Chapter Six

 Freewill, God

And

predestination 

 

A Benevolent Designer         

When we realize that we have been called to consider our reason for existence, and whether we do or do not give this consideration, we have no excuse if we do not respond. We are told we live on a planet that has a particular tilt that enables us to experience the varying seasons as it tracks its course, year in, year out, around the Sun. Not only this, but also the Earth spins at a phenomenal rate around its own axis. The Moon revolves around Earth regularly, affecting the tides of the oceans and seas.

For any person to suggest that this is not designed by a Designer but has happened by mere chance, just ask them to see if they can constantly come close to making the same number of predictions on a roulette wheel for a month and get the numbers right. Unless the wheel is rigged, we see pure chance in action—and the fools (as the Psalmist calls them), who deny the existence of our Lord God, foiled in the first five spins of the roulette wheel.

Types of Governmental Systems

In this world in which we live, we learn about the political systems that exist. When it comes to understanding the political systems, we have a spectrum of philosophies ranging from totalitarianism to libertarianism. The ultimate in totalitarianism is total control. The ultimate in libertarianism is everyone for himself, or herself.

On the far left of the spectrum, we have totalitarianism, and one person gets to tell everybody else what to do. On the far right of the spectrum, everybody has the right to make his or her own decisions.

Which system would you prefer—absolute totalitarianism or absolute libertarianism? Which system do you think would provide a livable society, free from uncertainty and fear? This presents a conundrum. For we want freedom; but we also want freedom from being accountable for our decisions and actions.

The Totalitarian Society

What would a totalitarian society offer us? We would not have to think for ourselves. We would have all our basic needs met. Our basic needs are food, water, shelter, and a partner in life. We would have occupations for which we are trained. Our entertainment and leisure would be restricted to what the dictatorial regime thinks is sufficient. We would not have to worry about anything. Our only concerns would be to ensure that we obey directives and do so to the required standard.

In effect, we would be slaves; we would be programmed like robots.

The Libertarian Society

What would a libertarian society offer us? Everybody could do whatever he or she wants, whenever he or she wants, wherever he or she wants. However, this would cause problems because no two persons can sit on the same lavatory at the same time.

In a documentary about living on the rooftops of buildings in Hong Kong, one woman expressed how the degree of fighting and arguing over the lavatory shared by many families took its toll on her, and she had to find another place to live.

In war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, there was no government—effectively creating a libertarian society. What evolved was anarchy. For their own safety, people would gang together for protection and submit to warlords; for there was constant fighting, looting, and destruction of property. People could never be sure whether other people could be trusted. Peace, though uncertain, could only be found in the areas where a warlord gained the greatest advantage—where the warlord was in control.

The dog-eat-dog attitude of an absolute libertarian society, left unchecked, would probably bring self-destruction. Pure chance brings chaos into any system; only when order is implemented in society can anything be truly organized into a meaningful existence where people are able to find fulfillment.

Order, of course, requires someone to do the organizing.

Free Will

The reality is the Lord God has given us free will and the responsibility that goes with it. We are not robots. We have the capacity to make decisions based on knowledge—not what appears to filter through our nose as we wander through life, like a dog following the smells that appeal to us and leaving our own contribution behind without any thought for others.

Free will means that we are responsible for the decisions we make; also, we are accountable for what we do afterwards. This is the truth about our existence. This is the result of humans having been made in the image of God.

The Freedom and Limitlessness of God

The Creator God is in the position to do whatever He likes, wherever He likes to do it, and whenever He likes. Time is not an issue with God. Location is not an issue with God. Resourcefulness is not an issue with God.

This is because the Infinite God alone exists, and there is no other. In God, we live and move and have our being. Yet many people, calling themselves Christians, consider this a Hindu idea: the fact that we live and move and have our being within God.

Accusations of pantheism (God and Creation are the same) and panentheism (the universe is God’s body) are often hurled at any who suggest that we live and move and have our being within the Infinite One—the great I AM. These individuals do not conceive of the Lord God Almighty as having no limits, nor that by creating man and woman in His own image, this also means they possess free will (Genesis 1:26–27; 2:16–17; 3:2, 22).

