When we read the Bible, God tells us that all of His people (all God’s elect), are known to Him. He knows every single one of those whom He has elected from the foundation of the world to be saved.
But it does not make any difference when they were born (what decade, what century, or whatever). Even for those who were saved before May 21, 2011, God knows all His elect and He calls His people different names in the Bible. For instance, let us turn to Revelation 21. There God calls His elect His bride. We are going to look at some of the names that He calls His people. He calls His people by different names. In Revelation 21:1-2, we read:
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city (all God’s elect), new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
God’s people are known as the “bride” of Christ. That is one of the names that He calls His people. We are the bride of Christ and there are other verses in the Bible that we could look at to prove that this is so. But we cannot look at all the verses, they are just one here and one there.
In Revelation 21:2, God calls His people the “bride” of Christ. Let us look in other parts of the Bible. Let us turn to Romans chapter 8. In Romans chapter 8, there He calls His people, His (God’s) “elect” and another word for “elect” is the word “chosen”. His people are His chosen ones.
Remember that in Ephesians 1:4 we read, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”. In Romans 8:28, let us pick up the context, there we read:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, …
The only way we are going to love God is when God saves us and then do we love Him. It continues:
… to them who are the called …
another name that God calls His people is, we are the “called” of Him. It continues:
… (we are called) according to his purpose.
Remember, it’s speaking about that, His people are saved to the praise and glory of God. He called His people for His purpose. He saves His people for His purposes and not theirs. In Romans 8:29-31, we read:
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. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
And in Romans 8:33, we read:
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
He calls His people “His elect”. Remember, that He also calls His people “His bride”. Let us take a look at Colossians 3:12-15. In Colossians 3:12-15, we read:
Put on therefore, as the elect of God (His people are His elect), holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Notice the words “… elect of God …” in verse 12. We are His elect and that is what He calls His people. Let us go to Titus chapter 1. In Titus 1:1-3, we read:
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
Notice the word “elect”. Notice also that it is throughout the New Testament in the Bible. Remember, that God calls His people His elect. Let us look at the gospel of John chapter 15. In John 15:12-16, we read:
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends (He calls His (God’s) people His friends), if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, 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.
So there, He calls His people His friends. They are friends of His and notice how beautiful that is and let us read on a little bit further. In John 15:18-19, we read:
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
We are His chosen ones. We are His elect. Let us take a look at 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14. There we read:
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord (God’s elect are God’s beloved), because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice that certain people (God’s elect) were chosen of God to salvation. The teaching of “free will” is taught throughout the world and in the churches by many people. It is not found in the Bible. God has from the beginning chosen certain people (God’s elect) to salvation, to believe. God gives His people the faith to believe and it is not their will. They cannot do that.
There is another verse in Ephesians 1. God tells that we were chosen in Him. He elected us to salvation and so forth. There are other places in the Bible, God calls us that we are sons of His. We are sons of God and when we think about that, we may wonder how could that be? That God would call us His son, not in the way Christ is, but here He calls us “sons” and how He tells that we are going to reign. We are kings, we are going to reign with Him throughout all eternity.
It boggles the mind that God would do that for any one of us but it is true, it is true. Let us look at more verses in Psalm 147. Let us turn over to Psalm 147. In Psalm 147:1-2, we read:
Praise ye JEHOVAH: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. JEHOVAH doth build up Jerusalem (that is the Jerusalem of God): he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
Who does the gathering of His people? God does the gathering. In Psalm 147:3-4, we read:
He healeth the broken in heart (that is God’s elect, before they are saved, God gives them a broken and a contrite heart and spiritually He heals them), and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars (is He speaking about the stars out there in space? No. It is His people. He calls them “stars”); he calleth them all by their names.
God saves His elect individually. Also notice that just because mom and dad are saved that does not mean that the children are also saved. The children are just as rebellious against God as anyone else. So, children should not think that, just because mom and dad are saved, that they too are also saved. Remember, God saves His elect individually.
We see in the Bible that there were men who truly loved the LORD, who had children that were not saved at all. So we have to be careful with that. Parents should not assume that just because they (their children) have been hearing the Word of God all their life, that they are saved. Just because they may have heard the Word of God all their life, that does not mean that they are saved. They do grow up and we may notice whether they are saved or not.
