No — God was not surprised by the crucifixion of Jesus. It was predetermined in eternity past by His determinate counsel and foreknowledge.
Les Feldick answers directly: 'Was God surprised when Israel rejected the Messiah? No. Was God surprised when Rome crucified Him? No.' Peter's words in Acts 2:23 tell Israel that Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God before they crucified Him. God knew from eternity past exactly what would happen, and everything moved according to His sovereign plan.
Acts 2:23 — This is the key verse Les repeatedly cites — it states plainly that Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God before wicked hands crucified Him.
Psalm 2:1-4 — Les uses this psalm to show that Jew and Gentile rulers took counsel together against the LORD's anointed — the crucifixion was known in heaven, not a surprise to God.
Acts 2:23 gives the clearest scriptural answer. Peter, preaching to the nation of Israel on the day of Pentecost, declared: 'Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.' The verse connects the crucifixion directly to God's determinate counsel and foreknowledge — it was not something that caught heaven off guard, even though wicked hands carried it out. Psalm 2 depicts the nations raging and the kings of the earth setting themselves with the rulers taking counsel together against the LORD and against His anointed, saying, 'Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.' The psalm answers their conspiracy with heaven's response: 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.' Man's rebellion against God's anointed is portrayed as futile and wholly within heaven's awareness.
Les Feldick answers the question outright: 'Was God surprised when Israel rejected the Messiah? No. Was God surprised when Rome crucified Him? No. It was all predetermined back in eternity past.' He repeatedly points to Peter's words in Acts 2:23 — that Jesus, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, was taken and crucified — and explains that the Triune God planned the cross before anything was created. In what Les calls a split-second decision of the Godhead, God determined to create the world and bring the human race, knowing they would sin and need a Redeemer (Clip 4). Les also teaches that God's foreknowledge knew Israel would reject the offer of the King and Kingdom. Yet Israel still acted of their own free will in rejecting it — and by rejecting it brought about the crucifixion that had to happen for our salvation. As Psalm 2 shows, Jew and Gentile together were part and parcel of His crucifixion. Even at the cross, God remained sovereign: rather than cleansing the earth of the human race, He poured out mercy for the whole human race.
No. Les explains that Peter's accusation in Acts 2 — that Israel had taken Jesus and by wicked hands crucified and slain Him — did not describe an event that surprised God. It was all decided before anything ever happened, according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. God knew, even before creation, that Israel would reject the offer of the King and the Kingdom.
Les points to Psalm 2, where the people imagine a vain thing and the kings of the earth and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and His anointed. He says it is so plainly presented that Jew and Gentile together had to be part and parcel of His crucifixion. Israel's rulers demanded His death, and Rome pounded the spikes into His hands — yet none of it surprised God.
Les acknowledges this is a truth that is hard to comprehend. Israel responded to God's offer by rejecting it, acting of their own free will just as individuals and nations do today. Yet God, in His foreknowledge, could see every detail of the plan coming down through history. Israel's free-will rejection brought about the crucifixion that had to happen for our salvation — everything still moved according to God's sovereign plan.
Yes. Les teaches that in the determinate plan God laid out before anything was created, the highlight of it all was the cross. Christ must suffer — it was all in God's blueprint for the ages. God was not caught by surprise; the crucifixion was the centerpiece of His eternal plan.
Has God Cast Away Israel? Romans 11:1-2 Finally Explained
No. Just like we use so often, and I hear it almost every day lately. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. And that's what He told them. It's not a matter if the kingdom is coming. You bet it is. Israel is going to have the glory and then some. Far more than she experienced under David and Solomon, when they have their king, the king of kings. But they just weren't to know when.
God Was Not Surprised
Les directly answers the question: God was not surprised when Israel rejected the Messiah or when Rome crucified Him — it was all predetermined back in eternity past, as Peter says in Acts 2:23.
The Cross in God's Blueprint
Les says the cross was the highlight of God's plan laid out before creation; God was not caught by surprise, and Christ's suffering was in God's blueprint for the ages.
Peter's Accusation in Acts 2
Les explains that Peter's words in Acts 2 show Israel did not take God by surprise when they rejected and crucified Christ — it was all decided before anything ever happened.
The Godhead's Pre-Creation Plan
Les teaches that before anything was created the Godhead determined to bring the human race, knowing they would sin and need a Redeemer; God also knew Israel would reject the King and Kingdom.
Every Detail Seen by Foreknowledge
Les describes the Triune God determining a plan for the ages in eternity past, with His foreknowledge seeing every detail of it coming down through history.
God's Sovereign Mercy at the Cross
Even as Christ hung on the cross, God remained sovereign — instead of judging the human race, He poured out mercy, showing He was fully in control.
Free Will and Psalm 2
Les teaches that Israel acted of their own free will in rejecting the offer, and that Jew and Gentile together were part of His crucifixion, as Psalm 2 shows.
Acts 2:23: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
This is the key verse Les cites again and again — it ties the crucifixion directly to God's determinate counsel and foreknowledge.
Psalm 2:1: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The psalm opens with the nations' futile rebellion against the LORD and His anointed.
Psalm 2:2: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Les points to this to show Jew and Gentile rulers taking counsel together against Christ.
Psalm 2:3: Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
The rebellious counsel of the rulers against God's anointed King.
Psalm 2:4: He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
Heaven's response shows God's plan is not threatened by man's conspiracy.
No. Les Feldick says plainly: 'Was God surprised when Israel rejected the Messiah? No. Was God surprised when Rome crucified Him? No.' It was all predetermined back in eternity past, according to Peter's words in Acts 2:23 about God's determinate counsel and foreknowledge.
Yes. Les teaches that Israel still acted of their own free will in rejecting the offer of the King and the Kingdom. God's foreknowledge meant He already knew what they would do. Their free-will rejection brought about the crucifixion that had to happen for our salvation.
Les points to Psalm 2 as showing that 'Jew and Gentile together had to be part and parcel of His crucifixion.' The psalm depicts the kings of the earth and rulers taking counsel together against the LORD and His anointed — exactly what happened when Israel demanded His death and Rome carried it out.
Watch the Teaching: Has God Cast Away Israel? Romans 11:1-2 Finally Explained