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Bro. Ostis Wilson Jr.'s Commentary |
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Doctrines of Election and Free Will |
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Questions Concerning . . . |
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Doctrine of Election and Free
Will (Can They be Reconciled?)
Question: Among the many doctrines in the Bible are the
two dealing with salvation the doctrine of election and the
doctrine of free-will. There are many passages in the Bible on
both of these doctrines and many books written, etc.
Now my question is simply this: How can we fit these two
opposing doctrines together so as to form a reasonable part of
the whole? The entire Bible must somehow fit together as God's
whole Word. So there should be some logical answer here to
this confusing matter. Frankly, I don't see how both of these
doctrines can be in the Bible. But they are, and how do we
explain them?
Answer: In the first place, let us recognize and be
persuaded that there cannot possibly be two mutually
contradictory doctrines in the Bible. For such a case to exist
would certainly raise questions in our minds about God Himself
and doubts as to the credibility of the Bible as God's Word.
Mutually contradictory doctrines may arise, and often do, out
of men's interpretations of the Bible, but they never exist in
the Bible itself when properly interpreted and understood.
I see the two doctrines as being mutually compatible, blending
into each other and each incorporating the other and the
doctrine of free-will enveloping the doctrine of election. The
doctrine of free-will is so definitely and so broadly
established in the New Testament that it could not possibly be
questioned as pertaining to the plan of salvation and the
economy of God's grace. We are told in John 3:16 that "...God
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." John 3:14-15 says, "And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life." Revelation 22:17 says, "...And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." II
Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is...not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance." This would
certainly destroy the idea of God's electing (choosing)
certain ones to be saved and excluding others from being saved
by an act of His own will and sovereignty. This thought is
further emphasized in I Timothy 2:1 where we are exhorted to
pray for all men, and verse four says that God would have all
men to be saved. I Timothy 2:6 says that Christ gave himself a
ransom for all. I Timothy 4:10 says that God is the Saviour of
all men. Hebrews 2:9 says that Jesus by the grace of God
tasted death for every man.
I have referred to several Scriptures and could go on and on
with many more to show that salvation in its provisions is
universal and available to all men, but in its application it
is individual and on a whosoever will basis. Anyone who is
saved must be willing to be saved within the scope of the
economy of God's grace, to come under the covenant provisions
in the terms of the gospel and meet the demands of God's Word.
Anyone who will do this will be saved.
Now I have stated that the doctrine of "Free-will" envelops
the doctrine of "Election." But how? The term Elect is used a
number of times in the Old Testament in reference to ancient
Israel, who in that time were the chosen people of God. God
had elected (chosen) them as a peculiar people, separated unto
Himself from all the other peoples upon this earth that in
them He might reveal His glory, power and holiness; to whom He
could deliver the oracles of God (the law), extend and
perpetuate the covenant and promises made to Abraham, the
originator of their race, and through them bring Jesus Christ
into the world.
Therefore they are referred to as the Elect in different
places throughout the Old Testament. But in the New Testament
the term Elect or Election is extended beyond the limits of
the Jewish nation to include all, both Jews and Gentiles, who
are redeemed from sin through faith in the merits of the
all-atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
In the first four verses of the 11th chapter of Romans, the
Apostle Paul argues that God has not cast off His people,
Israel, and confirms it with the fact that he himself was an
Israelite and had obtained mercy and been saved by faith in
Christ. Also, he refers to the time of Elijah when a remnant
was reserved unto God in a time of Israel's deep apostasy and
idolatry. Then in verse five he says, "Even so then at this
present time also there is a remnant according to the election
of grace." Note on what grounds the election of this remnant
was reckoned. It was not by virtue of being the children of
Abraham according to the flesh, nor by the keeping of the law,
neither by circumcision, nor by any of the conditions on which
the election of ancient Israel was predicated. It is on an
entirely different ground "According to the election of
grace." But there are only eleven references to "Grace" in the
Old Testament. Two of them are prophetic Zechariah 4:7 and
12:10: one referring to God's mercy in a time of deep trouble
(Ezra 9:8); and the Psalmist spoke of grace being given to his
lips in prayer (Psalm 45:2). All the others refer to the grace
of one person to another, or of the king to individuals, etc.
