GET OUT!!!!! (Elaine Shove)

I think Wikipedia says it best "Elaine's signature move is expressing incredulity by giving people a vigorous two-handed shove, occasionally knocking her victim to the floor from the force. Sometimes yelling "Get out!" in shock. " I think you'll find this video to be very appropriate, as it does a good job illustrating what I think your reaction will be after you read this post.

As promised, today we are going to examine the question “Was Jesus more than just a prophet and miracle worker?” The answer is yes. He was God. We know this because he fulfilled 322 prophecies of the Messiah that were laid out in the Old Testament. There are also other reasons why we know Jesus was God, but that will be addressed in a later post.

In the Old Testament, there were ~322 predictions (prophecies) about the future Messiah of the Jewish people. The predictions are in numerous books of the Old Testament, with multiple authors, and across 1,000 years of time. They were very specific predictions and Jesus fulfilled every single one. Now you may be thinking “ Well Jesus just got lucky” , or “ Jesus just altered his actions and behavior to fit the prophecies”, or “Jesus’s disciples went back and edited the original Old Testament scripts to make Jesus fit them.” Let’s walk through each of these objections one at a time. After we do, I think you’ll see that all of these scenarios are as valid as John Edward’s claim that he didn’t father Rielle Hunter's baby girl.

#1 Jesus just got lucky.

Initially, when we hear that a person would have to fulfill 300+ items to be considered the Messiah, it doesn’t sound difficult at all. Time consuming? Yes. But impossible? No way. Although it does sound like an easy feat, when you actually calculate the statistical probability of 1 person fulfilling various prophecies, you will see that it would be nearly impossible for a human to achieve, even if this person was a walking for leaf clover or even if this person had an easy button at his disposal. Thankfully, the research and number crunching has been done for us. Real quick, let’s walk through professor Peter Stoner’s findings and calculations regarding messianic prophecy fulfillment.

Probability of 1 person fulfilling just 1 of 322 prophecies is 1 in 300,000.

This probability relates specifically to the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Stoner calculated this by a simple division problem:

average population of Bethlehem (Micah time to present) = 2.8 * 10⁵ = ~300,000

average population of Earth (Micah time to present)

As you can see, Stoner found that the chance of 1 man being born in Bethlehem is 1 in 300,000.

Probability of 1 person fulfilling just 8 of 322 prophecies is 1 x10¹⁷.

Stoner used similar methods to calculate the probability of one person fulfilling 8 of 322 prophecies. The probability 1 x 10¹⁷ translates to 100,000,000,000,000,000. But how large is that? Stoner gave the following illustration as a means to comprehend the grandeur/ridiculousness of completing this by luck.

Imagine covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars to a level of two feet deep. (You’d need 1 * 10¹⁷ coins). Choose one silver dollar and mark it with a pen. Stir coins. Find a blind man. Take him to Texas and ask him to select one silver dollar. The odds that he will select the coin are the same as one person fulfilling ONLY 8 of the 322 prophecies.

Probability of one person fulfilling 48 of 322 prophecies = 1 in 10¹⁵⁷

If you want an illustration for this number, you can here . The illustration involves electrons and when I tried to understand it almost made my head explode, so buyer beware.

Probability of one person fulfilling 322 of 322 prophecies = ???

Stoner didn’t do this calculation, but really is it necessary? We just saw how nearly impossible it was to fulfill only 8 (2.5% of total prophecies). Clearly, it would be impossible for anyone other than God to fulfill 8 prophecies, let alone all 322 prophecies.

Now, I know you may think this is “fuzzy math”, but it’s not. In fact, it’s verified by the American Scientific Affiliation:

“The manuscript for Science Speaks has been carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members and by the Executive Council of the same group and has been found, in general, to be dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented. The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way.” ^“American Scientific Affiliation, H. Harold Hartzler, Ph.D., Secretary-Treasurer, Goshen College, Ind.

#2 Jesus simply did things to fulfill scripture.

Jesus, being an opportunist, could use his knowledge of the Old Testament to see what prophecies about the Messiah were made and then simply fulfill them. Hmm let's see.. ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.. check! (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9) Present yourself as king of Jerusalem exactly 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem….check! (Daniel 9:25; Matthew 21:4-11) Minister in Galilee…check! (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16). Preach good news… check! (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)…Perform miracles …..check! (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35).

Last time I checked, I didn’t know that any man could simply slather mud on a blind man’s face and restore his sight, or heal a cripple by instructing the cripple to pick up his mat and walk. However, let’s be extra conservative, and for argument sake assume Jesus could orchestrate some of the aforementioned prophecies. This argument that a man could align himself to the Messianic prophecies by his actions alone is heavily flawed when we look at ALL prophecies and realize that most of them were out of Jesus’s control. I’ve constructed the chart below to highlight some key prophecies.

