion. About 20% respond to commitment. A few respond to reason.
We never know when sharing this reality may be just what we need to help someone find Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Crystal, I hope this answer is helpful to you and your friends.
Love, Roger
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Ryan Rad
This Ask Roger article may feature insights from Roger's wife, Dr. Julie Barrier, co-founder of Preach It, Teach It, worship minister, concert artist, and adjunct professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, or his daughter, Brie Barrier Wetherbee, a sought-after Bible teacher and conference speaker, author, analyst, and Christian theologian.
