Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 13

We as Children of God are Called to be Holy Part 4

1 Peter 1:20-21 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ was not a knee jerk reaction by God the Father that took place after Adams sin in the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Peter next reminded those persecuted Jewish believers back then who were scattered into many other nations from their home in Jerusalem that Christ coming to the earth 🌎 and living a perfect life of obedience to God the Father and then allowing His Blood to be spilled and dying for their/our sins was always the plan of God before He ever created the world 🗺 or we humans, as Peter says with these words, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:20-21) (KJV). The English word 'foreordained' is translated by the Greek word proginōskō meaning to know beforehand, that is, foresee: - foreknow (ordain), know (before). God the Father knew Adam would sin and disobey before He was ever created, however, God the Father had likewise already devised the perfect redemption plan to bring man back to Himself, that is, reconcile us back into personal relationship with Him through the 'Blood of Christ'. Some may ask, Why did not God create man (Adam) that he would not ever disobey? Answer: If He had done that, then He would have created an android or robot that is devoid of 'free will' and that was never the plan or intention of our Creator. God has made man in His own image (Genesis 1:26), yes, and God is One God in three (3) persons, God the Father & God the Son (Jesus) & God the Holy Spirit; likewise man 👨 and woman 👩 is one person represented in three (3) man has a spirit which gives him/her life & every human being has a unique soul that makes them like no other human being & man/woman lives inside a physical flesh and blood body. The angels, seraphim, and the ark angels are not like we are represented in three (3), for they are just one being. God has made human beings uniquely different than any other of His created beings and this is why the holy angels are so fascinated to look into our redemption through Christ (1 Peter 1:12). Christ place in the Holy Trinity is the cornerstone of all things in Heaven and on the earth 🌎 and in the seen realm and the unseen realm (Colossians 1:20). The fallen angels hatred for us stems from Christ love for human beings and His desire that anyone who recognizes that they are a sinner would come to Him in repentance and faith and be reconciled by His Blood, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church with these words, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) (NKJV).

Let us then understand that just as Christ was 'foreordained' before the foundation of the world 🗺 to become the incarnate God/Man, so were everyone of us redeemed, reconciled, resurrected sinners known by God the Father before He ever created Adam and Eve. It is not that God made or created some to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity and some He made to die in their sins and spend eternity in hell, but it is that God is Omniscient (meaning all knowing or He knows everything). God knew every single individual soul who would truly repent/change their/our mind/turn from sin to Him through Christ sacrifice for sin and be born again or begotten again or born from above, for being 'born again' (John 3:3) is what makes us children of God and it is the wedding garment that allows us entrance into Heaven (the Wedding Feast or Marriage Supper of the Lamb), as told to us in this parable from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, "Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:9-14) (NKJV). God also knew every single human soul who would reject, refuse, or resist His offer of reconciliation and by so doing spend eternity in hell and the lake of fire, as documented for us by the Apostle John with these words, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15) (NKJV). Those of us who are redeemed only die once, while every sinner without reconciliation to God will die twice and the second death is any eternity in the lake of fire that the Apostle John  detailed for us above.

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 1:20-21, "Having mentioned the price of redemption, the Apostle goes on to speak of some things relating both to the Redeemer and the redeemed, 1 Peter 1:20-21. The Redeemer is further described, not only as a Lamb without spot, but as one, That was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, fore-ordained or foreknown. When prescience is ascribed to God, it implies more than bare prospect or speculation. It imports an act of the will, a resolution that the thing shall be, Acts 2:23. God did not only foreknow, but determine and decree, that His Son should die for man, and this decree was before the foundation of the world. Time and the world began together; before the commencement of time there was nothing but eternity. That was manifested in these last days for them. He was manifested or demonstrated to be that Redeemer whom God had fore-ordained. He was manifested by His birth, by His Father's testimony, and by His own works, especially by His resurrection from the dead, Romans 1:4. 'This was done in these last times of the New Testament and of the Gospel, for you, you Jews, you sinners, you afflicted ones; you have the comfort of the manifestation and appearance of Christ, if you believe on Him.' That was raised from the dead by the Father, who gave Him glory. The resurrection of Christ, considered as an act of power, is common to all the three persons, but as an act of judgment it is peculiar to the Father, who as a Judge released Christ, raised Him from the grave, and gave Him glory, proclaimed Him to all the world to be His Son by His resurrection from the dead, advanced Him to heaven, crowned Him with glory and honour, invested Him with all power in heaven and earth, and glorified Him with that glory which He had with God before the world was. The redeemed are also described here by their faith and hope, the cause of which is Jesus Christ: 'You do by Him believe in God - by Him as the author, encourager, support, and finisher of your faith; your faith and hope now may be in God, as reconciled to you by Christ the Mediator.' From all this we learn, The decree of God to send Christ to be a Mediator was from everlasting, and was a just and merciful decree, which yet does not at all excuse man's sin in crucifying Him, Acts 2:23. God had purposes of special favour towards His people long before He made any manifestations of such grace to them. Great is the happiness of the last times in comparison with what the former ages of the world enjoyed. The clearness of light, the supports of faith, the efficacy of ordinances, and the proportion of comforts - these are all much greater since the manifestation of Christ than they were before. Our gratitude and services should be suitable to such favours. The redemption of Christ belongs to none but true believers. A general impetration is asserted by some and denied by others, but none pretend to a general application of Christ's death for the salvation of all. Hypocrites and unbelievers will be ruined for ever, notwithstanding the death of Christ. God in Christ is the ultimate object of a Christian's faith, which is strongly supported by the resurrection of Christ, and the glory that did follow."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…