They are two sides of the same door: God's open invitation to everyone, and the believer's discovery that God had chosen him in eternity.
Les Feldick pictures people going down the river of time with doors of opportunity along the banks. Each door says 'whosoever will may come' on the front side. When a person decides to go through the door, he looks back and sees 'chosen in Him before the world was ever created.' So the two truths are not contradictory—they are seen from opposite sides of the same decision.
Ephesians 1:4 — This verse directly states that believers are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Revelation 22:17 — This verse voices the open invitation: 'whosoever will' may take the water of life freely.
Scripture contains both truths. Revelation 22:17 extends an open invitation: 'And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.' Ephesians 1:4 speaks of believers being chosen in Christ 'before the foundation of the world.' Both statements stand together in the biblical text without canceling each other.
Les uses the picture of a river of time with doors of opportunity along the riverbank. He says the front of each door reads 'Whosoever will may come'—nobody is left out. When someone goes through that door and becomes a believer, he looks back at the top of the door and sees 'Chosen in Him, before the world was ever created.' Les explains that we must decide for ourselves, yet the moment we decide, God says, 'I chose you.' Les acknowledges that these two doctrines appear contradictory to human reasoning, and he says we cannot fully reconcile them because it is beyond us. However, he points to God's foreknowledge as the key: God knew what every individual would do in the exercise of their own free will, and that is why He could say in Ephesians 1:4 that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
Les teaches that as people move along the river of time, there are constant doors of opportunity. On the front side of each door is written 'Whosoever will may come.' When a person goes through the door and looks back, he sees on the other side the words 'Chosen in Him before the world was ever created.' The front side is the call to all, and the back side is the believer's view of God's eternal purpose. Both are real, but they are seen from different vantage points.
Les quotes a Bible scholar who says the two truths sound contradictory, but that does not make them untrue. He himself says, 'We cannot reconcile those two facets or those two doctrines because it's beyond us.' Yet in the same teaching, he points to God's foreknowledge: God knew what every individual would do in the exercise of their own free will, and so He could choose them in Him before the foundation of the world. For Les, the resolution is that the believer's free choice and God's eternal choosing are not opposed—God's choice was made with full knowledge of our voluntary decision.
Les is explicit: 'From the front side, it's whosoever will may come. Nobody is left out.' He also explains that it is not that someone is left without a chance, nor that God simply put His finger on certain ones. Rather, the invitation is constant and universal, and the redemption price has been paid, so all anyone has to do is take the way out.
Does God Choose Who Gets Saved? Romans 9 & Election Explained
And now again, it's speaking of the coming of the seed, singular, of the woman who is Christ. The seed of the woman could not take off through Ishmael. The seed of the woman could not come down through Esau. It had to come through the son of Phamas, who was Isaac. Now we're going to run into the same thing in the next generation, when Rebekah now has twins in her womb.
Two Sides of the Door
Les teaches that while we go down the river of time, every opportunity says 'whosoever will may come,' and once we step through, we see 'chosen in Him before the world was created.'
Nobody Left Out
Les reinforces that the front side is 'whosoever will may come'—nobody is left out—and after we choose God we see He chose us before we were born.
Contradictory Looks
Les acknowledges that the two truths sound contradictory to human reason, quoting a Bible scholar who says they may appear contradictory.
Faith Beyond Reason
Les lists the biblical verses on both sides—whosoever will and chosen before the foundation—and says we can't reconcile them because it's beyond us.
The Triune Counsel
Les teaches that before creation the triune God put a place waiting for each person, yet 'whosoever will' is not canceled.
The Response to the Invitation
Les reminds us that the redemption price is paid and all we have to do is take the way out through the 'whosoever will' door.
Foreknowledge and Free Will
Les clarifies that God, in His foreknowledge, knew what every individual would do in the exercise of free will, and so could choose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
Paul's words show that election is in Christ, before the foundation of the world, and is the basis for our being holy and without blame.
Revelation 22:17: And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
This verse extends the final biblical invitation to anyone who is willing to take the water of life freely.
It means the invitation to come to Christ is open to everyone who is willing. Les says the front side of every door of opportunity bears that exact statement, and nobody is left out.
It means that when a believer responds to the invitation and goes through the door, he can look back and see that God had a place waiting for him before creation. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Les says they are beyond human reconciliation, but both are true. God's choice is based on His foreknowledge of our voluntary choice, so we must decide, and yet the moment we decide, God says 'I chose you.'
Watch the Teaching: Does God Choose Who Gets Saved? Romans 9 & Election Explained