Clay in the Potter’s HandThe Truth About Free Will

by Victor Torres

Introduction

Most Christians believe that God will endlessly torture the vast majority of humanity in a place called hell. And yet, if you ask the same Christians to describe God, they will say that He is loving, He is kind and He is merciful. Then if you ask them why would a loving, kind and merciful God torment billions of people without end, their answer is, almost invariably, free will. They will say that these people rejected Jesus Christ, with their own free will, so they will not be saved. They often point to John 3:16 (KJV).

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Countless books and articles had been written, videos have been posted, defending the doctrine of free will. Some of them talk about total free will, dismissing predestination. Some of them try to fit in free will along with predestination. We will look at some of these writings and a video, and Lord willing, we will shed the light of God’s Word on this topic.

The Self-Appointed Immortals

According to one Christian teacher named John W. Schoenheit, in a video called Free Will – What does the Bible say? - Part 1, “One of the greatest gifts God has given to mankind is our ability to choose our own destiny.” Mr. Schoenheit later says in a continuation of the video mentioned above (Part 2) that “when we read the Bible, we can see that one of the great gifts from God to mankind is free will. That God has given us the free will choice, the free will decisions, to decide our own destiny, to decide our own future, to take control of our own life. And this is something that God presents all the way from Genesis to the book of Revelations.”

One of the verses he cited to prove this point is Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV).

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

He also points to Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV).

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

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This is what Mr. Schoenheit says about this verse:

“Do you get the heart of God in this? Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, why will you die? What a great message for us today, huh? That we can take control of our lives. I see freedom of will all over this. I don’t see God running our life and controlling our life. I see God asking us to make the decisions.”

Mr. Schoenheit also explains John 6:37 and 6:44 in his videos.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

He says, “these verses are confusing because it makes it seem like that God has to move in a person before they can make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ.”

This teacher explains John 6:37 by showing the surrounding verses (John 6:27,28,29,40)

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

He says we must understand John 6:37 in the context of those surrounding verses, and states, “And that’s really what the simple truth is: if we believe in Christ, we have eternal life.”

To take away the confusion on John 6:44, Mr. Schoenheit proposes that “we need to understand that first of all, from the scope of scripture, where God is asking all of us to believe” and offers John 6:45 for context.

It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

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He then connects verse 45 to verse 44 by saying this:

“So Christ explains His own words, saying, “Nobody can come except they be drawn by the Father”, but, the prophet’s have reminded us, everyone’s being taught by God. That’s true! Each one of us is being taught by God each day of our lives. God is doing His absolute best to teach us, that’s the point Christ is saying. If someone is not coming to Christ, it’s because they are not hearing God. It’s not because God is not reaching down and say “I’m not going to draw Him”. God’s trying to draw everyone all the time. That’s the point of God’s love.”

He also examined Acts 13:48.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Mr. Schoenheit says this verse “kinda sticks out like a sore thumb...cause in the context of this huge Bible where God is just begging people to take control of their lives and do a good job...”

He asks, “What does it even mean? How does that even fit in?”

He questions whether the verse was properly translated saying many translations were done by groups “dominated by people who do not believe in free will and that’s reflected in their translations”. He says the verse was uttered by Paul who, “by the freedom of his will, is out trying to spread the gospel.” He assures his viewers that the apostle definitely believed that “if you accept Christ, that’s your decision. If you reject Christ, that’s your decision.”

Mr. Schoenheit says that Acts 13:48 cannot mean that God appoints certain people in this life to believe and nobody else does, because “that makes God’s offer to turn from evil and choose life a disingenuous offer, because people can’t even do it. God says, choose life, haha, you can’t. That makes no sense, and it’s not loving.” For the alternative translation of Acts 13:48, Mr. Schoenheit points back to verse 46 where apostle Paul says the Jews judged themselves unworthy of eternal life.

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

He goes on to say that verse 48 should be translated...

“...and as many as were appointed [themselves] to eternal life believed”

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And that’s exactly the truth. You see Jews judged themselves unworthy, and the Gentiles appointed themselves to eternal life. They said, me! Me! I want in! And I hope that’s you. If you’re not born again, I hope you’d like to live forever. We can live forever with God and Christ in paradise. And it’s not that God does it for us, we appoint ourselves to it. We say, “I want it!”. And we believe in Jesus Christ, Rom 10:9”

Mr. Schoenheit then ends his presentation with these words:

“Let’s appoint ourselves to everlasting life. God bless you.”

The Drowning Man

Catholics and Protestants alike embrace the belief in free will. Here’s an excerpt from the article “Free will in Theology” from Wikipedia:

“The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church asserts that "Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will". It goes on to say that "God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.”

“Some Orthodox Christians use the parable of a drowning man to plainly illustrate the teaching of synergy: God from the ship throws a rope to a drowning man, pulls him up, saving him, and the man, if he wants to be saved, must hold on tightly to the rope; explaining both that salvation is a gift from God and man cannot save himself, and that man must co-work (syn-ergo) with God in the process of salvation.”

“Illustrating as it does that the human part in salvation (represented by holding on to the rope) must be preceded and accompanied by grace (represented by the casting and drawing of the rope), the image of the drowning man holding on to the rope cast and drawn by his rescuer corresponds closely to Roman Catholic teaching, which holds that God, who "destined us in love to be his sons" and "to be conformed to the image of his Son", includes in his eternal plan of "predestination" each person's free response to his grace.”

The Bus Riders to Heaven

Acclaimed author C.S. Lewis, writer of the popular books “The Chronicles of Narnia”, writes an allegorical book called “The Great Divorce”. In the back cover of the book “The Great

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Divorce”, C.S. Lewis is described as “one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day.”

In the book, the writer finds himself in Hell, waiting for a bus going to Heaven. Hell is described as a place “always in the rain and always in evening twilight.” It is a place where you could find “dingy lodging houses” and “bookshops of the sort that sell The Works of Aristotle”.

There was a long line for the bus, and the writer finds himself anxious about his chances of getting in. He was staring at the backs of so many people. But right away, a couple bickered against each other and decided to leave. The man said something like, “Fine, let’s not go, I was only doing this for you anyway”. Just a moment later, a “Short Man” said something rude about the people in the queue and was ejected from the line by a beefy guy who punched him in the mouth. Then another well-dressed couple left the line. They were both so “slender and giggly” and both had high-pitched voices that the writer find himself wondering about the sexual orientation of the couple. They left “arm in arm” as they “for the moment preferred the other to the chance of a place in the bus. Pretty soon, so many have left the line, that it “had reduced itself to manageable proportions” before the bus appeared.

The bus appeared, “blazing with golden light, heraldically coloured. The Driver himself seemed full of light and he used only one hand to drive with. The other he waved before his face as if to fan away the greasy steam of the rain”. The residents of Hell expressed their disgust at this, saying things like, “Looks as if he had a good time of it, eh?...pleased with himself, I bet” and “Thinks himself too good to look at us”.

When they get to Heaven, there are so many peculiar sights, none is weirder though than the grass that was as hard as diamonds that it hurts so bad to walk on it. The writer also found out that each rider from Hell was assigned a Teacher who is a resident of Heaven. The riders were called Ghosts and the teachers were called Spirits. The Ghosts and Spirits knew each other when they were alive. The writer and his Teacher listen in to several conversations between the riders and their teachers. The teacher tries to convince the rider assigned to him to stay in Heaven. For various reasons, many of the riders decide to go back to Hell.

At one point, the writer asks his teacher about the Spirits, “since they were full of love”, why would they not go down to Hell to rescue the Ghosts? Why were they content simply to meet them” and why not be more aggressive to express their love?

The teacher said something like, “They have done the best they can, they went to great lengths on the mere chance of saving some Ghosts”.

The writer asks his teacher about the people who never get into the bus. Here’s the teacher’s answer.

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“Everyone who wishes it does. Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”

The final Ghost-Spirit conversation they saw was that of a husband and a wife. The wife was named Sarah Smith. She was a simple woman on earth, but a very loving one, so much so that “Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them.”

