Bible Studies

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Predestination: Part Two
Examples of God’s Choosing/Election




We have previously examined and concluded that any man’s future is not fatalistically predestined to the point he has no control. However, the scripture does provide some clues about how God deals with us in His infinite omnipotentence. God also exercises a principle of election and choosing.



God chooses or invites all to walk with Him into His Kingdom. The principle of God’s choosing is not inconsistent with the doctrine of predestination, previously discussed. God genuinely “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:4). Thus the universal call goes out to all men. Yet, in “the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11) He chooses only the elect “out of the world” (John 17:6) and passed over the rest, leaving them to the damning consequences of their sin (cf. Rom. 1:18–32). The culpability for their damnation rests entirely on them because of their sin and rejection of God. God is not to blame for their unbelief. The principle of free will still dominates.



“God alone knows who all the elect are” (2 Timothy 2:19). We may pray “on behalf of all men” with full assurance that such prayers are “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” After all, “the Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 145:8–9).



In addition to the universal call to all men, God specially calls many but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). In the context of choosing the reason so few are chosen is because those called must “choose to be chosen”. Once we make that choice, the call and the cost of discipleship are fulfilled through rising in the Spirit by the grace of God to fulfill the demands of the Lord (Stevens, John Robert: This Week, Volume III (1972). North Hollywood, CA. : Living Word Publications, 1981, P. 88).



Thus we choose whether or not we will participate fully in His choosing and partake of all he has to offer. God said by his prophet Isaiah in 65:12 “I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.” There it is again: Man is given freewill to respond to God’s call or not.




Also God laments: “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To a nation which did not call on My name. “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts” (Isaiah 65:1-2). We must conclude that His choosing is based entirely on our response to God’s heartfelt offer.



In another vein, if a person chooses to exercise His right to be included in God’s predetermined plan, he must know that not everybody receives the same reward. Jesus said: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; [mansions in KJV] if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2). Each individual has his own place reserved by Christ in the Father’s house (Kingdom).



The fact that there are different levels (dwelling places) in the Kingdom is confirmed by the Book of Revelation. Although Revelation describes large groups the principle is the same. One group is described by these scriptures as: “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Rev. 7:4). “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads…And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth…These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:1, 3-4). Thus some have a destiny of being chosen by God to be first fruits of His Kingdom and they are qualified by being those who have left all and followed the Lord wherever He goes. .



There is another group mentioned in connection with the first group. “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9-10). So we have one group of 144,000 which can be counted and are sealed, and another larger group which cannot be counted who, although saved, are not among the first fruits.



2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 also speaks of this distinction. The scripture reads: “And these [the wicked] will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed”. In verse 10 the first group includes the Lord Himself when “He comes to be glorified [revealed] in His saints on that day”. The Lord does not stand alone here but is surrounded by His saints who have taken His image and are thus glorified with Him.



The second group marvels at the Lord and His Saints: “and to be marveled at among all who have believed”. The first group, God and his Saints are those “THROUGH WHOM Christ will be glorified and revealed, i.e. they will actually become like Christ, with His nature fully formed within them. The second group, eternally saved, marvel at God’s revelation of Himself in the Saints (see Romans 8:29-30 “conformed to His image”). Also: 1 John 3:2 says: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is”.



The two groups thus become apparent in their composition. One group has actually become conformed to the image of Christ, having become like Him. The rest are saved, and are God’s children, but they have not reached the ultimate level of becoming like Christ

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Scripture says: “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Being saved to the uttermost means that you are actually conformed to His image. Part of God’s predestined plan is to bring many Sons to glory, Sons like Christ in every way. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10). “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” (Romans 8:29).



A perfect example of man’s choosing involves the parable of the rich young ruler. “A ruler questioned Jesus saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ ”And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:18-23). The young ruler was good on one level but when Jesus called him to a greater level he was unable to comply because he was very wealthy. He had a choice to do the perfect will of God but chose the lesser level. Again “many are called but few choose to be chosen”.

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Why doesn't God reveal the future to us? He actually does if one studies the scriptures carefully with revelation. God answered Daniel’s inquiries for a period of thousands of years up to the end-time (Daniel Chapters 7-12). Most, if not all, of the Old Testament spoke of the Messiah. Jesus said to the Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these [the Old Testament] that testify about Me;” (John 5:39). Many of the OT scriptures speak of an Israel to come in the end-time, a spiritual Israel much different from ancient Israel.


Isaiah speaks of the physical Kingdom on the earth:
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing,
And her people for gladness.
“I will also rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
“No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the bone who does not reach the age of one hundred
Shall be thought accursed.
“And they shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
“They shall not build, and another inhabit,
They shall not plant, and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones shall wear out the work of their hands.
“They shall not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD,
And their descendants with them.
“It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking I will hear. .
“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord” (Isaiah 65:17-25).



And Revelation 21:1-5 predicts: “AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea [translated “sea of humanity]. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away”.



But you say God speaks in platitudes, parables and mystic sayings. Why does He not reveal the future in human terms? One reason is that we would not understand it if He did. God has a unique non-human way of looking at things:
“Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. “Behold, I will do something NEW, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19). The very nature of human sciences such as psychology are based on calling to mind the past, even to childhood, in order to solve internal conflicts. God says not to consider the past because our faulty memories and the passage of time can only get us into trouble. What He has to reveal is beyond even our wildest imagination. And He says: “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM” (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4, 65:17).

