In the
previous article, God’s sovereignty was viewed in light of prophecy and
His decrees. Since God is sovereign over an eternal kingdom (1 Chron.
29:11; Ps. 97:1; 103:19; 145:13 & etc) which has existed for all
time, He has decreed and all subjects of His domain must abide. That is
what a sovereign does! He rules over his dominion, and for God, His
dominion covers the whole universe. God sits on His throne in heaven
with the Lord Jesus Christ at His right hand (cf. Acts 7:55-56; Rom.
8:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet 3:22, & etc) But our Lord
Jesus Christ is not sitting on His earthly throne yet. His kingdom rule
is yet future (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 1 Tim. 4:1; & etc)! In this article
God’s decrees are examined in view of His divine attributes.
Sovereignty of God declared in the Historical Record
The idea of sovereignty assumes a reign, a kingship, authority over both a people and a land. This is illustrated by examining the book of Daniel – that great book which provides a prophetic look at ALL the kingdoms of the future. First, the great pronouncement by the king of Babylon who testified in an open letter to the world. After witnessing God’s absolute control over the great Babylonian kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar writes,
Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every
language that live in all the earth: May your peace abound! It has
seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High
God has done for me. How great are His signs And how mighty are His
wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from
generation to generation (Dan. 4:1-4)…. This sentence is by the decree
of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy
ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler
over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets
over it the lowliest of men (4:17)…. But at the end of that period, I,
Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to
me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives
forever; For His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does
according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ (4:34-25)
Incredibly, the very next world government proclaims the same truth!
After conquering the Babylonian Empire, Darius, the representative of
the Media-Persian Empire, witnesses and testifies of God’s sovereign
control over all.
Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every
language who were living in all the land: "May your peace abound! I
make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and
tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring
forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His
dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions (Dan. 6:25-27).
What is seen from these few verses is that God has revealed His
sovereignty over the most brutal, stubborn, pagan rulers of all time.
He does this because He is the Creator of the Universe. Dr. Chafer
writes, "The sovereignty of God is discerned in the absolute manner in
which all things have been assigned their respective place in creation,
in appointing to men their day and generation as well as the bounds of
their habitation, and in the exercise of saving grace." [1]
He goes on to write, "We are not required to reconcile the divine decrees and human liberty. It is enough to know that God has decreed all things which come to pass, and that men are answerable for their actions." [2]
God’s Decrees as Actual History and the doctrine of Immutability
The description by the kings of the world empires in Daniel occurred in actual history. The workings of the throne room are described to Daniel as he is given his vision of the end of the "beast" in Daniel chapter seven. He sees a vision of the four beasts and the Ancient of Days as thrones were put in place (7:9), the court was seated, and the books opened. Then Daniel writes,
Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words
which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain,
and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the
rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of
life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. I kept
looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One
like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And
was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a
kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not
pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed (Dan.
7:11-14 – NASB).
This is not a metaphor for one’s overcoming adversary, but an actual literal event that will occur. It has been decreed because it has been foretold. Dr. Pink says, "…It is not self-evident that if God foreknows all things, He has also fore-ordained all things? Is it not clear that God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be? God’s foreknowledge is not the cause of events, rather are events the effects of His eternal purpose. When God has decreed a thing shall be, He knows it will be. In the nature of things there cannot be anything known as what shall be, unless it is certain to be, and there is nothing certain to be unless God has ordained it shall be." [3]
The theological word "immutable" means "God is unchangeable and thus unchanging." [4] An example of this characteristic of God is Malachi 3:6, "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." A clear statement that God will preserve Israel as he has promised. In fact, one of the claims of those who hold so strongly to the sovereignty of God but, discard Israel by claiming that the church has replaced Israel, has to perform historical-grammatical hermeneutical murder in order to claim the future promises of Israel for the Church!
