“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.” (Titus 1:1-4).
Titus 1:2 mentions, “In hope of eternal life…” Eternal can be defined as all the way back and all the way forward! “Everlasting” can be defined as forward from here on! “Eternal” means it never started and never ends!
In verse two God gave us the word “promised”. This is a legal word. It is defined as God has legally “provided, announced,” and promised eternal life. Verse two says, “…before the world began.” God legally provided, announced and promised eternal life.
Verse three says, “But hath in due times manifested,” meaning He has uncovered or revealed what was already there. It simply means the saved have “eternal life” all along, but it was uncovered when the saved trusted Jesus to pay for their sins.
Don’t leave me! God said he uncovered this eternal life. This is the same as in the book of Revelation. God looked down through time and saw what was going to happen in the future. God then uncovered to John on the Isle of Patmos, or unveiled, or revealed to John what was going to happen in the future.
Ok, there will be a man of sin according to the Scriptures, but it does not mean that God chose that man of sin. It means that the man of sin will choose to be that man of sin!
God looked down into the future and saw there would be wicked man like that and God wrote about it in the book of Revelation. That does not take the “will” out of it at all! If Joe Biden is the Anti-Christ then it will be because he chose to be! That is written with a grin by the way! God looks down into the future and writes down what He sees is happening.
The same thing is applied here to our salvation. It says in verse two that God cannot lie and has legally provided, announced, and promised eternal life before the world began.
In verse three it says that in due time uncovered it to us! Revelation 17:8 tells us there is a Book of Life written from the foundation of the world and this was done before the world was!
The names of all of the saved were written in that Book before the world was! The work of salvation was complete before the world was! In no way does this alter the “will” of man. God did not make us to be robots. He does not want a robotically designed type of fellowship or love.
JESUS WAS SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:2-3).
In the mind of God Jesus had already come, lived, died, and raised from the dead before the world existed. This is important to understand! God lives in eternity while we live in time. There is no way we can comprehend eternity. We have to measure everything by time.
The Scriptures state that in the fullness of time Jesus did come. In the mind of God all was already cared for because God, who cannot lie, promised it in eternity past before the worlds’ were!
THE NAMES OF THE SAVED WERE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
Before the worlds were my name was written in the Book of Life and the works of the salvation plan had been completed. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8).
Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. Before the worlds’ were Jesus was slain, my name was written in the Book of Life, salvation’s plan was completed, and Jesus was slain as the Lamb of God. God lives in eternity and not in time.
God is saying the names of the saved are written down in Heaven before the world began. The salvation plan was completed and Jesus was slain as the Lamb of God before the worlds’ were created. God never infringed upon the will of man. It is still “whosoever will may come.” God cannot help it because He is God and can see into the future.
THE KINGDOM WAS PREPARED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matthew 25:34). God has spent all of these years preparing a place for His children. What a thought! If it takes six to nine months to build a house think about what Heaven will be like. Think about what our mansions will look like! Amazing!
The names of the saved are written in the Book of Life before the worlds’ were created. The salvation plan was complete before the worlds’ were created. Jesus was slain in the mind of God the Father before the worlds’ were created. The Kingdom was prepared before the worlds’ were created.
JESUS WAS FOREORDAINED TO GO TO CALVARY BEFORE THE WORLDS’ WERE CREATED
“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” (I Peter 1:19-20).
Jesus was foreordained before the worlds’ were created which means that before the worlds’ were Jesus was foreordained to come to Bethlehem. In the mind of God Jesus had already come to Bethlehem.
In this foreordained counsel of the Trinity looked down and saw the future and God saw that man had a choice, and he would choose Satan and not Himself.
God realized man would be lost and need a Saviour so in the mind of God Jesus volunteered to go to Calvary and appease Himself. In the mind of God Jesus went to Calvary, the Kingdom had already been prepared, the work of redemption had already been finished, and my name was already written in Heaven all before the worlds’ were created.
Now that we have gone backwards let us go forwards! Jesus was foreordained to go to Calvary which means the Kingdom was prepared, which means Jesus had died, which means the work of redemption had been finished, which means my name had been written in the Book of Life and all before the worlds’ were created. All of that led to me getting saved at age eleven!
God started suffering the minute He offered His only Begotten Son for sinful man. Jesus was given in the mind of God the minute He decided to give Jesus as a blood sacrifice so that at age eleven I would have a way out of going to Hell because of my own sins.
GOD SAW SINFUL MAN IN HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE
God held a foreordination counsel and Jesus volunteered to go and be that very blood sacrifice for the sins of the world, which included an eleven-year-old boy in Galesburg, Michigan.
Jesus lived thirty-three years, fulfilled the law, paid the price on Calvary, buried, raised from the dead three days and three nights later, ascended into Heaven, and seated at the right of God the Father as our intercessor, and all of that took place in the mind of God before the worlds’ were created!
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” (I Peter 1:2). “According as he hath chosen us him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” (Ephesians 1:4).
God saw me trusting Christ before the worlds’ began. Thus, God in His mind took care of my salvation when He saw me trusting His Son and in His mind saw it happening!
“In hope of eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:2).
God who cannot lie promised before the foundation of the world began to pay for man’s sins. He legally cared for me before the worlds’ began and all those who chose to trust Christ for salvation from Hell.
He did all of that, with it being done with His children in mind. So, in the mind of God He wanted to create man for fellowship. In so doing He in His foreknowledge saw that man would sin and considering the end made decisions in the foreordination counsel of eternity past.
