WHEN WAS GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSE REVEALED?
By H. F. PHELPS
This must be a question of great interest to all who would understand the “deep” things of God. And in this study, as in all others pertaining to the study of God’s word, we may rest in the assurance that while “the deep and secret things belong to God,” “those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.” There is a purpose in this, too: it is “that we may do all the words of this law.” Deut. 29: 29. Then whatever is revealed upon this question, or upon any other, may be ours to know; for it belongs “unto us and to our children forever.” And so we read: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus [when?] before the world began.” 2 Tim. 1: 9. Again: we read concerning the “fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ,” that this was “according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 3: 9, 11. This makes it plain that the “eternal purpose” of God, though “hid in God,” was purposed “in Christ Jesus;” that is, Christ was to be the agent in the hands of the Father, in the revelation and final accomplishment of that purpose. And it was “given [to] us in Christ Jesus [even] before the world began.” Inasmuch as it is said that God “created all things by Jesus Christ,” it becomes a self-evident proposition that the creation of all things was embraced in the “eternal purpose” of God. It follows also that the beginning of creation’s work was the beginning of the revelation of that purpose which had been “hid in God,” through eternal ages, but which was to be made known, or revealed, through Jesus Christ. This must be plain to every thoughtful mind. But now let the mind enlarge to take in some of the eternity of the past. There must have been a beginning of this revelation, a beginning of the work of creation. And this must have been the very beginning of the revelation of that same eternal purpose. Preceding this beginning, there must have been, according to Rom. 16: 25, R. V., “times eternal,” when there were no worlds, no created being, not even an angel; in fact, there were only three beings—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; these three persons in the Godhead. But this condition of things could not always continue; for the happiness of the Godhead is perfected in making others happy. And so we read, “For thy pleasure they are and were created.” Inasmuch as when God made man in His own image, and then said that it was “not good that the man should be alone,” so also it was not best that the Godhead should dwell alone. More than this, God knew that it would be for the greatest happiness that man should have a home; and so this world was beautified for the abode of man; and the Eden, that beautiful garden in which was found everything that was “pleasant to the sight, and good for food,” was given as a home to the man that God had created. And now methinks there must have been another home, even the home of the Godhead, which was used as the pattern for the Eden home. And we read, again: “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Jer. 17: 12. It is therefore only a reasonable conclusion to say that God created His own home first, and beautified it as His own dwelling-place, even “our sanctuary” above; and that everything that was made to grow in the garden of Eden was patterned after that which was made to grow in the home of the Godhead first of all. That God has a home, a dwelling-place, the Scriptures do certainly teach.