NM 8: Predestinated: Called and Chosen

Many are Called, Few are Chosen

Christians are Predestinated

God Chooses

Predestinated to Destruction?

Two Groups

Losing God's Spirit?

Chosen are Called

Are you Predestinated?

NM8 Abstract

Why are many called, but few chosen? Why does the Bible say that Christians are predestinated if there is no predestination? And if there is predestination, how can God damn anyone forever who was predestinated to do evil? Predestination is a difficult subject for anyone who believes in the false translation we corrected in NM7. When you understand the mistranslation of the Bible corrected in NM7, you will understand how there can be a logical doctrine of predestination.

nm168 >> The doctrine of Predestination has been twisted and turned by those who do not understand the great power of God. What is the Biblical definition of "predestination," being "called," and being "chosen"? There is a difference between being just called or invited to the kingdom of God than being called, chosen, and predestinated. Let's define these three words found in the King James Version. These words were translated from Greek words which were inspired to be written through the power of God (2Pet 1:20-21).

• Predestination (#4309, from 4253 & 3724) means, to be marked off beforehand.
• Chosen (#1588 & 1586; O.T. #977) means, to be laid out or chosen or select.
• Called (#2821, 2822, 2564) means, to be invited.

Many are Called but Few are Chosen

nm169 >> There is a difference between being just called and being chosen, "for many are called but few are chosen" (Mat 22:14; 20:16). Many are called or invited to God's kingdom, but few are chosen for that kingdom. Many will be invited to be in the new reality of God, but few will be in it at its beginning. In fact near the end of the age of Satan's kingdom (the old age) all will be invited to the kingdom of God (see Mat 24:14; Mark 16:15; Psa 19:4; Col 1:23), but few are chosen. We notice that at Christ's coming "they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Rev 17:14). We need to know what the Bible means by being chosen, and being predestinated.

Father Chose Before the Foundation of the World

nm170 >> "According as He [the Father] has chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world [cosmos], that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His [the Father's] will" (Eph 1:4-5). "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph 1:11).

Chosen Before the Cosmos

When scripture says that God chose or predestinated before the foundation of the world (Eph1:4-5; 1Pet 1:19-20), since the word "world" is from the Greek kosmos, this means God predestinated before the creation (cosmos), before good (as we know it), before evil (as we know it), before law (as we know it), and consequently before sin (as we know it).

nm171 >> The ones chosen, thus, were chosen by the Father "before the foundation of the world," and these chosen were predestinated to "the adoption of children [of God] through Jesus Christ." And these predestinated to be children of God were predestinated "according to the good pleasure of His [God's] will."

Foreknown, Predestinated, Called, Justified & Glorified

nm172 >> "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. For those he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [His son] might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover those he did predestinate, them he also called: and those he called, them he also justified: and those he justified, them he also glorified" (Rom 8:28-30).

nm173 >> We see that those predestinated, God also did foreknow. Now from Ephesians 1:4-5 we see that the chosen are predestinated and that they were predestinated before the world began. And here in Romans 8:29 we see God foreknew those who are "predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son," or to be a child of God. And we see (Rom 8:28) that those called according to God's purpose are the ones who were foreknown and predestinated.

nm174 >> Then in Romans 8:30 we see those predestinated are called or invited. Called for what? They are called "according to his [God's] purpose" (v. 28). Now those called (who were predestinated) are justified (v. 30). As we see in the paper on justification [NM 18] those justified are those who have God's Spirit or the new mind.

Christians Are Predestinated

nm175 >> Thus, those chosen, were chosen before the world began (Eph 1:4). And these are predestinated to be children of God (Eph 1:5). And those chosen and predestinated are called according to God's purpose (Rom 8:28). Also these were foreknown and predestinated to conform to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). We also see those chosen, predestinated, foreknown, and called are justified (Rom 8:30). From the paper on justification (see "Other Papers" section [NM 18]) we know that those justified have become real Spiritual Christians. And in Romans 8:30 we see that those justified "he also glorified." Hence, real Christians are the ones chosen, predestinated, and called. This is confirmed in God's word:

• "Elect [chosen] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (1Pet 1:2).
• "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2Thes 2:13).
• "Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2Tim 1:9).

