Prophecy

God’s Predestination — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel Free Will vs Predestination, Prophecy, Simplified Scriptures Series

This is crazy, I know! But I am going to agree with Calvinists (to some degree) — God did use predestination to select certain elect people to believe in Jesus!

The thing Calvinists (and many other Christians) don’t understand, is that the Bible says that God only predestined the FIRST Jewish believers in Christ and/or the FIRST generation of disciples, not all believers for all time.
Look at what the Scriptures say on this:
Ephesians 1:4-5, 11-12 (ESV) “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”
Notice — and this is very important! — the Bible here says that God predestined those who were the first to hope in Christ, that is, the first Jewish Christians, including the Apostles.
The very next verse (Ephesians 1:13) makes a clear distinction between the predestined first Jewish Christian believers, and the Gentiles who believed in Jesus later on. The Bible does NOT use the word “predestined” or the word “foreknew” in reference to the later generations of Gentile believers, but always for the Jews chosen by God, or perhaps also for the first generation of Gentile believers. (See Romans 11:1-2; Romans 8:23-30)
This by itself may not seem convincing enough for you, however, just take a look at the following verses:
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV) “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
James 1:18 (ESV) “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
James 1:1 says that his letter was written to the Jewish Christians, so James 1:18 means the Jews who believed in Jesus are the “firstfruits.” 
The Apostle Peter drives home this point, preaching that God had pre-selected those early Jewish believers whom would be the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection:
Acts 10:41 (NIV): He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Paul says something similar, that God had chosen him to be His servant before Paul was even born:
Galatians 1:15-16 (NIV): But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
At 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul was either referring to the Jewish believers in Thessalonica as “the firstfruits,” or he was using that term to describe the first generation of all believers in the city of Thessalonica.
In addition, Romans 8:23-30 and Romans 11:1-2 appears to be saying that Jewish people are the ones whom God “foreknew” and “predestined,” and 8:23 shows that these believers who were predestined are the “firstfruits” because they have the “firstfruits of the Holy Spirit” inside of them.

In Romans, Paul repeatedly points out that Jewish Christians are “first,” then Gentile Christians:
Romans 1:16 (NIV): “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

Romans 2:10 (NIV): “but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
 
This agrees with the New Testament calling Jewish disciples of Christ “the firstfruits.“

Revelation 14:4 also says “the firstfruits” are Jews who believe in Jesus. This is a consistent message throughout the New Testament.
Our Lord Jesus said that only certain of the Jewish people were drawn by God to become the early disciples of Christ:
John 6:44-45 (NIV): “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.
John 6:64-65 (NIV): Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
This harmonizes perfectly with what Paul said regarding God only selecting a certain remnant of Jewish believers to become disciples and be saved:
Romans 11:1-6 (NIV): I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
So we can see that God predestined and foreknew certain of the original Jewish disciples and the first generation of Christians, but what did Jesus say about future believers?
John 12:32 (ESV) “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.“
Revelation 22:17 (HCSB): Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

“This Generation Shall Not Pass Away” — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel Prophecy, Simplified Scriptures Series

When Jesus was giving His famous Olivet Prophecy about the signs of His return and the destruction of the Jewish Temple, He also made this statement, as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke:

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

For those Christians who believe all of the things foretold in the Olivet Prophecy happened by 70 A.D., this Scripture fits perfectly and poses absolutely no problems.

But, for Christians who think this prophecy has a future fulfillment, how would Jesus’ words apply now, about “this generation” not passing away?

