Romans Chapter 9 Vs. 16

God's Sovereign Choice

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. Rom 9:16

Many will seek to do the things of God, but many will do these things for the wrong reasons. Just being a good person and doing things their way according to how they believe, no matter what they do, will not be shown mercy. We live in a society today that this has become the norm. Many have created their own God instead of obeying God’s Word. This will be a fatal mistake as many in that day will cry out “Lord, Lord” but the Lord will tell them, “Depart, I never knew you.”

It is God and He alone who shows mercy. It is His gracious choice of certain people unto eternal life. Salvation is not initiated by human choice and even faith is a gift of God. Salvation is never merited by human effort.

1Pet. 2:9-10 “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” “Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

We read also in Titus:

Tit. 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

The Apostle Paul then presented his third illustration, the Egyptian Pharaoh of the Exodus. To him God said through Moses, I raised you up (i.e., brought you onto the scene of history) to display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth (cf. Exo. 9:16). God’s power (cf. Rom. 9:22) was demonstrated as He freed the Israelites from under Pharaoh’s hand. And other nations heard about it and were awed (Exo. 15:14-16; Jos. 2:10-11; 9:9; 1Sam. 4:8). 

Daniel Chapter 11 Vs. 42

The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:42 "He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape."



He shall stretch... The countries referred to here must be the three kingdoms he will subdue (Dan. 7:24), besides the rest of the ten kingdoms of Revised Rome that will submit to him (Rev. 17:12-17), plus Libya and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:43).

the land of... If the wars of Dan. 11:5-34 are only between Syria and Egypt, and if the last-day war of Dan. 11:40-43 is between Syria and Egypt, ending with the overthrow of Egypt (the king of the south) by Syria (the king of the north), then it settles the question as to where Antichrist comes from. He arises from Syria and will fulfill Dan. 7:8, 7:19-27; 8:9-14, 8:22-25; 9:27; 11:40-45; 12:1-7; Rev. 6:1-8; 13:1-18; 16:13-16; 17:8-17; 19:19-21.

This powerful ruler that has set himself up as god in the temple in Jerusalem has control over many armies and many countries. At one point, they will all be subject to him.



When the Antichrist hears of this invasion, he will move his army from Europe into the Middle East, sweeping through many countries… like a flood (Dan. 11:40). He will move quickly into the land of Israel, the Beautiful Land (Dan. 11:41; cf. Dan. 11:16; 8:9). His first strike will be against Egypt (Dan. 11:42-43), for Egypt and her Arab allies (Libyans and Nubians, Dan. 11:43) are the ones who will initiate the invasion on Israel.

Romans Chapter 9 Vs. 15

God's Sovereign Choice

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Rom 9:15

I will have... See Exo. 33:19. Here Paul shows that God is sovereign over His mercy. He has laid down His terms of mercy and compassion and will not dispense with either until people meet His terms. He will not save one soul without repentance and continued conformity to His will, nor will He damn one soul that will meet His terms.

It is God’s world and we are His creation. He can do with us whatever He chooses to do. We are His creation and He is the Creator.

This is quoted from (Exodus 33:19). In response to the accusation that such a teaching about God’s sovereign election is inconsistent with His fairness, Paul cites this text from the Old Testament that clearly indicates that God is absolutely sovereign, and does elect who will be saved without violating His other attributes. He determines who receives mercy.

The issue in such matters is not justice but sovereign decision, as God’s word to Moses (Exo. 33:19) quoted by Paul indicates. 

Daniel Chapter 11 Vs. 41

 The King of the North

Daniel 11:41 "He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon."




He shall enter... After Antichrist from Syria has conquered Greece, Turkey, and Egypt and the countries making up these last-day divisions of the Grecian Empire, he then breaks his covenant with the Jews (Dan. 9:27), entering into Palestine as well as taking over the many countries of the other six kingdoms of Revised Rome.

but these shall... The Antichrist’s kingdom will be limited. Here, three countries escape out of his hand even though they border on his empire.