To the ancients before the time of Moses, God only revealed Himself as the Almighty One who has no limits (Job 11:7). God revealed Himself to Moses as YHWH, the One Who Exists, and besides Whom there is no other. God revealed Himself, saying, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14; 6:3).

Three Questions from the Account of Job

The account of Job is said to have taken place sometime after the flood but before the time of Abraham. Of importance are three statements within the book of Job that reveal pertinent information about how God and man are to come together.

One is the realization of Who God is, the second is the need to seek Him, and the third is the need to reason with God.

Job 11:7 Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

 

Job 8:5 If you want to seek God diligently, make your supplication to the Almighty.

 

Job 13:3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty. I desire to reason with God.

Three Questions from the Account of Abraham

These three elements are found in the story of Abraham, particularly when we read about how he came to know God and how he perceived Him. As for Abraham seeking God, this does not immediately appear to have been the case; he seems to have been chosen without actively seeking the Almighty. The truth must be sought prayerfully and diligently at all times. However, some investigation and revelation by the Holy Spirit inform us of two things about Abraham: first, he did not worship the gods of his father (Joshua 24:2), and second, he sought a city whose foundations were made by God (Hebrews 11:10).

The reason for Abraham seeking a city that is eternal and designed by God becomes evident when we read in chapter eleven of Genesis how the Tower of Babel was destroyed and the languages of the Earth were confused. The Bible moves directly from this event to that of Abraham, who himself hears the voice of God. When we take the following Scriptures into account, we see that Abraham (Abram) was obviously found by God. However, this was only after he had sought God and reasoned with Him, leading to his understanding of who the Almighty really is.

Joshua said to all the people, “Yahweh the God of Israel, says, ‘Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods”. (Joshua 24:2)

 

For he [Abram] looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)

 

You shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:13)

 

After these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”  Abram said, “Behold, to me you have given no children: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.” (Genesis 15:1-3) 

 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me, and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1)

 

Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from You. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25)

The Revelation of Moses

Moses received an additional revelation of God. He learned that the name of the great I AM is YHWH, also known as Yahweh. Hindus refer to I AM as the Atman or Brahman (All Soul). Buddhists, in their convoluted fashion, refer to I AM as the non-existent one that exists; that is, the emptiness of the void from which all things emanate and into which all things are absorbed, for nothing is permanent except impermanence—a constant flux of non-existence and existence, where energy flows from one form to another.

The revelation of God Himself to Moses is very much the same as what Job declared: the Almighty has no bounds, and only those who seek Him shall find Him.

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and He said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14)

 

And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by My name Yahweh I was not known to them. (Exodus 6:3)

It was shown to you so that you might know that Yahweh is God. There is no one else besides Him. (Deuteronomy 4:35)

 

But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find Him, when you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

 

About Origins: God is Infinite

As we read through the Scriptures and allow God to reveal the truth to us, we realize that God is infinite, and besides Him, there is no other. When we understand that God drew a circle upon the waters, forming a sphere, and that from the waters He separated, the Universe was created, we begin to comprehend how it is that we live and move and have our being within God. The following extracts from Scripture tell us the story of how the Universe was formed: that God is the Creator, and we live and move and have our being in Him because there is no other; essentially, nothing else exists apart from Him. When God drew a circle, it could only have been a sphere within His own Being. This is what the Bible says:

For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water, by the word of God.

