The English dictionary gives several synonyms for the word “will:” such as, “choice, discretion, determination, purpose, command, direction, desire,” etc. The Greek word translated “will” in this study means “that faculty of the mind by which is determined either to do or not to do something.”
All humans have a will; some strong, some weak; all have desires, choices, purposes, etc. and it appears God’s heavenly creatures have wills from what is recorded about one prominent one: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, (Satan, the Devil) son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:12 – 14.
After Eve was deceived by Satan and Adam exercised his will and disobeyed God’s Word, Satan has exercised dominion over this earth, i.e., he is the prince and power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience (all who are not saved in Christ). Ephesians 2:2. Satan wills (purposes) to snare people: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24 – 26. It’s no wonder the world is in its present condition.
Even though Satan has worked to thwart God’s will since deceiving Eve, Almighty God’s Will, will prevail. We humans in our limited understanding, may wonder why God didn’t give Satan the boot when he first rebelled. After all, God created all the heavenly host as well as mankind. But God’s thoughts and ways are not man’s, Isaiah 55:8 – 9. And without the Pauline epistles, we would not know why God dealt with Satan and mankind the way He has and come to realize His plan is the only legitimate/ proper method by which to deal with him and mankind.
The word “will” is found 3282 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the Old Testament (OT), where many times it refers to God’s will. However, none explain exactly how He is going to deal with Satan. God kept this a mystery or secret until The Lord Jesus Christ revealed it to the Apostle Paul. If God had revealed it before, they would not have crucified Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:7 – 9.
We’ll examine a few instances of the use of the word “will” in the New Testament (NT). Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are actually the culmination of God’s dealing with Israel as they record God sending His Son Jesus as Israel’s Messiah or Christ. The first time the Greek word translated “will” is used in the NT is instructive; it is in the second sentence of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ”Matthew 6:10. God had promised Israel a Kingdom on earth throughout the OT and Jesus taught His disciples here to pray that God the Father’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. The Greek word translated “will” here is the Greek “thelema,” (# G2307), which means “determination, choice, purpose, volition, desire, pleasure.” However, almost 2000 years after this prayer was given, there’s no sign God’s will has been implemented on earth. It will happen sometime in the future, but the only way to explain the last 2000 years of history is by rightly dividing the Word of God, 2 Timothy 2:15 and by looking to the Pauline epistles.
The second time the word “will” is used in the NT is when Jesus explained what it took to get into that Kingdom of Heaven on earth: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. The third time is when Jesus explained to His Jewish followers/ disciples how to be a part of Him: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matthew 12:50. And, throughout His 3-year ministry Jesus taught the Jews His father’s will for Israel, that being they:
- were to keep the law of Moses, Matthew 5:17 -20;
- were to sell all they had and give to the poor and follow Him, Matthew 5:17 – 48; Luke 18:18 – 22; John 15:10; James 2:10.
These requirements were literal, and Jesus Christ’s followers followed them. Even after He ascended into heaven, the Pentecostal Jews did exactly as Christ taught, as documented in the first 8 chapters of Acts.
The particular Greek word “thelema,” translated “will” is found 6 times in Matthew, once in Mark and 5 times in Luke where it always, except once, refers directly, or by implication, to the will of God the father, Matthew 18:14; Matthew 21:31; Matthew 26:42; Mark 3:35; Luke 11:2; Luke 12:47; Luke 22:42; Luke 23:25. The one time its used as the will of someone other than Almighty God’s in Matthew Mark and Luke is: “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.” Luke 23:24 – 25. This is a sad truth: the will of God’s chosen people, the Jews, was to crucify the Lord of Glory, God in the flesh, their Messiah, which was because they lacked faith and were unregenerate, as are all mankind. Thus, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness, as they didn’t know what they were doing, Luke 23:34. His prayer is a statement of fact as they truly didn’t know what they were doing because of their unbelief, and of course, the snare of Satan.
Jesus’ statements that He came to do the will of God the Father and not His own will are found in John’s Gospel; “For I (Jesus) came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38, see also John 4:34 and John 5:30. Like any man, Jesus did not look forward to what He faced; “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” Matthew 26:42 (see also Luke 22:42.)
Jesus Christ was and is the only person ever living who was capable of doing God’s will perfectly and to the letter because He was sinless; He was the only one whose death was sufficient to cleanse the sins of mankind. “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:39 – 40. The Jews who believed this Kingdom Gospel and all God’s people from prior times look forward to being resurrected to everlasting life on earth in God’s Kingdom on earth.
But what about the inhabitants of heaven? Since Satan will be cast out, leaving a void there, what is God’s will for the heavenlies? That was part of the secret never revealed by God until the Apostle Paul who recounts his conversion while on the road to Damascus: “And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.” Acts 22:11 – 15. The fact that Paul’s ministry was the will of God is found in many passages: Acts 21:14; Romans 1:10; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1, etc.
Only Paul reveals God’s plans for the heavens after Satan is cast out and they involve all who have believed the Gospel of the Grace of God over the last almost 2000 years: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” Ephesians 1:3. This had been God’s secret before Paul, to whom was revealed that the same work that Christ did on the cross that saved the Jewish believers for their future on earth, also saves believers today, whose eternal position is in the heavenlies: “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” Galatians 1:3 – 4.
God’s will to judge Satan was first revealed when He told Eve her seed (Jesus Christ) would bruise his (Satan’s) head while he (Satan) would bruise her seed’s (Jesus Christ’s) heel, Genesis 3:15. But God didn’t reveal at that time how He would accomplish this. That had to wait until Paul wrote: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (the second person of the Trinity) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he (Jesus Christ) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:14 – 16.
As to all who have believed the Gospel of Grace over the last 2000 years as revealed to Paul, He: “… hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 – 7. “Unto me, (Paul) who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ:” Ephesians 3:8 – 9. And what was God’s intent for handling this the way He did? “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According, to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:” Ephesians 3:10 – 11.
All believers over the last 2000 years who are caught up to heaven, with the heavenly host of angels, will look back at 6000 years of human history on earth and validate the fact that mankind has been incapable of meeting God’s standards or of governing honestly and fairly, whether by King, in a democracy, under socialism, Communism or a Republic such as the United States of America. The Lord Jesus Christ will reign for 1000 years as King over the earth perfectly, honestly and fairly: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:7 – 10.
Thus, after 7000 years of human history wherein every form of government has been tried: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” Ephesians 1:10. It will be then that the will of everyone in Heaven and on Earth will be the same as God’s, because all will be in Christ, and everyone will fully understand why God did what he did to accomplish His purpose/will.
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