The Old Testament was not an age of grace, but it is said in
John 1:14 that "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Therefore the election spoken of in Romans 11:5 was not an Old
Testament kind of election, but it was the "Election of grace"
through Christ which only a remnant of the Israelites
obtained. John 1:11-13 says, "He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name: Which were born,...of God." Those among
the Jews who received Jesus Christ when He came and believed
on His name constitute this "Remnant according to the election
of grace." Adam Clarke in his comments on Romans 11:5 says,
"The election of grace simply signifies God's gracious design
in sending the Christian system into the world, saving under
it all those who believe in Christ Jesus, and none else. Thus
the believers in Christ are chosen to inherit the blessings of
the gospel, while those who seek justification through the
works of the law are rejected." Again he says in his comments
on verse six, "And this is done according to the election of
grace, or the rule of choosing any persons to be the people of
God upon the footing of grace, which takes in all that believe
in His Son Jesus Christ."
To this the Scriptures bear conclusive evidence, for it is
written "...whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely," (Revelation 22:17); and "...whosoever believeth in
him should...have everlasting life." John 3:16.
Romans 11:7 says, "...Israel hath not obtained that which he
seeketh for;..." They desired to continue as the chosen people
of God with all the power and glory of their kingdom which had
been in times past. But they did not recognize the Author of
eternal salvation when He came, so did not accept Him, but
rejected Him, therefore failing to obtain what they desired.
This verse says further, "...but the election hath obtained
it,..." We have seen that the election where those who
believed in Jesus Christ and received Him, thus were born of
God, became His children in reality. Therefore they inherited
all the blessings of the gospel, entered into the spiritual
kingdom of God (righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost
Romans 14:17), and obtained the fullness of what they sought
after.
This group of Israelites, who were elect according to grace
received Christ and believed in Him, were born of God, and
became children of God in reality. This great, majestic
company of faith champions survived the complete spiritual
collapse and downfall of the Jewish people and came through
with faith and belief in the promises, looking for the
Consolation of Israel. This group came through, merged into,
and blended with the spiritual body of Christ and entered the
spiritual kingdom of God. It was absorbed into a much greater
and broader "Election" which included all of those from every
nation under heaven (both Jews and Gentiles) who believed in
Christ and received redemption by faith in His blood.
The term "Elect" means chosen, selected. Several translations
drop the term elect and insert the term chosen in its stead in
all texts where "Elect" is mentioned. The Amplified Bible
retains the term Elect but in each case inserts in parenthesis
the terms chosen, select. Then we read in Ephesians 1:4,
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love." The choosing or electing here does not refer to
particular individuals, but that God had chosen or selected a
plan for people (all people) to be saved, and this was through
Jesus Christ and Him only, by believing in Him and yielding
themselves to Him for salvation. Thus it is said that we (all
the people of whatever nation, kindred, tongue or people) are
chosen (elected) in Him, for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Now let us look at a very important text regarding "Election."
In II Peter 1:10 we read, "Wherefore the rather, brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if
ye do these things, ye shall never fall." This Scripture
teaches us that we have a part in our election. Someone said a
long time ago in regard to the "Election," that "God has a
vote, the devil has a vote, and I have a vote, and whichever
way I vote is the way the election is going." In Romans 6:16
we are told, "...to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey;
his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness." Again Romans 6:13
says, "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God,...and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Thus
we can see that the yielding of ourselves to one master or the
other is in our own hands, subject to our own will; and our
yielding determines our election one way or another.
II Peter 1:10 also teaches us that our election can be lost
after it has been gained. "...If ye do these things, ye shall
never fall." The inference here is that if we fail to do these
things and give diligence to this, we will fall.