So about the stars there, God is speaking about His people. He calls them all by their names. All of God’s elect are known to Him, every single one of them. Please hold your hand here (Psalm 147:3-4) and go over to the book of Daniel. In the book of Daniel, the true believers are called “stars”. Let us go to Daniel chapter 12. In Daniel 12:3, we read:
And they that be wise (spiritually when our spiritual eyes are open, we are wise spiritually) shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Here it is speaking about the true believers. They are known as “stars” in the Bible and back over in Psalm 147, let us read Psalm 147:5-6. In Psalm 147:5-6, we read:
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. JEHOVAH lifteth up the meek (Remember, “Blessed are the meek: …” in the beattitudes): he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
And the Psalm goes on, and there we see that God calls His people “stars” and let us go back to the gospel of John chapter 10. In John 10:1-5, we read:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. …
The “thief and a robber” are those who bring up false gospels, even though they try to get into Heaven, by another way and that will never work. Remember, Christ is the door. They steal the Word of God and so forth. It continues:
… But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep (the true believers are the sheep) hear his voice: (The true believers will hear because God has given them ears to hear, they will hear the voice of God spiritually. Many people hear the gospel but they are not saved, they are spiritually dead. Remember, the sheep hear His voice) and he calleth his own sheep by name (see how that ties in with Psalm 147. He calls them by name), and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Notice that, when your spiritual eyes are open, you become very sensitive to truth. From the moment you hear that somebody is bringing another gospel, you will know that that is not true and God’s people who have their spiritual ears open, will not listen to that. They will leave, they will get away from it because they know that that is not true and it is not true to the word of God.
Let us look at 1 John, and these are just few verses in 1 John. Here in 1 John, God calls His people, in other words you see this through 1 John, He calls them “little children”. We are His little children. But, it doesn’t make a difference how old you are. We are “little children”. In 1 John 2:1, we read:
My little children (is not that as how a father may say to his son, “my son” or “my little son”, or “my little child” and here God is calling us, “My little children …”), these things write I unto you (He is writing to His elect (His people)), that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And in 1 John 2:12, we read:
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you (and whose sins are forgiven? God’s people (God’s elect). They are the only ones who have their sins forgiven. If you are not a child of God, your sin remains) for his names sake.
And in 1 John 2:18, we read:
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
And in 1 John 2:28, we read:
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear (which we believe that this may happen in few more weeks), we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Notice there that He is speaking to His little children. 1 John 4:4, we read:
Ye are of God (notice who God’s people are of, we are of God), little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
God’s people are of Him. They are His little children and God uses many other verses in the Bible to call His people names and how wonderful it is that God would do that for us and we are to see how He calls them (God’s people) His bride. They are the bride of Christ, they are the sons and daughters, they are His elect and God just goes on to call His people all these beautiful and wonderful names.
He tells us that we are His, we are His elect. He called us and we are the called of Christ and so forth and God just goes on to tell us and there are many other verses that I have not looked at but I just wanted to share these few verses with us.
Also, we can trust that fact that God has not abandonned us. God has not abandonned His people. He holds us, He keeps us and in the mean time, we continue to wait for the LORD. We shoul wait upon Him and study the Bible and look at these end times verses. Many people are so discouraged to stop looking at scriptures pointing to the end of the world. That is wrong. We should continue to search the Bible regarding these matters, whatever matter it is.
Can we learn something about the end and also about where we are? We should continue to do that. We should never stop searching the scriptures. When we are taught these things, we should check it out in the Bible to see whether these things are so and we continue to wait upon the LORD until He comes which is not too long from now.
Let us stop here and let us close.
Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, we thank you O LORD for thy Word. O LORD what would we do without thy Word? What would we know? We would not know anything. We know O LORD that thy Word is truth. The Word of God came from the very mouth of the Almighty God. O LORD, we pray that You would have us to wait upon thee, to continue to study the Bible and O LORD, we pray that You will lead us into truth, You will bring us home with You when You are ready and O LORD and we pray that You would continue to open our eyes to truth and to study faithfully to thy Word. We pray for Family Radio, Mr. Camping and for all thine elect who are waiting patiently upon thee O LORD because I believe that shortly all thy people will be with you and this world will be forgotten. It will never come into mind anymore and O LORD we look forward to that day. O LORD we pray for Chris as he brings forth thy Word and O LORD we pray that you would correct us from thy Word and O LORD all our eyes wait upon thee for all things. O LORD we thank you for thy mercy, in Jesus name. Amen