Her husband appeared as a Dwarf-Ghost holding a chain on which the other end a Giant-Ghost was connected. Sarah Smith did not recognize the Giant-Ghost as her husband, but she talked to the Dwarf-Ghost. The more the Dwarf-Ghost listened to Sarah, the more it grew. But the more it listened to the Giant-Ghost, the more it shrank. Sarah was encouraging the Dwarf-Ghost to remain in Heaven, but the Giant-Ghost continue to discourage it by reminding the Dwarf-Ghost of all the misery he endured during their relationship on earth. The Giant-Ghost was winning, the Dwarf-Ghost kept shrinking until the writer couldn’t see him anymore.

The teacher explains to the writer that the husband disappeared because of self-pity. Sarah pitied her husband too, but the teacher said this is the right kind of pity. However…

“it will not, at the cunning tears of Hell, impose on good the tyranny of evil. Every disease that submits to a cure shall be cured: but we will not call blue yellow to please those who insist on still having jaundice, nor make a midden of the world’s garden for the sake of some who cannot abide the smell of roses.”

Finding Out Acceptable Words

Let us now study the Scriptures to find out acceptable words, the words of truth regarding this subject. (Ecclesiastes 12:10)

The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

Christians who believe in free will belong to three groups. The first group believes it because it is taught by their priests, ministers, pastors, preachers, in other words, their religious leaders. The second group is those who just haven’t thought about the subject more deeply. The third group is the most stubborn of these groups. We shall see later what this group is.

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If we belong to the first group, we should be careful to “try the spirits...because many false prophets are gone out into the world”. (1 John 4:1 KJV)

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

The apostle Paul tells us where these false prophets will come from. (Acts 20:29,30 KJV)

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

These false prophets will “enter in among you” and also men will arise “of your own selves”, in other words, they will be Christians! These Christian ministers will speak “perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

If we belong to the second group, those who haven’t thought out what the Bible really says about free will, we are also not following God’s command to meditate on His words. (Psalms 1:1,2 KJV)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Let us now inquire diligently about this subject, and if we find that it is a false witness, let us purge the evil from our midst. (Deuteronomy 19:18,19 ESV)

The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely...

...then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

First, let’s look at some definitions of free will:

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

free will noun

1: voluntary choice or decision

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I do this of my own free will2: freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention

Many think free will is simply the ability to choose, or voluntary choice as MW Dictionary’s first definition. So, when you ask Christians if we do have free will, they will say yes but some of them will be defining the phrase as merely a “voluntary choice or decision”.

We all can make choices. We all have a will. But did God really give us free will? When Mr. Schoenheit discusses free will in his videos, it is clear that he’s defining free will with MW’s second definition: “freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.”

Notice his commentary of Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV)

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

“I see freedom of will all over this. I don’t see God running our life and controlling our life. I see God asking us to make the decisions.”

Here’s the Catholic church’s view of free will again:

"God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.”

Can we really “initiate” our actions without prior cause?

Are we really “left in the hand of [our] own counsel”, free from God’s intervention in attaining “full and blessed perfection”?

Are we really capable of deciding our own destiny?

Is free will really “something that God presents all the way from Genesis to the book of Revelations”?

It’s true that throughout the Bible, God presents a person a choice to obey Him, or reject Him by disobeying His commands. Here are the two verses cited by Mr. Schoenheit again. (Deuteronomy 30:19 and Ezekiel 33:11 ESV)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before

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you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Nowhere in any of the verses above show what Israel decided to do. How could someone say “I see free will all over this”? I see no such thing.

We will look back later at these verses and see what Israel decided to do and if God had anything to do with their decision.

But first, let’s look at the choices presented to the first humans on earth.

Adam and Eve

God’s command to Adam (Genesis 2:16 KJV)

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Do you see free will in this verse? Despite the word “freely”, all that is shown here are the choices – any fruit in the garden except...(Genesis 2:17 LITV)

...but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die.

The choices were given in a command. Disobeying the command carries a dreadful penalty, death.

“Dying you shall die” are signified words. We’ll see what they mean later.

Here comes their voluntary decision: (Genesis 3:6 KJV)

...she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Free will? Not so quickly. Let’s look at what happened before they chose to eat the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3:1 KJV)

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye

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shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Spoiler alert! The serpent is one of the causes. The word ‘subtil’ means cunning, crafty, manipulative. Most people don’t realize how manipulative that question is: “Did God really tell you not to eat of every tree of the garden?” I’ll explain why this is so crafty as we look at Eve’s answer. (Genesis 3:2,3 KJV)

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

The Lord gave the command to Adam even before Eve was created. Eve’s answer makes it crystal clear that she knew she’s not supposed to eat of the tree.

But wait! Did you notice where the tree is located? It’s in the middle of the garden!

Imagine bringing different kinds of fruits home – mangoes, peaches, apricots, bananas, strawberries, persimmons, and the forbidden fruit. Then you tell your kids that they can eat any fruit that you brought home, except the forbidden fruit, because they’ll die.

Hold on a second! If you don’t want your kids to eat the forbidden fruit, you wouldn’t place it in the middle of the dining table, would you? You’ll probably hide it and lock it up somewhere. Or you won’t bring it home at all.

If God gave Adam and Eve free will, why would He put the forbidden tree in the middle of the garden? As a matter of fact, if He really didn’t want Adam or Eve to eat of it, why even create the tree?

Is the Lord an inept or neglectful parent? Are we smarter than Him? Of course not.

If He knew what was going to happen, is He a sadistic God then? Absolutely not.

He has a “very good” purpose for everything that He creates…and it includes the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 1:31)

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Back to Eve. Now the serpent, the most cunning creature in the field, by asking Eve if God really told her not to eat of any tree from the garden, caused her attention to suddenly focus on the only fruit she is not allowed to eat or touch!

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Now that the serpent has her full attention, he lowers down the gauntlet. (Genesis 3:4,5 KJV)

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The serpent told Eve two things: one, they will not surely die if she eats the fruit, and two, “ye” (you both) shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. One of these two things is a lie. (Genesis 3:6 KJV)

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Most people think that Eve’s first sin is to eat the forbidden fruit. But she actually committed every kind of sin before taking a single bite of that cursed fruit. (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: [Hebrew: frail or feeble] who can know it?

CAUSE #1 for Adam and Eve – we are given a heart which is deceitful above all and is desperately weak. Out of the heart of man comes evil thoughts, which includes coveting. (Mark 7:21 – 23 KJV)

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness

It is from the heart where the issues of life come from. (Proverbs 4:23 KJV)

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Who created our heart like that? Such a horrible thing, a bursting well of evil thoughts – deceit, murder, adultery, coveting.

We don’t need to speculate. (Psalms 33:13,15)

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The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man...he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

Contrary to a popular Christian belief, we are not made perfect, rather we are given a heart full of evil thoughts. We are created in corruption, in dishonor, in weakness. (1 Corinthians 15:42,43)

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

“Sown in weakness” is a witness to Jeremiah 17:9, our heart is “desperately weak”. (1 Corinthians 15:44,47 KJV)

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

We are now bearing the image of the first man, earthy, and we have no choice about that. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. (Romans 7:18,19 ESV)

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Is there any hint of free will in those verses we have read? None whatsoever. People who want to do the right thing, but still can’t do it, the Bible says they’re not the ones doing it because of their free will. “No longer I who do it”...here’s the cause, “but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:20 ESV)

Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Sin that dwells within us is the reason we can’t obey God even when we want to. A heart full of evil thoughts is the cause of our transgressions. Not free will.

Here’s what happened after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3:7 KJV)

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Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Their eyes were opened to their nakedness. So that was the “very good” purpose of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – to show us our nakedness. Being naked is another symbol of being sinful, as being earthy, made of the dust. Both Adam and Eve were naked when they were created. (Romans 3:20 GNB)

For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned.

Let’s continue the story. (Genesis 3:8,9 KJV)

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

God asking Adam, “Where are you?”, does not mean He didn’t know where Adam was. (Genesis 3:10,11 ESV)

And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

We are all created morally destitute, spiritually corrupt. We all need “white garments”, the righteousness of the saints, which comes from God, not from our free will. (Revelations 3:18 KJV)

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Here’s why Adam disobeyed the Lord God: (Genesis 3:12 ESV)

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Eve caused Adam to eat of the tree. Our heart is desperately weak, it would only take the slightest nudge to stir us in the wrong direction.

