After God first gave the promise of the Savior, He began revealing specific truth about the King who was to come through human vessels: prophets. More than 680 years before the birth of Jesus, God told the prophet Isaiah that the Savior would have a virgin mother and would be God Himself in the flesh. The accuracy of this one claim alone is miraculous, especially given how many years the world waited for the fruition of the promise. But this prophecy is only one of 108 that were fulfilled through the birth and life of Jesus.
In 1958, renowned mathematics and astronomy professor Peter Stoner studied and calculated the chances of the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies. He concluded that the probability of even 8 of those 108 prophecies coming to pass is, conservatively, one in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That’s one in one-hundred quadrillion. Just EIGHT out of 108! This makes Christmas one of the most significant miracles in history.
As we celebrate this remarkable holiday, try wrapping your mind around the odds stacked against Jesus coming to earth as predicted. It’s pretty much impossible to fathom! Our only logical response is worship—in gratitude and total awe. The Word tells us there is no limit to God’s power, and these numbers are certainly proof of that. He is worthy of our wonder.
Prayer: Father, You are amazing. I can’t even begin to understand how You wove the story of Jesus together before He was born. I am in awe of Your infinite power and wisdom. Thank You for the miracle of Your Son. Help me never lose sight of how great You are.
Isaiah 7: 14 NLT
All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).