Before the world began God set in motion a predetermined plan (Predestination) to bring salvation to mankind. Part of this plan includes intervening in history at certain times to direct, change, or destroy people, cities, nations, or kingdoms. Part of the plan was also to create a nation (The Jews) and give them the scriptures and the Messiah. Another part of this plan was to elect certain people to become his children. This choice (Election) was based on knowing (Foreknowledge) who, through faith, would accept Christ as their savior. He then arranged certain things in their lives to finish his plan.

Predestination
Predestination, proorivzw in Greek, means to foreordain or predetermine. The church as a body is predestined as a race of priest kings (1 Peter 2:9) and to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Examples of God predestining not salvation but other things for special purposes are:

1. God hardened Pharaohs heart to a point (Exodus 8:32) so God could show the world his power.
2. Judas was chosen to betray Christ (John 13:18)
3. Easu, even though he was first born, God knew he was the type to despise his birthright enough to sell it so God picked Jacob. (Hebrews 12:16-17)
4. Paul says Sarah and Hagar and their sons were picked to teach about the covenants. (Galatians 4:22-28)
5. If God uses the evil of people who will reject him die and go to hell anyway to bring about some good, who are we to say he should not have ‘vessels fit for destruction’ (Romans 9:22)
6. When it was time for the crucifixion Jesus taught in parables so the crowds wouldn’t understand. Because if they were converted at that time the crowds would have stopped the crucifixion thus preventing the scriptures from being fulfilled. (Matthew 13:13-16)
7. For the same reason God put hard hearted people in the position to have Jesus crucified. This does not mean they all went to hell. Some did and some didn’t. But he used them in the state they were in to fulfill his plan. According to manuscripts from Constantinople, Caiaphas resigned as high priest after the resurrected Jesus said to him "Be not afraid for it is I. You condemned me that you might go free. Your only wrong is you have a wicked heart; this you must repent of." (the Archko Volume by Keats Pub. ISBN 0-87983-067-0) Caiaphas was among those used to kill Christ but later he was saved.

So we can see God using good and evil to work out his plan
Paul said its crazy to believe that those Jews who were used by God to kill Jesus should not be punished or condemned as sinners because he forced them into it. (Romans 3:1-8) He didn’t force them, he allowed them.

Total Depravity
Man was made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26) This means he instinctively wants to know and worship God. Sin twists his desire and understanding to the point that all attempts lead to idolatry. Even when told the truth he can’t believe or completely understand. (Romans 3:9-18) Not until God revels himself to man can he truly comprehend and believe. (John 6:44) Then, unless he hardens his heart against God, he will become a child of God. (Hebrews 3:7-19) Total Depravity means man by himself can’t comprehend or become a true believer in God. Free Will means once God reveals himself to man he then has a choice to except or reject God.

Hyper-Calvinists deny Free Will by redefining it to mean man can choose not to sin without the help of God. They also redefine Total Depravity to mean even after God reveals himself man still can’t believe. So God must use Irresistible Grace to force him to be believe. Since not everyone is saved the Atonement must be Limited to only the Elect. Not everyone has a chance. Man must be Unconditionally Elected since he can’t even respond, and of course be eternally secure in his salvation. So the scriptures that state God wishes everyone to be saved, (Ezekiel 33:11, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9) must then refer to all of the elect only. See also 1 John 2:2

We are warned about those who "turn the grace of our God into licentiousness" (Jude 4) by saying because of Irresistible Grace they can practice sin without penalty and those who "deny the Master bought them" (2 Peter 2:2) by teaching a Limited Atonement.

Foreknowledge
Some have tried to say Acts 2:22 "predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God," by using the Granville Sharp Rule in Greek, that foreknowledge is not just knowing the future but it is forcing your plan to happen. This passage may or may not use the Greek rule. There is no way to say for sure. see 1 Peter 1:20 (Jesus is foreordained) John 3:16, 7:37 (whosoever will) 1 Timothy 2:4, and Romans 10:13

Foreknowledge, provgnwsiV in Greek, is just knowing the future. But when God not wanting us to go to hell, intervened in history to work out his plan for salvation it then affected the future. In so doing foreknowledge became more that just knowing, it became a plan, a destiny. This in no way takes away from the free choice of man to accept or reject Christ.

The Father must draw them
John 12:32 "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."

Some are quick to point out that the word ‘draw,’ used in the two verses above is eJlkuvsw in Greek. It is used in James 2:6 and other passages as ‘drag them into court.’ This is sometimes used as an argument for Irresistible Grace. But it is used in other places as wooing a wife, reasoning, convincing or persuading.
Josephus Ant. 15.9 But as the king gave more and more assurances of his belief of her fidelity, and endeavored to draw her to a like confidence in him.

The Elect
The term Elect has referred to Israel (Isaiah 45:4) to Christians (1 Peter 1:2) and to the Angels (1 Timothy 5:21).
In Ephesians 1:4-5,9-11 Paul states that the Church was chosen or predestined to be holy and blameless in Christ. And the "mystery of his good will and pleasure" is finally revealed as this: Those whom God knows will believe in Christ are the Elect (Romans 8:29) and they were chosen before the ages began (2 Timothy 1:9).

We see over and over again that Election and Foreknowledge should never be looked at as God forcing people to salvation.

see also Matthew 23:37 (Irresistible grace) and 2 Thessalonians 2:13 for elect to salvation.

All quotations taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted.