What You Need To Know About Divine Predestination.




Has God Predestinated/Predetermined Who Will Go To Heaven Or Hell?

The word predestinate is proorizō in the original greek and it means to predetermine, decide beforehand, to foreordain, appoint beforehand.

God has not predestinated any individual to an eternal destiny in heaven or hell.

Divine predestination is in relation to corporate destiny and not individual destiny.

The church as a corporate entity/body is:

Predestinated to be conformed to the image of God's Son - Romans 8:29.

Predestinated unto adoption of Sonship according to the good pleasure of his will - Ephesians 1:5.

Predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will - Ephesians 1:11.

Ephesians 1:5 & 11 clearly shows that divine predestination is according to divine will and 2nd Peter 3:9 says it is not the will of God that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, it is thus absolutely wrong to think or to assert that God has predestinated any one to perish in hell. Divine predestination cannot be contrary to divine will.

According to Matthew 25:41 the everlasting fire of eternal torment was prepared for the devil and the fallen hosts of angels. Sadly men who choose the way that leads to destruction, chart their own course unto a destiny in everlasting fire of eternal torment with the devil and his angels.


Does God know those who will eventually perish in hell?

Yes in his foreknowledge, nothing is secret or hidden to him, the past, the present and the future all lies before him. He knows before hand those who would believe and those who in the stubbornness of their own heart will reject the gospel of his Son unto damnation yet it is not his will that any should perish thus the gospel is open to all and commanded to be preached to all creature, everyone is being given the opportunity & the invitation to come & drink - See John 6:64; Mark 16:15-16; John 7:37 & Revelation 22:17.


*Did God ordain some to condemnation and others to eternal life?

Someone may ask but Jude 1:4 speaks of ungodly men ordained to condemnation while Acts 13:48 speaks of "as many that were ordained to eternal life"?

In Jude 1:4 the word translated as "ordained" is prographō which means to write before, to write aforetime; of old set forth or designated before hand (in the scriptures of the old testament). To announce, prescribe, set forth aforetime.

It thus doesn't mean that God ordained some men to condemnation but that the judgment or sentence of the ungodly was aforetime written/determined in the word.

Concerning Acts 13:48, it is important to note that the word translated as "ordain" which is "tassō" in the original greek also means to arrange in an orderly manner, that is, assign or dispose (to a certain position or lot): - addict.

The EBR version of Acts 13:48 rightly puts it this way..."And they of the nations, hearing this, began to rejoice, and to be glorifying God, and they believed––as many as had become disposed for life age–abiding."

What made them disposed to eternal life or disposed for life age-abiding?

Of course the gospel they heard and rejoiced and believed in.

Earlier in vs 46 the apostles Paul and Barnabas had spoken to the Jews that it was necessary that the word of God was first spoken to them but seeing that they thrust it away/reject it as indisposed to it, and thus judge themselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the gentiles(they of the nations).

It is clearly the response of people to the word of God/the gospel they hear that makes them disposed to eternal life or indiposed/unworthy of eternal life. 

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