For example, how could Jesus control the prophecies about his birth ? The OT says the Messiah would be born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, and a descendent of Abraham, Judah, and David. Additionally, how could Jesus control the prophecies about his enemies? The OT says he will be betrayed by a friend, he will be sold for 30 pieces of silver, the silver will later be used to buy potters field, and people will gamble for his clothing? Think about it. Would an enemy ever do something if he knew that it would help the cause of his nemesis? Of course not!!!!!!! And finally, how could Jesus control the circumstances of his death? I’m pretty sure Jesus wasn’t saying “hey, go ahead, spit on me, beat me, and mock me. Oh and also can you make sure that I will die on the cross before the other criminals being crucified so that you won’t have to break my bones which is the standard normal operating procedure? Also, don’t forget, once I’m dead, you’ll need to pierce my side to fulfill the scriptures…. Mmm k?! “ .

You guys, Jesus is God. That’s the only way any of this could be explained. Please believe me or I love you.

#3 Jesus’s disciples went back and rewrote OT prophecies to make them fit to Jesus.

This is easily put to rest thanks to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls between 1947 and 1956. The scrolls, which were found in various caves along the Dead Sea, prove that the Old Testament text (which includes Messianic prophecies) were unaltered since the time they were written. How do we know this? The Dead Sea Scrolls contain fragments of every book of the Old Testament (except for Esther). Specifically, the Isaiah Scroll, which is virtually intact, is 1,000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah. Note: Isaiah contains a ton of Messianic prophecy. Furthermore, carbon 14, paleographic and scribal dating methods were used to determine the age of the scrolls. These tests showed Dead Sea Scrolls were written during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 A.D. Many crucial biblical manuscripts (such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 61) date to at least 100 B.C. For more in depth details about the Dead Sea Scrolls go here.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, which is the best smartphone of all?

Smartphones are the new black. You would think that during a time when unemployment is at 10.5% (the highest rate in over 26 years), people would not be so eager to spend money on something they don’t need. However, statistically, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, it is estimated that 200 million smartphones were sold in 2009 and experts are expecting this number to increase to 500 million over the next five years.

At a minimum, a smartphone is a cellular phone that also offers capabilities normally only found on a computer (ex. internet and email). The first smartphones were marketed for corporate use (ex. Blackberry), but the newest smartphones are marketed for personal use and have evolved into powerhouse do-all toys. The latest smartphones operate using touch screens and offer “standard” features of GPS navigation, picture taking, and video recording.

Are smartphones a necessity? No. But is fun to be able to receive instantaneous alerts about the latest online JCREW sale, the biggest headline news, and a new wall post to your f book, all while in the dressing room at Banana snapping a picture of a dress that you can’t decide whether or not to buy? Yes, of course it is. I jumped on the bandwagon by accident in fall 2008 and splurged on an iPhone after my 3 year old Motorola RAZR accidentally fell into a bubble bath. In fall 2008, there were lines out the door at the Apple store because at the time there was nothing else even close to it. Flash forward to the present, and you are suddenly faced with several options.

Now, before you make any type of investment, you should do your research. Conveniently, it has already been done for us. Let’s take a peak at the chart Billshrink.com provided. The phones have nearly identical features, give or take an extra megapixel here, or and extra hour of batter life there. Thus, I think ultimately a potential buyer will consider price, service carrier, and number of applications. Based on price, Palm Pre wins (assuming you won’t be paying to break an existing contract). Based on # of applications, iPhone wins big. Based on service carrier, I would argue Verizon wins (Droid); however, service carrier performance varies depending where you live and service carrier loyalty trumps coverage when you have friends and family on the same carrier.

Now, if we are going to spend so much time researching an investment in a phone that will last between 1-3 years, wouldn’t it make sense to research a savior that could in theory last you for all eternity? I certainly think so. Over the next several weeks, I’d like to take us on a journey and explore everything there is to know about Jesus. And I’m talking going deeper than just acknowledging that his birthday is celebrated on December 25. Hopefully by the end of this, you can discern whether Jesus was a man, a prophet, God, a lunatic, or some combination of the aforementioned.

Let’s start simply and address one of the smaller claims of Christ. Was Jesus a prophet? A prophet at minimum speaks forth God’s message (Exodus 7:1-2). A prophet does so via preaching (encouraging and reproving people) in addition to foretelling (giving the people the word of God concerning the future). In terms of sheer foretelling, Jesus was unique because every word of Jesus was the word of God. All prophets before Jesus spoke the Word of God when moved by the Holy Spirit, but in general conversation their speech was entirely their own. Jesus, however, at all times spoke the word of God, whether in public preaching or in private conversation (John 12:49-50, John 14:10). So Jesus was a prophet. Beyond this, there is a lot of disagreement. Muslims think Jesus was only a prophet, whereas Christians think he was much more. Let’s compare him with some of the OT prophets that were involved in performing miracles and see how Jesus stacks up.