As God is infinite in wisdom and power there can be with Him no unforeseen emergency and nothing can resist the execution of His original intention. As Dr. Hodge so well states, "The uniformity of the laws of nature in a constant revelation of the immutability of God… No less stable are the laws which regulate the operations of the reason and conscience. The whole government of God, as the God of nature and as moral governor, rests on the immutability of his counsels." [5]
With respect to the doctrine of immutability, God promised Abraham (a) future descendents that would come from him and Sarah – a seed; (b) the land of Canaan; and (c) blessing. The land covenant of Deu. 28-30 amplifies the land aspect. The Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:8-17) amplifies the seed aspect, and finally, the New covenant (Jer. 31:27-37; Ezek. 36:22-32) amplifies the blessing aspect. That is, there is both a near and far prophetic fulfillment provided.
The basic promise to Abraham is seen throughout history, some fulfilled, but not all. Abraham was abundantly blessed with material things. He possessed land, servants, flocks of livestock, silver, and gold. In spiritual things, he lived a happy life of separation to God, communion with God, he was sustained by God, and had peace and confidence that comes from an obedient life and dependence on God. Abraham also had a great name (in his own time) which even today is regarded highly in the three religions Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. He had an heir by Sarah, bore innumerable seed (offspring), and was (and still is) a channel of blessing to others. Moreover, history has born out the blessings and curses of the Abraham covenant. Nations that have persecuted and cursed Israel, God has cursed. Those that have blessed Israel, God has blessed. [6]
The Abrahamic covenant has eternal promises which are yet future. A people, land and blessing imply a kingdom, which will be fulfilled in the future Messianic kingdom. The nation Israel as the physical seed of Abraham must be perpetuated. If Israel is to possess the land forever, they must exist forever. God will preserve a remnant in every generation. Steven McAvoy says, "In spite of Israel’s disobedience they will be preserved as a nation. Israel will be restored to the land. Israel will undergo severe discipline for disobedience that will turn them to repentance. Israel will experience a national conversion and spiritual regeneration that will qualify them for eternal possession of the land in material and spiritual blessing. …The Abrahamic covenant guarantees Israel everlasting possession of, and blessing in, the land as geographically outlined in Genesis 15…. And while Israel presently forfeits these blessings due to unbelief, the church, by its association with the Mediator of the new covenant, inherits the spiritual blessings of the new covenant (forgiveness of sin, spiritual regeneration, indwelling Holy Spirit, etc., see Jer. 31:33-34; Ezek. 36:25-27). When Israel repents and accepts Christ (Zech. 12:10-14), the nation shall inherit all these spiritual blessings and restoration to the land with its attendant material blessings (Ezek. 36:22-38)." [7]
The Decrees of God are Free
Another aspect of the sovereign prophecy of God is that His decrees are free and in no case conditional. "If He has not absolutely determined on what is to occur, but waits until an undetermined condition is or is not fulfilled, then his decrees can neither be eternal nor immutable." [8] The Scriptures teach that He does whatever He pleases (Ps. 115:3; Ecc. 3:14). He does His pleasure in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth (Dan. 4:35; Ps. 135:6).
Free Acts are Foreordained
The decrees of God are in no case conditional. An example is found in the statement spoken by Paul concerning time.
Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all
from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under
guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So also we,
while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things
of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His
Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those
who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons
(Gal. 4:1-5 – NASB).
The idea is that God has appointed a specific day, a specific time, for all His decrees. In the Greek the word in verse 2 is prothesmios meaning "set beforehand, appointed or determined beforehand." [9] The word is a compound from ‘pro’ meaning before and tithemi meaning "to set, put, place, make, fix, establish." The appointed time has been set by the Father and it involves a completeness of time,
meaning there are other things which must be put in place and completed
before this decree is fulfilled. The preciseness of the Greek used by
Paul is stunning as he uses the word pleroma in "when the fullness of time." The word pleroma means, "that which is (has been) filled, fullness, abundance, a fulfilling," and chronos meaning "time" in the general sense. This statement establishes God’s
sovereignty over events for He alone is the author and definer of time and He alone declares the "fullness of time!"