(2 Peter 3:5)

 

When he established the heavens, I [the Son of God] was there; when He set a circle [i.e. sphere] on the surface of the deep. (Proverbs 8:27)

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters…God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse “sky” [i.e. Heavens]. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters He called “seas”. God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:1-2, 6-10)

 

For Yahweh who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited says: “I am Yahweh; and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18)

 

‘For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ (Acts 17:28)

The Potter, The Clay And Erroneous Alternative Thinking

Some people teach that the Earth had become a waste at some time, but this is contrary to what Isaiah informs us. Some may try to say that we are offspring, as in the Hindu sense, but this is not what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he says “we are also His offspring”; rather that this has to be considered within the context of clay formed by the potter, but unlike clay we are living individuals because we possess the breath of life. More than this, we possess a spirit that distinguishes us from the animals, which was formed from the infinite spirit of God, but not the Godhead. Apart from the Hindu sense of off-spring, there are those who would have us believe that since we are formed by the potter from formless clay, we have no free-will; instead, like the Buddhists suggest, having no freewill, we are merely unthinking forms of existence that can be molded into other forms from the essence of our formlessness. However, when we consider what Isaiah said concerning Israel being the clay that was formed by the potter, we also learn that the prophet is begging; in other words, exercising his freewill to reason with God, which is not something clay can do with a potter. Neither can clay sin against the potter. Therefore let’s reconsider humans being created in the Image of God and possessing freewill. This is what the book of Isaiah has to say:

For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who works for him who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved? For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities. But now, Yahweh, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You our potter. We all are the work of Your hand. Don’t be furious, Yahweh, and don’t remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg You, we are all Your people. Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

(Isaiah 64:4-10)

This passage from Isaiah seems to present some difficulty for many expositors for some reason. However, this is not the case if we understand the following truth: we see only the truths that the Lord enables us to see, through eyes that have been enlightened, because the flesh has been cut away. The more flesh (that is, the log in our eye) that is cut away, the more clearly we can perceive the truths of God.

Arguing Against Calvinism

Calvinists believe that we have no free will and that God is the potter while each one of us is the clay; therefore, we have no say in the matter. Instead, they argue that we are liars with deceitful hearts, akin to the fictitious Pinocchio. In their confession, they do not believe that God created us as living entities like Himself, and in this sense, He is our Father. It’s as if they believe we are essentially robotic objects made from clay. Yet the above passage of Scripture teaches a number of things beyond what the Apostle Paul has quoted below:

Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Corinthians 2:8-9)

Many people overlook verse ten when they quote the above portion of Scripture from the book of First Corinthians, chapter two. The reality is they have just not had their eyes opened to see the truth that exists.

But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)

God reveals all things to us through His Spirit, provided that we are recipients of this gift. Without being baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are unable to learn and understand the truths of God. However, we shall examine this Scripture from Isaiah and consider some truths that are generally overlooked.

The passage from Isaiah, chapter sixty-four, essentially states that God created us to be judged by Him. But who are we, really, if we are merely born into sin without any say in the matter? Why should God be angry with us? Surely, if we give Him the chance, He would prove Himself to us and deliver us from our wicked ways.

Looking at Some Illogical Perceptions

From reading the passage already quoted from Isaiah, chapter sixty-four, some believe that every person is created out of clay by God—and if not literally, then metaphorically. For these individuals, God is an angry tyrant who created people so He could punish them when they sin. This, of course, contradicts the notion of God creating humans in His own image and giving them free will. When we say that God created humans in His own image, it also means they were created to be righteous and holy, just as He is. Hence, it is very difficult to conceive of God causing people to sin because He was angry. If anything, we would be inclined to think that our Heavenly Father showed His displeasure because of the sinful violations of righteousness that occurred. However, this is not what the Scripture states. The text says, “Behold, You were angry, and we sinned.” This implies that God is responsible for our sin in the same way that the buck stops at the head of the government, a corporation, or any organization if defects and problems are not resolved.

God Desires a Chance to Prove Himself

Now we will look at the previously quoted passage from Isaiah, chapter sixty-four, portion by portion, to see what it is saying and to determine what it means for us today.

For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who works for him who waits for Him.

