Ephesians 1:13-14

¹³ In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.

¹⁴ That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.

We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of God, so what or who can penetrate our Father’s Spirit to get to us? Can the devil? Can a demon? Can a man? If anything or anyone could penetrate the Holy Spirit to get to us, what would that make our Father? What good would be our Father’s guarantee of our inheritance if we could be lost? The glorious Truth is that we cannot be lost.

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] Romans 11:29

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day. John 6:39

Ephesians 1:7-8

⁷ In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor,

⁸ Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence),

The Blood of Jesus is what delivers us from all sin. It is Jesus’ mercy and His generous favor that covers up our shortcomings. So if that is true, let me ask you this: why wouldn’t everyone receive it? His Blood and His grace covers every sin and shortcoming, so wouldn’t that include not asking for it? We can see all throughout Jesus’ life people not asking for His grace and yet they still received it. Jesus healed ten lepers and only one stopped and thanked Him, Luke 17. The people who killed Jesus never asked for forgiveness and yet they received it, Luke 22:34. The woman caught in adultery never asked to be forgiven and yet she was, John 8. Jesus tells us to forgive, so when does that opportunity stop?

Many people will say that when a person dies all opportunity is lost to be forgiven, but if that were the case, why did Jesus go and preach to the souls in Hades after He was crucified, 1 Peter 3:20? Also if Jesus stopped forgiving people at some point, then He wouldn’t be the same yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews 13:8.

We have been given the Holy Spirit and we have been lavished with all wisdom and we have been graced with all spiritual blessings. The Truth sets us free and the Truth is that our Saviors sacrifice far outweighed Adams sin, Romans 5:15. One man brought sin to all men and one Man, Jesus, brought redemption to all men. If it were up to us to ask for it on our own, then we would all be doomed.

No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day. John 6:44

The dead who are not in Christ are raised up on the last day. Those of us who are in Him will be raised up 1,000 years before then.

The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:5

Pretty powerful grace isn’t it?

Ephesians 1:4-6

⁴ Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

⁵ For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]—

⁶ [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

An awful lot of people shy away from predestination and for the life of me I don’t know why? The same people will tell you that our Father knows the beginning and the end. They will also tell you that He is the Potter and that He is the Head. So why is there all of this shyness with predestination? Our Father controls everything, Colossians 1:16. He knows everything and He has a purpose and a plan for everything, so of course He had to predestine everything. But to help people along with this glorious and absolutely freeing Truth, here are some other scriptures.

 For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10

Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose, Isaiah 46:10

For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child and Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel, To carry out all that Your hand and Your will and purpose had predestined (predetermined) should occur. Acts 4:27-28

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased. To reveal (unveil, disclose) His Son within me so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles (the non-Jewish world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel with any frail human being or communicate with anyone]. Galatians 1:15-16

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16

O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10:23

For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. Romans 8:29-30

Ephesians 1:2

² May grace (God’s unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice where we are shown that Grace comes from, it is not from us, it is from our Father. Grace is underserved favor with God. We can do nothing to earn favor with God or obtain His favor. Grace is just given and it is given to us from God. Which leads me to what a lot of people believe and that is that Grace must be accepted to be had. But if that were true, then wouldn’t that mean that grace is earned by our acceptance? Yet we are plainly told that grace is unearned.

So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord. Romans 5:21

Our Father is not a respecter of persons, Acts 10:34. So this must mean that Grace is freely given to everyone, even if they don’t accept it! Think about the Jews who crucified Jesus to see this glorious Truth. These guys had no excuse whatsoever. They knew the Scriptures. They had seen the dead raised, the lame walk, and the blind gain their sight. Even though they lied, tortured, and killed Jesus, they still received forgiveness and Grace, Luke 23:34. They did not ask for it and they did not believe that they had received it. Yet they still did, that is how awesome our Father is and that is how powerful Jesus’ sacrifice was. If it were up to us to accept Grace we would blow it.

Ephesians 1:1

¹ Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the divine will (the purpose and the choice of God) to the saints (the consecrated, set-apart ones) at Ephesus who are also faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

This is a great place to study the Truth that it is our Father’s Will that is in control of our life’s. Paul was an Apostle because our Father wanted him to be an Apostle, not because Paul wanted to be one.