This is again seen in the original language by the Hebrew word mow’ed meaning "appointed place," or "appointed time," that which is used by God to let people know when His decrees will take place. It is used for example in the following prophetic sequence:
Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time
[mow’ed] I will return to you, at this time [‘eth] next year, and Sarah
will have a son (Gen. 18:14).
So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time [mow’ed] of which God had spoken to him (Gen. 21:2).
As can be seen in this example, God decreed Sarah would have a son at
a specific time [mow’ed], and when the fullness of time came, Sarah
bore a son! "The unrestrained, sovereign purpose of God is seen in the
ordering of the succession of the ages. That God has a program of the
ages is disclosed in many passages (cf. Deut. 30:1-10; Dan. 2:31-45;
7:1-28; 9:24-27; Hos. 3:4, 5; Mat. 23:37-25:46; Acts 15:13-18; Rom.
11:13-29; 2 Thes. 2:1-12; Rev. 2:1-22:31)….it is clearly disclosed that
there are ages past (Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26), the present age (Rom. 12:2;
Gal. 1:4) and the age, or ages, to come (Eph. 2:7; Heb. 6:5; note Eph.
1:10, where the future age is termed the dispensation – oikovomia – of
the fullness – plaroma – of times – kaipos)." [10]
End Notes:
[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1993), Vol. 1, p.222
[2] Ibid. p. 243.
[3] Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Baker Books, 1995), p. 109
[4] Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), p. 43
[5] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Hendrickson, 2003), vol. 1, p. 539
[6] Mal Couch, gen. ed., Dictionary of Premillennial Theology (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1996), p. 32
[7] ibid, p. 32
[8] Hodge, p. 540
[9] TWNT, Online Bible Greek Lexicon, version 1.2
[10] Chafer, p. 253
Sovereignty of God declared in the Historical Record
The idea of sovereignty assumes a reign, a kingship, authority over both a people and a land. This is illustrated by examining the book of Daniel – that great book which provides a prophetic look at ALL the kingdoms of the future. First, the great pronouncement by the king of Babylon who testified in an open letter to the world. After witnessing God’s absolute control over the great Babylonian kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar writes,
He goes on to write, "We are not required to reconcile the divine decrees and human liberty. It is enough to know that God has decreed all things which come to pass, and that men are answerable for their actions." [2]
God’s Decrees as Actual History and the doctrine of Immutability
The description by the kings of the world empires in Daniel occurred in actual history. The workings of the throne room are described to Daniel as he is given his vision of the end of the "beast" in Daniel chapter seven. He sees a vision of the four beasts and the Ancient of Days as thrones were put in place (7:9), the court was seated, and the books opened. Then Daniel writes,
This is not a metaphor for one’s overcoming adversary, but an actual literal event that will occur. It has been decreed because it has been foretold. Dr. Pink says, "…It is not self-evident that if God foreknows all things, He has also fore-ordained all things? Is it not clear that God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be? God’s foreknowledge is not the cause of events, rather are events the effects of His eternal purpose. When God has decreed a thing shall be, He knows it will be. In the nature of things there cannot be anything known as what shall be, unless it is certain to be, and there is nothing certain to be unless God has ordained it shall be." [3]
The theological word "immutable" means "God is unchangeable and thus unchanging." [4] An example of this characteristic of God is Malachi 3:6, "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." A clear statement that God will preserve Israel as he has promised. In fact, one of the claims of those who hold so strongly to the sovereignty of God but, discard Israel by claiming that the church has replaced Israel, has to perform historical-grammatical hermeneutical murder in order to claim the future promises of Israel for the Church!