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CAUSE #2 for Adam – the woman gave me fruit of the tree

Adam didn’t act out of free will because his decision was determined by prior causes, he had a corrupt heart and Eve gave him the fruit to eat. Peer pressure. This is not a light pressure either. Eve was the only person he had. He didn’t want to lose her. How many times did we succumb to family or friends which resulted in disobedience? (Genesis 3:13 KJV)

Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

CAUSE #2 for Eve - “the serpent deceived me”. Eve disobeyed God’s command not because she had a free will. She had no chance against the master liar, neither would we if we don’t have the holy spirit in us. (2 Corinthians 11:3 KJV)

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The Lord acknowledged that it was the serpent who caused Eve to disobey Him by punishing the cunning creature. (Genesis 3:14,15 KJV)

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Another popular Christian belief is that Satan used to be a good angel named “Lucifer”. The story claims that the angels were given free will, and Satan chose to rebel against God. But what says the Scriptures? (John 8:44 KJV)

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

So Satan was a murderer...from the beginning. He was evil from the very start. I didn’t say that the Lord said that. Whom will you believe? The Lord or your minister? The Lord created Satan as an evil angel from the very start. (Isaiah 45:7, Proverbs 16:4 KJV)

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

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The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

The word evil in Isa 45:7 and Pro 16:4 is translated from the same Hebrew word (rah) found in Genesis 2:17 (KJV).

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

I point this out because many translations try to hide the truth that God does create evil.

Bible in Basic English: the tree of the knowledge of good and “troubles”?

I am the giver of light and the maker of the dark; causing blessing, and sending troubles; I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Contemporary English Version: the tree of the knowledge of good and “sorrow”?

I create light and darkness, happiness and sorrow. I, the LORD, do all of this.

English Standard Version: the tree of the knowledge of good and “calamity”?

I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Not only did the Lord create the devil and his evil angels, they’re also under His command. The Lord ordered a lying spirit to entice Ahab to go up to Ramoth-gilead and die. (1 Kings 22:20 – 22 KJV)

...and the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.

Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’

And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’

“You shall succeed” in enticing Ahab. The Lord just plainly declares this, for He hasn’t given Ahab the free will to respond differently.

The Lord sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul. (1 Samuel 16:14)

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the

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LORD troubled him.

He cast His anger and indignation on Egypt by sending evil angels among them. (Psalms 78:49 KJV)

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

We have a heart that is deceitful above all things, a constant source of evil thoughts, so even false prophets are not deceived by their own free will. (Ezekiel 14:9 KJV)

And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

Let’s continue Adam and Eve’s story. (Genesis 3:16 ESV)

To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

Eve’s desire shall be contrary to her husband? Can’t she desire to be submissive to her husband? No free will there. (Genesis 3:17,18 ESV)

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

...thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Thorns and thistles symbolize the works of the flesh. Adam didn’t answer back, “but Lord, didn’t you give me free will to do what’s pleasing to you?” (Genesis 3:19 ESV)

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

In all the verses that we read, nowhere do we see that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of their own free will.

Eve’s decision was determined by prior causes: a sinful, corrupt, weak heart and the lie from the most cunning beast the Lord has created.

Adam’s decision was also determined by prior causes: a sinful, corrupt, weak heart that

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values the voice of his wife, rather than the voice of the Lord. (Genesis 3:22 ESV)

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become [is becoming] like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”

So the devil’s lie was “You shall not surely die”, and not “You shall become as gods, knowing good and evil”. It is part of becoming like God to distinguish good from evil. (Genesis 3:23,24 ESV)

...therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Remember, Adam and Eve had access to the tree of life before they ate the forbidden fruit. But not anymore. God drove them out from the garden and we are told…(Genesis 3:17 ESV)

...cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

For the rest of their lives, Adam and Eve will not be able to partake of the tree of life. The tree of life symbolizes our Lord. For the rest of their life, Adam and Eve cannot access eternal life. Where is free will there? How can they now choose their own destiny? How can they now take charge of their own future?

Cain and Abel

For most Christians, the story of Cain and Abel shows that we have free will. Cain disobeyed God with his own free will, and Abel obeyed Him with his own free will. (Genesis 4:2 – 3 ESV)

...Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,

Remember what the fruit of the ground will be when God punished Adam? (Genesis 4:4 – 5 ESV)

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...and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,

...but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

The Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s sacrifice. We’ll see what the reason is later. (Genesis 4:6 – 7 ESV)

The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Abel did well and Cain did not do well. There must have been commands given by the Lord that Cain violated. (1 John 3:11,12 KJV)

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

The Lord did not accept Cain’s sacrifice, “because his own works were evil”. Cain has been violating God’s laws before this sacrifice. We won’t impress our Lord with any sacrifice if we hate our brother like Cain. Abel’s sacrifice on the other hand was accepted because his works were righteous and he loved Cain.

Now we have to ask, the Lord said “Cain’s own works”. Was Cain doing his own works out of his free will? Did Cain hate Abel with his own free will? (Mark 7:21 – 23 KJV)

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness

It goes back to what’s in our heart. Hating our brother is murder. To God, you don’t need to kill someone, you just have to hate them, and you have committed murder already. (Genesis 4:8 ESV)

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up

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against his brother Abel and killed him.

Was the devil involved in this murder? Why was he not mentioned in the story? The truth is he is involved in every disobedience done by humanity. (Ephesians 2:2 KJV)

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience

There it is! Every time we choose to disobey God, it is not because He has given us free will. The choice is always caused.

CAUSE #1: Our evil hearts, deceitful above all things, where evil thoughts come from.CAUSE #2: The devil, a spirit that works tirelessly to entice us to translate our evil thoughts into evil actions.

How about Abel? Are his works righteous by his own free will?

When we obey God, do we do it out of our own free will?

Did Abel love his brother out of his free will?

According to Mr. Schoenheit, we take control of our lives. According to him, we appoint ourselves to eternal life. He says he sees freedom of will in Ezekiel 33:11 where God is just “begging” Israel to turn back from their evil ways.

But what does the Bible say? (Ezekiel 36:22,23 BBE)

For this cause say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: I am doing this, not because of you, O children of Israel, but because of my holy name, which you have made unclean among the nations wherever you went.

And I will make holy my great name which has been made unclean among the nations, which you have made unclean among them; and it will be clear to the nations that I am the Lord, says the Lord, when I make myself holy in you before their eyes.

“Not because of you”...not because of your free will. We are still dead in our sins when God starts to rescue us. (Ezekiel 36:24 – 27)

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all

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your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

“It’s the Lord doing it all”, as a dear sister is fond of saying.

When we obey God, it is the Lord rescuing us from among the heathen.

It is Him sprinkling clean water upon us (His words of life).

It is Him giving us a new heart, a new spirit within us.

It is Him causing us to walk in His statutes, causing us to keep His judgments and do them!

Apostle Paul witnesses to this truth. (Philippians 2:12,13 KJV)

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Mr. Schoenheit sees free will all over Ezekiel 33:11. The Lord sees no such thing. “I’m the one doing this, and I’m doing this not because of you...but because of my holy name”.

Whom are we going to believe, Mr. Schoenheit or the Lord?

So when we obey God, it’s NOT because God gave us a free will, but for these reasons:

CAUSE #1: The Lord has given us a new heart that desires to do his good pleasure.CAUSE #2: God’s spirit is working in us, causing us to keep His judgments and do them.

Back to Cain. (Genesis 4:9,10 ESV)

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?”

And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.

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The Lord seems surprised, “What have you done?”. But it’s the same question to Adam, “Where are you?”. The Lord knows everything...and we are our brother’s keeper. “Love one another”, says the Lord. (Genesis 4:11,12 ESV)

And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

The Lord is punishing Cain for murdering his brother. But nowhere in those verses above does it say Cain did it with his own free will. We are always caused by our corrupt heart and the evil spirits working in us when we rebel against God. (Genesis 4:13,14 ESV)

Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

The next verse should make those who say God is a merciless Father who will burn sinners in literal fire think very hard about the doctrine they espouse. Being a wanted fugitive is too much for Cain to bear. What did our Lord say? Did He say, “Well, Cain, you killed your brother by your own free will, so I can’t help you”? Or did He say, “You think your punishment is bad now, wait till you die. I’ll burn you alive without end”? (Genesis 4:15 ESV)

Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

This is the merciful God of the Bible. He put a mark on Cain so that no one would touch him despite Cain’s heinous crime. The Lord knows the reasons why Cain killed Abel. He didn’t give him free will. He gave Cain a corrupt and weak heart and He created Satan, the most cunning creature on earth, to tempt Cain. (Genesis 4:16)

Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain went on to live, had a wife and a son, even built a city which he named after his son. The Lord is not tolerating murder but instead wants to show us how merciful He is. Cain will have to repent for murdering Abel and for all his other sins. And yes, he will repent in the resurrection.