There are a number of different valid interpretation options open to you. They are:

  • “This Generation” simply refers to all Christians in the churches, who have replaced the nation of Israel as God’s “chosen race.” Jesus was saying there would always be some faithful Christians on earth. (Matthew 28:20; 1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 16:18)
  • “This Generation” could start with the outbreak of the Great Tribulation. In this case, Jesus was just reassuring His disciples that the Tribulation wouldn’t last for many decades or centuries. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5)
  • “This Generation” possibly refers to wicked religious leaders/clergy such as the Pharisees. Jesus was saying unfortunately bad religious leaders would always be with us until the Tribulation. (Acts 20:29; Matthew 23:35-36)
  • “This Generation” might refer to the foundation of the “Disgusting Thing” (revived Roman Empire / European Union / United Nations / future kingdom of Antichrist).
  • “This Generation” perhaps was referring to the Jewish people. As part of God’s unconditional promise to Abraham, God feels obligated to keep some Jews alive at all times so they have the opportunity to hear the Good News and be saved. (Romans 11)
  • Finally, one popular interpretation, at least in America, is that “this Generation” began when Israel became a nation again in 1948, or when Israel took control of Jerusalem in 1967.

Selective Open Theism

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Free Will vs Predestination, Prophecy

There are many different views on God’s foreknowledge, predestination, prophecies, and free will.

I have recently embraced “Open Theism,” but my view is a customized version of Open Theism which harmonizes with the Scriptures even better (in my humble opinion).

I refer to my view as “Selective Theism” or “Selective Open Theism.” In general, it is the same as Open Theism, with one major difference: 

Open Theism says God cannot know certain things about the future because they haven’t happened yet, and God can’t know in advance what a person with free will would choose to do.

Selective Open Theism says God has the ability to know the future, but He chooses only to selectively know certain things, related to His purposes and prophecies, but blocks out the rest in order to allow free will to play out.

Selective Open Theism does a better job of explaining and harmonizing the fact that God, in the Bible, centuries in advance, predestined that evil men would murder His Son, Jesus, and also predestined that one of Jesus’ close friends would betray Him. (Acts 4:27-28) Otherwise, the alternative option is, that God had to cause the evil men to commit evil and murder Jesus, which would be a violation of James 1:13.

Jesus Himself exercised Selective Foreknowledge at Mark 13:32.

In the Old Testament, God seems to have exercised Selective Foreknowledge many times (Genesis 22:1, 12; Exodus 16:4; Exodus 20:20; many other passages too) where He blocks out future knowledge of free will choices, and has to watch them unfold as they happen.

However, by the same token, there are certain prophecies where God knows the minute, exact details, sometimes centuries in advance! (Daniel 9:24-26; Isaiah 45; 1 Samuel 10:2-16)

This also explains why God changes His mind at times. He discovers things that people are doing (or failing to do), and reacts accordingly. (Jonah 3:9-10; Exodus 32:14; Genesis 6:6-7)

The Bible makes it clear that God CAN change His mind unless He has sworn an oath or made a promise! (Jeremiah 18:6-10; Hebrews 6:17-18)

Now, the question may arise: How can God selectively choose what He wants to know about the future, unless He already knows ALL of the future?

This seems to be a mystery that the Bible simply doesn’t clearly explain. However, it possibly gives hints, if we examine how and when Jesus saw the future when He was on earth.

Each time Jesus saw the future, or spoke about the future of a thing or a person, He was right there with the thing or person. For example, Jesus was looking at the Temple when He foretold the future destruction of that Temple. Jesus was sitting next to Peter when He foretold that Peter would deny Him three times. Jesus was eating bread with Judas when Jesus saw that Judas was about to betray Him.

So, perhaps it is similar with God in heaven. Maybe God’s foreknowledge is triggered when He thinks about certain people or things, and then He can choose to zoom in or zoom out, regarding their future.

(The only other theory I can think of, is that God sees ALL of the future, but then He selects to forget most of it, in order to allow true free will.)

The Old Testament Law of Moses

The Bible makes it very clear that God only gave the Mosaic Law to the Jews for a limited time period, and that these laws included special rules for the culture and circumstances of that time, as well as concessions made for sinful, stubborn people, which did not represent God’s ideal commandments. (Matthew 19:8; Galatians 3:23-29)

The Law of Moses expired and became obsolete after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 5:1-4; Hebrews 8:7-13; Romans 10:4)

This, as well as the fact that God tolerated less-than-ideal practices in the Mosaic Law, such as polygamy, incest, slavery, women being treated as property, shows God to be flexible and open to change in His dealings with imperfect, evolving human beings.

