Knicks4lyfe, here's my question...
Is someone's destiny already known by GOD? (Does HE know what everyone is destined to become?)
Now, I have asked this question to many people. (people that are very religious, a priest, somewhat religious, etc.) And I have come to a conclusion, but I would like to hear another opinion on it.
It depends on the person, and situation really. God has the ability of complete foresight. But the bible indicates that he either chooses to use that sparingly, or if he uses it often, he does not always disclose he does. For instance, concerning Lucifer, who had now just became Satan, the first prophecy says at Gen 3: 15
And I shall put enmity between you(Satan) and the woman(God's heavenly organization, or Kingdom) and between your seed and her seed(The seed of the woman being Jesus, or Messiah, God's chosen King of his Kingdom). He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.?
This prophecy was once known as the sacred secret to the Israelites. But once Jesus became the Messiah, it was all clear what it meant. Basically, the prophecy comes down to Satan Bruising Jesus in the heel. That happened when Satan was allowed to Kill Jesus unjustly, since he committed no error before God. It is viewed that way because God resurrected Jesus back to heavenly life to assume position as the promised seed of the Kingdom. Hence, it was like a bruise on the back of your foot, which is temporary. However, Satan's will be a death blow, since a serious head injury usually amounts to such. The Bible says that God's Kingdom will crush all Kingdoms on earth, which are under Satan's rule, and only it shall remain. And eventually, after the Kingdom's work has been done, Satan will be destroyed forever. That part has yet to happen. But the foregoing has.
That shows that God can Choose to see an outcome. He allowed Satan to test Job under tough circimstances, but the Bible does not say that God knew for sure whether Job would prove faithful to God, or disobey him. (Job1:6-12, 2:2-7) This is more of what we deal with regularly. Having our faith tested. Everyone goes through it, even Jesus, the perfect man (Luke 4:3-13)
Even though Jesus was promised seed, and God foresaw that he would bruise Satan in the head eventually, it was still on Jesus to live it out. That was even more pressure on him because God's vision saw that he would, but it did not show what he would have to go through to do so. If Satan would have thought that man has a destiny, he would have never even wasted his time tempting Jesus at all. Because as far as God was concerned, Satan was already dead in the vision. So the fact that Satan attacked Jesus so viciously, shows that even he knows that there is no such thing as a destiny in the sense that God dooms certain individuals before they have a chance to prove worthy. Jesus Could have failed!
Here's another example concerning you and I. Staring us both right in the face. Now keep in mind the example of Job, and how Satan struck him with many maladies, to take his faith away from God. That should tell you what his goal is for all men, if he did it to Job. Jesus told his disciples that there are two gates concerning life or death. A broad and spacious, leading off into destruction and many are finding it, and a narrow and cramped gate, leading off into life, few are finding it (math 7:13, 14).
In Mathew 24:21 Jesus says: for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world?s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. 22
In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.
The chosen flesh here, are the ones who have
chosen the narrow gate. Why only those who choose the narrow gate? Because it's not easy to serve God in Satan's world. Look at Job and Jesus as examples. Satan does not play fair lol. So Jesus was right when he said the gate to life will be narrow and cramped, because it will be a lot easier to do Satans will, than God's. Hence, broad and spacious is the road to destruction.
If you have a choice, then the destiny is in your hands.
Which is why Revelation 7 says this:
9 After these things I saw, and, look!
a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. 10 And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: ?Salvation [we owe] to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.?
Rev 7:14 tells us who these people are, and why they cry out in such a way. ?
These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
So that Great Tribulation Jesus was speaking of? The part where he said it had to be cut short for the sake of the chosen ones? That
great crowd of people, all nations (nationalities) and tongues, refers to them. Notice how it says Great crowd instead of say, 7 million, or a definite # of people. This indicates that it is up to the individual to choose whether they will be part of the ones who are chosen by God (narrow gate) or condemned by God (broad and spacious)
So that indicates that really, the destiny part is ours to choose. God wants all to be saved. If that is true, then him choosing our destiny for us means he contradicts himself.
Hope that helps.