Unlike other gods, Yahweh works for those who give Him the opportunity to prove Himself in their lives. Many think that God is an ogre who demands that we perform tasks against our will; but this is not what the Bible teaches. Those who view God as an ogre do so because they are still living lives cloaked in various forms of self-righteousness. This is why, when Jesus says, “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13), self-righteous people do not believe Him. They feel compelled to make a sacrifice of their time to help someone and claim they are doing good works in the name of the Lord. Did Jesus say to go and do good works? No. Jesus said that He desires mercy, not sacrifice. In other words, He is saying that He desires an opportunity to prove Himself in our lives. Likewise, as the Lord does not change, we are invited to prove Him with our tithes and offerings, putting Him to the test to see whether He will open the portals of Heaven and pour out an overflowing blessing (Malachi 3:6-10). No other god can be proven like the Only Immortal Almighty God, who is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and besides whom there is no other.

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember You in Your ways.

Righteousness Only Comes By Faith

Righteousness only comes from faith, for God has no pleasure in those who are puffed up or shrink back (Hab. 2:4; Heb. 10:38). God is the Creator who drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, but not before He had clothed them, and not from His presence (Genesis 3:21; 4:16).

Behold, You were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved? For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities. 

The Universal Problem Of Sin 

In some respects, the prophet could be talking about what has happened since the days of Adam; however, we know that this is not possible because all those evil people were destroyed, and Noah and his family were saved. Any references to evil in a former time could only apply to a period after the flood. We know Isaiah is talking about Israel, yet when we read what is written, we can see that all nations could be included. In fact, Isaiah could be speaking to us today, for nothing has changed regarding people committing sin against each other and against the Lord God Almighty.

God is being blamed for causing sinners to sin. Isaiah is saying that sin has been around for a long time, and yet children are being born into sin. So, is there any hope of salvation? Isaiah is expressing to God that, for the present, it appears as if You, O God, are the culprit and are guilty of allowing us to be born into sin without doing anything about it. Is it because nobody is crying out to You? Is it because You want us to be consumed by our iniquities? By implication, Isaiah, who is addressing the people of the nation of Israel, is asking: Does God hide His face because you have yet to hate evil? Indeed, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, which is also the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 8:13; 1:7). As the Psalmist has said: “You who love Yahweh, hate evil. He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10).

 But now, Yahweh, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You our potter. We all are the work of Your hand.

We could look at this text in two ways: first, the Lord God fathered the nation of Israel; second, the Lord God is the Father of us all.

Israel Created by God

Israel is the nation that God created from all the tribes of the Earth to be ruled by Him and to display His power and purpose for humankind. As a nation, Israel was chosen by God. There were no requirements placed on the people; instead, this was part of the promise given to Abraham. This promise, as we learn, was not primarily about the nation of Israel, but about the seed that was to come forth from Israel.

But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. (Romans 9:6-8)

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descend-ants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ  Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.

What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law. But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:16-24)

Moses’ Inability To Do What Jesus Did

Israel was created as a nation to bring about the conditions for the promised seed to be born, so that people could be justified by faith in Him. Israel as a nation did not exist by faith, but by God’s grace. The reason is, even as a corporate body made up of individuals, no one individual could be justifiably held accountable for the sins of other people. This was evidenced when Moses claimed that he would die on behalf of the people:

On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.”

Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. Yet now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

   Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of My book. (Exodus 32:30-33).

There is a difference between Moses seeking to die on behalf of the people and the use of metonymy, where Moses is representative of Israel, or Pharaoh represents Egypt, or Caesar represents Rome, or Esau represents Edom, and so on. God’s grace was extended to some nations and not others. Israel was created by the grace of God because of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to become the favored nation from which the chosen seed would come.

