The Knowledge of God
(Are we predestined?)

By Stephen M. Golden
Using the New American Standard Bible (1985) as the primary text
Copyright © 1980, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2024

Table of Contents

Unlimited God—Our limited minds

“We can't presume to understand an unlimited God with our limited minds.”


Some say we can't understand the mind of God or his attributes because our minds are so limited, and therefore any exploration of the mind of God is fruitless. I disagree with this. I believe we can understand the mind of God because He has revealed Himself to us. Saying we can't understand the mind of God or His attributes because they're beyond our capacity flies in the face of God’s creation and His revelation. God gave us minds enabling us to think and reason. God also gave us His revelation of Himself. If we're not able to use our minds to understand God’s revelation of Himself, then God’s revelation would be inadequate; a conclusion I can't accept. This doesn't mean it is necessarily easy for us to understand God’s nature—only that it's possible to the extent to which God has revealed Himself.


God gave us His indirect revelation through what He has created, and His direct revelation through His Word. We have to look closely and study with diligence. Many things are mysteries, but that doesn't mean we can't uncover the mysteries through His revelation—whether about God’s creation, or about God Himself. He even gave us a book specifically about revelation of His plan for the future.[01] If He expected us to study this book with our minds and gain understanding, it follows that we should use His revelation of Himself to understand Him. God expects us to study and understand His revelation.


“The extent to which the Word of God is incoherent to us is the extent to which it is no use to us.” [02]


In our age, we need the humility and the courage to take a step back from our conceptions and conclusions if they prove to be wanting. If we study and still don't understand, or if we reach contradictions or absurdities in our conclusions, we need to check our premises—the beliefs we brought into the study when we began it. Many of these premises are doctrines of man that we have come to believe as truth.


Let’s examine some doctrines of man.



Doctrines of Man

What do I mean, “Doctrines of Man?” Over the ages and for various reasons such as misunderstanding, changes in the meaning of words over time, or perhaps a desire to romanticize the truths God has given us, man has inserted his own flavors of thought into Christian teachings. This isn't necessarily harmful in itself, and in many cases, it's completely innocuous, but there's a danger that, as a result of our inserted ideas, we may obscure some truth in God’s word. Perhaps as a result of our ideas we may unintentionally change the meaning of what God has said.


Whether due to imprecise translation, misunderstanding, or wishful thinking, these ideas and traditions that have crept into our belief structures bias our understanding of what God has said, obscuring His truth and causing confusion. This is what I mean by “Doctrines of Man.” In some cases, doctrines of man have supplanted doctrines of God.


The word ‘mansion’ is a good example of an innocuous insertion of man’s doctrine. It is an example of a Greek word being assigned an English word with meanings of its own, which has changed our understanding of the verse itself. We sing songs with phrases like “I’ve got a mansion…” and “He’s prepared each of us a mansion…” and many believe that Jesus promised each of us a luxurious dwelling (by our standards) consistent with our idea of a mansion. Jesus promised no such thing. Let’s take a closer look at the single passage from which some have extracted this belief. Jesus said in John 14:2

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (KJV)


Strong [03] defines the word given as “mansion” as follows:

3438 mone (mon-ay');from 3306; a staying, i.e. residence (the act or the place): KJV— abode, mansion. 3306 meno (men'-o); a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): KJV— abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.


Strong [04] defines the word given as “house” as follows:

3614 oikia (oy-kee'-ah); from 3624; properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively); by implication a family (especially domestics): KJV— home, house (-hold).


Although many have taken this verse to mean each of us is going to receive individual separate dwelling places, “mansions,” patterned after our idea of wealthy residences from our human experience, this isn't what Jesus is saying. He's trying to say there's room for us all. The verse really says, ‘In my Father’s abode are many staying places.’ “Rooms” would probably be a more appropriate translation. So we see that the idea of heaven being a place with millions of “mansions” is a doctrine of man that has been incorporated into the belief system of many Christians.


We've taken a Greek word, translated it loosely with an English word, and changed our doctrine to fit the English word.


Another doctrine of man is “The Sanctity of Life.” It encompasses viewpoints on issues such as abortion, adoption, aid to the poor, self-defense, capital punishment, and even vegetarianism. This has its roots in a mistranslation of the commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.” Such a viewpoint renders many Christians helpless in defending actions they intuitively know to be right, such as self-defense and punishment of evildoers, because they have been misled. The commandment should be translated, “Thou shalt not commit murder.”


At the flood, God Himself killed all the men, women, and children alive in the world except for Noah, his wife, three of his sons and their wives. God instructed the Children of Israel to kill all of the men, women, and children, and even the livestock of some of the people they battled upon entering the Promised Land. God’s own Law clearly establishes the death penalty for numerous offenses. The commandment means those who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not to take human life for their own purposes.


The Doctrine of the “Omnis”

In a similar manner, we've taken attributes of God and summarized them with man’s words. While such encompassing categorical words are convenient descriptive devices, we must be careful not to define more than is warranted. [05] In some cases, the words we apply may express more than God has revealed. In other cases, after we've attributed the words to God, we ascribe additional attributes to the words, causing those new attributes to also be applied to God, even though such new attributes are't found in His revelation.


In the case of the “Omni” words like Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient, we have done this very thing.


