I'm in the pro camp. Free will is the illusion of volition, but no more "false" than the idea of self that gives birth to it.
Through the Fall (Gen 3), this dominion was forfeited, and lost, and is now in abeyance; no one son of Adam having any right to universal dominion. Hence, all the chaos, unrest and conflicts between men and nations, which must continue until He shall come Whose right it is to rule in the earth.
Ezek 21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, It: and it shall be no more, until he come Whose right it is; and I will give it to Him.
The great enemy who wrought all the mischief at the Fall, has tried from time to time to exercise this authority by setting up some human head. He tried Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, and others, and in later days Napoleon, and Hitler. But he will finally succeed for a brief period with the Antichrist, until the second man, the last Adam.
1Cor 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
The Son of Man, to Whom all dominion in the earth has, in the counsels of God, been given, shall take unto Him his great power and reign.
All this and more is contained in His title as the Son of man Its first occurrence is in Psalm 8, where in verses 1,& 8, His connection with the earth is proclaimed; and dominion over it is given unto Him. It denotes Him who is the heir to all things, in virtue of which all things shall one day be put under His feet. But now we see not yet all things put under Him, But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels, humbling Himself unto death, even the death of the cross.
Hebrews 2:8-9
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
When we find the Greek word mustērion rendered sacrementum in the Latin Vulgate of
Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
It is clear that it was used as meaning a secret sign, or symbol, and not in the modern meaning put upon the word Sacrament , i.e. holy mysteries.
It is evident to all that God has made known His will at sundry times and in divers manners
Heb1:1-2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also he made the worlds;
He also kept certain things secret , and revealed them from time to time according to His purposes and counsels. Hence the word mustērion is connected with several concealed or secret things in the New Testament.
It concerns Gentiles; and it was revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, That the Gentiles should be Joint-Heirs, and a joint body, and [joint] partakers of the promise in Christ through the Gospel. But one thing we can clearly see, that had God made it known before, Israel would of necessity have had an excuse for rejecting the Messiah and His kingdom.
As to ourselves, the question of who is in the secret? does not arise. For we are not to suppose, that all who do not know of it are lost.
One thing we do know, and that is: it is made known for the obedience of faith, or for faith obedience
Romans 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Even so with ourselves and the subsequent revelation of the mystery in the Prison Epistles; let us believe it, and we may be sure that it may be counted unto us for something, for some blessing which those who refuse to believe it will lose.
So yes we do have the free will to choose while on this fallen earth God's {Jehovah's} coming system. Or the system we have today Which is Satan's sysem. The FREE WILL, or choice, is yours, and yours alone; whether you believe or not.
JohnB
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