Notice these centers in the holy land {Israel}.




Simultaneous with the invasion of Israel by the king of the South (Egypt) will be an invasion by the king of the North. Some Bible scholars equate this invasion with the one by Gog and Magog, for Gog will “come from… the far north” (Eze. 38:15). Others say the battle of Gog and Magog will occur in the first half of the 70th “seven” and thus before this two-pronged invasion in Dan. 11:40. They suggest that the battle of Gog and Magog will occur when Israel is at peace (Eze. 38:11, 38:14). According to that view, a difference is made between Gog who will come from “the far north” (Eze. 38:15) and a later invasion which will be headed by “the king of the North” (Dan. 11:40). Either way the king of the North in Dan. 11:40 is certainly not one of the Seleucid kings of the North in Dan. 11:5-35. This invasion has no correspondence to historical facts; it is yet future.

Romans Chapter 9 Vs. 14

 

God's Sovereign Choice

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Rom 9:14

What shall we... Questions 53-54. Next, Rom. 9:19. These questions are answered with another "God forbid." There is no unrighteousness with God if He sees the dispositions of two boys and chooses on the basis of what He can foresee in each one. So with God’s present dealings with Israel and the Gentiles. If He sees that Jews will be continually rebelling against Him and the Gentiles will not, can He not act accordingly without unrighteousness? God is not responsible for the acts of Esau or Jacob; Jews or Gentiles. He had to make the choice of Jacob over Esau due to the dispositions and lives of the boys. So now, He has to set aside Israel, due to her ever increasing rebellion of over 1,800 years. The only thing left for Him to do is to use the Gentiles if they will carry out His program (Mat. 21:33-45).

If this had been predestined some would say this was unfair, but this was not predestined, only known ahead of time by God.

Paul had once again anticipated his reader’s objection to Paul’s theology: If God were to choose some people for salvation and pass over others apart from their merits or actions, that would make God arbitrary and unfair.

With the words, What then shall we say? (cf. Rom. 4:1; 6:1; 8:31) Paul introduced the question undoubtedly in his readers’ minds, Is God unjust in choosing Isaac over Ishmael, and Jacob over Esau? The Greek negative particle (mē) with a question implies a negative response. Paul responded in his usual emphatic way, Not at all! (mē genoito; cf. see Rom. 3:4)

Daniel Chapter 11 Vs. 40

 The King of the North

Daniel 11:40 "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over."

at the time... This definitely identifies the time of fulfillment of the main purpose of the vision (Dan. 11:40; 8:19; 9:27; 11:35, 11:45; 12:1, 12:7-13). The vision concerns the very end of the Gentile world powers symbolized by the image of Dan. 2:1-49 and the beasts of Dan. 7:1-28 and Dan. 8:1-27; Rev. 13:1-18; 17:8-17. At the time of the end of this age in which we live, "shall the king of the south (Egypt) push at him (that is, at the king of the north); and the king of the north (Syria) shall come against him (that is, at the king of the south) like a whirlwind" with his armies and navies and conquer many countries (Dan. 11:40).

Revival of the Grecian Empire:

The above quotation refers to the little horn or Antichrist coming out of the 10 horns of Revised Rome, and after them to get power over them in the first half (3 1/2 years) of Daniel’s 70th week. He subdues 3 of them (Dan. 7:23:24). The others submit to him without further struggle (Rev. 17:12-17). He comes from Syria, one of the 4 divisions of the Grecian Empire (Dan. 8:9, 8:23; 11:36-45) and overthrows the other 3 divisions—Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. He thus revives the old Grecian Empire, which is symbolized by a leopard (Dan. 7:6; Rev. 13:1-2). The other 6 kingdoms of the old Roman Empire submit to him, making him their leader in a war with the north and east (Dan. 11:44; Rev. 17:12-17).

into the countries... The "countries" here are the ones of the old Grecian Empire divisions, as dealt with in this chapter, as well as Dan. 8:8-9, 8:20-23.