Based on this chart alone, it is crystal clear that Jesus was the ultimate miracle worker. Jesus not only completed feats that no other prophet before him did (ie. The ability to drive demons out of people, heal people born blind, heal the deaf, heal paralytics etc), he also performed the most miracles out of any other prophet (34). Also, keep in mind that in all miracles where Moses, Elijah and Elisha are involved, the miracle is proceeded by a prayer to God, or preceded by God telling the prophet how He is going to work through the prophet to perform the miracle. In sharp contrast, when Jesus performs a miracle the Bible records the miracle as happening with a simple word or action coming from Jesus without any preceding request for assistance from God the Father.

So Jesus was a prophet, and a great miracle worker, but how does that show he was God? We’ll explore that in the next post.

Oh Snap! - UPDATE

I just walked in the door of my apartment and it was like Christmas morning. As you'll see in the picture, CUTCO sent me a brand new 9'' master carver for free! If you look closely you'll see that the charge is $0.00 for knife replacement and only $6.00 for shipping and handling. If you are confused by this post, please check out my prior blog post entitled "Oh Snap!".

Welp, I better get going so I don't waste anymore time. I only have 309 days left to learn how to carve a turkey before Thanksgiving!

Oh Snap!

Last night while I was eating dinner my roommate said "Hey, want me to throw this knife away?". I thought surely she couldn't be talking about one of my CUTCO knives, and if she was, surely she was joking and just wanting to get a reaction out of me. I turned my head around to give her the satisfaction she was looking for, and there she was holding the master carver, in TWO PIECES! Turns out she dropped it on the floor.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Yes, I know all things over time will break down but not my precious CUTCO knives! Not only are they the Rolls Royce of kitchen culterly, they are supposed to last foreva eva eva eva eva eva eva eva eva eva. Seriously though, they are. When I used to sell these bad boys I remember I visited a women who had them for 20 years and they were still trail blazing through some rough carrots. In addition to their durability, Cutco knives are backed by a Forever Guarantee.

We all know that knives break down over time. So how can a company give a forever guarantee? Well it’s simple, they think of the reasons the knife would deteriorate, and then they offer protection from that. A knife’s main function is to cut. A knife can’t cut when it’s dull, so the guarantee offers free re-sharpening indefinitely as long as you send the knife back and pay for shipping in handling. A knife may also lose functionality through misuse or abuse. If you somehow break the knife and it’s your fault, they will replace it for half the current retail value. I guess technically there are two ways the guarantee would be rendered invalid. One way would be if you lost a knife. I highly doubt you could send an empty envelope sans knife stating that you lost it. A second way would be if Cutco went out of business. But let’s be real here, you won’t really lose a knife if you keep it in the block, and until people stop eating there will always be a market for knives.

Putting my two reasons aside, this is one amazing FOREVER Guarantee. And I really don’t think there is anything else out there on the market, knife or not a knife, that has this type of guarantee. Sure plenty of goods have lifetime or limited warranties, but those only last 1-2 years and are usually only valid if there is some type of manufacturing defect. So remembering this guarantee, I called customer service to test the waters. I explained to them that the master carver broke when my roommate dropped the knife on the floor. I was fully ready to agree that it fell under “misuse and abuse” and pay half the current retail value, when the customer service representative simply said “Just send it back to us with a note stating what happened and we’ll send you a new one for free” . WOW. Keep in mind I bought this knife 7 years ago and don't have the original receipt or box!!!!!!!!!

After I got off the phone, I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to fork over cash for a new knife, and also impressed by the authenticity of the guarantee. When they said ‘forever’ they meant it. Now what if I told you there is a forever guarantee that is permanent and eternal. There are no loopholes in this agreement such as losing the item or the Company going out of business. I’m referring to the guarantee in the Bible that tells us one of God's title's is “Everlasting Father”. In order to prove the authenticity of this guarantee, we can examine the typical ways a father can malfunction (i.e. most common flaws of our earthly fathers), and see if God’s guarantee to be our “Everlasting Father” pans out. My pastor summarized this topic well a few weeks ago, and the highlights are below.



Pretty cool right? If you think this might run out in 7 years or God might change his mind, think again. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." -- Hebrews 13:8

I’m off to UPS to send my knife back. If you want to check out Cutco's guarantee go here.