1. Omnipresent – “always everywhere”

Is God OMNIPRESENT? The Scriptures do not say He is. Consider the following verses:

1. Genesis 3:8–9

[8] They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. [9] Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” (NASB-1995)

If God is always everywhere, He couldn't walk “in the garden in the cool of the day” and ask, “Where are you?” with any sincerity at all. There is nothing in the text that would require this question to be rhetorical. [06]


2. Exodus 33:17-23

[17] The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” [18] Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” [19] And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” [20] But He said, “You can't see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” [21] Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; [22] and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. [23] “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” (NASB-1995)

If God were in all places all the time, He could not show any “real” part of Himself to Moses. God could not do this without manipulating the truth.


3. Exodus 30:36

[36] “You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. (NASB-1995)

If God were in all places, all the time, there would be no significance to the "Holy of Holies" that was the innermost chamber of the Temple.


4. Exodus 31:18

[18] When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God. (NASB-1995)

What would be the significance Moses going up to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments?


5. Luke 1:19

[19] The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. (NASB-1995)

If God is in all places all the time, there would be no significance in Gabriel standing in the presence of God. We would all be standing in the presence of God.


6. John 16:16

[16] “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” (NASB-1995)

If God is in all places at all time, where would Jesus be going?


7. Matthew 27:46

[45] Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. [46] About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (NASB-1995)

If God is always everywhere, Jesus would not have shouted out, “…Why have you forsaken me?”


8. Matthew 18:20

[20] “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (NASB-1995)

If God is always everywhere, there would be no significance to Jesus being in the midst of two or three gathered in His name. He would be there for even one person, and He would even be in the midst of unbelievers. [07]


9. John 16:7

[7] “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. (NASB-1995)

If God is in all places at all times, Jesus would not have needed to send the Holy Spirit.


The above verses are difficult to reconcile with today's definition of OMNIPRESENT—"always everywhere." They indicate, first for “God” (the Father), then for Jesus, and finally for the Holy Spirit instances where God is not everywhere.


A verse typically used to justify the concept of OMNIPRESENCE is 1 Kings 8:27.

[27] “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven can't contain You, how much less this house which I have built! (NASB-1995)

This verse does not say he is in all places at all the time, it says God can't be contained even by the heavens, let alone a confined space.


Another verse used to justify the concept of OMNIPRESENCE is Psalm 139:7

[7] Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I flee from Your presence? (NASB-1985)

Likewise, this verse does not say he is in all places at all the time, but that one can't go anyplace God can't go.


I submit that God is capable of being anywhere at any time, and in multiple places at the same time, but he is not everywhere all the time.



2. Omnipotent – “all powerful”

Now, this word is found once in the Bible (KJV) in Revelation 19:6. When we think of omnipotent, or “all powerful,” we include more than is intended. For example, the reference is praising the awesomeness of the great God of the universe, but we take the word “omnipotent” and conclude that God can do anything. The two ideas, while not unrelated, are not synonymous. Our God has awesome power. He has the power to have created all we see, and the power to destroy as He chooses. There is no entity having power even nearly as great, and in this sense, God is “all powerful.” He's the ultimate in power. But God can't do anything that's against His nature. God can't sin, God can't lie [08], God can't create a rock so big he can't lift it, God can't create an adversary greater than Himself, and God can't kill Himself. I make these points to show that by assigning the Omni term to attributes of God, we can get the wrong impression. There are many things against His nature God can't do. But He can do anything that's within His nature. So you see, the phrases “God is all powerful” and “God can do anything” are not synonymous.


Nevertheless, the reference in Revelation 19 doesn’t mean “powerful” at all. Instead, it means, “having all authority.” Let’s examine what Strong [09] says about the word in Revelation given to us as “omnipotent”:

3841 pantokrator (pan-tok-rat'-ore); from 3956 and 2904; the all-ruling, i.e. God (as absolute and universal sovereign): KJV— Almighty, Omnipotent.
3956 pas (pas); including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole: KJV— all (manner of, means), alway (-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no (-thing), X thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.
2904 kratos (krat'-os); perhaps a primary word; vigor ["great"] (literally or figuratively): KJV— dominion, might [-ily], power, strength.

Strong’s says the word means all-ruling as in absolute and universal sovereign. In King James’ day, this was the essence of omnipotence, and yet today, it means “all powerful.” In reality, the scripture reference it has little to do with power, but means “ruler over all.” This is exactly the point I am trying to make about the “Omni-” words. We have taken a Greek word, assigned an English word to it, assigned new meanings to the English word, and then ascribe those new meanings to God. If the word means “power” at all, it is speaking of the power of authority over creation, not about the ability to do any little thing we can imagine.


Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Mark 14:36) seems to indicate the concept of omnipotence when He says of the Father, “All things are possible for you,” but it's not clear this is what the scripture means in the original language.


Strong says

Dunatos doo-nat-os' (δυνατός) From G1410; powerful or capable (literally or figuratively); neuter possible: - able, could, (that is) mighty (man), possible, power, strong. [10]

So, it could also be translated “All possibilities are yours,” or “You know what is possible.”


