Dear Wes,<br><br>IRT:<br>"He appoints the course of nature and directs the course of history down to the minutest details."<br><br>God does direct the course of history, but He chooses not to control some things. God wills that believers abstain from fornication (1 Thessalonians 4:3), why does it occur anyway? Because God has delegated a measure of control to His creatures.<br><br>IRT:<br>"His decrees therefore are eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise and sovereign."<br><br>And what are His decrees?<br><br>"Now the just shall live by faith; But if any man draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." (Hebrews 10:38)<br><br>"But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven."<br><br>And of course Revelation 22:19 as I put in my original post. God could force men to heed Him if He so chose, but He has given men the capability to reject His words. <br><br>IRT:<br>"That the plans of men are not always executed is due to a lack of power, or a lack of wisdom, or both. To assume that His plan fails and that he strives to no effect is to reduce Him to the level of His creatures and make Him no God at all."<br><br>I never said God's plans fail, for if some men fall short, He will fulfill His plans through others (Romans 11, Matthew 22:1-10). But if you think that God does not allow His will to be resisted, then I ask what you make of Luke 13:34,<br><br>"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!"<br><br>Since God is sovereign, but men still resist His will, I can only conclude that God allows men the space to either hear Him or stop their ears to His word.<br><br>(All verses NKJV)<br><br><br>In Christ,<br>Josh