Election:
In this present life God DOES PREDESTINE some people to SEE and BELIEVE.
This is
THE PREDETERMINED CONDITION of EVERY PERSON prior to their 'election and predestination' to SEE and BELIEVE in God in Jesus Christ:
2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them.
ALL of us THUSLY BLINDED were ENEMIES of GOD.
The question is, does this mean ALL of us were, prior to election/predestination then VESSELS OF DESTRUCTION?
Paul's APOSTOLIC MISSION was delivered to him via the DIRECT WORDS of Jesus to him as follows:
Acts 26:
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth,
I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said,
I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for
I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Without THAT CALL 'Saul' was PREDESTINED as a BLIND MAN, even a PERSECUTOR of JESUS who had ALREADY DIED and RISEN. How then was SAUL persecuting JESUS?
Saul was a 'natural born' ENEMY just as we ALL were.
BLINDED by the GOD of this world, SATAN.
Only God can CURE this blindess.
The TWO VESSELS are THE BLIND MAN and SATAN.
Satan is assuredly the VESSEL OF DESTRUCTION that was in the SAME LUMP as 'Saul.'
Paul was ELECTED by Jesus for SPECIFIC CALL and SPECIFIC PURPOSE. To DIVIDE the BLINDED from SATAN.
Your call as a BELIEVER is not different than PAUL'S CALL. IF you do NOT know who your enemy is or WHERE that enemy is found, you ARE NOT CALLED or ELECTED, but are 'again' fallen into blindness.
Many are called. FEW are chosen. The CALL goes out into the WHOLE WORLD. In that CALL Satan also shows up. There is the LORD OF DARK BLINDNESS in MAN. Satan is to be BOUND hand and foot and CAST to the outer darkness.
IF you see your BLINDED FELLOW MAN as the vessel of destruction, you are off on a wild goose chase and you do NOT KNOW YOUR REAL ENEMY. Satan has BLINDED you to his PRESENCE as the BLINDER of your fellow man, and even of you for NOT SEEING this fact.
The VESSEL OF DESTRUCTION is the BLINDER who in fact COVERS and BLINDS the minds of ALL unbelievers OF WHOM YOU ONCE WERE.
There is NO account of a VESSEL OF DESTRUCTION 'turning into' a VESSEL OF HONOUR. Vessels of HONOUR are made to SEE THE LIGHT because of the preaching of the GOOD NEWS and GODS ELECTION to CAUSE them to SEE and BELIEVE in HIM.
Saul by NO MEANS 'chose' himself into the position of belief. He was literally STRUCK DOWN by the POWER OF GOD in Christ upon him and his BLINDNESS was removed via DIVINE ELECTION and PREDESTINATION.
enjoy!
smaller