As God is infinite in wisdom and power there can be with Him no unforeseen emergency and nothing can resist the execution of His original intention. As Dr. Hodge so well states, "The uniformity of the laws of nature in a constant revelation of the immutability of God… No less stable are the laws which regulate the operations of the reason and conscience. The whole government of God, as the God of nature and as moral governor, rests on the immutability of his counsels." [5]
With respect to the doctrine of immutability, God promised Abraham (a) future descendents that would come from him and Sarah – a seed; (b) the land of Canaan; and (c) blessing. The land covenant of Deu. 28-30 amplifies the land aspect. The Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:8-17) amplifies the seed aspect, and finally, the New covenant (Jer. 31:27-37; Ezek. 36:22-32) amplifies the blessing aspect. That is, there is both a near and far prophetic fulfillment provided.
The basic promise to Abraham is seen throughout history, some fulfilled, but not all. Abraham was abundantly blessed with material things. He possessed land, servants, flocks of livestock, silver, and gold. In spiritual things, he lived a happy life of separation to God, communion with God, he was sustained by God, and had peace and confidence that comes from an obedient life and dependence on God. Abraham also had a great name (in his own time) which even today is regarded highly in the three religions Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. He had an heir by Sarah, bore innumerable seed (offspring), and was (and still is) a channel of blessing to others. Moreover, history has born out the blessings and curses of the Abraham covenant. Nations that have persecuted and cursed Israel, God has cursed. Those that have blessed Israel, God has blessed. [6]
The Abrahamic covenant has eternal promises which are yet future. A people, land and blessing imply a kingdom, which will be fulfilled in the future Messianic kingdom. The nation Israel as the physical seed of Abraham must be perpetuated. If Israel is to possess the land forever, they must exist forever. God will preserve a remnant in every generation. Steven McAvoy says, "In spite of Israel’s disobedience they will be preserved as a nation. Israel will be restored to the land. Israel will undergo severe discipline for disobedience that will turn them to repentance. Israel will experience a national conversion and spiritual regeneration that will qualify them for eternal possession of the land in material and spiritual blessing. …The Abrahamic covenant guarantees Israel everlasting possession of, and blessing in, the land as geographically outlined in Genesis 15…. And while Israel presently forfeits these blessings due to unbelief, the church, by its association with the Mediator of the new covenant, inherits the spiritual blessings of the new covenant (forgiveness of sin, spiritual regeneration, indwelling Holy Spirit, etc., see Jer. 31:33-34; Ezek. 36:25-27). When Israel repents and accepts Christ (Zech. 12:10-14), the nation shall inherit all these spiritual blessings and restoration to the land with its attendant material blessings (Ezek. 36:22-38)." [7]
The Decrees of God are Free
Another aspect of the sovereign prophecy of God is that His decrees are free and in no case conditional. "If He has not absolutely determined on what is to occur, but waits until an undetermined condition is or is not fulfilled, then his decrees can neither be eternal nor immutable." [8] The Scriptures teach that He does whatever He pleases (Ps. 115:3; Ecc. 3:14). He does His pleasure in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth (Dan. 4:35; Ps. 135:6).
Free Acts are Foreordained
The decrees of God are in no case conditional. An example is found in the statement spoken by Paul concerning time.
This is again seen in the original language by the Hebrew word mow’ed meaning "appointed place," or "appointed time," that which is used by God to let people know when His decrees will take place. It is used for example in the following prophetic sequence:
So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time [mow’ed] of which God had spoken to him (Gen. 21:2).
End Notes:
[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1993), Vol. 1, p.222
[2] Ibid. p. 243.
[3] Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Baker Books, 1995), p. 109
[4] Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), p. 43
[5] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Hendrickson, 2003), vol. 1, p. 539
[6] Mal Couch, gen. ed., Dictionary of Premillennial Theology (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1996), p. 32
[7] ibid, p. 32
[8] Hodge, p. 540
[9] TWNT, Online Bible Greek Lexicon, version 1.2
[10] Chafer, p. 253
