I said I was gonna stay out of this debate, but couldnt! So, lets take the Calvinist view of predestination and predetermination and apply it to a few other scriptures to see what happens. (And these are but a few.) The words in bold are the words Ive changed to meet the criteria of Calvinist predestination - see if you think it changes anything.
Joel 2:27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD, your God, and that there is no other; never again will
certain people be shamed.
28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on
some selected people.
Some of your sons and daughters will prophesy,
some of your old men will dream dreams,
some of your young men will see visions.
29 Even on
the people I chose to be my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days
to the certain people I have selected.
Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and
some of mankind will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "
Some men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on
some of them. Surely the
some of the people are grass.
Mark 3:27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of
some particular men will be forgiven them.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
Mark 13:12"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
13 Some men will hate you because of me, but
certain selected men will stand firm to the end will be saved.
John 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him
certain selected people might believe.
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
John 12:31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw
certain selected people to myself."
33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved
certain particular people, so you must love one another.
35 By this
certain selected people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."
Acts 2:16 Now, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on
certain selected people.
Some of your sons and daughters will prophesy,
some of your young men will see visions,
some of your old men will dream dreams.
Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive
certain particular people here, for
some of them do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of
certain people, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching
certain selected people to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to
certain people whom I have selected.
16 The person Ive already chosen who believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe
who the Father already decided not to choose will be condemned.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
20 Then the disciples went out and preached
only to those whom God already knew were selected, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Kinda messes up most of the NT, doesnt it? Okay, lemme have it!
By the way, in most of these cases, the words which were eliminated happened to be "all" or simply "men."
Take care and God bless!