In this respect, as much as God may have desired to destroy the people because of their lack of faith, their disobedience, and willful forsaking of His ways, His promise to Abraham stood. The law was to be a tutor and a means by which God could demonstrate His righteousness. For individually, God fathers us all. This is because He is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9), and we all consist of a spirit, a soul, and a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Some claim that the spirit and soul are the same and that, rather than being a trichotomy, we are actually a dichotomy with a body and a soul. However, the Bible teaches the soul and spirit are separable:

For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. There is no creature that is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give an account. (Heb. 4:12-13)

On Personal Accountability

God requires each one of us to be accountable for our own actions and not the actions of others. This is expressed when Moses and Aaron appealed to God (which is one of the most profound questions in the Bible), and also in what Ezekiel had to say about people bearing their own sins. For we read:

They fell on their faces, and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the congregation?” (Numbers 16:22)

 

The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him. (Ezekiel 18:20)

In respect to us all being the work of God’s hands, with Him being the Potter and we being the clay, unlike robots, we possess free will. Therefore, the Lord God says the following to the house of Israel, which also applies to us:

Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” House of Israel, aren’t My ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair? Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord Yahweh. Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Yahweh: therefore turn yourselves, and live. (Ezekiel 18:29-32) 

The Grace Of God Departs From Israel

In the end, we learn why the grace of God departed from Israel as a nation. The reason is because, as a corporate body, its members did not pursue the promises of God through faith; rather, they relied upon the fact they were a chosen nation by grace and thought they only had to keep up appearances.

The Apostle Paul laments this sad fact when dealing with the Potter and the clay in the book of Romans, writing:

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense;  and no one who believes in Him will be disappointed.”(Romans 9:30-33)

Don’t be furious, Yahweh, and don’t remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg You, we are all Your people. Your holy cities have become a wilderness.  Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

On Predestination And Begging

Isaiah makes his appeal to God, but he was a messenger of the Lord who was using satire in his writing for the benefit of the Israelites, in the hope they might see the light and repent from their wicked ways. The people were not begging. However, they should have been begging for mercy, as they had not given God a chance to prove Himself in their lives. Instead, they had turned their backs on Him, preferring to do evil rather than good. In doing this, they were saying that God was the cause of their evil, not themselves.

The Bible is very clear that God is not the cause of evil. From the book of Job we learn:

Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, from the Almighty, that He should commit iniquity. For the work of a man He will render to Him, and cause every man to find according to His ways. Yes surely, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice. (Job 34:10-12)

Furthermore, the idea of begging God not to remember their iniquities does not align with the belief of some that they were chosen before the foundation of the world. Israel was the chosen nation; yet here, even if sarcastically, Isaiah is suggesting that people ought not to be forsaken simply because they are begging for mercy. Free will is very much a part of the equation. There is no suggestion whatsoever that God created some for eternal torment and others to be the elect, and that irrespective of how much they sin, they shall possess eternal life.

National Election and Individual Faith

For many who do not possess the Holy Spirit but try to interpret the Scriptures according to human understanding, one of their difficulties is the inability to differentiate between individuals and nations, as well as between faith and grace. Individuals require faith for election; nations are elected by grace. Another difficulty many seem to have is grasping exactly who God is. This is what the Bible has to say about the Creator of the Universe:

What The Bible Says About God 

1 Samuel 2:2 There is no one as holy as Yahweh, For there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.

 

Isaiah 44:6 This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides Me there is no God.”

 

Isaiah 45:21 Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I, Yahweh? There is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; There is no one besides Me.

 

Isaiah 45:22 Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

Hosea 13:4 Yet I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt; and you shall acknowledge no god but me, and besides me there is no savior.

 

Mark 12:32-33 The scribe said to Him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that He is One, and there is none other but He, and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

 

Acts 4:12 There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!

 

1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Servants Or Ravenous Wolves?

Many are the philosophies of men. Some come from those in sheep’s clothing, who are but ravenous wolves; they do not seek to serve but to be served. Jesus said to His disciples that they were not to lord it over those in their charge as people in the world do, but they were to be servants. We read:

But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-30)

Servants meet the needs of their master. Our Master desires that all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4); therefore, those who are doing the will of God are interested in seeing people saved and growing in the knowledge of the truth so that they too can become lights to the world and a beacon of hope for those in darkness. In particular, this means seeking to empower the members of the flock for the work of ministry and pursuing the fruit that is to their credit, rather than having them bolster a one-man ministry.