3. Omniscient – “all knowing”

God knows all things. We hear it said frequently. The Bible does not use the word Omniscient, even though we often hear theologians use it to describe God’s sovereignty over the past, present, and future. In the same way that “omnipotent” means “all ruling” instead of “all powerful,” and that God is not “always everywhere,” I submit that God knows all knowledge, but things which are not knowledge can't be known.


This is the essence of my thesis and the focus of the discussion for the remainder of this document: The Knowledge of God.


What does it mean to know?

There are at least five meanings for the verb “to know.”

To know – Implied expectation (or prediction) from past experience or physical laws.

To know – Familiarity with a person, place or thing.

To know – Euphemism for sexual intercourse.

To know – To be aware of (circumstances)

To know – An immutable understanding of facts


For our discussion of the knowledge of God, I'll use the most stringent definition of “know.” That is, "an immutable understanding of facts." I will use this definition because it's in this certain form of knowledge that the problems with our theology arise.


Consider the following questions for a moment:


Does God know when I will die?


Does God know who will go to heaven and won't?


Did God know these things from before creation?


Can God change His mind?


Can prayer change things?


The Knowledge of God: A Conundrum


Does God know the future?


The idea of the knowledge of God—that God knows the future—presents us with a theological conundrum: If God knows the future, do we have free will or are we predestined? Much of our dilemma arises out of a theological assertion and a derived assumption:


The generally accepted theological assertion: God is omniscient.
The derived assumption: Knowing all things includes knowing the future.


Is this assumption necessarily so? No human knows the future, so it can't be demonstrated in the human experience. Scriptures do not indicate the future can be known, except where God has declared what He will do. The assertion that the future can be known is extrapolation on our part. We can predict events based on things we know, but we can't know the future. We have a romantic idea of future being knowable, but each of us has a different idea of what the future is. Is there one future, or are we free to make our own choices? Is our path through existence mapped out in a predetermined manner, or do we have free will? Are we free to choose the course we'll take?



Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden


I believe that when God placed Adam and Even in the garden, they had the freedom to obey God and live indefinitely in the beautiful garden God made for them, or to disobey God and suffer the consequences. We all know the choice they made, but to believe God knew in advance whether Adam and Eve would disobey Him destroys the concept of free will. I believe we have free will.


Therefore, if we have free will, each of us can contribute to making our projection of the future a reality. Whether or not we act, the future continues to become reality moment by moment. We call this “time.” Some have said, “God is outside of time,” but that's a statement not easily supported by scripture. [11] Such a conclusion is usually a simplistic attempt to reconcile the very issue we are about to address without consideration given to the conflicting premises of this discussion: God knowing the future vs. man having free will.


To further indicate this, consider that God’s years will never end.

Psalm 102:27 [27] “But You are the same,And Your years will not come to an end.”

Unless I’m mistaken, “years” is a measurement of time. Therefore, time itself is not going to end.


Are We Predestined?

The free will of man can't coexist with the concept of an “all knowing” God. Some will say God’s knowledge of the future has no effect on free will because His knowledge does not cause the person to act. God’s knowledge does not determine man’s behavior. To this I say, “Nonsense.” If the act is known in advance, the entity performing the act no longer “decided” to act, but was predestined. Individual decision can't exist where there is immutable knowledge of the future. If anyone knows for certain what is going to happen, decision ceases to exist because the only possible occurrence is the chain of events that is already known. This is predestination. Whether or not it was known by those involved is irrelevant. If even a video recording of the future were to exist, and that recording was certain, then the events on the recording are predestined, and so are the actors in the recording. The knowing itself, by anyone or any thing, is the determining factor. If no other course of action is possible, it is predestined. The knowledge therefore becomes the “cause,” if you prefer. If God knows the future, God’s knowledge of our future not only affects our reality, it becomes our reality.


Is God Predestined?

Think about this for a moment. If God knows the future, He can't do anything He doesn’t already know He will do. God himself is predestined. He would know exactly what He will do from now through eternity. He can't change His mind. This has serious implications to prayer because although Jesus said prayer will accomplish much, if God knows the future, our prayer changes nothing, even the very prayer will have been predestined and is fixed in its place in time.


If God knows everything from before the creation of the world, then


If any entity—even a non-living one—knows the future, then nothing can be changed. At the moment something is known for certain, the future is predestined. Prayer can have no effect, a person has no free will, and God himself becomes limited by this knowledge. On the other hand, if something is then changed from what was “known,” the entity did not truly know it, and the “knowledge” was incorrect.


There is a story about two men watching a newscast of the launching of an experimental ocean-going vessel. The first says to the second, “I’ll bet you twenty dollars that ridiculous thing will sink.” The second man says, “You’re on.” The vessel is launched and it immediately sinks. They watch until the vessel is completely under water and out of sight. The second man, seeing he's lost the bet, hands the first twenty dollars. The first says, “I can’t take your money, I saw it on an earlier newscast.” The second man replies, “So did I, but I thought they would have fixed it before they launched it again.”


You see, both men should have known the vessel would sink on the newscast. Nothing could change it. It was recorded. The second man however, refused to accept the reality of the knowledge. The video recording did not cause the vessel to sink, but the immutable knowledge precludes any other result.