God foreordained that Jesus would go to Calvary, prepared the Kingdom, completed the salvation plan, and wrote my name in the Book of Life.
All before there ever was the Rocky Mountains, a valley, the Royal Gorge, Grand Canyon, or a Mississippi River, etc. The Scriptures tell us that what ever Go does He does forever and He is immutable or He does not change!
God saw me as someone He wanted to create in order to fellowship with Him. He also saw that I would sin! God also saw the need for a Saviour to pay for my sins. He saw that I would trust His Son as payment for my sins.
So the doctrine of FOREKNOWLEDGE is God in the foreordination counsel making decisions based on Him wanting to create me for fellowship and seeing that He would have to redeem me in order to bring me back into fellowship with Him.
Jesus was foreordained before the world began, the Kingdom was built, Jesus was slain, salvation was completed, my name was written down in Heaven, and all because God saw me trusting His Son Jesus before the worlds’ began. God wanted me, and all that “will” to be saved, to come back too Him for restoration of fellowship through His Son.
GOD PLACED ALL OF THE SAVED IN CHRIST BEFORE THE WORLDS’ BEGAN
Ephesians 1:4 says that He has chosen us “in him” before the foundation of the world. When God looked down and saw through His foreknowledge. Jesus volunteered to come to earth and be the sinless sacrifice for man’s sins.
The Kingdom was prepared, Jesus was slain, redemption was completed, God saw that I would be saved, my name written down in Heaven, and so God the Father placed me in Christ before the worlds’ were created.
Thus, before there ever was a California Redwood I was in Christ. God made me a new creature. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”(II Corinthians 5:17).
Please explain to me how in the world I can lose something cared for before the worlds’ began? Positionally I was in Christ before the worlds’ began which means I was positionally I was a new creature before the worlds’ began.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).
I am crucified with Christ according to the Scriptures. In some mysterious way I was at Calvary positionally when I was placed in Christ. It also means that I was crucified with Christ at Calvary because I was “in him” at Calvary.
Jesus was foreordained before the worlds’ began, the Kingdom was prepared, Jesus was slain, my name was written down in Heaven, God saw that I would trust His Son for salvation, God placed me in Christ, God made me a new creature, I was crucified with Christ at Calvary and I was buried with Him before the foundation of the world.
“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12).
When Jesus was immersed in the earth I was immersed with Him. I was not only crucified with Christ but I was buried with Jesus.
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” (Colossians 2:13). “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1).
According to the Scriptures I rose with Christ before the foundation of the world. Man has only one choice either trust Christ or reject Christ! That is all God was looking for in His telescope of FOREKNOWLEDGE: receiving Christ or rejecting Christ! This salvation is no “Uh Oh” with God! What a great God! What a great Saviour! What a great salvation!
“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2:6).
I ascended with Christ before the foundation of the world. Jesus is the firstfruits of the harvest. Positionally at this very moment I am in Christ and I am with Christ because I am in Christ! WOW! What a thought!
When Christ arose from the dead I also arose from the dead according to Colossians 3:1 and when Christ ascended into Heaven I ascended with Him into Heaven according to Ephesians 2:6.
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3).
Let that sink in! Take your time! Think about it! When God looks at me He sees Christ because I am hid with Christ in God! When God sees me He sees Himself! Absolutely Amazing!
Jesus was foreordained, the Kingdom was prepared, Jesus was slain, redemption was completed, my name was written down in Heaven, God saw me getting saved, God placed me in Christ, He made me a new creature, I was crucified with Christ, I was buried with Christ, I arose with Christ, I ascended with Christ, I am sitting in Heavenly places with Christ, I am hid with Christ in God and all of that happened before the foundation of the world1
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30).
I was justified before the worlds’ were created according to the Scriptures. I was declared righteous before the foundation of the world.
Was this based on how I lived? No, it was based on me placing my faith in Jesus Christ as payment for all of my sins. How I lived had nothing to do with the new birth that occurred at my salvation.
God looked down into the future and saw an eleven-year-old boy at 132 E. Michigan Ave, of Galesburg, Michigan asking Christ to be his Saviour and to pay for his sins!
Through the doctrine of FOREKNOWLEDGE the decisions were made by God based on what I did with His only begotten Son. “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
My dad was eighty when he died! God did not look at his eighty years of living to decide about his eternity. God looked for one thing out of his eighty years lived on this planet and that was did he or did he not place his faith in Jesus Christ for payment of his sins committed in those eighty years of living. This was a transaction finalized in Heaven by God as a legally binding transaction.
Then according to the Scriptures God glorified his children before the foundation of the world!
In eternity past God met with Himself and decided to create man to fellowship with knowing that man would sin. Then God decided to become damnation Himself for our sins. Then God appeased Himself, because man cannot appease God. Before there was ever a world, God who cannot lie made in eternity past a legal transaction based on what man would do with Jesus Christ.
God then put that legal transaction in a legal document called Scriptures for all to see plainly what God had done in eternity past.
SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN ETERNITY PAST
- Jesus was foreordained
- The Kingdom was built
- The Lamb was slain
- The redemption plan was finished
- I choose to be saved
- My name was written down in Heaven
- God saw that I would trust Christ for salvation
- God placed me in Christ
- God made me a new creature
- I was crucified with Christ
- I was buried with Christ
- I arose with Christ
- I ascended with Christ
- I sit with Christ in the Heavenlies
- I am hid with Christ in God the Father
- I was justified
- I was glorified