THE LAMB SLAIN BEFORE THE WORLD

[Ghada]

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Unless I am mistaken, some say that the Lamb of God was actually slain before the foundation of the world. The actual deed was done as 'spiritually' or even physically. This is false. Nothing happens before it's time, and then happens again at the time.

However, something can be so sure to come to pass, that it can be prophesied by God Himself before it comes to pass. With certain people in the world, God specifically did so during the world, before the people did what was prophesied.

But there is only one man prophesied before the foundation of the world, and was God the word made flesh, who could not lie nor fail to bring it to pass.

For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

No other man on earth has this sure trust from God, before the world ever began.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Word was not made flesh nor Jesus Christ come in the flesh, before the foundation of the world. Nor was Jesus slain on a cross any time before He did die on a cross at the hands of Jews and Romans.

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

The Lamb being slain before the foundation of the world is a testament to God's Son in Scripture, that it is impossible for God to lie, and He would surely bring it to pass Himself. Unlike created man, the Word was God, and once God and the Spirit preordained and prophesied Him to become a man and lamb without sinning and spot unto death, He would certainly do so.

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

The power of His own will and life and Godhead to do so, was such an absolute certainty not to fail, that God could say He was as good as slain, once the word of His prophecy proceeded from His mouth.

Before the world, God is not certain and sure of any created man, being with free will in His own image. Just as it was when God created the angels that sinned.

There is therefore no prophecy before the foundation of the world, pertaining to any other person than Jesus Christ. The only prophesy of God about created man, is that Christ creates us all good. But God never prophesied in the beginning of the world, that the man would do His will or not.

With Jesus Christ, the word spoken about Him was sure promise, that it would come to pass.

The only foreordainment for any other man coming into the world, is that if any of us would repent and be saved, then God would do as promised, and conform us to the image of His dear Son, the Lamb of God.

 

[Ghada]

Calvin predestinators appear to say that Jesus was indeed slain before the world began, as though 'spiritually' or some such. But the prophecy was of physical slaying. And it was only given as Scripture to man after Jesus was slain by the Jews and the Romans.

Jesus knew beforehand of His foreordained death, and so crucified His own will to the Father before the cross. But He was not crucified before the world began, nor anytime before being put to death on a cross.

Such predestinators apparently teach an actual slaying of the Lamb in the beginning, in order to justify believing they too were prechosen and foreordained to be saved. And indeed were saved before the world in Christ, so as to be as sure of being saved as the Word Himself being slain for them.

This is just silly pride in believing they too were gods as God Himself in the beginning, that could be perfectly be counted on like God the Word, to repent and believe unto salvation, and overcome sin like Jesus unto the end.

The Lamb of God was not slain spiritually nor physically before the world began, but only prophetically. And there certainly were no little Lambs prechosen and slain with Him.

The real error of pride of Calvin being personally predestined by God to be saved and resurrected unto life, is not just claiming to be saved already int he beginning, but also to be guaranteed doing the will of God unto the end, whether we will to do it or not.

It's the false security in the form of humility, to say we have no say about it, that we will do God's word daily unto the end. (Especially since such believers declare they do not always do His will)

There is only one man come into the world, that God has foreordained and chosen to do His will for life unto the end: Jesus Christ, the Word and Lamb come in the flesh.

All men are preordained to be conformed to His image, if we repent and trust in Him from the heart. But no man is preordained before the world to repent and be saved, nor even to be saved unto the end. He promises to be with them that do repent, and not forsake them that do His will, but He has not promised before the world for any man to do so.

No other man could so be perfectly trusted and counted upon by God to surely fulfill His will, so as to prophecy it before the world ever began.

 

[Ghada]

What of prophesies of Scripture pertaining to certain people on earth? Did not God prophecy certain men from the womb? He did. However, He did not do so before the world began, but only by Scripture given during the world.

The argument is about the Lamb slain by prophecy before the world, not about certain prophesied in the world.

The Spirit's prophecies of certain people before birth was only after the world began, and it was because God's omniscience is the Word already seeing all things come to pass.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

The omniscience of God to know what would come to pass, is only by watching it come to pass in the world, from on top of the world.

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers;

By having watched it come to pass, He could therefore perfectly foretell all such things, and in His time make it known by prophecy of Scripture given to prophets in the world.

The difference between the prophecy of the Lamb before the world began, and the prophecy of other men during the world, is that God did not need to watch His Lamb live without sin and die on a cross, in order to know it of certain, so as to prophecy it in the beginning.

Ex: For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

God spoke this prophecy to Abraham on earth and not before, that they would conceive and bare a son, because God already watched it. And He came at such a time to tell it to Abraham, that Abraham would believe Him with the heart and lay with Sara even in old age to bring it to pass.

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

The prophecy of God's Son and Lamb is for all men, but all men do not believe, even when manifest to themselves on earth.

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

This is why no other man than Jesus is ever prophesied before the world began. All men are foreordained to be conformed to Jesus image on earth, if we repent and believe from the heart unto His righteousness. But no man is prechosen and 'guaranteed' to do so as the Lamb before the world.

It is the will of God for any and all men to repent and be saved and justified with Him in this life, not willing that any man should perish by unbelief, but the only man God could possibly will by Himself to live righteously unto the end is His own Son, even as Himself.

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

God could count on Himself to do His own will as a man, but as we see with Adam, God in the beginning could not make such a sure prophecy about man created by Him with his own free will.

He has and does watch us all from on high, so that He can prophesy each of us, but only after coming into the world and seeing what we do unto the end.

The only way to know our salvation unto the end by falling not, is by adding and doing those things of virtue and godliness and charity, that ensure it. (2 Peter 1)

And yet, even for God to prophesy it, it still remains to be seen by Him unto the end to do so.

And so, in the end God does know by His Word in the beginning, who is who and does what in this life by watching us do it. But, it has not come to pass in the beginning already, nor has He ever prophesied it in the beginning, even as He did His own Lamb and self.