Now, if God knows before you were born everything you’re going to do, then you're just like the video recording. Your whole life is known. You can’t change it. You might as well do what you think you want to do because it’s what you’re going to do anyway. You have no choice. If the future is known, your actions are not important because, in God’s eyes, you’ve already done them. If God knows our actions at any point of our existence, real existence has no meaning. You can’t separate the time in which you’re living from the times you’re being “replayed.”


It's all repeats



I'll concede God CAN know the future, by determining it, and God can determine the future by invoking His will, but the future can only be known if God decides to cause it. In the general case however, God allows the “If” and the “Unless” (“If my people…” and “Unless you repent…” etc.). This is not to say God doesn't “hold the future.” Indeed. God holds the future, but He doesn't know it. Am I contradicting myself? Not at all. What I mean should become clearer as you read on.


Regarding God's power, you might say, “Well, I believe God can do anything.” Even so there are a number of things you would agree God can't do, such as make a rock so big He couldn't lift it, or make a round triangle. These are logical contradictions. In the same way, knowing the future can be viewed as a logical contradiction, especially if we have been given free will. That being the case, “…it does not insult God's wisdom to say that He 'can't' know it.” [13]


A close analogy can be drawn between knowledge and truth. “A statement is true if it corresponds with reality, false if it does not.” [14] There can be no “truth” to a statement about the future because there's no reality to which it corresponds. Similarly there can be no knowledge of the future because it hasn't yet occurred.


You might conclude what I have said so far is conjecture and opinion, but this was all necessary to set up my argument. Now that you have the scenario in mind, let’s examine why I say these things are so.


Defining some terms:Defining some terms: [15]

Know – tr. 1. To perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty. 2. To regard as true beyond doubt. 3. To have a practical understanding of, as through experience; be skilled in. 4. To have fixed in the mind. 5. To have experience of. 6.a. To perceive as familiar; recognize. b. To be acquainted with. 7. To be able to distinguish; recognize as distinct. 8. To discern the character or nature of.


Future – n. 1. The indefinite time yet to come. 2. Something that will happen in time to come. 3. A prospective or expected condition, especially one considered with regard to growth, advancement, or development.


The common use of “Know” as related to God indicates the certain understanding of future events.


Concerning Knowledge, consider the following words or Phrases generally thought to be found in the Bible:

All knowing – not found


Omniscient – not found (in fact, the only “Omni” anything in the whole Bible is in Revelation 19:6 as omnipotent, and only in the King James Version.)


Future – Not in KJV. It's in the NASB, however, all references either refer to hope (Jeremiah 31:17) or to what God will do.


Knows all – in the Bible only once: 1 John 3:20 (KJV & NASB)

[20] in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Taken in context, this passage is talking about knowing what is in our hearts.


As you can see, none of these terms exist in God's Word in the manner we typically think of them.


What does God know?

Premise 1:
God knows completely the past and present of all events, and of what is in the hearts and minds of all men. He knows their mental states, emotions, tendencies, thoughts, and desires.


Premise 2:
God is so in tune with the past, present, and what He plans to do, that He can direct the future.
God is in control of the future, but He doesn't know the future with a certainty such that what He knows can't be changed.


Premise 3:
God knows all possible futures but not “the future” because it hasn't happened. God has not predestined it.


As I've said before, if God were to know the future with certainty, then God could not change His mind from what he knew. He would be controlled by His own knowledge, and would have no autonomy; He therefore would not be sovereign, only His knowledge would be.


“…[E]very other understanding of divine providence to some extent diminishes the sovereignty and glory of God. It brings God's wisdom and power down to the level of finite human thinking. We would need to control or possess a blueprint of all that is to occur ahead of time to steer world history effectively. But the true God is far wiser, far more powerful, and far more secure than we could ever imagine.” [16]


This viewpoint of God’s knowledge and the future isn't a new concept. It’s how most Christians have generally viewed God’s knowledge of the future until recent times. One reason I say this is because if you ask a Christian whether God can change His mind, the answer is almost always “yes.” I submit that the belief in a rigidly, completely known future is one that, having its basis perhaps in Calvinism, has slowly made its way into our theological system, but not into our true belief system.


For example: In the mid 1950’s, the late Dr. R. C. Foster, professor at the Cincinnati Bible Seminary described God’s knowledge [17] as follows (paraphrased): If you were standing on the top of Carew Tower, in Cincinnati, Ohio, watching the intersection of 5th and Vine streets below, and you saw two vehicles approaching the intersection at high rates of speed, you could say that if these two cars continue on their present course, and nothing changes, they will impact with each other. Amplify this tremendously, and you have some insight into the manner in which God knows the future.


Another example would be that of a Chess Master who can envision the possibilities up to ten or fifteen moves in advance. [18] He can see the possible moves at the moment, and visualize the moves that may follow after each given move would be taken.


Chessmaster



Consider the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep (an analogy Jesus Himself used): The shepherd knows his sheep. The sheep hear his voice and know it. The shepherd leads them to pastures and water. When he leads the sheep or herds them, the shepherd knows from experience how they will respond to a given stimulus, but he really does not know which way any individual sheep will go at any given time. Still, he's able to lead them to pasture, water, and shelter. When individual sheep go astray, he retrieves them. The flock may want to go a particular way, or some may start to go a direction away from the flock, still he herds them. He doesn’t predestine them, he leads them. He can predict how they'll respond. He can determine where they'll go, but he doesn’t know the future. If the shepherd commands his sheep to go a particular direction, but the sheep see a wolf in that direction the shepherd has not seen, the sheep will most likely scatter. The shepherd determines what he will do, and where he'll lead the sheep. He may “predestine” in the morning that he'll take them to another pasture in the afternoon. In that way, he “knows” they'll go to that pasture in the afternoon. Individual sheep may go their own way. The shepherd may change his mind, but if all stays as it was, they'll go to that pasture in the afternoon.


Sheep in a pasture


“If God knows a future event, it must either be because He determined it or because it's an inevitable effect of past or present causes.” [19]


What do the Scriptures say?

Let’s examine some of the scriptures on God’s knowledge. In each case, the knowledge concerns either past or present events, what's in the hearts of men, or what God is going to do.


God knows:

Here are some passages indicating what God knew in specific situations:

The hearts of men:

1 Kings 8:39

[39] then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, (NASB-1985)

2 Chronicles 6:30

[30] then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, (NASB-1985)

Psalm 44:21

[21] Would not God find this out?For He knows the secrets of the heart. (NASB-1985)

Luke 16:15

Him. [15] And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. (NASB-1985)

Act 15:8

[8] “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; (NASB-1985)

Romans 8:27

[27] and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (NASB-1985)

What He plans:

Isaiah 14:24-25

[24] The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,[25] to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 42:9

[9] “Behold, the former things have come to pass,Now I declare new things;Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 44:7

[7] ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place. (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 45:11

[11] Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands. (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 46:9-10

9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (KJV)


Isaiah 48:5-7

[5] Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My idol has done them,
And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’
[6] “You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you new things from this time,
Even hidden things which you have not known.
[7] “They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ (NASB-1985)


Our deeds:

Psalm 69:5

[5] O God, it is You who knows my folly,And my wrongs are not hidden from You. (NASB-1985)

Our thoughts and words:

Psalm 139:1-4

[1] O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
[2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
[3] You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
[4] Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all. (NASB-1985)

Psalm 94:11

[11] The LORD knows the thoughts of man,That they are a mere breath. (NASB-1985)

Psalm 44:20–21

[20] If we had forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our hands to a strange god,
[21] Would not God find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart. (NASB-1985)



Jesus Knew:

Here are some passages indicating what Jesus knew in specific situations:

The hearts of men:

Matthew 26:21

[21] As they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” (NASB-1985)


Mark 2:8

[8] Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? (NASB-1985)


Mark 8:16–17

[16] They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. [17] And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? (NASB-1985)


Mark 14:18

[18] As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.” (NASB-1985)


John 13:21

[21] When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” (NASB-1985)


John 2:24–25

doing. [24] But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, [25] and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. (NASB-1985)


John 6:64

[64] “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. (NASB-1985)


Some will say, “Peter's denial was foretold. Doesn't that indicate God knows the future?”

Matthew 26:33–34

[33] But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” [34] Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” (NASB-1985)


Luke 22:31–32

[31] “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; [32] but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” [33] But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” (NASB-1985)


Luke 22:34

[34] And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” (NASB-1985) God knows the hearts of men and knows how they will likely respond to various stimuli. In this case, I believe Jesus understood Peter would be hanging around the palace and God arranged with Satan the questions that would be asked, thereby fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy.

The past and the present:

John 1:48

[48] Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (NASB-1985)


John 2:24–25

[24] But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, (NASB-1985)


Matthew 19:8

[8] He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. (NASB-1985)


Mark 10:6

[6] “But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. (NASB-1985)


Jesus on Earth

While the next few examples don't prove God doesn't know the future, they lend support to it, or at the very least, that Jesus didn't know all things while He was on the earth.


Who touched me?

The first example is that of the woman who touched His clothes and was healed.


Woman who touched Jesus' garments and was healed


Luke 8:43–48

[43] And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,
[44] came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.
[45] And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.”
[46] But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”
[47] When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.
[48] And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (NASB-1985)


Did Jesus really know who touched him? Was he playing “mind games?” Some might say Jesus used this as a teaching technique.


However, even after His disciples asked Him “how can you say, ‘Who touched me’?” Jesus continued to look around. This indicates perhaps He had to find that person rather than knowing exactly who it was who touched Him.


If Jesus “knows all things” there would be no point in his statement, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me." He didn't say, “I know someone touched me for I know all things.” He also didn't say, “Bring me the person who touched me.” He said, “Who touched me?” indicating that He didn't, as yet, know who touched Him with intent to be healed. Jesus then tells us how He knew someone touched him. It was because power had gone out of Him.

Jesus' own statement contradicts the view that Jesus said it for instructional value. He is saying the reason He knew someone touched Him in a special way was not because of omniscience, but because power went out from Him. To conclude otherwise would assert that either Jesus was attempting to deceive us in His question, or that the revelation of the incident we have is hopelessly inadequate to fully understand the event.


I saw you

Consider again the example of Jesus calling Nathanael to follow Him:

John 1:47-48

[47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (NASB-1985)


Jesus didn't say, “I know all things,” or “I knew you before you were born,” but instead said, “When you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”


Unity

Jesus also prayed for unity of those who will follow him.

John 17:22

[22] “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; (NASB-1985)

If Jesus knew the future, or if Jesus knew God knew the future, He would not have prayed for unity. There will either be unity or there will not be unity depending on what God already knows.