Those who say that Jesus did not die for all but only for many overlook the fact that Jesus gave His life as a ransom for what Adam had lost, which also includes the many people who were to be numbered among the body of Christ before the foundation of the world. Once that number is fulfilled, then all of Israel will be saved, as the Scripture says:

For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, “There will come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant to them, when I will take away their sins.”

(Romans 11:25-27)

Jesus Died for All Humankind

Jesus paid the ransom for all sin, and because of this, He is able to judge all men, since all men have sinned. Nevertheless, the grace of our Heavenly Father has permitted whoever hates evil—and has repented from dead works—to exercise faith toward Him (Hebrews 6:1) and have their consciences cleansed to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14) through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this context, we see that all will be judged, but many will be saved. When speaking in terms of "many," we are referring to incomprehensible numbers, even if not all of Abraham’s physical descendants will be saved.

A Symptom of Calvinism

When people stop reaching out to the lost, when they have lost their fire, and when they are focused on other activities, we know that their witness is not one of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of producing good fruit, bitter fruit emerges, and the message becomes distorted. Jesus is no longer their Savior, and people find that the message they take to the world is a defense of their belief system rather than a testimony of: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” These are the words of Jesus:

But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent.  (Revelation 2:4-5)

A humble heart, an attitude of prayer, and a desire for souls saved—these are what we all need, because as soon as that last person comes into the fold, then it will be time for the Antichrist to appear. A falling away among those who claim to be believers will follow, for those who are not genuinely saved will believe the lie and so be deceived. This is what the Apostle Paul wrote:

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, we ask you  not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. Don’t you remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things?  Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7)

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. Don’t you remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things? Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:3–7)

Many think that the “one who restrains and who is taken out of the way” is the resurrection of the saints before the appearance of the Antichrist. However, this is not true. For if we thoroughly comprehend the passage, we can clearly see that we are warned not to be deceived; the departure (that is, rebellion) must come first. This is when those who are not genuine believe that the man of lawlessness is Lord Jesus Christ, and then, about a couple of months later, we who are waiting shall see the glory of the Lord. So let us be fruitful, for the time is truly close.

A Personal Anecdote About the Rapture

When I first heard about the rapture and being caught up into the air to meet the Lord, I thought the speaker had lost his marbles and the people in the congregation were deceived. That night, I woke up, with the hair on my body bristling. I had had a dream. Three key features of the dream were: one, thunders that spoke to me and others, but not all; two, Jesus was said to have returned and set up residence on Earth; three, I was zapped up into the clouds—then I woke.

Later I found out that not only is being caught up to meet the Lord in the air in the Bible, but so too are the other two events that were in that dream. First was the thunders that spoke, yet what was said was not revealed (Revelation 10:4), for I heard them, clear as a bell, but could not remember what was said. Secondly, there was the impostor claiming to be Lord Jesus Christ having returned to Earth, when He had not (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4). Thirdly, I went flying upwards at the speed of light, into the clouds to meet Lord Jesus Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Back in 1975, many people were talking about a book by Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth, which I have never read, even though I was given a copy. Nevertheless, I found myself out of sorts with people because I did not believe in their doctrine about seven years of tribulation (it is not to be found in the Bible), nor that people are raptured into the air before the revealing of the person who claims he is God—that is, the Antichrist. So far, what God revealed to me has proven true.

False Prophets and Teachers

The Bible warns about false prophets and false teachers. The one thing that is common to all is they will not direct people to Jesus Christ, and they pluck Scriptures out of context to support their key doctrines. To put anything before Jesus Christ is idolatry—even if it is the very Bible itself. The Bible is an essential tool for all believers, and we are instructed not to go beyond what is written therein if we desire to know the truth. However, truth is something that is caught before it is taught. Hence, if we are not ready to receive the truth, we will not understand it as required.

