Mrs. Clark’s 7th Grade Bible Class Discusses:

Truth or Coincidence: The Coincidence Myth

Many predictions (Nostradamus, fortune-cookies, horoscopes, etc.) are purposefully vague, allowing people to apply them pretty much no matter what happens. Many people assume the predictions of Scripture are the same–made-up and only accurate by accident or coincidence. But look again–there were fourty-eight major prophecies about the Messiah. Specific, detailed prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.

That’s no coincidence.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human,

spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit..

2 Peter 1:20-21

Study Sessions

Here are just a few of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled:

1. Jesus would be born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25)

2. He would be of the tribe of Judah (Luke 3:23, 33)

3. He would be descended from Jesse (Luke 3:32)

4. He would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1)

5. He would be preceded by a messenger (Matthew 3:1-2)

6. He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15)

Which Old Testament Book contained which prophecy?*

Genesis

Isaiah

Micah

Zechariah

The coincidence myth is about how all the prophecies about Jesus just happened out of luck.
Many people read a book about Nostradamus who predicted many things such as Nazi Germany, 9/11, and Kennedy’s assassination. Nostradamus’ predictions were very vague and general.

However, the 48 predictions God’s prophets made were very detailed and every one of them came true.

Many people say that the Bible’s predictions were just a coincidence but every prediction Nostradamus made were vague and very general. Nostradamus made several predictions but Jesus fulfilled many prophecies with one hundred percent accuracy.

The odds of Jesus fulfilling all of these predictions is ten to the power of 157.

Although Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies many people praise Nostradamus more than Jesus. This is proof that Only God himself can fulfill these detailed prophecies.

Alexa, age 13

Has anyone ever told you that all the prophecies about Jesus were fake? Or that all the prophecies were just a coincidence? Well, those people are wrong.
A man by the name of Nostradamus claimed to have visions or prophecies about extravagant catastrophes that have since happened. Some of which are: Nazi Germany, Kennedy’s assassination, and 9/11.
However in all those “prophecies” detail was always left out. They were always vague and could end up being a number of different things.
Jesus, however, fulfilled a number of prophecies of extraordinary detail.

For example,  Jesus was said to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, in a manger, in the line of King David. This is what a true Son of God can do — not some vague plagiarizer.

In conclusion, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the only ones who can fulfill the Bible’s many prophecies.

London, age: 12

The difference between truth and coincidence is very simple.

It just requires us to look beyond our own noses. It makes us think about how much information there is or how much there isn’t.

As an example I will use Nostradamus. Many see him as a man who predicted many things in America’s history like Kennedy’s death, 9/11, and even Nazi Germany, but if you dig deeper you can see that all of his predictions were very vague and don’t give us enough information to know if he was predicting or guessing and hoping.

It surprises me that we fall for so much before we actually think about it.

And how quickly we fall for a guy talking about something when we have the Bible that makes correct predictions — ones that really come true like Jesus’ birth, ministry, and death. One prediction that Jesus Himself made was his prediction about Peter denying him three times before the rooster crowed.

Leigh Evan, age 13

Coincidence much? They happen in everyday life. Whether you ace a test you didn’t study for, or you say something that happens within 5 minutes.
Coincidences happen often, but they didn’t happen in the Bible.
Everything written in it is true facts, not just a coincidence like the myth says. Many disagree with this because many other people can make predictions that come true as well. But the Bible’s predictions are all from God.

For example, the Bible predicted Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, Him being born of the Virgin Mary, and His hands and feet being pierced at his crucifixion. This can’t just happen by chance , so how could it be a lie?

The Bible shows lots of proof to support the prophets’ predictions.
The amount detail in others’ predictions is sad compared to the Bible. Like how Nostradamus predicted 9-11, but he only gave vague details.

The Bible gives a very detailed prediction about Jesus’ crucifixion. To explain, the Bible says His coat will be auctioned off, and He will rise on the 3rd day. That proves way more than just vague predictions.

All in all, the Bible is an amazing book of God’s word, and has all true predictions.

Alexa, age 13

Like most books you read, a lot of people think that fulfillment of prophecies in the Bible was just some kind of coincidence.
Like books we all read, most authors write about events and they make guesses on what is going to happen. Most of the time in books, authors make their guesses come true, so people think that coincidences are no big deal.
Think about this: prophecies in books are so vague and the authors don’t explain them.

Whereas the Bible, whenever there is a prophecy, it talks about it so much in so much detail, and when it did happen, God would make sure that exact thing was what was going to come true.

Believe it or not, every single Bible prophecy was no coincidence; it was nothing but truth.
If someone said something random that ended up happening, would you consider that a prophecy?
What about the Bible? All the prophecies were very descriptive in every way. So what about now, do you still think the prophecies in the Bible were coincidences?

Karson, age 12

*Answers to Study Session Above: 1. Isaiah 7:14, 2. Genesis 49:10, 3. Isaiah 11:1, 4. Micah 5:2, 5. Isaiah 40:3, 6. Zechariah 11:12