• "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1Pet 2:9). 

nm176 >> Furthermore, the word elect (#1588 &1589) used to describe Christians in the New Testament means "chosen;" and Saint (#6918) means "set apart" or "sacred." The real Christians were set apart, chosen, and predestinated before the world began as the above scriptures clearly indicate. And now the chosen are being called or invited.

Christians Predestinated for Good

nm177 >> Notice the real Christians were "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we [Christians] should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). Christians were not predestinated to be free to do anything, but to do good works. The very proof that one is a real Christian is that he does good works (see "Proof Paper" [NM 10]).

God Chooses

nm178 >> Hear what Christ says: "you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you" (John 15:16). No one can choose to follow Christ, unless Christ has chosen them. Yet Christ only does the will of his Father (John 6:38). Christ chooses what his Father chose for him. Is this confirmed anywhere else in the Bible? "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him" (John 6:44).

nm179 >> The only way to follow Christ is Spiritually with the aid of God's Spirit (John 4:23-24). "Jesus says unto him, I am the way, the truth, the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). No one comes to the Father's Spirit (see verses 5-10) except through Christ. One comes to the Father's Spirit through Christ, but it is God who chooses (Eph 1:4-5). Although Christ also chooses, he chooses only what his Father wills (John 6:44). One can only come to the Father's Spirit if the Father draws that one to himself through Christ.

God Draws To Himself Through Grace

nm180 >> And how does the Father draw one to himself through Christ? "But when it pleased God ... called me [Paul] by his grace" (Gal 1:15). Now grace is merely a free spiritual gift of God. One form of grace is Faith (1Cor 12:9). And it is through the medium of this Faith of God's Spirit (Gal 5:22; Eph 2:8) that God baptizes his chosen.

nm181 >> No man can come to Christ or choose Christ unless God the Father draws him through his grace. "All that the Father gives me shall come to me" (John 6:37). And, "Holy Father, keep them in your own name which you have given me, that they may be one, as we are" (John 17:11). It is God the Father that gives the chosen to Christ (Eph 1:3-4; John 17:11; John 6:44), and no one can come to Christ unless the Father has chosen them (John 6:44; Eph 1:4-5). What does this mean?

nm182 >> These scriptures mean exactly what they say! None can come to Christ to be a Christian unless they were chosen before the foundation of the world. One, if he was not predestinated to be a real Christian, cannot come to Christ's body or Church.

Marriage as a type

nm183 >> God has made the physical to be a type of the Spiritual or the true reality (Rom 1:20). The physical marriage between man and woman prefigured the true marriage - the marriage of Christ to his wife, the Church (Rev 19:7). Now, who traditionally has chosen the bride? - the man. Yet it was traditional that the man only chose a bride that was acceptable to his parents. In fact the parents usually chose the bride for him. It was the parents who made the arrangements for their children (Gen 21:21; 24:3-4). God the Father was the parent of Christ. And in God's Word it says that God the Father has chosen those who will be in the Spiritual marriage to Christ. The physical arrangements for marriage prefigured the true arrangement that God the Father made before the beginning of the cosmos, the Spiritual wedding of his Son to his Son's wife - the Church. It is the real Christians who are chosen and predestinated to be the Spiritual wife of Christ. Only those chosen, will be married to Christ. Is this confirmed yet again in God's word?

Predestinated to Destruction?

nm184 >> "Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared unto glory" (Rom 9:21-23). The potter is God as such verses as Jer 18:6 and Isa 45:9 show. But what is being said here?

nm185 >> God has prepared from the same lump of clay: vessels of destruction and vessels of mercy, and the latter were before prepared unto glory? Has God prepared some for destruction? In Jude 4 it speaks of those "who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men." And, "the Lord (Jehovah) has made all things for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil" (Prov 16:4). "Even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed" (1Pet 2:8).

nm186 >> We have already shown you that real Christians were chosen and predestinated before the foundations of the world to become Christians unto good works. Now we see that the others were prepared for destruction. But remember, God predestinated everything before the creation, thus before time (as we know it), before good (as we know it), before evil (as we know it), before law (as we know it), and thus before sin (as we know it).

nm187 >> The true Christians are "not appointed as to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Thes 5:9). "I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord [Jehovah] do all these things" (Isa 45:7). Are we to take these words literally? If you do not, you have nothing to base your faith on. One cannot read and believe one part of the Bible and then pass over another part. Let's look closer at this apparent problem.

