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Mustard Seed July/August 2006
The "Very" Elect?
Mustard Seed - July/August 2006
Let’s begin with Matthew 24:24 “ for there shall arise fall Christ’s and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, that they shall deceive the very elect.
Some have used this scripture as proof that there is a group of God’s people who are more righteous, more worthy and have a greater reward then those who referred to as just simply “ the elect.” So then we would have two groups of chosen people, the elect, and the very elect.
A few years ago, I heard it said that one group of the Church of God considered its ministry to be the “very elect,” and the lay members were considered to be simply “the elect.”
So let’s take a look into this issue and see if we can find out what this is all about. Let’s look at verse 31 of Matthew 24: “ and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This appears to be just the regular elect, so I wonder when the very elect will be gathered together and where they will be gathered from? Who are these people that are called God’s elect? Strong’s #1588
Eklektos from # 1586-select; by simple, favorite, chosen--#1586 to select, make choice, choose (out) chosen.
To be one of God’s elect is to be selected, chosen , and God’s favorite. It’s hard for me to imagine the ministry in any group being better than that. Nor do I find in the bible a description of any one being better than that. So why did Matthew use the words “very elect?”
Now let’s turn to Mark’s account of the same thing. Mark 13:22 “for false christ’s and false prophets shall arise, and show signs and wonders, to seduce , if it were possible, even the elect.” ( Mark leaves out the word “very.”)
In the New King James version and many other translations, Matthew as well as Mark leaves out the word “very.” The Green’s interlinear bible also omit the word, “very.” So obviously the word very was added by the King James translators and was not in the original manuscript.
The word “very” is used in eight verses of the book of Matthew. All but one, (Mat.10:30) have an asterisk (*) next to the number in Strong’s, which shows that the word was changed to another word in some of the other translations. Most of those translations were changed from “very” to “even.” So Matthew 24:24 should read as Mark 13:22-----“even the elect.”
In the Green’s interlinear bible, Matthew 10:30 reads: “ but even the hairs of the head are all numbered.” The word “very” is not used here, as in the King James.
By understanding the definition of the Greek word “Ekletos,” even if we add the word “very” it would not alter that definition. It doesn’t get better than being God’s favorite, or being chosen by God.
Here is what it takes to be chosen as God’s elect:
II Peter 1:4-10: “whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge. And to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fall."
-Neil Wroten
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