This is exactly what happened to Israel. They were the elect
of God, but they lost their election status and were cut off
because of unbelief. (Romans 11:20.) Verse 17 speaks of the
Gentiles being grafted in and verse 20 says they stand by
faith. Then verse 22 says, "Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward
thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise
thou also shalt be cut off." This all makes it very clear that
our election is determined by us and how we yield ourselves,
that our election can be lost after we have obtained it, if we
do not diligently work out our own salvation with fear and
trembling.
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God's Knowledge of the Our Future
Question: To what extent does God know the future in
our individual lives? Does He know our ultimate end? Did God
know absolutely which choice Adam and Eve would make in the
garden?
Answer: I will say that the questioner has asked a
difficult question here and is treading in far-out territory.
When we finite creatures with our little finite minds endeavor
to analyze and categorize God, we can't go very far until we
are left swinging in midair. I am sure I will not be able to
satisfy the mind of this questioner.
One thing we can know for certain is that God knows everything
that is going on in our lives words, thoughts, deeds,
attitudes and feelings and absolutely nothing is hidden from
Him. Hebrews 4:13 says, "...all things are naked and opened
unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Ecclesiastes
12:14 says, "...God shall bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing,..." Then it is certain there is nothing
secret to God or hidden from Him. Jesus was a jump ahead of
His adversaries all the time because He knew what they were
thinking in their hearts before they said or did anything and
He out-maneuvered them at every turn.
As to just how thoroughly God knows the future of our
individual lives, I am not able to say. But I believe we have
scriptures to prove that we have something to do with that
ourselves. Galatians 6:7 says, "Be not deceived; God is not
mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Every person is charting his own future day by day right now.
In Matthew 7:2 Jesus said, "...and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again." Whatever we give out in
our dealings with other people will come back to us just like
we put it out. Therefore, we should all be really particular
to put out such things in our lives that we will be glad to
see coming back. Our futures are all affected by our choices
and decisions we make now and are determined by the seed we
are sowing now. It seems clear to me that we are all on trial
and probation here and God lays out His course of life for us
and if we walk in it He will bless us and if we don't, He
won't. But the choice is ours. I feel that I can say with
certainty that if we take God's way and commit our lives into
His hands that He surveys our lives far enough ahead of us to
prepare us for any eventualities and protect us from any traps
or snares the enemy has set for our feet down the line. Psalms
139:3 says, "Thou compassest (winnoweth: margin) my path..."
This indicates that the Lord goes ahead of us in our path and
winnows out the things there that He wants us to meet with and
this confirms what has been said before.
Does God know our ultimate end? I am sure everyone will not
agree with me when I say this but I do not believe He does. I
am not at this time convinced of that. I do not in any way
diminish or discount God's omniscience in saying this. I
recognize that God has the power to know the ultimate end of
every one of the billions of people of earth but I do not feel
that He chooses to exercise that power. In other words, I
believe God knows everything He wants to know and needs to
know to properly handle His affairs and deal with every man as
He would in all fairness and mercy. Let me say it this way, if
I believe that God has the power to know everything; then by
the same token I believe He has the power to put out of His
mind anything He wants to put out of it and to not know
anything He doesn't want to know. And in the very nature of
things, I believe this is one thing He does not choose to
know; at least up to a certain point. One brother said he was
praying about this very thing and asking Him if He really knew
everything. And He said God answered him and said "I know
everything I want to know." That seems to me a reasonable
premise in this regard.
It would seem to me that if God allowed Himself to know our
ultimate end, it would be difficult for Him to deal with men
as the Bible tells us that He does to bring them to salvation.
