Purpose & Predestination Part I

The Dispensation Of Faith: Purpose & Predestination Part I

In review, we have learned what happened at the end of Jesus’ physical commission here on earth, He was crucified and buried. On the third day, God Himself descended into hell and retrieved His Son. However, before Jesus ascended back to the Father, He spent 40 additional days with His disciples; continuing to teach them the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Remember, these 11 men were, at that time, the only ones who knew the mysteries of God. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without,

all these things are done in parables (Mark 4:11). Since the mystery of Christ is given to the apostles, the rest of the Church receives it from them. Consider the Body of Christ as a human skeleton: The head is Christ; the backbone (which is connected to the head), is the apostle; the limbs

(arms and legs), which are the prophet, pastor, teacher and evangelist, are connected to the backbone. Within this order, the rest of the Church receives the mystery of Christ. However, the Church we see today (as a whole), is disjointed; because the backbone, the apostle, is missing. This stunts the

spiritual growth of the church, because it does not receive the full mystery of God. It is the apostle who receives the complete revelation from God. The apostle then passes it on to the other five-fold gifts. . . . . Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:5).

Although the disciples were with Jesus for three and one-half years, and were taught the mystery of the Kingdom, they did not fully understand it until they received the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. God has set the members in the Body as it pleased Him. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, [pastors and teachers] after that miracles, then gifts of healings, [evangelists] helps, governments, diversities of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28). The difference between what the apostle hears from God and what the prophet hears from God is what they do with the Word. The prophet may not have a total revelation of the Word he receives from God; nevertheless, he proclaims or declares the Word he receives. The apostle, however, through his gift, has the ability to install the Word he receives in the Church in order to set the

boundaries of the faith. He is also enabled to teach the other four gifts in the Church, who in turn teach the other members. This is the method by which the church was established (And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers Acts 2:42).

You will not find scripture to substantiate God ordaining any “lone ranger” churches. The Body of Christ must conform to the order God has set, in order for it to produce perfection. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11- 12). On the day Jesus ascended back to heaven, the church had not yet been established. He left the apostles here to establish the Church. He gave them that commission. Go ye therefore, and

teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19-20). God chose those men and gave them to Jesus (John 17:9) to teach and train for the work of the kingdom of God; to establish the Church.

The apostles were left here to set the boundaries of the faith. Remember the boundaries are: Oneness with God; the Faith of Christ; Suffering; and God’s Purpose. Anything taught, that does not reflect these established boundaries, should be disregarded by the church. We should not receive anything from anyone that will take us outside the boundaries of the faith. Let’s go further inside of the purpose of God.

Ephesians 3:8-10

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

God’s purpose is defined as His intent or intention. It is His purpose to use the Church, which can be translated as each individual in the Church, to show principalities and powers in heavenly places, His manifold wisdom.

Remember, neither Satan, the fallen angels, nor demons are in hell; nor have they been there. They are in the second heaven and at least at one time, had access to the third heaven where God lives (Job 1:6-7). Therefore, we cannot bind Satan and send

him to hell. When Jesus confronted a legion of demons (6000 demons), they asked him, “Did you come to torment us before the time?” This implies it was not their time to be cast into hell. Hell was created for the devil and his angels to be tormented; but not yet. Satan will be cast into hell during the Millennium for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:1-3

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be

loosed a little season.

Those who are saying they are sending the devil back to hell and placing him under their feet are speaking doctrines outside the boundaries of the faith; this is heresy.

When demons and devils are cast out of people, the scripture declares they walk up and down in dry places. In addition to God showing Satan, the fallen angels and demons His manifold wisdom, His angels will also be shown God’s redemption plan. By His wisdom, He is taking those whom

Satan has abused and almost destroyed; washing them with the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ and conforming them into the express image of Christ; thereby fulfilling His purpose.

Romans 8:28-29

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his

purpose.

29 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.

How will we be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ? God puts Jesus Christ in us. This is the mystery; Christ in you, the hope of glory; by way of the Holy Ghost. Jesus declared that the Father would send us a Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost;

and He will send Him in Jesus’ name (John 14:26). Everything about Christ is contained in the Holy Ghost. This gives us the same sentiments as Christ. As he is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). We have the mind of Christ (I Cor. 2:16).

Ephesians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in

Christ:

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:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

It was predetermined by the Determinate Counsel that we would be in Christ before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of God. In other words, those who are in Christ and those who will be in Christ, were in Him before the world was made.

God has attributes we do not have, such as foresight and foreknowledge. In His foreknowledge, He knew before the foundation of the world that we would be in Him. We pre-existed in God before we were ever placed in time. He knew the day we would be born, He knows the day we are going to leave this world and He knows all that happens in between. He knows who will fully accept Him and those who will not. There are those who are predestined for heaven and unfortunately, those predestined for hell. This predestination is based on God having foreknowledge of their decision to accept or reject Jesus Christ. In the following scriptures, we see the foreknowledge of God operating in the lives of Jacob and Esau before they were ever born.

Romans 9:10-13

10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by

one, even by our father Isaac;

11 (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;)

12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

The lives of Jacob and Esau were lived out in eternity before they stepped into time. Predestinated means predetermined. Based on God’s foresight and foreknowledge, it was predetermined

that Esau would serve Jacob.

Acts 2:22-23

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves

also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

The Determinate Counsel is the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost; the three that bear record in heaven; and they are one (1 John 5:7). It was by the Determinate Counsel and their foreknowledge, that Jesus Christ would be slain. Not only has that, but everything that has and will happen in the heavens and in the earth been predetermined by the Determinate Counsel and their foreknowledge.