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When God moves, or says or gives something to man, it is usually something the man has never considered or imagined. It can be compared to a man wanting and praying for a bicycle for transportation. The man may think that his life would be fulfilled if only he had one; he may have even figured out the color and make of the bike. So he prays for the bike and gets up the next day to find a Lexus in the driveway. That is how God works. He always has in mind something greater. That is why it would be difficult to reveal future knowledge to man because man’s thinking is limited so as to believe in limitations rather than an unlimited God.

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An obvious scriptural example of election and predestination is found with the Old Testament nation of Israel. They were God’s chosen people. In effect He said: “I am only moving on behalf of Israel; the pagan nations can have their gods and their ways, just don’t intermingle with them”. Is that fair or an example of Him having predestined the other nations to destruction? Deuteronomy 4:19 says: “And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven”. Most other pagan nations founded their entire society on the worship of the cosmos and celestial idols. They became immersed in their deception and ignored the real God.



God can remove a calling for violation of his covenants. Although the nation of Israel was seemingly predestined by God to be His special people on the earth, they never lived up to God’s expectation of them and they were eventually cast aside. When they served God to His satisfaction and defeated their pagan enemies they had times of peace. When they did not follow His law, God stirred up the surrounding nations who would defeat them in battle. God would also send famine and pestilence to afflict those whom He had chosen. Even though Israel was predestined and elected to be God’s people, they never obtained what he had planned for them.



Did God know the future of Israel? Yes, He even predicted it. “The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people [Israel] will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. “Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ “But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods” (Deuteronomy 31:16-18). But in this case there was a reason for God’s actions and Israel’s failure to walk in the covenant did not defeat God’s overall plan. He wanted to show mankind that he/she in themselves could not fulfill the Law of God. The result was that God brought forth a Savior who did fulfill the entire law.



There was a reason for the Law and Israel’s failure to walk in it. It taught us that no human could walk in it perfectly. Scripture says the Law of Moses was out tutor to lead us to Christ. “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).



Simply because physical Israel failed to walk in what God had planned for them did not mean that God’s predetermined purpose failed. For purpose of explanation, the Israel referred to in the Old Testament was the physical nation of Israel. After Christ and the initiation of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13), physical Israel became spiritual Israel as salvation was opened to the Jews and Gentiles alike; the Jews, the physical nation of Israel, were no longer afforded their unique position of being God’s special, chosen nation. They were thus put on equal footing with the Gentiles (Romans 9-11). Paul says in Romans 2:28-29 that: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter”.

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God has also limited Himself with the ability to change His mind about something He has decided will occur. Examples of God’s predestination being changed by the intervention of man are recorded in the scriptures. In Abraham’s time God predestined to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and told Abraham what he intended to do. Abraham challenged God’s predestined future by bargaining with God, asking Him if He would spare the cities if there were as few as 10 righteous men therein. God agreed to do that. He turned away from what he had intended. Abraham convinced God that if there were a handful of righteous men in Sodom/Gomorrah He would relent and save the cities. God even sent angels to access the situation. However, in the end, the only righteous men found were Lot and his family. The cities were destroyed but could have been saved is 10 righteous men been found. (Genesis 18:20-19; 29).



Likewise Moses saved the entire nation of Israel by intervening and changing God’s mind about situations. As recorded in Exodus 33 God became angry with Israel and vowed to destroy the entire nation, leaving only Moses to carry on the chosen nation. Moses interceded with God and God changed His mind and decided not to destroy the people. Similarly in Numbers 21 God again became angry with Israel and set to destroy them, sending fiery serpents among them. Moses interceded with God to stop the carnage. God said He would relent if Moses made a bronze serpent and held upon a standard. Moses did so and it came about that all who looked upon the bronze serpent were spared. Again God changed His mind and His intentions.



In the Book of Jonah God decided to destroy the wicked City if Nineveh and sent Jonah to warn them. However, after Jonah’s warning, the entire City decided to repent. “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them” (Jonah 3:3-5). “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10).



This is consistent with the idea that anything God has intended can be changed. /this is also predestination as he has included in His plan that man can intervene to change an intended result. Although His overall plan is not affected, details of how He carries it out can be changed by the intervention of men of God. Even what is written in the Bible is not necessarily fatalistic. Perhaps God writes a certain future but always leaves open the possibility that the outcome can be changed by prayer and intercession. This can be true even of the prophecies and predictions contained in the Book of Revelation. Things do not have to be as they are predicted if man repents and humbles himself to the Lord. In 2 Kings 20 God intended to kill King Hezekiah by striking him with a fatal illness. The prophet Isaiah interceded and God changed His mind and allowed the King 16 years more of life.



A wise man once said “the wicked destroy themselves”. They don’t need intervention from God to do evil. It’s in their nature to do wrong. All the evil in this world that denies that Christ was and is the resurrected Son of God causes man to seek his own way rather than God’s. Disaster is always the answer for not accepting God’s will over our own. So we could say that man creates his own predestination. God’s predetermination that the Kingdom of God will come on this earth never changes. God is the driver of the buggy. If we want to ride along He is willing to allow us (from the movie “Mulholland Drive”). The fact that God knows the beginning from the end has no bearing on that.



Remember, God’s ways are unknowable to us in our fallen state. The only real answers come directly from God where He lives in the realm of the Spirit. And He reveals them only when we are ready to receive them. So it is to us not to wonder about the future, predestination, election and the like, but to seek God because our salvation draws nigh. There is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed (Luke 8:17). And all who sincerely believe in the gift of grace, eternal life is theirs if they will only believe. If we truly believe, our life on this earth will also be much less complicated. A wise man once said that “the worship of God is the answer to a thousand questions”.

©Kenneth B. Alexander, JD
Scriptures: The New American Standard Bible, 1986 ed. Unless otherwise indicated

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