| II. OBJECTIONS ANSWERED
A. Fulfilled Prophecies were Actually Written at or after the time
of Jesus
Answer:
Most Hebrew scholars agree that the Old Testament, i.e. the
Scriptures used in Jesus' time, was completed around 400 BC. If you
question this date, then realize that the Greek translation of the Old
Testament - the Septuagint - was
around 280 BC. Therefore, it appears evident that there were at least 280
years between the time of the writing of the prophecies and their fulfillment
in Jesus Christ.
B. The Fulfilled Prophecy in Jesus was Deliberate on His Part. He Knew
the Old Testament Well Enough and Just Set Out to Fulfill All of Them.
Answer:
This might seem possible until we realize that thee were many
prophecies outside of His control, such as: 1. Place of birth (Mic.
5:2); 2. Time of birth (Dan.
9:25); 3. Manner of birth (Is.
7:14); 4. Betrayal; 5. Manner of death (Ps.
22:16); 6. People's reactions (mocking, spitting, staring, etc.); 7.
Piercing of His side; 8. Burial
C. The Fulfilled Prophecy in Jesus was Coincidental, An Accident
Answer:
Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Chicago: Moody Press,
1963) determines the probability of one man fulfilling eight of the prophecies
of the Old Testament for the Messiah to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power.
1 out of 100,000,000,000,000,000
Peter Stoner then goes on to consider the possibility of any one person
fulfilling 48 of the prophecies by chance. Here the odds jump to 1 in 10
to the 157th power. That number would look like this:
1 out of 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000
CONCLUSION
"Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there
is no other: I am God and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from
the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done; Saying,
'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'"
(Is.
46:9,10)
Primary Source:
-
McDowell, Josh. (1972) Chapter 9: The Messianic Prophesies of the
Old Testament Fulfilled in Chirst. In: Evidence
that Demands a Verdict. Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc.
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