Two Groups

nm188 >> The Bible clearly speaks of two groups of people: the "dead" and the "living," the children of the devil and the children of God, the children of wrath and the children of light, and so forth. One group is identified with God and his way. These belong to the "living." The other group follows the way of destruction. These belong to the "dead." The group that follows God's way are the vessels of mercy. The other group are the vessels of wrath. One was appointed to salvation; the other group was appointed to wrath (1Thes 5:9). They were appointed before the foundation of the world as Ephesians 1:4 and Jude 4 tells us. Now those chosen to be Christians are created "unto good works" (Eph 2:10). In fact it can be proven that doing good works is a proof of one's own Christianity (see "Proof Paper" [NM 10]). The chosen group of God does good works as opposed to the other group which follows in the ways of confusion. Now is this fair that one group is set up one way and the other group another way?

Is God fair?

nm189 >> Is God fair? Can God predestinate one group to mercy and another group to wrath and still be fair?

• "So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. 19 You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?' 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this,' will it?" (Rom 9:18-20)
• "Shall the clay say to him that fashions it, What are you doing? or to your work, He has no hands? Woe unto him that says unto his father, What are you doing? or to the woman, What have you brought forth?" (Isa 45:9-10)
• "Yet the children of your people say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O you house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways" (Ezek 33:17, 20; see 18:30).

nm190 >> God judges man according to man's ways, according to his works, according to his behavior. This means that those who do evil will destroy the world by their own behavior (See PR4 to PR6) and their own destruction will judge them (NM24). Each group was prepared before the cosmos began either to do good works, or to do the works of confusion. This means they were predestinated before good (as we know it), before evil (as we know it), before law (as we know it), and before sin (as we know it). You cannot accuse God of sin for something done before there was law or even a cosmos.

Seven Days to Finish the Creation

nm191 >> Also the type and antitype nature of the Bible teaches us that we are now in the midst of a creation process. God is now creating, and has yet to finish. Look at the typical creation mentioned in the book of Genesis. First God created the universe in seven days: actively working for six days (Gen 1:1-31), but also in some way finishing the creation on the seventh day (Gen 2:2). Accordingly, it will only be on the antitypical seventh day that God's real work will be complete (NM15; NM16; NM26). As we learn in other parts of this book, there are seven 1000 year periods or days wherein God is creating the knowledge of good and evil, the knowledge of time, the knowledge of peace, the knowledge of paradise and other important spiritual things. Therefore it will not be until the end of the seventh 1000 year period that mankind will be atoned, and consequently be brought back into the great God. All at the beginning went out of God, but all by the end of creation will be brought back into God. This is called the Great Cycle (NM13, "Three Divisions"). We are now in the midst of a creation process, and therefore anything being created in it is not yet done. The creation will only be good at the end of the creation process, when all are back into God (1Cor 15:28), when only the One God is in the truest sense, good (Mat 19:17, see Greek text). God is only One, when all come back into the God (1Cor 15:28; GP6). Even the scriptures about Jesus Christ being now at the right side of God (Psa 110:1; Acts 2:32-35; Heb 2:7-10) tell us that all things are not yet under Christ, but all will be: "But now we see not yet all things put under him" (Heb 2:8). The creation is not yet finished in the truest sense. All must be under Christ, then, and only then, will all be back in God, so that God will be all in all, so that, God will be ONE. When the antitypical creation is finished, no one can accuse God of being partial, for as we see in NM13 and GP6, God will bring all back into God, so that God will be all in all (1Cor 15:28). The creation is similar to a clay pot, and God is the potter forming the pot. When the potter is making the pot there is waste (vessels of wrath), but God is perfect and will not waste any material in the process of making the pot. God will pick up the clay discarded on the ground and reintroduce it back into the clay pot, so all will be in the pot (new creation). As we cannot blame the potter for any spillage, until he has totally completed his work, we also cannot blame God for any temporary waste, until he has finished all in all.

nm192 >> Read the "Reason Why" paper [NM 20] to understand why God did such a thing. Also, after you read the God Papers you will understand that God the Father gave all his power to his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our God and he has done no wrong. Jesus Christ is now the right side of God's power. If Jesus Christ is the right side, who is the left side? In the God Papers we prove that the left side of God is the evil facet of God (Isa 45:7) that was predestinated by God before law and before sin, and thus we cannot find fault with God over this matter. God who is all powerful even has power over evil, for he somehow has created evil (Isa 45:7). We cannot speak of this in detail here. We cover the left side of God in the God Papers. It should be noted here that predestination was done before the creation, thus before law and sin.