And in my little mind I would have difficulty associating much
meaning to the command to His disciples to evangelize the
world and take the gospel to every creature and all who will
believe will be saved and all that believe not shall be
damned. What meaning would this have if He knew beforehand
what would be the ultimate end of each person. Read Job
33:14-30, which describes the different ways and means God
uses in His dealings with men. Verses 29 and 30 say God works
all these things often with man to bring back his soul from
the pit and to enlighten him with the light of the living.
What meaning would all this have if God knew they would not be
drawn back from the pit anyway. It is clear in the Scriptures
that salvation, in its provision, is universal (Christ tasted
death for every man Hebrews 2:9) and is offered unto all on a
"whosoever will" bases and the choice is up to each individual
as to whether he will accept it and be saved or reject it and
be lost in the end.
Did God know absolutely which choice Adam and Eve would make
in the garden? I am fully conscious that God thoroughly
understood and knew the risk involved in creating man as He
did; a free acting agent with the power of choice and free
exercise of will. He fully understood the possibility of sin
when He gave them the commandment He did. But that commandment
gave work ability to their exercise and free choice. A service
of free choice, prompted by the free will of the individual,
is the only thing that would satisfy the yearning in the heart
of God for love and companionship from a moral, intelligent
being. He created man an intelligent and moral being like
Himself, capable of responding to love and giving love in
return and thus fulfilling that yearning that God had. He
could have made man a robot with power only to do as he was
programmed to do but that would not have fulfilled the deep
yearning for love and companionship that God had.
This would have been the only way that He could have
eliminated the possibility of sin. God knew this so He made
ample provision for such a situation, in the event it
happened, in the plan of salvation which He made. And the plan
of salvation is so complete, perfect, comprehensive and
all-encompassing as to meet every need of mankind that it
certainly demonstrates that God knew well what He was about
when He set it up. To say that God absolutely knew what Adam
and Eve would do and all the doleful and devastating
consequences of it all would be to reduce the whole human and
spiritual drama to a kind of war-game situation between God
and the devil to see which one could outdo the other and to
set man up in the middle as a target to catch the full blunt
of the whole operation and as a prize for the winner. It is
also to say that God's deep yearning for a family and love and
companionship overcame His better judgment and He just went
ahead and made man anyway.
I do not, I cannot think of God in that way. I know God could
know everything if He chose to, but I believe He has wisdom to
not know some things and it is a mutual advantage to Him and
us for Him to not know those things. God never created man for
a target between Him and the devil. He made him upright
(Ecclesiastes 7:29), in His own image and after His own
likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) and wanted him to stay that way.
The fellowship and communication between them in the garden
was perfect and sweet and God wanted it to continue that way.
But man, by an act of his own will and by his own choice,
believed the lie of the devil and was deceived into disobeying
the commandment they had and lost their righteous estate and
fell into sin which changed the whole picture. Then God set
about to bring His plan of salvation into action which He did
approximately 4000 years later in His Son, Jesus Christ.
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Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart
Question: Will you please discuss the matter of God's
hardening Pharaoh's heart and how God could do this and why?
Answer: The time of the Israelite's deliverance from
Egypt was at hand and the hour of Egypt's judgment was about
to strike according to God's promise made to Abraham in
Genesis 15:13-16, and God was marshaling the principals into
position for the impending drama.
God had arranged for Moses to be spared at the time of his
birth even though a decree had gone forth from the king for
all male babies born to the Israelites to be slain at birth.
Further, God had arranged for Moses to be brought up in the
king's court as the son of Pharaoh's daughter and to be
learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Also, he was well
trained in the Egyptian army, learned all the arts of war, and
became mighty in deeds. Further, he was placed as a commanding
officer in the army where he learned well the arts and skills
of leadership. God had far-ranging plans for Moses' life from
the start and put him through all this grooming and
preparation and now he was God's man and ready to be put in
the position of leader and ruler of God's people, Israel.
