God has given us a good amount of information given about things that happened before creation. A thorough meditation and deeper comprehension of them gives us insight into all of reality, and into the nature of this creation and the reason for this physical universe we find ourselves living within.
Whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his son – Romans 8:29
Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself. – Ephesians 1:5
Having been foreordained according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His will. – Ephesians 1:11
Who called us with a holy calling…acording to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal. – 2 Timothy 1:9
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
John 17:3-5 KJV
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 mI in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 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. 25 Oh righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
John 17:21-26 KJV
It was there you know, in eternity past, before God said “let there be light” that He devised his eternal purpose. So far in the past for us, yet so present and so right now for Him. The eternal purpose, a mystery until now, until the ecclesia, until the righteous congregations are assembled on the earth.
If the Christian gospel is to be the gospel of salvation and heaven and is mostly about heaven vs. hell, then the foreordaining spoken about in the verses above are about being chosen for heaven or for hell (Calvanism).
But, if the Christian gospel is to be the glorious gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and about all the people of the world, whoever is willing, joining that kingdom and that supreme King Jesus Christ. Then our foreordaining is about the entire body of Christ joining His government, to be ambassadors, to be those who are congregating on earth around the spiritual King, scattered around in advance before His final invasion. And that ecclesa (we call it the church) is foreordained to be a part of his congregations of righteousness. Congregations of righteousness tasked and anointed to reveal God’s eternal purpose to anyone and to everyone, spiritual beings and human beings. Gifted to administer his good, loving, and merciful will on earth. One’s who are to tasked to relieve human suffering. One’s who are to together live by the eternal life of Jesus Christ in the earth. Anointed ones, who He sees there in the future, present with Him not being bound by time and space like us. Being there already at the end just as much as He is here and now presently within and all around us.
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