“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” -1 Timothy 2:3,4.
Many people question if God predestinates mankind for salvation, or if He allows us to choose for ourselves; and while Jesus said that few would be saved (Matthew 7:13,14), scriptures like the one above indicate it’s by our CHOICE. We need every Word of God to live eternally, so let’s examine the Bible more closely to determine it’s true message.
But while we find that the Bible does mention predestination, it’s referring to the WAY of salvation, NOT the individuals who are saved; JESUS was the one prophesied of, and predestined to be our Messiah (Isaiah 53)! Just take a look at this description from Ephesians 1:3-5; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us…in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself…” Bold type added for emphasis.
God wants us to serve Him of our own free will, yet He planned in advance the way of redemption in advance, even BEFORE creation, should we fall by choosing to sin. These verses show that the predestination before the foundation of the world provided that it would be through Jesus we’d be adopted as children of God.
Another related factor involves the creation account in Genesis 1, which at the end of it in v.31 reads;
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…”
In fact, things were so good, that there was only one thing God withheld from mankind (Genesis 2:17)! And the scriptures even show that neither the devil nor Hell were yet in existence…
First, the creation account in Genesis 1 only covers the universe we see all around us; but scripture says there’s a third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2), a spiritual realm where the eternal God dwells; it only makes sense that He had also created the angels to live there, long before the Genesis 1 account. We find this briefly affirmed later on in the book of Job;
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said…Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” -Job 38:1,3-7. Bold type added to emphasize.
We also know the angels’ rebellion (Revelation 12:7-9) came only after man was created. That’s because our enemy’s name was initially Lucifer, and called “the anointed cherub that covers“ in Ezekiel 28:14; with v.13 of the same chapter also showing his presence in the Garden of Eden prior to his fall. See Ezekiel 28:12-17.
And finally, when Jesus refers to Hell in Matthew 25:41, it shows that Hell wasn’t initially made for mankind at all, but for the fallen angels after they rebelled, and evil (d-evils) became a part of their names.
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” -Matthew 25:41.
Note: Hell would only have been prepared (not created) after the angels rebelled, because until they did, there were NO devils.
There can also be some confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) about God’s relationship to evil, like in Isaiah 45:7 where it says,
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” Underlining added.
Remember that when God finished creating in Genesis 1:31, EVERY THING WAS VERY GOOD, and nothing came into being without Him. The Lord created all things as good, but through our own choices they were corrupted, and became evil. God is indeed still Sovereign over all, but He doesn’t bring evil directly, and provides examples of how these things work in both Job chapters 1 & 2, and 1 Kings 22.
People will often get hung up on particular words or phrases, but the Lord taught me long ago that we need the entire Bible to receive the best understanding of what He’s telling us. And when we take the time do that, we’ll know God doesn’t eternally predestine anyone to Heaven or Hell, but holds us personally accountable for the choices we make (Romans 14:12).
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” -2 Peter 3:9.
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;” -Hebrews 2:3.
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” -Matthew 4:4.
I also have a short YouTube video on this subject at https://youtube.com/shorts/omI48TSNgSA?feature=share
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