What the Bible says about God's Plan, Insight into
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Jeremiah 1:5 This verse shows how far ahead God was planning. The key prophet during the sixth-century Axial Period is Jeremiah, and God prepared him from his conception. John W. Ritenbaugh Prophets and Prophecy (Part Three) Related Topics: Axial Period | God's Foreknowledge | God's Plan | God's Plan, Insight into | Jeremiah | Predestination

Matthew 22:1-3 In His first invitation, God offered ancient Israel a part in His plan of salvation, but they could not keep focused on Him. Through every call addressed to them by the prophets, they slipped and fell in willful ignorance. Those invited by the first invitation would not come. They returned their invitation unopened. They treated it indifferently as if to despise it. So preoccupied with worldly interests, they would not even take the time to open it. Staff Is Heaven the Reward of the Saved? Related Topics: Called Out Ones | God's Invitation to Us | God's Plan | God's Plan of Salvation | God's Plan, Insight into | Parable of the Great Supper | Parable of the Wedding Feast | Reward of the Saved | Reward, Promises of

Matthew 24:36 Just a few verses later, He tells His disciples, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect" (verse 44, emphasis ours throughout). This is a massive hint that our understanding of biblical prophecy—as much as it has expanded over the last few decades—will still not be enough to remove the element of surprise from Christ's return! Paul also warns us in I Corinthians 13:9, 12, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part. . . . For now we see in a mirror, dimly." This principle suggests that we will not know for certain how things will work out as the end approaches. We understand in part, meaning we have a vague-to-rough idea of the course of events because of our insight into God's plan, but we cannot honestly be dogmatic about any speculative scenarios we devise. Every interpretation of end-time biblical prophecy should be accompanied with a proviso such as, "This is how things seem to be headed from what we understand right now." Richard T. Ritenbaugh Prophecy's Place Related Topics: Christ's Return | End Times | God's Plan | God's Plan, Insight into | Hour You Think Not | Jesus Christ's Return | Prophecies of Christ's Return | Prophecies of the End Time | Prophetic Understanding | Speculating | Speculation | Unfolding of Prophetic Events

Ephesians 1:8 This gives us a picture of what is happening on earth. We can see what God is doing in a great, large scope, considering it over perhaps billions of years of time because verse 4 says that He did this before the foundation of the world. Some translations say "before the foundation of the creation." If we take the word to mean "creation," how old is the earth? Scientists say several billions of years—time beyond most people's thinking. Nevertheless, when He began to plan these things, God took into account that mankind might sin, and there would have to be something to redeem him, to buy him back, from his character flaws, his bondage to sin. God has been planning this a long time. If the whole human lifetime is nothing but the blink of an eye compared to a thousand years, how much has God invested in terms of time? This is part of the cost we need to consider regarding Passover. This is no little thing that God is working out. We are so important to God that we are beyond value! We cannot compute it! He has billions of years invested in us! He has been thinking, planning, working things out so He can bring us into His Kingdom! It is awesome to consider! John W. Ritenbaugh The Awesome Cost of Salvation Related Topics: Awesome Cost of Salvation | Before the Foundation of the World | Christ's Sacrifice, Cost of | Cost of Salvation | God's Plan of Salvation | God's Plan, Insight into | Redemption | Redemption Price | Salvation, Awesome Cost of

 

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