With a kiss?

Even though it appears as genuine surprise, when Judas kisses Jesus, Jesus' remark is often explained as more of a rhetorical statement.

Luke 22:48

[48] But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (NASB-1985)

Nevertheless, it seems disingenuous for Jesus to feign surprise when being presented with Judas’ method of betrayal. I suppose Jesus could be saying this for Judas’ benefit, but what benefit would there be since Jesus also would have had to know Judas was doomed to do this very act from before creation.


You Loved Me

In the next passage, Jesus refers to His existence before the creation of the world.

John 17:24

[24] “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. (NASB-1985)

It’s interesting Jesus phrased it this way because of what He does not say. He says “you loved me before the foundation of the world.” He doesn't say, “You loved them before the foundation of the world.” If God knew the future, Jesus could have easily said the latter.


If it be possible

Consider again is Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. I mentioned this in the previous discussion on Omnipotence, but it adds some insight to the Knowledge of God as well. In this example, Jesus asked God to alter the plan if possible.

Matthew 26:39

[39] And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (NASB-1985)


Jesus praying in Gethsemane

Mark 14:35–36

[35] And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. [36] And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” (NASB-1985)

Jesus pleads with the Father, since “all things are possible,” to remove this trial. If God’s knowledge of the future is absolute, it seems to me Jesus would have known that it can't be taken away. Two conclusions can be drawn from this petition,


Objections

Passages often cited to demonstrate God knows the future:

People have often said to me, "The Bible says God knew you before you were in your mother's womb." That's simply incorrect. God says to Jeremiah he knew him

Jeremiah 1:5

[5] “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (NASB-1985)

This verse does not say: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew everything you would do;” It doesn’t even say He knew anything he would do. It also doesn't say "I knew you before you were in your mother's womb." Instead it says that before God formed him "in the belly," He knew him. That is, God knew what he would be like. God knew about his genetic makeup, his personality, his traits, and his being. He had to. He was making him. This verse doesn't address knowledge of the future, but the plan God had for Jeremiah.


At other times, some have said to me, "The Bible Says God knows all things!" and cited 2 Samuel 14:20.

2 Samuel 14:20

[20] in order to change the appearance of things your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.” (NASB-1985)

This scripture is talking about David knowing all things that are in the earth according to the wisdom of an angel of God.


Does God have knowledge?

Psalm 73:11

[11] They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” (NASB-1985)

This is men remarking on the extent of God’s knowledge. Yes, indeed! There is great knowledge in the most High. This says nothing about knowing the future.


God's knowledge is deep and He is wise.

Romans 11:33

[33] Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (NASB-1985)

However, this verse indicates nothing about God knowing the future. Nevertheless, the completeness of God’s knowledge is vast and incomprehensible to us.


God's knowledge destroys opinion!

2 Corinthians 10:5

fortresses. [5] We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (NASB-1985)

No source of information or knowledge matches God’s own complete knowledge, and yet, no knowledge of the future is indicated by this verse.


Some will say, "God has already made his plans for us."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

[11] ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
[12] ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
[13] ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (NASB-1985)

God says, “I know the plans I have made for you.” By God saying He has made plans, this passage makes my point. God knows what He has planned for our futures, but they are still contingent upon our seeking God with all our hearts.


There's an analogy between this and the idea that even though we will die, everyone will actually live forever; some in a place of reward and the rest in a place of punishment. We use the words die and death—even Jesus did when Lazarus died—from an earthly perspective, and this is the default meaning. However, Jesus certainly knew that every human will exist forever in either Heaven or Hell. The analogy then, is that even if we say God knows all things, we can say it with the understanding that the future is not knowledge, and therefore there is no contradiction even if a passage were to ascribe God as saying, “I know all things.”


Passages often cited to demonstrate Jesus knew the future:

Some will say, "You see, Jesus knew Judas was a devil beforehand!"

John 6:70

[70] Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” (NASB-1985)

However, the point at which Jesus knew this is uncertain. This verse can be taken to mean at the time of choosing the twelve,

  1. that Jesus knew Judas was a “devil” from before creation, making the statement simply informational because He intentionally chose Judas with full knowledge he was a devil,
  2. that Jesus knew Judas was a “devil” at the time of creation, also making the statement simply informational because He intentionally chose Judas with full knowledge he was a devil,
  3. that Jesus did not know one of them would be a devil, or
  4. that Jesus did not know Judas was the one who would turn against him.

Only the first of these possibilities would indicate Jesus knew the future, although such a conclusion is unwarranted from the verse. It is unclear at what point Jesus knew Judas was a devil, only that at some point, Jesus detected Judas was a traitor by knowing his heart.


Let's consider more closely The identification of Judas as our Lord's betrayer.

John 13:26–27

[26] Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. [27] After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” (NASB-1985)

Based on these passages, John 6:70 and John 13:26-27, I don't believe Jesus knew, at the time he selected the disciples, it would be one of them who would betray Him, or how it would come about. The scripture indicates Satan entered into Judas at this point.


You might think John 6:64 would shed some light on this:

[64] “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. (NASB-1985)

Yet even this is unclear. The uncertainty involves the words "from the beginning." Does it mean the beginning of creation, the beginning of the Apostle selection process, or the beginning of Jesus' ministry?