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A Song against Israel

Before Moses died, he spoke these words to Israel. (Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live

All Moses is saying here is that Israel has a choice to make. He is in no way telling Israel that they have a free will. After saying these words, Moses announced that the Lord will not let him cross the Jordan to reach the promised land (no free will here, folks). Then he called Joshua in front of all Israel and encouraged him. (Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV)

And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Then the Lord called Moses and Joshua in the tabernacle and spoke to them. (Deuteronomy 31:16,17 KJV)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

Where is the free will in those words?!? I thought we can take charge of our life? I thought we can decide our own destiny? I thought we can choose our own future? Israel wasn’t given that choice, neither are we. (Deuteronomy 31:18,19)

And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

The Lord is so confident that this is what Israel would do that He charged Moses to write a song and teach it to His rebellious children. (Deuteronomy 31:22,26,27 KJV)

Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of

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Israel.

Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?

Moses believed the Lord, shouldn’t we? What the Lord prophesied is exactly what happened to Israel, they “went a whoring after other gods”. (Judges 2:17,19 KJV)

And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them...

And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

Israel’s own doings and their stubborn way are all coming from the corrupt heart the Lord has given them, not their own free will. (Deuteronomy 5:29 KJV)

O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Apostles with One Mind

Mr. Schoenheit said that Apostle Paul was “by the freedom of his will, is out trying to spread the gospel” when he said what he said in Acts 13:48.

Is that what the apostle thought when he was out spreading the good news? (1 Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1 KJV)

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

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Now, let’s look at Acts 13:48 (ESV) which Mr. Schoenheit claim should be translated as “as many as were appointed [by themselves] to eternal life believed”.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

He got this idea two verses earlier, in verse 46 (ESV), where apostle Paul says the Jews judged themselves unworthy of eternal life.

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

First of all, that’s the point of making us spiritually naked in the first place, God wants to make us realize that we are not worthy of boasting when we get saved. We are all by nature the children of wrath, the children of disobedience. If not for His mercy and His great love for us, we would remain in our unbelief. (Ephesians 2:3 – 5 KJV)

Among whom also we all [including believers] had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Even our faith is a gift that we cannot brag about. (Ephesians 2:8 KJV)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

We already learned that our good works are out of a new heart that God gives us and Him working in us to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). We are His workmanship, our good works are foreordained that we should walk in them. The verses after just confirms these truths. (Ephesians 2:9,10 KJV)

Not of works, [or co-work in the case of the drowning man analogy] lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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What about the Jews who did not believe Christ and the apostles? Did they reject Christ because of their own free will? Here’s who concluded them all in unbelief. (Romans 11:32 KJV)

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief…

It’s God doing it all, again! He doesn’t want to give us any bragging rights. We can’t claim any credit. Why did God conclude them all in unbelief? Is it to mercilessly torture them without hope of forgiveness?

...that he might have mercy upon all.

Yes, it says all. All who? All that He has concluded in unbelief. Not just all he has given mercy while they’re in this vessels of clay. All, as in all of humanity. So those Jews and everyone else who rejected the gospel of Christ will be given mercy despite rightly judging themselves as unworthy of eternal life.

The word of God contradicts the writings of C.S. Lewis, a man considered by many to be “the most influential Christian writer of his day”. Lewis writes in The Great Divorce that no amount of self-pity will convince God to save sinners.

“it will not, at the cunning tears of Hell, impose on good the tyranny of evil. Every disease that submits to a cure shall be cured: but we will not call blue yellow to please those who insist on still having jaundice, nor make a midden of the world’s garden for the sake of some who cannot abide the smell of roses.”

The word of God says He will have mercy upon all, regardless of whether the sinner feels self-pity or not.

Whose words are you going to believe, C.S. Lewis or Apostle Paul?

Paul concludes in showing us the mind of God. (Romans 11:35,36 ERV)

"Who has ever given God anything? God owes nothing to anyone."

Yes, God made all things. And everything continues through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.

All those who are fond of saying “to God be all the glory” and at the same time believe in free will are just doing lip service to God. God is not impressed with your faith. He can see what’s in your heart.

As we are all unworthy of eternal life, we cannot appoint ourselves to it. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we didn’t do it because of our supposed free will. We

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did it because He has predestined us to be conformed to His image. (Romans 8:29,30 KJV)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

He foreknew us, He predestinated us, He calls us, He justifies us, then He glorifies us. And yet we dare say “we appoint ourselves to eternal life”? Saying “we appoint ourselves to eternal life” is twisting the Scriptures to our own destruction. Contrary to the Catholic church’s teaching that “God willed that man should be left in the hand of his own counsel,” it is God who works all things after the counsel of His own will. (Ephesians 1:11 KJV)

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

The apostle Paul is not the only apostle who don’t believe in free will.

Apostle John says that those who believe on our Lord’s name are born (born again) by the will of God. (John 1:11 – 13 KJV)

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

God gives us the power to become the sons of God. Free will is completely out of these words.

The beloved apostle also said that it is God who put in our hearts to “agree, and give [our] kingdom unto the beast, to fulfill his will. (Revelations 17:17 KJV)

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

The apostle James says we are begotten of the Father’s will. We are not begotten by our own free will. (James 1:18 KJV)

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind

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of firstfruits of his creatures.

Apostle Peter acknowledged that we are the elect, not because of our own free will, but according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. (1 Peter 1:1 – 3)

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again (born again) unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Apostle Jude warns us of ungodly men who were before of old ordained to condemnation. (Jude 1:4 KJV)

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Prophets are Moved by One Spirit

There is one spirit moving all the writers of the Old and New Testament books. Look at what king David was inspired to write. (2 Samuel 22:31 – 33)

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler (shield) to all them that trust in him.

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.

It is God who guides us in every step that we take to serve Him, and He is the one who prevents us from violating His commandments. We do our service voluntarily because He has given us a new heart, a new spirit whose main desire is to please Him rather than please ourselves or other carnal men.

How about when we err from His ways, do we do it out of a free will? This is what the holy spirit of God has inspired the prophet Isaiah to write (Isaiah 63:17 KJV)

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O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

“Oh Lord, why have you made us to err from your ways” runs smack in the face of those who say that we reject Christ by our own free will. Again, the Lord make us err from His ways starting from our heart. He hardens our hearts first.

The Lord has shown us, through the writings of the prophets and apostles, of what He really thinks about this subject. We are deceiving ourselves if we think He will contradict Himself by saying that we do have free will. (John 6:37 KJV)

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Mr. Schoenheit tries to explain this verse by quoting John 6:28 and 29 (ESV).

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

He thinks these two verses bring out the simple truth that “ if we believe in Christ, we have eternal life.” What Mr. Schoenheit is missing is that the Lord is actually telling those Jews that were asking Him that they didn’t have free will.

Question: What must we do, to be doing the works of God?Answer: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. In other words, it’s not you doing it, it is God doing it!”

Remember what Paul said in Philippians 2:13?

For it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure.

Yes, we have voluntarily accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, but we did it, not because we have a free will. We did it because it was God who worked in us to will and to do His good pleasure. Christ will not contradict apostle Paul, He’s the one who sent the holy spirit to inspire everything that Paul wrote.

More so, He will not contradict himself when He said these words in John 15:16 (KJV).

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…

Do we still believe that we have free will?

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...and ordained you,

Do we still believe that we appoint ourselves to eternal life?

...that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

When we bring fruits of righteousness to God and we remain fruitful in His sight, it is not because we are doing it out of our supposed free will. We do works that are pleasing to Him because He has chosen us and ordained us, and is working in us.