Both Groups Exercise Each Other

nm193 >> It is true that there are two groups on the earth today. One group is appointed to God and one group is appointed to Satan. Each group is against the other as the law of confusion is against the law of love. Each is exercising the other. Satan's way and his group are allowing the world to learn of evil. God's group has come out of the other group, and they have a changed attitude towards the world's way. And God's group is now learning of good through God's Spirit given to them. God has granted one group mercy. These are the vessels of mercy (Rom 9:23). It is through the vessels of mercy that all will eventually learn of good through the kingdom of God or the rulership of God. All will eventually be saved (see "All Saved Paper" [NM 13]). Each group is now using each other in order to produce the knowledge of good and evil (see the God Papers).

nm194 >> All people in this old age are, or were, in Satan's group, but to the predestinated vessels of mercy, God has given mercy by allowing them to see the true light. The vessels of Satan's group are vessels from the same lump of clay but are fitted to destruction - aeonian punishment (Mat 25:46). The vessels of God's group are the vessels of mercy who will have aeonian life while the other group has aeonian death away from the glory of the millennium (2Thess 1:9; see Last Judgment).

nm195 >> Can any of Satan's group become through any effort of their own a part of God's group? "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him," answers Christ (John 6:44). "Consider the work of God: for who can make straight, which he made crooked? ... that which is crooked cannot be made straight" (Eccl 7:13; 1:15). Spiritually, only God can make the crooked things straight (Isa 42:16).

Losing God's Spirit?

nm196 >> Can a real Christian return completely to Satan's group after he has turned to God? "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph 4:30; see Isa 59:21).

nm197 >> Can one lose the New Mind or Spirit of God after he has received it? The following scriptures tell us no!

• "Of them which you gave me I have lost none" (John 18:9).
• "All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no way cast out" (John 6:37).
• "And this is the Father's will which has sent me, that all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39).
• "No man can come to me, except the Father has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes unto me" (John 6:44-45). That is, all that learns Spiritually or hears Spiritually will come to Christ.
• "And when he puts forth his own sheep he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice" (John 10:4).
• "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them aeonian life; and they shall not be destroyed for the age, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:27-29).




 

nm198 >> Notice that Jesus said no one could take those chosen out of his Father's hand - that means a chosen one himself has no power to change his predestination: 

• "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your Name, which you have given me, and I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled" (John 17:12).

nm199 >> If Christ was not lying when he said he lost none, then Judas was not a chosen one of God the Father. That is, Judas was not chosen to salvation, but to wrath.

Chosen Are Called

nm200 >> Those chosen, predestinated before the world began are called: "and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice" (John 10:4). Further, "all that the Father gives me shall come to me" (John 6:37).

nm201 >> Why are there many called, but few chosen? (Mat 22:14) For the whole world is invited or called to the kingdom of God (Mat 24:14; Mark 16:15; Psa 19:4; Col 1:23), but only a few of these were predestinated and chosen to begin that kingdom. It is those who are of the chosen who hear the words of the calling and understand (John 10:4, 27).

Predestinated: Are You to Live in The 1000 Years?

nm202 >> Are you one of the called, predestinated, and chosen to live in and throughout the New Age during the first 1000 years? Your proof is in your good works. If one is not doing works of the Spirit then they do not have the New Mind or Spirit of God (see "Proof Paper" [NM 10]).

Why Have Some Been Chosen?

nm203 >> "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all" (Eccl 9:11). "For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confuse the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confuse the things which are mighty; And the base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should boast in his presence" (1Cor 1:26-29).

nm204 >> Those chosen where chosen by time and chance, and were mostly from the unwise in the ways of the world. And these were chosen for good works (Eph 2:10).

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