The king of the south could be Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, or any other country south of Israel. The king of the north, here, could be the area we used to call Russia, or any other country north of Israel.

Notice, it appears the king of the north and the king of the south are both against the same man. This reminds me very much of the army in Ezekiel chapter 38.

The king attacked

The events in Dan. 11:40-45 will transpire at the time of the end, that is, they will occur in the second half of the 70th “seven” of years. Him refers back to the king introduced in Dan. 11:36. In Dan. 11:40-45 every occurrence of “he” (seven times), “him” (four times), and “his” (three times) refers to this coming king. He will have entered into a covenant with the people of Israel, binding that nation as a part of his domain (Dan. 9:27). Any attack, then, against the land of Israel will be an attack against him with whom Israel will be joined by covenant.

Romans Chapter 9 Vs. 13

 

God's Sovereign Choice

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Rom 9:13

Jacob have I... I have loved you.

Fourteen statements of God to Israel and ten rebellious answers of Israel to God:

1. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet you say, Wherein have You loved us? (Mal. 1:2).

2. The priests despise My name. And you say, Wherein have we despised Your name? (Mal. 1:6).

3. You offer polluted bread upon My altar. And you say, Wherein have we polluted You? (Mal. 1:7).

4. You have profaned My table. You say, The table of the Lord is polluted ... His meat is contemptible (Mal. 1:12).

5. You said also, what weariness is it! and you have snuffed at it (Mal. 1:13).

6. You brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick for offerings. Should I accept such offerings?

7. Judah has dealt treacherously (Mal. 2:11).

8. Judah has profaned the holiness of the Lord which He loved.

9. You have practiced hypocrisy—weeping and crying in insincerity so that He will not regard your offerings. Yet you say, Wherefore? (Mal. 2:13-14)

10. You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, wherein have we wearied Him? (Mal. 2:17)

11. Even from the days of of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me and I will return unto you. But you said, Wherein shall we return? (Mal. 3:7)

12. Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings (Mal. 3:8).

13. Your words have been stout against Me. Yet you say, What have we spoken so much against You? (Mal. 3:13)

14. You have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? (Mal. 3:14)

Jacob and Esau were born approximately in 2005 B.C. Esau was the first born and when he was born, it was discovered that Jacob was holding onto his heel. He was called “heel-grabber”. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is “he who supplants, trips up another and takes his place.”

Esau was also the father of the Edomites.

We know that God would not hate Esau without a cause. God hated Esau, not because of who he was, but because he did not regard his birthright as being very valuable. In fact, he thought so little of it that he sold it to his brother for a bowl of soup.

Mal. 1:2-3 “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? [Was] not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,” “And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”

The blessing of God through Abraham and Isaac then would come through the second son Jacob. From him, the 12 tribes of Israel would come. I say again, God did not just hate Esau without a cause. Esau turned his back on God.

Now having said all of that let me explain the love and hate being mentioned.

Actual emotional hatred for Esau and his offspring is not the point here. Genesis mentions no divine hatred toward Esau but (Oba. 1-21), indicated that the Lord’s hatred was against Esau’s idolatrous descendants. In the same way, the Lord’s love for Jacob refers to his descendants who were His sovereignly elected people through whom the world’s Redeemer would come.

The love/hate relationship language does not signify a comparative love in which God loved Jacob more and Esau less. Rather, the context here speaks of love as “choosing for intimate fellowship” and hate as “not choosing for intimate fellowship” in the realm of redemption.

God’s “love” for Jacob was revealed in His choice of Jacob and God’s “hatred” for Esau was seen in His rejecting Esau for the line of promise. Hatred in this sense is not absolute but relative to a higher choice (cf. Mat. 6:24; Luke 14:26; John 12:25).