So when the Lord said “No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him”, He is indeed telling us that we don’t have a “free will” to come to Him. The Father has to drag us to come to Christ (the word translated draw really means drag, as in apostle Peter dragging a net full of fishes). (John 6:44 KJV)

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Mr. Schoenheit points to the next verse, believing that we need to understand verse 44 “from the scope of scripture, where God is asking all of us to believe”. (John 6:45 KJV)

It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

Here again, is his commentary on verses 44 and 45:

“So Christ explains His own words, saying, “Nobody can come except they be drawn by the Father”, but, the prophet’s have reminded us, everyone’s being taught by God. That’s true! Each one of us is being taught by God each day of our lives. God is doing His absolute best to teach us, that’s the point Christ is saying. If someone is not coming to Christ, it’s because they are not hearing God. It’s not because God is not reaching down and say “I’m not going to draw Him”. God’s trying to draw everyone all the time. That’s the point of God’s love.”

Is this true? Is everyone being taught by God each day of our lives? The first thing we need to notice is how Mr. Schoenheit twisted John 6:45. The verse says “And they will all be taught by God”. “They will be”, future tense.

The billions of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists today and throughout the generations are certainly not being taught by God. Even the vast majority of Christians are not being taught by God. Most of them believe in free will and hell, and all kinds of lies.

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But God simply declares things that has not happened yet because we don’t have a free will to make Him a liar. He will make all His prophecies come true! (Isaiah 46:10 KJV)

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Many are called, but few are chosen. The many called are blind and deaf. And again, it is the Lord doing it, not because they were given free will. (Exodus 4:11 KJV)

And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

The Lord exposed the blind religious leaders of His time and is doing so through His elect in every generation. (Matthew 23:16,17,26 KJV)

Woe unto you, ye blind guides…

Ye fools and blind…

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

And that’s really the main blindness of people who believe in free will. They don’t realize how filthy they are on the inside. They think that after they profess with their mouths and accept that Jesus Christ is their Lord and savior with their own free will, they are bound for heaven and everyone else who didn’t will be tormented for eternity. They are not aware how blasphemous this doctrine is to our truly loving and merciful God.

The many called Christians of today are blinded by the Lord’s design. They are not blinded and deafened because they chose to with their own free will. The Lord does this by speaking in parables. (Matthew 13:10 – 12 KJV)

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

It is given unto you...but to them, it is not given. There’s not a hint of free will in that statement. (Matthew 13:13,14 KJV)

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

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And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

These people are reading the same Bible but...”seeing they see not”.

They listen to the same verses in their churches but they don’t understand.

Case in point, Mr. Schoenheit who thought John 6:29 meant it is our work to believe in our Lord, blinded to the words of our Lord staring him on the face.

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

But Mr. Schoenheit and the rest of the blinded Christians of today will learn righteousness. How? By God’s judgment. (Isaiah 26:9 KJV)

...for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Without Free Will There Could be no Hell

“Without that self-choice there could be no Hell”, C.S. Lewis boldly proclaims. Finally, something we could agree on.

Not all Christians believe in free will. Some of them believe in predestination. The problem is they believe that everyone who did not accept Jesus Christ were predestined to a place of eternal torment. I don’t know which one is the worse doctrine, but I do know they’re both lies.

It would be a truly sadistic god to create billions and billions of people only to select a few of them and burn the rest without the hope of salvation. (1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV)

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

We do have the hope beyond this life. This is what the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman believers (Romans 8:20,21 KJV):

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

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We are all slaves to the corrupt hearts first given to us. Only a few people in each generation are given a new heart, a new spirit, and caused by God to obey His commandments. But the Lord will drag all men to himself. (John 12:32)

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

That word draw is the same word used in John 6:44, “no one can come to me unless the Father drag him”. We will be saved, but not because of our fabled free will, but because we will be dragged, kicking and screaming, weeping and gnashing our teeth, unto our Lord, through the Lake of Fire.

There’s no begging or convincing in the part of the Lord when He wants to drag you to Him. He doesn’t send some spirits to convince people to stay in heaven or go back to hell. He’s not a helpless bus driver who is just wishing people board the bus to heaven and decide to stay there.

The lake of fire is signified as that flaming sword that guards the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24 KJV)

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Here’s what the fire is (Jeremiah 5:14 KJV).

Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

The fire is the Lord’s words, not literal fire coming out of the mouth of literal two witnesses burning people who want to hurt them. The fire shall burn every man’s work done against God’s commands. (1 Corinthians 3:13 – 15 KJV)

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Dying you shall die means we are dead in our sins at first, then we go through the second death. (Revelations 20:14 KJV)

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And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Two kinds of death. One is negative (dying, death/carnal mind). The other is positive (you shall die, second death/destruction of the carnal mind).

This is a great mystery hidden to most. The multitude of Christians try to avoid the lake of fire thinking it is the same as hell [Greek Hades]. It is not. Look at the verse above, the lake of fire destroys hell. Dying [death, Hades]...you shall die [the second death].

But many still believe the serpent’s lie: “You shall not surely die”.

The Lord is the first one who destroyed death/the carnal mind within Him. (Hebrews 2:14 KJV)

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through [the second] death he might destroy him that had the power of death [the carnal mind], that is, the devil

Compare spiritual with spiritual. Not physical to spiritual.

The death to destroy the devil cannot be physical death.

Most people die carnal. When they get resurrected, their carnal mind (negative death) still remains. The only death that can destroy their carnal mind is the lake of fire.

Here are three Scriptures that should prove to any skeptic that we will all be cast into the lake of fire. (Exodus 32:33 KJV)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Whoever sinned against the Lord, He will blot them out of His book. Who has sinned against you, Lord? (Romans 3:23 KJV)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

All have sinned, so all are blotted out of the Book of Life. What happens to those who are not found in the Book of Life? (Revelations 20:15 KJV)

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

All are partakers of God’s chastisement, because He loves everyone, and He disciplines

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the one he loves (Hebrews 12:5,6,8 MKJV)

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked by Him;

for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives."

But if you are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons.

“Dying you shall die”, let’s believe the Lord.

True Gospel

The apostle Paul was instrumental in bringing in the true gospel to the Gentiles. (1 Timothy 4:10 KJV)

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

That’s a good solid verse, very hard to twist by those who believe in free will. But then again, they are of their father the devil who is very good in twisting the words of God. (1 Timothy 2:3,4 KJV)

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Even those who are now blinded will come to the knowledge of the truth. We shall all be changed. As we have born the image of carnal Adam, we shall also bear the image of our Lord in heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:22,49 KJV)

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

What’s the score so far? Free will – 0; God’s sovereignty – all the verses we have shown you.

Again, this mystery of the kingdom of God has been revealed to all the New Testament

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writers.

Apostle John (John 3:16,17 KJV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

In his first epistle (1 John 2:2)

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The gospel according to Luke (Luke 2:10)

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Now, that’s truly good news! Good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, not evil tidings of great misery in hell which shall be to most people.

Apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Finally, our Lord himself (John 6:51 KJV)

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Do you believe those words that you just read or do you still believe the wisdom of this world, that we have a free will and we will not be saved if we reject Christ in this life? (1 Corinthians 3:20 KJV)

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Shall the Clay Reply against the Potter?

Let’s now look at another “wise” saying or parable fabricated by those who believe in free

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will.“Illustrating as it does that the human part in salvation (represented by holding on to the rope) must be preceded and accompanied by grace (represented by the casting and drawing of the rope), the image of the drowning man holding on to the rope cast and drawn by his rescuer corresponds closely to Roman Catholic teaching, which holds that God, who "destined us in love to be his sons" and "to be conformed to the image of his Son", includes in his eternal plan of "predestination" each person's free response to his grace.”

Even those who have no deep understanding of the Scriptures should see how foolish this parable is. (1 Corinthians 3:19 KJV)

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

Who in the world will not hold on to the rope to get rescued when they are drowning? Who in the world will choose to burn in literal fire without end instead of living with a kind and loving God? (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Let us cast down this vain imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We don’t need a new parable to illustrate God’s plan of salvation. All the parables that we need are written in the Bible. This one illustrates the plan of God perfectly, although only a few people understand it. (Isaiah 64:8 KJV)

But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

We are clay in the Potter’s hand. He can do whatever He wants with us. This parable was also shown to the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 18:2)

Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

He causes us to hear his words. We don’t listen to Him by our own free will. And we absolutely don’t understand something with our own free will! (Jeremiah 18:3,4)

Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

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We are all first marred in the hand of the Potter. All of us are in Adam, with a carnal mind/heart/spirit. Then He makes us again into another vessel, as seemed good to the Potter to make it. In every generation, the Lord has mercy on a few people and He opens their eyes to understand His words, and He drags them through the flaming sword to partake of the tree of life. But the rest of the world that He hardens in this life, He will also drag them through the flaming sword, judge them by His words, and they will also partake of the tree of life. (Romans 9:18 – 19 KJV)

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

Remember what Mr. Schoenheit said?