Some Personal Background

When the Holy Spirit told me to pray four hours a day and read the Bible for two hours, then study etymology for another two hours, I did. During that time, I was shown truths in Scripture that contradicted what the leaders were teaching where I was fellowshipping. Consequently, when I raised these points, I was basically told the literal meaning was incorrect and I needed to submit to the leadership’s understanding of what the Bible stated if I were to continue fellowshipping among them.

However, when fellowshipping with another congregation, for the sake of unity, I decided to put aside one truth the Lord had shown me, as I did not consider it to be of great importance anyhow. It was not until a couple of decades later, when studying developmental psychology, that I realized the importance of the truth that I had put aside.

Wrong beliefs affect our walk in the Lord. That truth I put aside is this: our will abides in our spirit and not in our soul. Our spirit is what enables us to think and exercise our volition. But because I believed a lie that permeates Bible-believing Christendom and is supported by the dispensationalist Clarence Larkin’s intricate work of drawings depicting the events throughout the ages—including the end times—I tripped up in my own walk with the Lord.

Having completed degrees in Biblical Studies and Theology and Ministry to the doctoral level, which meant reading numerous books about other people’s opinions and processing the information, I concluded that most of it was a waste of time and money. However, as part of my theology degree, I had to study New Testament Greek. Now, there appears to be a need for scholars of ancient languages, and I am not saying they are of no value. Nevertheless, the Lord spoke to me and said, “If you do not understand Me in English, how are you going to understand Me in Greek?”

Essentially, I was being told, if you don’t understand the Lord God in your own language, what hope do you have of understanding Him in another language? The truth is: God can speak any language. But the question is: Do we have an ear to hear what the Lord God is saying to us?

Besides studying at Bible college, I also earned secular qualifications—the courses of which I have found more useful than merely obtaining pieces of paper from theological institutions. But my desire is to know the truth and to have the wisdom to apply it in my life. We all have to work out our purpose, even when we have the joy of salvation and the peace that passes all understanding—which, in some ways, takes away the desire to achieve anything in this world.

Nevertheless, someone like myself eventually comes to a place where he feels impelled to write because what people truly need to know needs to be made available. Although, when I was writing The Only Words Written by the Finger of God, that was more of a reluctant obligation. This is not the case with this manuscript, which began as my seventh book. I’ve since written more. Like this one, they are in the process of being prepared for publication. Every book I have written has a different focus and contains insights that are peculiar to each one.

Whoever reads a book that I have written and begins to seek Lord Jesus more earnestly, and in so doing bears fruit in his or her own life, is my reward.

Conclusion: Our Instruction Manual for Life

The Bible, while not able to impart life, is our handbook. The Bible instructs how to be saved—only possible through a personal relationship with Lord Jesus Christ—and informs us about God’s purpose and plan for mankind.

Jesus is coming back for a people who have overcome the world. These are they who are without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. Jesus is not coming back for sinners who claimed they are saved by grace. The book of Ephesians is very clear; this is what the writer states:

Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. Therefore don’t be partakers with them.  For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,  proving what is well pleasing to the Lord.  Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.  For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.  But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. Therefore He says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord;  giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being Himself the savior of the body. But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave Himself up for it; that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that He might present the assembly to Himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect. (Ephesians 5:6-26)

The return of our Lord Jesus Christ is something we can look forward to with much anticipation, as participants in the resurrection of the just—those who are made righteous through faith in the death and resurrection of the Son of God. In that case, hopefully, I will see you in the twinkling of an eye in the not-too-distant future.

 

Be blessed and enjoy the now, it just never ends!

 

 

 

Other books by Happy Riches

 

Understanding Jacob’s Trouble: A Guide To The End Of The Age

Saved By Grace Through Faith In Lord Jesus Christ

The Only Words Written By The Finger Of God

The Five Pillars Of Faith: Islam vs Christianity

Economic Freedom In The Kingdom Of God

How To Have An Effective Bible Study

Return To The Lord Of Blessings

How To Overcome The Devil

Seven Stages Of Salvation

The Milk Of The Word

Seeking God’s Voice

God’s Prodigal Son

Shine Like A Star