They are appointed to have an inheritance ( Matt 25:34 ), to receive God's kingdom ( Luke 12:32 ), to have "the hope of glory" ( Col 1:27 ), which is "eternal life" ( Acts 13:48 ). The people of God in the New Testament, like Israel in the Old Testament, have a destiny to fulfill. So also was the resurrection of Jesus ( Acts 2:31 ), and furthermore he is "appointed as judge of the living and the dead" ( Acts 10:42 ). ![]() Although there was a human responsibility for the death of Jesus, all that happened was by "God's set purpose and foreknowledge" ( Acts 2:23 ). "God's eternal purpose" it is called in Ephesians 3:11. Paul speaks of the purpose in him as "God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began" ( 1 Cor 2:7 ). In the New Testament it is stressed repeatedly that the divine plan to be fulfilled in Christ was predestined. It is also planned and foreordained that through Israel the knowledge of God should go out to the nations that they might be drawn to the worship of the Lord, a purpose to which the New Testament in turn bears witness ( Gal 3:8 Col 1:27 ). Predetermined also, and thus mentioned variously in the prophets, is the purpose of God to be fulfilled in a Messiah of the house of David ( Isa 9:6-7 11:1-9 Jer 23:5-6 Ezek 34:23-24 37:24-28 ). I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." In relation to the nations the word of the Lord in Isaiah 46:10 is, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. God "determined the times set" for the different nations "and the exact places where they should live" ( Acts 17:26 ). Yet irrespective of Israel Yahweh has a plan determined for the whole world as his hand is stretched out over all nations ( Isa 14:27 ). He has foreordained it when a nation is used to chasten Israel and then when a Gentile ruler sets them free ( Isa 10:5-6 44:28-45:1 ). ![]() It is also made clear in the Old Testament in a number of ways that the purpose of God embraces all nations. The New Testament bears witness also to this purpose and foreknowledge of God concerning Israel ( Rom 11:2 ). They are to be seen in the world as his people ( Deut 7:6 Psalm 33:11-12 ), holy and obedient to him, living to his praise ( Isa 43:21 ), a priestly nation bringing the knowledge of God to other nations ( Exod 19:5-6 ). From the call of Abraham ( Gen 12:3 ) his descendants, in particular the progeny of Jacob/Israel, are predestined to fulfill the purpose that God has for them ( Psalm 105:5-10 ). Colossians 1:26 speaks of this purpose as "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but now is disclosed." This implies that all that is in God's good purpose for us, individually or as part of the people of God, is by God's initiative and thus is a work of grace, something that we could never instigate or deserve ( Deut 9:4-6 2 Tim 1:9 ). God's purpose is one of love and grace ( Deut 7:6-8 Isa 41:8-9 ), above all because in love he predestined what should come to pass in his plan to save and to restore sinful humanity through Christ ( Eph 1:5 ). God plans and makes his plans known, as he chooses, to his servants the prophets ( Amos 3:7 ). Prophecy in its predictive mode is to be understood accordingly. It implies that God is infinitely capable of planning and then bringing about what he has planned, and Scripture speaks of him as doing this ( Isa 14:24-27 22:11 37:26 44:7-8 46:8-10 ). ![]() Divine predestination means that God has a purpose that is determined long before it is brought to pass.
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