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased Galatians 1:15

The powerful thing about this Truth is that our Father knows all that we are. He knows every last one of our faults and he still chooses us. Paul was a murderer. He was zealous about persecuting Christians and yet that did not stop our Father’s Will. On the road to Damascus Paul wasn’t seeking out Jesus. He wasn’t longing for the Truth on his journey and yet that is exactly where our Father let him know that he was chosen.

Think about all of the Disciples and how we are shown that they were called? Jesus went to them and chose them, they did not first choose Jesus. Our Father is active, not reactive! Jesus is the Shepherd. He is our Vine, our Head, our Lord, and our Potter. We are the branches, the body, the servants, and the clay.

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10

Our age doesn’t hinder our Father. Our understanding or ability to believe doesn’t hinder Him. Our faults don’t either. Our Father is the Great I Am and His will is done on this earth, exactly as it is in Heaven.

Revelation 6:1-2

1 THEN I saw as the Lamb broke open one of the seven seals, and as if in a voice of thunder I heard one of the four living creatures call out, Come! 

2 And I looked, and saw there a white horse whose rider carried a bow. And a crown was given him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

In the Bible a horse is often used by our Father in prophesy to show power and great strength for battle. Job 39:19, Psalm 137:10. Jesus shows John here that this rider has been given great power by our Father; power to conquer. Jesus also shows John that he has been given a bow to do it with. A bow is a weapon that is used to wage war from a distance, and as we will study, all of the plagues, wars, and catastrophes in the Book of Revelation are first ordered and released from Heaven. Not until Jesus returns to the earth do we see that our Father has Him use a sword, the weapon of close range warfare, Revelation 19:5. 

A crown is used in prophesy to represent a ruler or kingship. Now I want you to take notice that this horseman is the only one of the four Apocalyptic Horsemen in the Book of Revelation that has been given a crown. We will study about three other Riders, but we are never told that the other three are given crowns. This Rider is given his power from our Father in Heaven to conquer and He has been given a crown. Our Father allows this ruler to successfully conquer nations from afar. His authority to rule is solely given by our Father and his power to conquer is solely given to him by our Father. He was given all of this power and ability to carry out our Father’s wrath on His disobedient children. Ask yourself this, does a loving father seek revenge and destruction or does he seek the correction of his children?  

I find it really powerful that the color of the horse that this Rider is given is white. White in prophesy represents purity. We don’t often think of conquerors as being pure, but this Rider’s horse, or his power to wage war, is pure. This shows us that our Father is in total control of the conquering and His judgments are righteous and they are true! Are you seeing anything developing here with the definition of this Rider? Who is now the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s, 1 Timothy 6:15? Who is now more than a conqueror, Romans 8:37? (This verse tells us that we are more than conquerors, but we are, only because Jesus is!) Who has now had all things placed under His feet, Ephesians 1:22? Who now holds the keys of death and Hades, Revelation 1:18? And Who rides on a white horse in Revelation 19:11? The answer to all of the questions is Jesus and only Jesus! 

Who better than Jesus to go and rage righteous and pure warfare on the disobedient? Who has our Father placed in charge of His judgments? Jesus is the One Who has been raised up to sit in complete power in Heavenly places. 

And in Your majesty ride on triumphantly for the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); and let Your right hand guide You to tremendous things. Your arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under You; Your darts pierce the hearts of the King's enemies. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness, uprightness, and right standing with God and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows.  Psalm 45:4-7

The First Horseman has a crown, because the first Horseman is Jesus! Jesus begins to pour out our Father’s wrath from Heaven, or in other word’s our Father’s correction. He has not returned to the earth when He begins to pour out our Father’s wrath. We know this because the seventh Trumpet, the final trumpet, has not yet sounded. 

The great peace for us in knowing this Truth, is that our Father is in total control of His wrath and He is pouring it out through our Lord and our Friend, Jesus, John 15:15. So why would we need raptured from the wrath of our Father, when the Rider of the White Horse, is our Lord and Savior, Who is also our Groom? Jesus’ Blood has been applied to our lives and just as it was with the Israelites in Egypt, the wrath of our Father will pass us by! We are now being shown the Great Tribulation, finally after 5 chapters and the first thing that we are shown about the end times is that Jesus is in control of everything happening! 

But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:19