The Greek word arche can mean “early on” as it does in Philippians 4:15 rather than from an exact starting point.

[15] You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; (NASB-1985)

It could be Jesus knew it from the moment Judas decided to betray Him. [20]


Jesus' own words give us some insight:

John 15:26–27

[26] “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, [27] and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (NASB-1985)

From this, I believe John is referring to the beginning of Jesus' ministry, after the selection of the twelve. He obviously was not referring to the beginning of Creation.


Peter, through Luke, provides additional insight into the way they commonly referred to Jesus' ministry:

Acts 1:21-22

[21] “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— [22] beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” (NASB-1985)


The apostolic selection process began before John's baptism of Jesus, but was not complete until well after. So, some time shortly after the selection of the apostles, Jesus began to see how things were going to unfold, and who would betray Him.


Does Jesus Know All Things?

“But Jesus knows all things. The scriptures say so.”

John 16:30

[30] “Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” (NASB-1985)

First of all, Jesus didn’t say He knows all things, His disciples said it. This is a case where others are speaking of God’s knowledge of things. A similar situation arises in the statement that God does not hear a sinner's prayer (John 9:31). That was a doctrine of men in Jesus' day. Nevertheless, in this case, no knowledge of the future is necessarily indicated. Keep in mind, our interpretation of the disciples' statement in this verse is not necessarily what they meant and is perhaps a cultural translation discrepancy. This is indicated by the statement immediately following, "…have no need for anyone to question You." In our 21st century English understanding, why would Jesus have needed anyone to ask him anything?


Does “all” always mean “all?”

In statements regarding “all things” it is important to consider the context of words like “all,” “everyone,” and “everything.” For example,


Mark 1:37

[37] they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” (NASB-1985)

Obviously, all men were not looking for Him. It doesn’t even mean everyone in the nearby towns at that moment. In the same way "all men" doesn't literally mean all men, all isn’t always absolute. Instead “all” must be considered in context.


Mark 13:23

[23] “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. (NASB-1985)

Jesus didn't literally tell them everything. He's saying He has told them the things they need to know, in advance. So we see all does not always mean all in the context of the scriptures. It’s like our common use of ‘every.’ When we say, “Everyone is going,” or “Everything got wet,” we don’t mean every one and every thing.


Mark 16:15

[15] And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (NASB-1985)

Clearly, even though Jesus said “all creation,” He does not mean we should preach the gospel to animals, plants, rocks, rivers, lakes, fields, and mountains.


John 4:29

[29] “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” (NASB-1985)

Likewise, Jesus didn’t tell her all the things she had ever done.


No man knows the day or the hour

Matthew 24:36

[36] “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (NASB-1985)

Mark 13:32

[32] “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (NASB-1985)

In Jesus’ statement above, He is talking about the circumstance upon which the return will take place, not a specific day and hour set in future time. Note that the verses say “of that day and hour” not “the day and hour.” The Father alone knows of, or about, the day and hour. It does not say the Father has determined the day and the hour, but the Father is the only one who knows the criteria he has in mind for it. It doesn't mean God has already set the date. If it did, you would have difficulty reconciling it with 2 Peter 3:9 which describes the Lord delaying His return; wanting everyone to come to repentance. It’s the Father’s decision how and when it will occur. God has set His plan in motion, but to say God has irrevocably chosen a specific moment, a date and time, for Jesus’ return and can't change His mind is absurd.


“Jesus' statement can be easily understood as an idiomatic way of saying that it lies in the Father's authority, no one else's, to finally decide when the second coming will occur. It need not mean that the Father has already set the exact date.” [21]


Consider the following verse:

2 Peter 3:9

[9] The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (NASB-1985)

This indicates God hasn't made a final decision, but is waiting for as many to come to repentance as His patience and our faithfulness will allow.


Examples of using day to mean an uncertain, but particular moment can be taken from various scriptures:

Genesis 2:16-17

[16] The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; [17] but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”(NASB-1985)

Here God says that “in the day,” Yet He means from the moment of the condition, you will begin to die. Translated literally, it means, "Dying, you shall die." [22]


In the following verses, God and Pharaoh each use the clause “that day” to mean some non-specific point in time:

Exodus 8:22

[22] But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of insects will be there, in order that you may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land. (NASB-1985)

Exodus 10:28

[28] Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” (NASB-1985)


When we think of “day” or “hour” in our culture, we think of “date” and “time.” This was not necessarily so in Biblical times.

Matthew 24:42

[42] “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (NASB-1985)

Matthew 24:44

[44] “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. (NASB-1985)

Luke 22:53

[53] “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.” (NASB-1985)

John 2:4

[4] And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” (NASB-1985)

John 4:21

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (KJV)

John 4:23

[23] “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (NASB-1985)

In these verses, the reference is not to a “clock-time” or a point in time but to a time span of incidence. Surely Jesus didn't mean these worshippers would only worship for an hour.


