by Gary L. Evans
(revised 7/27/2023)
Election — Part 1
Mat 13:34-35 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
The word “foundation” is derived from the Greek, “kat-ab-al’-lo,” which means “to throw down.” So this phrase is literally, “from the casting down of the world.”
After our Father destroyed The First World, He rejuvenated the earth to make it inhabitable again and made man, male and female, in the flesh to establish The Second Earth Age in which we live today.
In the above verse note the declaration and let me paraphrase, “I will utter things which have been kept secret since the destruction of the first world.”
The very former existence of The First World is one of those “secrets” or “mysteries.” We will study some of the scriptures that refer to that world, and afterward it should not be a secret to you anymore, my friends.
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
The word “foundation” is the same as in Matthew 13:35. So when our Lord prayed this prayer, He referenced the love of The Father for Him which was even before the destruction of The First World.
Joh 15:26-27 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
The “beginning” is the very beginning of The First World, back when God made our souls at the same time as He made the dinosaurs. So that is how long our Lord had been with His chosen disciples. He already knew them well before He was born of Mary into this Second World to be tested Himself.
I show you these passages only as examples. As you read the scriptures, your understanding should be increased having this knowledge, because the Bible has many references to that world, often using other language that means the same thing as “casting down” or “foundation” or “beginning.”
And also, I show you these verses to illustrate how our Father has chosen some of His children for special assignments in This Second Earth Age.
Do you have a destiny?
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Election — Part 2
Jer 1:4-5 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Our Lord declares to Jeremiah that even before he was a baby in his mother’s womb, the Lord already knew him, and chose him to be a prophet. Our Lord’s prior knowledge of Jeremiah was certainly during The First World, because He knew all of us since the beginning when we were created. Some of our Father’s children pleased Him during that world, no doubt but because of their behavior and faithfulness to Him during the rebellion of Lucifer. Without the understanding and knowledge of The First Earth Age, The Lord’s prior Election of servants in this Second World may seem rather unfair.
Gen 25:21-24 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
Our Lord declared to Rebekah that the younger of the twins would rule over the elder, which was backwards from the custom of those days. Why?
Rom 9:10-14 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
So we see with these two examples that our Father’s Election of certain souls for special service to Him is one of the ways He operates in this world.
Have you felt since you were a child that there must be much more to God’s Word than you were being taught?
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Election — Part 3
Isa 42:1-4 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Our Lord declares His “servant,” which future to this time when spoken will be The Messiah, Jesus The Christ.
Note that our Lord Jesus is called “elect,” which is from the Hebrew, “baw-kheer’,” and means, “select.”
Isa 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Note that Cyrus was a Persian, a gentile, and called by name even before he was born. And he was the only gentile our Father called by name before he was born, which makes him very special in our Father’s Divine Plan.
Isa 45:2-3 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
Cyrus was foreordained before he was born to this purpose in this Second World.
Isa 45:4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
Jacob’s name was changed by God to “Israel,” which means, “he shall rule with God.” And note that Israel is declared to be God’s “elect.”
Our Father repeats for emphasis His declaration that He has named this, Cyrus, even before he was born. “Cyrus,” is from, “ko’-resh,” which is from the Persian for, “the sun.” Therefore Cyrus especially is one of our Father’s elect.
Isa 45:5-6 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
And our Lord’s purpose in selecting Cyrus for his role was so that all people of this world would learn that “there is none beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.”
So we see that God’s Elect are not only from Israel, but also from among the Gentile nations.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Election — Part 4
Isa 65:8-10 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
The “seed” out of Jacob is that descendant of His choosing, Who also will be a descendant of Judah. That One was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who will inherit those “mountains.”
Our Lord’s “Elect” are also destined to inherit those “mountains,” which symbolize the Nations of Israel.
Isa 65:22-25 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
Our Father’s “Elect” will enjoy the fruits of their labors on the Last Day, The Lord’s Day, of this Second World. And ultimately, after the end of this Second World, these verses refer to The Third Earth Age, The Eternity.
Therefore, God’s Elect, in the positive sense, are predestined to inherit Eternal Life.
This fact does not mean they are more righteous than other people in this world; but what it does mean is that somehow, they have already been judged, or will have been judged, such that they take part in The First Resurrection.
Note that all who partake in The First Resurrection will not be in danger of The Great White Throne Judgment, because they will have already been judged long before to be worthy of Eternal Life.
Why are you studying these lessons?
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Election — Part 5
1Pe 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 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.
The word “strangers,” is from the Greek, “par-ep-id’-ay-mos,” and means, “an alien alongside, that is, a resident foreigner.” So Peter was addressing the Gentiles who had converted to Christ from those regions he mentions.
He calls them “Elect,” which is from “ek-lek-tos’,” and means, “select; by implication favorite.” Note that they were selected by “the foreknowledge of God the Father,” which means that God knew them before, before what? Before they were born into this world of flesh. This is another example of Gentiles (not of Jacob’s offspring) being included in God’s Divine Plan of Salvation in this world.
Rom 9:17-19 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Our Lord declared that He had made Pharaoh of Egypt great and powerful only for the purpose of destroying him in order to make a Name or Great Reputation for Himself throughout the world. We see in this that there is a negative side to Election, in that some of God’s children are predestined for some negative part of His Divine Plan.
Without knowledge of The First Earth Age, most people think that their very existence only began in the womb of their mother. What they lack is the understanding that our souls were created long before this world was even made, and that we were all with The Father in heaven before we were sent into the embryo in our mother’s womb to be born in the flesh to be tested.
And concerning election, both positive and negative, although it may seem strange and somehow unfair treatment of some, our Father is not unrighteous in this.
Act 8:1-3 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Saul was a Pharisee who was deceived by the scribes and Pharisees who were part of the conspiracy to have Jesus crucified. He believed that this new movement, called Christian, was an insurrection against The Law of God, and was an attempt by criminals to turn the people away into apostasy. And when the mob of hypocrites stoned Stephen to death, Saul stood by in agreement with the stoning and held the coats of some of the men who were murdering Stephen.
The name “Saul” is from the Hebrew and means “desired.” But he was zealous for The Law and had authority from the elders to arrest Christians wherever he found them and put them in chains. Saul loved The Lord of The Old Testament, but did not yet understand the prophesies of The Messiah that had been fulfilled.
Act 9:1-4 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
The Lord got Saul’s attention and rebuked him.
Act 9:5-6 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
The Lord later changed Saul’s name to Paul, which means “little.” And he, being one of the most educated in his day of The Holy Scriptures, would write most of The New Testament.
So we see that it is not according to our works in this world, because they may be very ill-advised from our Father’s perspective, but it is according to God’s Choosing.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.