“God says, choose life, haha, you can’t. That makes no sense, and it’s not loving.”

The word of God does not make sense to those who believe that we have free will. Mr. Schoenheit’s statements are like asking “why does He still find fault if we can’t resist His will anyway?” Here’s apostle Paul’s answer (Romans 9:20,21 KJV)

Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

We don’t have a say in anything that God is doing! God doesn’t need us to co-work with Him. He can make a person (the same lump) into a vessel of honor or a vessel of dishonor whenever He wants.

Those who believe in free will are blaspheming the name of God by claiming they have a say in their own salvation. They don’t know the meaning of the words “to God be all the glory”. (Isaiah 29:16 KJV)

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

This is what those who believe in free will and hell are unknowingly saying. They are maligning the character of our sovereign and loving God by saying, “He made me not”. “If I reject or accept the Lord Jesus Christ, it is because I did it with my own free will. You didn’t

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make me a good person, I did it. You didn’t make those criminals bad people, they made themselves bad.” Those who believe in free will and hell are falsely accusing God that He doesn’t know what He’s doing. They think God is losing to the devil, big time, as the world continue to sink into deeper darkness and the hearts of evil men continue to worsen.

But God is not losing. Everything is happening according to His plan. He does what He desires. He will complete what he appoints for us – eternal life! (Job 23:13 – 14 ESV)

But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.

For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.

Idols of the Heart

The third category of people who believe in free will are those who have thought about it deeply, but still refuse to accept the Truth. Free will is a huge idol of the heart. (Ezekiel 14:3 KJV)

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

Free will is probably one of the most endeared doctrines of Christianity. They won’t give this idol up easily. They’ll invent more parables, they’ll twist more Scriptures to fit their doctrine. (Isaiah 44:9 – 10 KJV)

They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

These people who has formed free will as an idol of their heart. They “are their own witnesses” because the Scriptures do not witness to their doctrines. These people has formed a god, an idol of their heart “that is profitable for nothing” besides free will. The word delectable is mostly translated “desire”. What do these Christians who believe in free will mostly desire? They desire to be in heaven, more specifically, to be in what they think heaven is. We will see what these Christians’ idea of heaven is, but let’s look first what happens to people who form idols of their heart. (Isaiah 44:11 KJV)

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Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.

These people shall be ashamed, their workmen or their ministers “are of men” and not of God. “They shall be ashamed together” because of their idols of free will and their carnal ideas of heaven.

Here’s an excerpt from an article in Wikipedia entitled Heaven in Christianity

In Christianity, heaven is traditionally the location of the throne of God as well as the holy angels. In traditional Christianity, it is considered to be a physical place in the afterlife.

The Seventh-day Adventist understanding of heaven is that heaven is a material place where God resides. That after Christ's second coming there will exist a period of time known as the Millennium during which Christ and his righteous saints will reign and the unrighteous will be judged. At the close of the Millennium, Christ and his angels return to earth to resurrect the dead that remain, to issue the judgements and to forever rid the universe of sin and sinners.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that heaven is the dwelling place of Jehovah and his spirit creatures. They believe that only 144,000 chosen faithful followers ("The Anointed") will be resurrected to heaven to rule with Christ over the majority of mankind who will live on Earth.

The view of heaven according to the Latter Day Saint movement is based on section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants as well as 1 Corinthians 15 in the King James Version of the Bible. The afterlife is divided first into two levels until the Last Judgement; afterwards it is divided into four levels, the upper three of which are referred to as "degrees of glory" that, for illustrative purposes, are compared to the brightness of heavenly bodies: the sun, moon, and stars.

After the resurrection and Last Judgement, people are sent to one of four levels:

The Celestial Kingdom is the highest level, with its power and glory comparable to the sun. Here, faithful and valiant disciples of Christ who accepted the fullness of his gospel and kept their covenants with Him through following the prophets of their dispensation are reunited with their families and with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. Those

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who would have accepted the gospel with all their hearts had they been given the opportunity in life (as judged by Christ and God the Father) are also saved in the Celestial Kingdom. Latter-Day Saint movements do not believe in the concept of original sin, but believe children to be innocent through the atonement. Therefore, all children who die before the age of accountability inherit this glory. Men and women who have entered into celestial marriage are eligible, under the tutelage of God the Father, to eventually become gods and goddesses as joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.

The Terrestrial Kingdom's power and glory is comparable to that of the moon, and is reserved for those who understood and rejected the full gospel in life but lived good lives; those who did accept the gospel but failed to keep their covenants through continuing the process of faith, repentance, and service to others; those who "died without law" (D & C 76:72) but accepted the full gospel and repented after death due to the missionary efforts undertaken in Spirit Prison. God the Father does not come into the Terrestrial Kingdom, but Jesus Christ visits them and the Holy Spirit is given to them.

The Telestial Kingdom is comparable to the glory of the stars. Those placed in the Telestial Kingdom suffered the pains of Hell after death because they were liars, murderers, adulterers, whoremongers, etc. They are eventually rescued from Hell by being redeemed through the power of the atonement at the end of the Millennium. Despite its far lesser condition in eternity, the Telestial Kingdom is described as being more comfortable than Earth in its current state. Suffering is a result of a full knowledge of the sins and choices which have permanently separated a person from the utter joy that comes from being in the presence of God and Jesus Christ, though they have the Holy Spirit to be with them.

The Outer darkness is the lowest level and has no glory whatsoever. It is reserved for Satan, his angels, and those who have committed the unpardonable sin. This is the lowest state possible in the eternities, and one that very few people born in this world attain, since the unpardonable sin requires that a person know with a perfect knowledge that the gospel is true and then reject it and fight defiantly against God. The only known son of Perdition is Cain, but it is generally acknowledged that there are probably more scattered through the ages.

Rebuking Empty Talkers and Deceivers

False prophets inside the Christian church have deceived many ever since the truth has been preached by the apostles. They do this by twisting the truth. The result is the thousands of denominations within the Christian religion, each with their own interpretation of certain verses. Some lies are easy to spot, like the drowning man parable, but some are

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much harder to discern. This is why Apostle Paul tells us an elder of the church must “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” so that he can rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:9 – 10 ESV)

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.

Throughout the Scriptures, we are given principles on how to understand God’s words. Without holding firm to these principles, we will also end up twisting the words of God to our own destruction. It’s like building a house on a severely damaged foundation, you can make the house look as pretty and grand as you can, but it will eventually fall.

One of these trustworthy word the Lord has taught us is Matthew 4:4 (KJV).

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

This verse is one of the strongest witnesses that God indeed has total sovereignty in our lives and we don’t have a free will. We shall both live by the evil and the good that comes out of the mouth of God. (Lamentations 3:38 KJV)

Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

Living by every word that comes from the mouth of God, both evil and good, means in every story of the Bible, and in every parable, and in every prophecies, we are both the evil and the good. We are the first Adam in the beginning, earthy, corrupt, weak before we are converted into the second Adam, heavenly, incorruptible, powerful. We are Cain first before we are Abel. We are Ishmael first before we are Isaac. We are Esau first before we are Jacob.

If we understand this truth, then we can comprehend why God says He loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were even born. (Romans 9:11,13 KJV)

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Now we understand that God is not playing favorites between Jacob and Esau who lived thousands of years ago, what He is telling us is that God hates our old man, symbolized by

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Esau, and He loves our new man, symbolized by Jacob. We can’t choose whether we are Jacob or Esau, whether we are Ishmael or Isaac, whether we are Cain and Abel. We can’t choose whether we are the old man or the new man. We are both. (Ephesians 4:22 – 24 KJV)

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

We put off the old man and put on the new man by God renewing the spirit of our mind. God’s words are spirit. They are spiritually discerned. We live by every word of God in spirit. If God gives us the firm grasp of these principles, the word of God is suddenly living and active in us!

