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1 Thessalonians 1:4
4 Knowing, [eido] brethren [adelphos] beloved, [agapao] your [humon] election [ekloge] of [hupo] God. [theos] KJV-Interlinear
4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; NASB
Election by God is a permanent selection. Just a being born alive (human life), into this world is a permanent arrangement. The only question is where, when, and how you will be spending your afterlife. Your physical life is of course limited, but your next life will go on forever. Whether in heaven or the Lake of Fire depends on your decision regarding Christ.
Long ago, in eternity past, God laid out a plan. After considering an infinite number of plans, God selected the one plan for history, that best benefits each and every individual who will ever be a part of history.
For those who accept Gods plan (faith in Christ), a proprietary election is made in their behalf.
God looked down through the tunnel of time and saw every person who would ever believe in Christ and made available for them a permanent place in heaven. And permanent means forever.
Without interfering in your decision to believe in Christ, or to reject Him, God allowed you, and every individual, to come to each persons own decision regarding Christ.
You did not have to know the name of Christ in order to be saved. Most folks who lived prior to the Cross, had no name to look to. They only looked to a promised Savior. Likewise folks all around the world throughout history, had a heritage of prophetic promises regarding a Savior. They need only have believed in that promised Savior, to be saved.
Knowledge of Adam and Noah and Abraham and Moses and so forth certainly help to give one some perspective, but that knowledge does not save, and is not required in order to be saved.
Here Paul indicates the election which was made in eternity past, for each individual believer in Christ. Note that one does not take office before being elected, and even having been elected, there is a form of swearing in process (faith in Christ) which must also occur.
In eternity past, God decided your place in history, saw your decision, elected you, and then waited for history to confirm your decision to believe.