Jesus’ Olivet Prophecy was Fulfilled in 70 A.D. — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel Prophecy, Simplified Scriptures Series , ,

Simplified Scriptures Series (SSS / Triple-S)

In this series, I am going to present my views on various Scriptures and doctrines, in an attempt to present the simplest, best interpretations which don’t require looking for any secondary, secret meanings. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that these Scriptures (or other parts of the Bible) never have secondary meanings or fulfillments, I’m just saying that my view is that it is safer, and more of a sure bet, to focus on the primary, surface-level meaning rather than going too far beyond what is written. My view is that in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Christ’s words only applied to the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Roman armies in 70 A.D. and do not have a hidden antitypical second fulfillment today. This would be in perfect agreement with Luke 21:5-7 (NET), which reads:

Now  while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned  with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said, “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”  So they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that these things are about to take place?”

This context clearly shows that Luke 21 (the parallel account of Matthew 24 and Mark 13) is Jesus and the disciples focusing only on the destruction of the Jewish Temple which they were looking at, not an antitypical future second fulfillment 2,000 years later. Continue down and look at Luke 21:20-28, Jesus explicitly says that these things will occur when the armies surround the city of Jerusalem, which was fulfilled in 66-70 A.D., concluding when the Roman General Titus destroyed the Temple.

Luke 21:20 (NET): “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.”

Earlier Christ had prophesied this same judgment and condemnation as a punishment on the Jews in Jerusalem for rejecting the Messiah during the time of the inspection/visitation. This is found in Luke 19:41-44 (NET):

Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. They will demolish you  – you and your children within your walls – and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

Jesus continued to warn about this same event, the destruction of the Jewish Temple, in Luke 23:27-31. Jesus once again warned Jerusalem about its destruction. All of this, in my opinion, has nothing to do with some secondary antitypical fulfillment 2,000 years later.

This explains why Jesus said “this generation will not pass away until all these things occur,” (Matthew 24:34) “all of this will come upon this generation,” (Matthew 23:36) and “you will not finish preaching in the cities of Israel before I come.” (Matthew 10:23)

One more point to consider: Christ repeatedly said that when this “great tribulation” takes place, His disciples would be brought before the synagogues to be judged and condemned. Synagogues don’t have this legal authority today, but they sure did in the 1st Century A.D. (Matthew 10:17; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:11; John 16:2; Matthew 23:34)

Jesus used hyperbole and symbolism to describe this event of the Romans destroying the Temple in 70 A.D., by saying they would see Jesus in the clouds and at the right hand of God. This symbolizes Christ’s power and authority as King.

Matthew 26:64 (NET): Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

This is symbolism taken from Daniel chapter 7, where it was foretold that the Messiah (Son of Man, New Adam) would ascend from earth to heaven in order to sit at God’s right hand and receive all power and authority, including the authority to execute justice and vengeance on His enemies. The other symbolic and hyperbolic language used by Jesus was taken from Joel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other books of the Old Testament. The phrases about “signs in the heavens” and “the sun and moon not giving their light” and “stars falling,” were all used by various prophets in their messages representing the destruction that God was bringing upon a city or nation. Now, it is possible that these things had a literal fulfillment too, but it may have just been hyperbole and apocalyptic symbolism.

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{Photo Recognition: “Ercole de Roberti Destruction of Jerusalem Fighting Fleeing Marching Slaying Burning Chemical reactions b” by David Roberts – net. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem_Fighting_Fleeing_Marching_Slaying_Burning_Chemical_reactions_b.jpg#/media/File:Ercole_de_Roberti_Destruction_of_Jerusalem_Fighting_Fleeing_Marching_Slaying_Burning_Chemical_reactions_b.jpg}