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

If the word of God is living and active in us, we can then see how all of the stories and all of the prophecies and all of the parables apply to us. Here are some of the prophecies that those people who believe in free will say do not fully apply to them. (John 5:28,29 KJV)

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

When we read these words, do we think of people literally coming out of their graves and going into different directions? Do we see those who have done good rejoicing with God while those who have done evil being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, screaming and writhing in pain? (Daniel 12:2 KJV)

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

If we see those words in John and Daniel like that, then we are not holding firm to the principles we have just discussed.

God’s words are spirit.

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They are spiritually discerned.

We live by every word of God in spirit.

Those who believe in free will say, “I will be in the resurrection of life, I won’t be in the resurrection of damnation”. That’s pride. That’s blindness. Read this part of John 5:29 again and tell me if you really won’t be in the resurrection of damnation:

...and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation

When you are blinded by the Lord like Mr. Schoenheit, the Scriptures could be right in front of you, and you still won’t see it. Of course every one who deny that they’ll live by the words “unto the resurrection of damnation” have done evil. The subtle lie of the serpent believed by so many is that the resurrection of damnation is the same as the lake of fire. It is not. The lake of fire is part of the resurrection to life.

The resurrection of damnation should be translated as resurrection of judgment. The word of God uses two main things to hide its true meaning: the shadow and the reality. The law of Moses is a shadow of the true law of Christ. The old testament priests are a shadow of the true priests of God, the saints. The resurrection to judgment is just a shadow of the true resurrection to life. The natural or carnal comes first before the spiritual. (1Co 15:46 KJV)

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Carnal first, then spiritual second. This is a very important principle in understanding how we live by every word of God.

We live by the carnal resurrection first, the resurrection to judgment, before we live by the spiritual resurrection, the resurrection to life. The resurrection to judgment is simply being raised under carnal commandments, also known us the law of sin and death, in this body of death.

We live by the carnal death first, before we live by the spiritual death, also known as the second death or the lake of fire.

An example of the resurrection of judgment is Paul, when he was still Saul. He was raised at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers (the law of Moses, aka carnal commandments) (Acts 22:3 KJV)

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up (= resurrection) in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

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When we are in the resurrection of judgment, we are delivered into chains of darkness, reserved unto judgment. (2 Peter 2:4 KJV)

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (tartaroo, aka Hades, the realm of carnal death), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment

The resurrection to life is the only resurrection that counts to God. The shadow doesn’t count, that’s why the resurrection to life is called the First Resurrection. Our carnal works (shadow) under the law of Moses or the law of the Gentiles do not count to God, only the work of Christ in us is counted by God, that’s why they are called the First Works. Our carnal love of the world (shadow) does not count as true love to God, only our love for Him (obedience) is counted, that’s why it’s called our First Love. (Revelations 2:4 KJV)

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

You have left your first love means you have stopped obeying. What do we need to do when we stopped obeying and are now doing carnal works? (Revelations 2:5 KJV)

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

We won’t go into too much detail on this topic because it is dealt with thoroughly in a separate paper called: Being Raised with Christ

Here are what comes out of our heart again: (Mark 7:22 – 23 KJV)

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness

Again, the words of God is spiritually discerned. To discern is to understand something with much difficulty. In the eyes of God, we don’t need to literally kill someone, when we hate someone, we are murderers. In the eyes of God, we don’t need to literally commit adultery with someone, when we lust after a person, we are adulterers. In the eyes of God, we don’t need to literally utter a lie, when we believe lies in our heart, we are liars.

And look where murderers, adulterers, and all liars have their part in: (Revelations 21:8 KJV)

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and

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whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The lake of fire is simply the destruction of the old man. It is the spiritual process that God uses to renew the spirit of our minds, to transform the old man into the new man. Now we can see how we live by every word in the prophecies in John 5:29 and Daniel 12:2.

And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

What God is showing us through these prophecies is how He, the Potter, makes us into a vessel of dishonor first, reserved unto judgment, (“resurrection of damnation, shame and eonian contempt”). Then He judges us. (Hebrews 9:27 – 28 KJV)

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many (resurrection to judgment); and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

When God judges us, He breaks us into powder (a symbol of being humbled by God), pours the water of His word in us (a symbol of giving us His spirit/a new heart), reshapes us (a symbol of being conformed to His image), and then puts us back into the furnace. All of these actions by God are a symbol of our time in the “lake of fire and brimstone”, where we are purged from our evil words, thoughts and works. to complete our transformation into a vessel of honor (“resurrection of life, eonian life”) It’s all the work of the Potter.

This process of purging all the impurities in our life continues on until we shed this corruptible and weak body. Our transformation into vessels of honor can start in this life but it cannot be completed as long as we have a corruptible and weak body. We need to overcome the wicked one (the old man, the child of his father the devil) as long as we are in this natural body. When we wake up from our sleep (physical death), that’s the only time we are given a spiritual body. When we say we are already saved, we are saying the resurrection has already passed. We need to shun these “profane and vain babblings”. (2 Timothy 2:16 – 18)

But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

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Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

The parable that is often used by those who deny Matthew 4:4 is the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13. (Matthew 13:37 – 43 KJV)

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Those who believe in free will and even some who don’t believe in free will, say they are the wheat, and only those sinners out there, the tares, will be cast in the lake of fire. But notice the words “Who has ears to hear, let him hear”. Also notice the words, “the kingdom” which appears three times in only seven verses. There’s a reason those words are repeated often. When Christ talks about the kingdom of God, He is talking about the kingdom of God within you. (Luke 17:20,21 KJV)

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

There’s the secret of all the parables. They are within you. They are the revelation of Jesus Christ, in you! (Revelations 1:1 KJV)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and

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signified it by his angel unto his servant John

These parables and prophecies are “things which must shortly come to pass”. They are not talking about future events which comes with observation. They are happening in the hearts and minds of the elect, today! “Things which must shortly come to pass” include the lake of fire, which is called the second death. All the words of God from Genesis to Revelations will be lived by all of mankind, starting from the elect. Very few people know these truths because the word of God is “signified”, they are sealed, and only those that have been blessed with “ears to hear” and “eyes to see” can truly understand them. All the events in the book of Revelations, including the lake of fire, happens “ in the spirit on the Lord’s day”. (Revelations 1:10 KJV)

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet

The Lord tells us how He will come to His people. (John 14:18 – 20 KJV)

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

There it is! That is how the second coming of our Lord will happen. He comes in us. He lives in the hearts and minds of His people. It comes not with observation, “the world sees me no more”. (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Now we can look back at the parable of the wheat and the tares with spiritual eyes. (Matthew 13:38 – 39 KJV)

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

There’s some trickery that happened in the way those two highlighted words were translated. The first one is properly translated world, from the Greek word ‘kosmos’. The second one should be translated age, from the Greek word ‘aion’. The reason the KJV translators did that is because they want to hide, that an ‘aion’ ends. They usually

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translate aion as forever as in this verse. (Revelations 20:10 KJV)

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Verse 39 should be translated as “the harvest is the end of the age”. What age is ending when the Lord comes in our hearts? (Galatians 1:4 ESV)

who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father

This present evil age of the old man is passing away. The Lord will do it by gathering all that offend and casting them into a furnace of fire, the lake of fire. (Matthew 13:40 – 42 KJV)

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world (aion=age).

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

All that offends are all the evil spirits in our hearts, the devil, the beast and the false prophets.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (for the ages of the ages)

All the lust and lies of the devil, of the beast, and of the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone when the Lord comes in our hearts.

Who is the beast? (Revelations 13:18 JUB)

Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for the number of man; and its number is six hundred sixty-six.

The beast is not one specific man. It is all of mankind. It is all in Adam. The beast is the old man in each one of us. We will all be cast in the lake of fire, “in the spirit on the Lord’s day.” (Revelations 13:18 CLV)

Here is wisdom. Let him who has a mind calculate the number of the wild

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beast, for it is the number of mankind, and its number is six hundred sixty-six."

The lake of fire is indeed prepared for the devil and his lies when the Lord comes in our hearts. (Matthew 24:3 ESV, Matthew 25:41 KJV)

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

So if the Lord comes in spirit, we should see the error of how Christians view heaven. The Bible calls this knowing Christ after the flesh, and not after the spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:16 KJV)

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more (after the flesh).

