Before the Foundation of the World: God’s Eternal Nature (Ep2 – Debrecen Series)

He saw it all at the same time. He didn’t see it all at the same time. It was in him at the same time. And if you don’t like the fact that you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, I can’t help you.

You say, well, what if I go out there sinning like all get out? Then I can’t still be a Christian. Remember that the one who chose you before the foundation of the world was standing at the end of creation when he did it. You are post-destined. He was standing here when he chose you there before creation. 

I was in Poland recently and a man came in on the second message. And he was an American who lives in Poland. He jumped up out of his chair and stormed out of the room, and after the meeting, I went outside. I was angry because he disturbed the meeting. He came to me and said, you’re one of these people. Are you not? Tell me. Are you not one of these people who believe you can get saved and go sin and do anything you want to? I said, would you quote something after me?

And he said, no. And I said, then I’ll quote it. I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and let me tell you what he answered, he can’t handle that, that’s not possible because for him salvation is totally based on good conduct, and by the way he had a beard and he had one of these shirts on all of this kind of very plain clothing. And he said, this is what I believe. I believe that everyone was chosen before the foundation of the world, and then people choose not to be chosen. I don’t find that in the Bible.  Well, I don’t find going out living a bad life and still being saved at the end either.  

I’ll tell you what I found, let me show you what I find, this is the Big Bang. And it went like that. And it comes back here. Now you tell me where the end is. The beginning and the end are standing right at the same point. Let me have my timeline again. I have shown you time. And it’s not like this. And my little handkerchief won’t bend. You’re going to have to use your imagination here, folks. But see it this way. That’s the beginning and that’s the end. And they’re right there.

And my father stood at the beginning and at the end.  He saw me coming and he saw me going. He saw me at the beginning of everything, He saw me at the end of everything, and he chose me on the basis of both. He is the beginning but here is the wonderful thing about it.  I want you to look at this real carefully, will you put the sheet back over it. This is God, here’s creation, this is what creation really looks like, and creation is in him, and he chose me before he did any of this, and he did you too. But he was, when he chose us, he was seeing this. 

Now, brothers, that’s as clear as I can make it. Beautiful. What’s my point? My point is not that you chose it. My point is not that time goes like this. My point is that you are an element of Christ. Something deep within you, part of you is Christ. There is a part of you that was in him before the foundation of the world, and then there came a place in your time, not in His, when that element was placed that element of Himself was placed in you and that’s point one except I’m really telling you what a glorious Lord you have.

Now would you like your point two?

Okay, then here’s what we’ll do. We’ll come back tomorrow morning and find out what point two is. Try to keep these things in mind. The only thing I have shown you right now is that creation is in Christ. And I guess I’ve shown you that you were in Christ before the foundation of the world. Tomorrow morning, we’ll try to understand this incredible, incredible statement in Revelation, I think it’s 18, we’ll find out tomorrow folks – we don’t know much about the Bible here, do we – by the way, for all of your understanding when I was 17 years old I made a decision and I would never read my New Testament paying any attention to chapters and verses I would read it as it was, an entire letter.

And I have never memorized verses. I have looked at, as you can see here today, I have looked at great, sweeping pictures that move from one end to the other.

This incredible verse, what does it mean? “He was slain before the foundation of the world.” Well, just take that and think about this. Before I created all things, I finished all things. Brothers, there is nothing I have said to you today that is easy to understand.

It’s very forgettable. Please don’t forget it. And may your New Testament become new.  And may you always see this carpenter. Oh, may you see this carpenter. So full and rich. He remembers everything we just talked about. While he’s walking down the road. You talk of your father, Moses, and Abraham. Before Abraham was. I enveloped Abraham. Before Abraham was, I absolutely surrounded creation.