But just so, Pharaoh was God's man as ruler of Egypt for the
coming drama. God said to Pharaoh in Exodus 9:16, "And in very
deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee
my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the
earth." Let us not forget that "The most High ruleth in the
kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will" Daniel
4:25b. He brought Pharaoh to the Egyptian throne for this very
purpose, and the proceedings and facts will prove that He had
the right man for the purpose and had made no mistake in His
choosing. For all the major events of the Bible God brought
forward selected men whose peculiar characteristics and
dispositions fitted them for what He wanted them to do in that
particular case. It was so here Moses for the Israelite's
leader and Pharaoh for Egypt's ruler.
There was a long line of Egyptian rulers in the Pharaoh
dynasty. All of them were not like the Pharaoh of the Exodus
strong-willed with an obstinate determination and a bitter,
hard, unrelenting disposition perfectly fitted for the
operation at hand. In fact, the ruler just ahead of him was of
a mild, generous disposition even toward the Israelites and
made their burdens lighter. God could not have carried out the
full scope of His judgments upon Egypt with a ruler like that,
because that ruler would, no doubt, have capitulated before it
was finished. But God had decreed judgment upon the nation of
Egypt (Genesis 15:14), and also judgment against all the gods
of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:12). But this Pharaoh of the
Exodus was proud, haughty, defiant, unrelenting and showed no
signs of capitulation until the judgments were complete and
the land of Egypt was destroyed, and in the process, judgment
had been executed against all the gods of the Egyptians.
Now let us consider that God was preparing to bring out the
Israelites from Egypt and establish them as a people for
Himself. Let us also consider that the Israelites of that
generation were 430 years down the line from Abraham. That
generation had come up in Egypt among the Egyptians, and had
only a faint knowledge of Abraham's God but were deeply
involved with the Egyptians in the worship of their gods; they
were pretty much idolaters themselves. Therefore, it was very
much necessary that all the gods of the Egyptians, with whom
the Israelites were familiar and participated in the worship
of, be judged and proved to be impotent, powerless, and
worthless, and He Himself established in the minds of the
Israelites as the true and living God, possessing all power
and superior to all other gods.
All the plagues poured out on Egypt were directed against
their gods one at a time. The Egyptians worshiped the serpent
in the temple of Uraeus. The first miracle was directed
against this god Aaron's rod becoming a serpent. The Egyptian
magicians did the same thing, but Aaron's serpent devouring
theirs proved their serpent god to be impotent and the true
God superior. The Nile River was also held sacred and revered
as a god and its fish regarded as holy. When its waters were
turned to blood and all its fish died and became putrefied and
stank, they loathed their god and fled from his banks in
horror. The Egyptians also worshiped the frog, unclean mammal
that he was. The plague of frogs turned their god into a curse
to them. They dared not kill them because they were sacred;
hence they became to them a terror and disgust.
The plague of lice brought to an abrupt and total halt all of
their religious rites for its duration. It was directed
against their priest and temples. Their law forbade any priest
to approach to the altar with this loathsome insect on his
body. To protect against any chance accident of this kind,
they wore white linen and shaved their heads and bodies every
day. But now there was no escape; the lice were everywhere and
on the bodies of every Egyptian.
Baal-zebul was the Egyptian god of flies and had the
reputation of protecting them from the swarms of flies which
at certain seasons infested the air throughout all Egypt. The
plague of flies proved the inability of this god to ward off
the infestation of flies, and the inability of the Egyptian
magicians to remove the flies proved the superiority of the
true God over their false god or idol.
The plague of rain, hail, thunder and lightning, such as they
had never seen nor heard of before, was directed against the
worship of Isis, or the moon, who controlled the seasons,
clouds and weather. When all the prayers to Isis failed to
stay the fearful tempest of God's wrath, it surely proved the
folly of idolatry and trusting in an idol god that could not
protect them against the power of the true God.
The god Serapis was regarded by the Egyptians as their
protector against the devastating power of locusts. There was
quite an elaborate and sophisticated system of worship to him.
The plague of locusts was directed against this idol god and
his system of worship and proved his inability to do what they
credited him with doing.