Let’s look at each view of heaven, and see how they are just empty talk, idols of the heart that are of no profit.

The Seventh-day Adventist understanding of heaven is that heaven is a material place where God resides. That after Christ's second coming there will exist a period of time known as the Millennium during which Christ and his righteous saints will reign and the unrighteous will be judged. At the close of the Millennium, Christ and his angels return to earth to resurrect the dead that remain, to issue the judgements and to forever rid the universe of sin and sinners.

The belief in the millennium reign is based on some verses in Revelations. (Revelations 20:4 KJV)

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

So according to these people, they will literally reign with Christ a thousand years. Were these people literally beheaded for the witness of Jesus? Did they go to some Muslim countries and illegally witnessed for Jesus and their heads were chopped off? They’ll say it’s symbolic. So they get to pick which part of the verse is symbolic and which part is

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literal? That’s the spirit of preeminence. When you think you can dictate how Scriptures should be interpreted, you are living by these words: (3 John 1:9 KJV)

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

The only one who has the preeminence over the church, and in all things is Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the head of the body, not the pope, not any of the church leaders of this world. How should we Scripturally interpret Revelations 20:4 then? We are told time and again: in spirit. John was in the spirit on the Lord’s day. The Lord’s day is always at hand! (Matthew 10:7 KJV)

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

What does “at hand” means? It means “it must shortly come to pass” in your life. Only for those who can hear and understand. (Matthew 24:34 KJV).

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Did you see that? Christ said those words two thousand years ago. That generation he was speaking to has long been dead. He even punctuated it with “Verily I say unto you”. Did He lie? Of course not! Those words in Revelations 20:4 has been fulfilled in His apostles, in their generation, in their hearts. And those words are now being fulfilled in the hearts of His elect in this generation.

Look at these words in the same chapter of Matthew: (Matthew 24:7 KJV)

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Our old man has his kingdom within us before Christ comes in us. That king needs to be beheaded for the witness of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only one “which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands”. All of us worshipped the beast as the old man. Our new man who is being conformed to God’s image will reign with Christ, we will reign in this mortal body and cast every spirit that is against God in the lake of fire.

Here’s the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ view of heaven:

“heaven is the dwelling place of Jehovah and his spirit creatures. They believe that only 144,000 chosen faithful followers ("The Anointed") will be resurrected to heaven to rule with Christ over the majority of mankind who will live on Earth.”

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Another carnal belief in physical rulership of the world. This time with a twist. These 144,000 chosen faithful followers will rule over the majority of mankind for eternity! They’re not content with a thousand years, they want to rule forever. This again is a preeminent, arrogant spirit, dictating its carnal interpretation of spiritual words of God (Revelations 7:3 – 4 KJV)

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

How can every man live by those words of God if only 144,000 will literally rule over everyone? This delectable idol of world rulership is so attractive to so many people, even the Lord was tempted by Satan with it. (Matthew 4:8 – 10 KJV)

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Our Lord did not fall for this delectable idol, neither should we. Our Lord emphatically said, “My kingdom is not of this world”. More details about the establishment of God’s kingdom within us is discussed in another article: Times Time and a Half

The LDS version of the afterlife wins the most elaborate ruse, hands down. They take multi-level marketing to another dimension! Of course these schemes are all a carrot to entice more followers. Why would you even join their church if they don’t offer anything “extra” for their members?

All of these idols are attempts of denying that man must live by every word of God. We are all vessels of wrath first who need to be cast into the lake of fire, before we become the vessels of mercy who will be used to judge others...”so that He may have mercy upon all”. (Romans 9:22 – 23 KJV)

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory

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The truth is everyone will be saved. No one will be left in outer darkness. One event will happen to all, to both the righteous and the wicked. God will be all in all. (Revelations 21:3 KJV)

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ. When we eat with them, we enjoy all these things: (Galatians 5:22 – 23 KJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Living by every word of God makes us appreciate all those things above a lot more. We appreciate love and peace more after we have lived a life of hatred and ungodly fits of rage during the reign of the old man. We have so much joy in our life as we fellowship with the Father and the Son after we have lived a life of emptiness during our former life. We are given power to do good works, and to control our mortal body. We are now more longsuffering towards others. We are now meek and we now trust God in everything, as opposed to our prideful old man who trusts in his own strength. We will be more gentle and comforting to others after He has comforted us in our afflictions, “even when we were dead in sins”.

Doers and Not Hearers Only

It is not enough to understand these truths. We also have to apply them in our lives. (Psalms 119:34 and James 3:13 KJV)

Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Have you seen a homeless man lately? There’s a few in my city, at least the ones I see on the streets. I know there are a lot more in kitchen soups and homeless shelters. Some might be in hospitals taking advantage of free medical care. They’re parasites, a menace to society. They are probably drunkards, drug addicts, child molesters, thieves, the laziest people on earth, that’s why they are homeless.

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This is how I used to think about these people. This is when I used to believe in free will. We lose compassion to others when we forget that it is God who works every detail, every circumstance, every failure, and every success in our life. We forget that God can put us in a desperate situation at any time, “that He can cause us to err” at any hour and we can end up homeless ourselves.

Remember the story of the good Samaritan. A man was in a desperate situation after getting beat up and robbed. A priest came by and he ignored the wounded man. Then a Levite came by and he also looked the other way. (Luke 10:33 – 35 KJV)

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

At the end of the story, Jesus asked the expert of the law who was tempting Him, “Who loved his neighbor as himself?” The law expert was forced to answer, “He that showed mercy on him”.

Our Lord didn’t say, “You’re right, now here’s another story.”

This is what He said: “Go and do the same!””

It doesn’t matter how much Scripture we know if we treat others like a disease or like garbage. The ambassadors of Christ must show compassion to others as the Lord has shown compassion to us.

Don’t Ever Question the Potter

Knowing that our Lord is the ultimate cause of all evil in the world, and knowing that all evil will be repented of, we should be more forgiving of others.

Think of a person in your life who deeply hurt you. Do you see that person’s face now?

How do you feel? Do you feel any hatred? Maybe moderately annoyed? Mildly irritated, perhaps?

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If you feel any of those things, then the truth that the Lord was the one who caused that person to err against His ways hasn’t sunk in deeply yet. (Isaiah 63:17 KJV)

O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Meditate on this truth. The Lord is the one who hardened that person’s heart.

They will repent of their wrongdoings and will be reconciled to God. They will be reconciled to you. This is the mind of the Lord regarding those who mocked Him, persecuted Him, beat Him up, spat on Him, spoke evil against Him, then crucified Him (Luke 23:34 KJV)

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…

Do you have the mind of Christ? These vessels of dishonor really don’t know what they do.

They will also be made a vessel of honor, but...

...some vessels of honor take more time to bake.

God knows what He is doing. God has His own schedule for each person. Be patient with others. Some mature faster than others, most will mature in the next lifetime, but...

...they will mature. Guaranteed. No doubt about it.

He will make them again another vessel, and they will worship God with you, in spirit and in truth. (1 Corinthians 15:24,28 KJV)

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Conclusion

Let’s pray that God would give us the heart to accept His words of Truth. Let’s ask Him to work in us to apply this understanding in our life.

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We are not a drowning man who must choose to cling to a rope. We are not self-appointed immortals who can ordain ourselves into eternal life. We are not bus riders to heaven who can choose to go back to hell or stay in heaven. We are clay in the loving Potter’s hand.

We have inquired diligently about this subject and can now conclude that free will is a false witness from lying spirits. It is time to purge this evil from our midst. (Deuteronomy 19:18,19 ESV)

The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness...you shall purge the evil from your midst.

It is only through believing in God’s total sovereignty that we are given what the Bible call “perfect peace”. (Isaiah 26:3 KJV)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

It is by humbly accepting this truth that we are freed from all the worries of what could happen to us or to our loved ones. Our future are in very capable and loving hands. We no longer have to worry if our children, our parents, our siblings, or our friends will accept Jesus Christ. God has declared that every knee would bow to our Lord. We no longer have to worry if our loved ones will be a victim of crime or disease, whatever happens, we will all be perfected in God’s image. (1 Peter 5:6,7 ESV)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

All of us will one day be vessels of honor, declaring God’s glory and the marvelous works of the Potter’s hand. (1 Chronicles 16:24 KJV)

Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

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