Re: ” Whose Decision Is It?”. Since all time is known to God, then He knows who will not be saved. God does not have to let ‘these persons’ lives play out , since He already knows their outcome and their rejection of Him. It seems almost cruel to let people be born and live for 70-90 years – only to be doomed for eternity. Your answer that God allows them to “not choose” on their own is not an answer in my opinion. Could you explain your reasoning to me better please? It almost seems like you are saying that God will let them “hang themselves” by their own choice , so He can say – See it was their choice , not mine.
God created man with agency, the unconditional right to make our own choices. Then He gave us a lifetime to choose Him. He said those who do will receive eternal life with Him and those who don’t will be eternally tormented. He made His presence known through the Creation in ways that are so obvious there’s no excuse for missing it. He wrote the story of the Redeemer in the stars. He has given us countless miraculous signs to confirm His existence and had them recorded for posterity. He sent His prophets to inform us. He gave us His Word so we could learn more about Him. He’s been sending missionaries throughout the world almost since the beginning of time. And He wrote the requirements of the Law on everyone’s heart.
Far from cruelly allowing men to “not choose” He’s’ made every possible effort to persuade men to make the right choice. For example, in Noah’s time He gave mankind 120 years warning that a judgment was coming. In Abraham’s time He gave the Amorites 400 years to repent. In Moses’ time He sent 10 miraculous signs to Egypt to warn them. He gave Israel hundreds of prophetic signs of the coming Messiah, even telling them the day He would arrive in Jerusalem over 500 years in advance. In our time he has sent untold thousands of missionaries throughout the world, proclaiming the Gospel by every means available. These are just a few of the most obvious efforts He’s made.
God doesn’t control our destiny, we do. If He had not let these people be born and live out their lives, then He would have been violating their right to choose. The fact that He knows what their choice will be doesn’t give Him the right to preempt their opportunity to choose.