The plague of darkness was aimed at the universal worship of
Osiris, or the sun. It served to show that the true God was
superior to their "lord of the sun" and could veil his
splendor any time He chose and for as long as He chose.
The plague of the very grievous murrain upon all the cattle of
the Egyptians which produced the death of all their cattle was
directed against their system of brute worship. This system
prevailed throughout, and they had a large image of the sacred
bull at the entrance of some of their temples.
It was customary for the priests at their heathen altars to
take some of the ashes of the sacrifice and throw into the
air. They believed this would protect them from and ward off
any evil. When Moses, at God's command, took ashes and cast
into the air, it became a very fine dust throughout all Egypt
and produced boils on the bodies of all the people of the
Egyptians, thus turning what they believed to be their
protection from evil into a very painful and grievous torment
to them.
Thus the whole idolatrous system of the Egyptians with all of
its gods was judged in this operation as well as the nation of
Egypt who had oppressed and afflicted the Israelites being
judged and destroyed. At the same time, a separation was made
between the Egyptians and the land of Goshen where the
Israelites dwelt, and none of these things were happening over
in Goshen, but the Israelites were only beholding these things
with their eyes. This surely should have confirmed to them
that their God was above all other gods and there was none
beside Him, and that the true God of their fathers was their
refuge, strength, defense and protector.
Suppose this chain of events had been interrupted at any point
and not have been carried through to its conclusion. There
would have been some of the idol gods who would not have been
judged, and therefore the Israelites would have come out with
perhaps as much reverence for them as the true God of their
fathers. Therefore, it was absolutely imperative that Pharaoh
remain adamant throughout the entire operation and not
capitulate at any point.
Therefore, God kept hardening his heart that he would not
surrender until God's work was finished and His objective
gained. God had raised up Pharaoh for this special time and
purpose (Exodus 9:16). Again, God said He would have mercy on
whom He would have mercy and whom He would He hardened (Romans
9:18). But let us not make the serious mistake of questioning
God's sovereign rights to deal with every individual as He
sees fit because He is the One Who searches all hearts and
tries all the reins and knows exactly what is in men's hearts,
and we don't. And He possesses the power and ability to make
even the wrath of men to praise Him; and when he is dealing
with someone who is obstinate, rebellious and defiant against
Him, He can use him in whatever way necessary to accomplish
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He Set the World in Their Heart
Question: Please explain Ecclesiastes 3:11. One
statement in this verse, "Also he hath set the world in their
heart," certainly seems to contradict and conflict with some
passages in the New Testament; viz: "Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him." I John. 2:15.
Also, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
James 4:4. Also, in John 15:19, Jesus said, "...because ye are
not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you." I cannot see how God's Word
could make such strong statements as this regarding the world
and then "set the world in men's hearts."
Answer: Yes, there seems to be a strong contradiction
here, I agree. But actually there is not. There is no part of
God's Word which contradicts any other part of it when
properly understood. Now God's attitude toward the world is
forever the same and there has never been any more friendship
between God and the world than there is now. But, you may say,
"God so loved the world," etc. Yes, He did. But in this case,
it was the world of mankind (humanity) and not this physical,
material world with its fashion, elements, and way of life.
God makes it clear in I John 2:16 what the world was, against
which He laid such a strong indictment in the above texts when
He said, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world." But the question still hangs,
"What did God mean when He said, 'He set the world in their
heart'?"
I will here insert the full text of Ecclesiastes 3:11. "He
hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set
the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work
that God maketh from the beginning to the end."
Adam Clarke says the word from which "world" is translated
here applies to the "Hidden time," the period beyond the
present Eternity. He further says the proper translation here
would be, "Also that eternity hath He placed in their heart;
without which man could not find out the work which God hath
made from the commencement to the end." The Amplified Bible
translates this text thus: "...He also has planted eternity in
man's heart and mind (a divinely implanted sense of purpose
working through the ages which nothing under the sun, but only
God, can satisfy)."
Let us consider how God made man to have dominion over the
material creation of earth. He then commanded him to subdue it
with all of its vast resources. He put deep in man's heart and
nature the intellect, power, ingenuity; also the urge,
outreach and curiosity to delve into, to explore, to
experiment and to probe the elements of the natural creation
to discover and appropriate these things to human needs for
the betterment of the race. We would certainly marvel if God
made man a spiritual being and didn't put this same thing deep
in his inner being to reach out for, explore, and discover the
spiritual and eternal things of God. God certainly has not
overlooked this, but has deeply rooted the idea of eternity in
every human heart. Psalm 42:7 says, "Deep calleth unto
deep..." Deep down in the inner being of all mankind is a deep
yearning and crying for the deep things of God and the
spiritual and eternal things.
Marjorie Holmes said in the introduction to her book, "How can
I find You, God?", "People are hungry for God. We are
searching for Him. Sex trips, drug trips, mind trips, the
whole sensitivity bag are manifestations." This is possibly
true. All these things and more are just the devices of Satan
to throw people off course in their quest for satisfying the
hunger of their souls. Only Christ can fulfill this desire,
and all these things are miserable substitutes pawned off on
humanity by the devil himself. The same is true of all other
substitutes for Christ wealth, fame, honor, pleasure, self,
fleshly indulgences and the like. All too many people are
buying them and trying vainly to satisfy the spiritual hunger
of the inner man with these things.
Marjorie Holmes continues, "The hunger is innate. Man is born
with an insatiable curiosity about the source of his own
being." What this means in other words is that this hunger is
inherent, exists in us at birth, that it is unquenchable, and
cannot be satisfied outside of the One who put it there.
Someone made the comment long ago, "My soul was made for thee,
O God, and will not rest until it rests in Thee." Marjorie
Holmes says further, "Often the greater the material and
intellectual achievements, the more we are haunted by this
sense of vacancy; this need for spiritual fulfillment." This
is certainly true. It is the natural reaction of the inner
being to frustration and disappointment. When one has reached
and obtained what they trusted in for satisfaction and
fulfillment, still the hunger is there and the vacancy exists;
the void is more pronounced than ever. In Haggai 2:7 we read,
"...And the desire of all nations shall come:..." This "Desire
of all nations" (every individual of the human race) is Christ
Himself. All this is focusing right down on the text we are
discussing, "He hath set the world in their heart."
In the natural, material world there are individuals and teams
of individuals who are constantly engaged in medical research
and experimentation and scientific research and
experimentation to discover new cures for diseases and to
discover ways and means to add to and improve standards of
living for the race. In Ecclesiastes 7:29 Solomon said, "Lo,
this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but
they have sought out many inventions." This is certainly
evident in this time in which we are living and it is also
evident that many of man's inventions have only led him
farther away from God and more off course. There are important
prizes given each year for outstanding accomplishments and
contributions in each field of research and endeavor.
If all humankind would give vent to the God-given, deep-rooted
instinct and urge for the spiritual and eternal things of God,
and not allow the less important things of time and sense to
dominate their thinking and occupy their time, there would
certainly be a worldwide race on for the discovery of deeper,
richer, more marvelous and more glorious truths and graces
which would add to the spiritual betterment of the race.
In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul said, "Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Again, in Acts 20:23-24, Paul said, "Save that the Holy Ghost
witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions
abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my
life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with
joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." And again,
in II Corinthians 4:17-18, this same man said, "For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the
things which are not seen are eternal." These are all graphic
expressions from a man who had the eternal world in his heart
and a good, clear vision of the spiritual things of God.
Finally, when his time had come to depart out of this life via
martyrdom for Christ, his vision expanded and broke forth in a
blaze of glory giving this classic expression of his fully
redeemed soul in II Timothy 4:6-8, "For I am now ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love his appearing." |
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