Vine says of ‘hour:’

HOUR

hora ^5610^, whence Lat., hora, Eng., "hour," primarily denoted any time or period, especially a season. [emphasis added] In the NT it is used to denote (a) "a part of the day," especially a twelfth part of day or night, an "hour," e. g., ; in <1 Cor. 15:30>, "every hour" stands for "all the time"; in some passages it expresses duration, e. g., ; inexactly, in such phrases as "for a season," ; "for an hour," ; "for a short season," <1 Thes. 2:17>, RV (KJV, "for a short time," lit., "for the time of an hour"); (b) "a period more or less extended," e. g., <1 John 2:18>, "it is the last hour," RV; (C) "a definite point of time," e. g., , "the hour is at hand"; , lit., "at the hour of supper"; ; a point of time when an appointed action is to begin, ; in , "it is high time," lit., "it is already an hour," indicating that a point of time has come later than would have been the case had responsibility been realized. In <1 Cor. 4:11>, it indicates a point of time previous to which certain circumstances have existed. [23]



On a particular occasion where “clock time” or precision was the salient issue, a different word was used:

Matthew 2:7

[7] Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. (NASB-1985)

Time here is the Greek word "chronos."


Vine says of ‘time:’

TIME

5550 chronos (khron'-os); of uncertain derivation; a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from 2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from 165, which denotes a particular period) or interval; by extension, an individual opportunity; by implication, delay: KJV— + years old, season, space, (X often-) time (-s), (a) while. [24]


Foreknowledge of God

"But the Bible talks about foreknowledge!"


I propose “foreknowledge,” as scriptures use the term, is the result of the accumulated knowledge of all past and present events throughout the universe, including all actions, thoughts, and tendencies of man. Another word for it might be insight.

For example, in our human experience, a copper wire, when bent a number of times, will break. We know this. If we have tested a particular type of wire many times, we can determine the number of times we can bend it before it will break. Thus, we have foreknowledge such that if the wire is bent the certain number of times it will break. Now, expand this to the complete knowledge of God, and you have an example of God’s incomprehensible knowledge. The term “infinite knowledge” is meaningless. Knowledge by its very nature is finite. Even though knowing everything is incomprehensible to our minds, the quantity of things that can be known MUST be finite. This does not limit God, it describes reality.


Consider the following scriptures in this light:

1 Samuel 23:10-12

[10] Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. [11] “Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” [12] Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.” (NASB-1985)

God knows how men think and behave. He knows what people are thinking.


Isaiah 42:9

[9] “Behold, the former things have come to pass,Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” (NASB-1985)

God tells the prophet of what will spring forth because He knows what He will do and how men will likely respond.


Isaiah 44:7

[7] ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place. (NASB-1985)

God proclaims. He declares. He appoints.


Isaiah 45:11

[11] Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands. (NASB-1985)

God says, “Ask me about what I have done and what I will do.”


Isaiah 46:9-10

[9] “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
[10] Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, (NASB-1985)

God says remember the things of long ago? He still decides His action as He sees fit, and He will get it done.


Isaiah 48:3

[3] “I declared the former things long ago
And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. (NASB-1985)

Although God declared them, he still had to do them. He could even have changed His mind.


Isaiah 48:5-7

[5] Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My idol has done them,
And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’
[6] “You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you new things from this time,
Even hidden things which you have not known.
[7] “They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ (NASB-1985)

God works new things that had not been “known” before. If God knew the future this would not be possible.


Jeremiah 1:5

[5] “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (NASB-1985)

Yes, while Jeremiah was being formed in the womb, God knew all about him and then determined what He would do for him.


Daniel 2:28-29

[28] “However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed. [29] “As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. (NASB-1985)

These secrets concerned what God will do.


Matthew 6:8

[8] “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (NASB-1985)

Yes, God knows what we need. Jesus does not say, “Your Father knows what you're going to ask before you ask Him.”


Acts 2:23

[23] this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (NASB-1985)

Jesus was crucified by the plan (counsel and foreknowledge) of God.


Acts 15:18

[18] SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. (NASB-1985)

God knows what he planned to do from long ago.


Romans 11:2

[2] God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? (NASB-1985)

Romans 11:2

God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, (NKJ)

God has not turned away from his chosen people. They're still in the plan.


1 Peter 1:2

[the aforementioned believers are] chosen [2] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. (NASB-1985)

1 Peter 1:2

[the aforementioned believers are] elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (NKJ)

Elect or chosen—but not as individuals. Rather, as a group, as those who believe in Him and are willing to obey.


None of these passages indicate an immutable knowledge of the future. Instead, they indicate a perfect understanding of past and present, with a definite plan for the future.



Examples of Predestination

"But the Bible has specific examples of predestination!"


There are indeed examples of predestination in the Bible. Yes, there are cases where God imposed His will on individuals, often by hardening their hearts. It is likely God just enhanced or facilitated a tendency already present in the individual. The following verses are such examples. You will see that in each case God planned and directed the event.


God decided that through Isaac Abraham's seed would be called.

Genesis 21:12–13

[12] But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. [13] “And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” (NASB-1985)


Exodus 9:16

[16] “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. (NASB-1985)

Exodus 9:16

"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. (NKJ)


Exodus 10:1

[1] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, (NASB-1985)


And...
Romans 9:17

[17] For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” (NASB-1985)


God is speaking of Pharaoh here and saying that from the very beginning God had a plan for him. God is saying He planned and did something, not that he knew the future.


They did not listen to wisdom because God desired to kill them.

1 Samuel 2:25

[25] “If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the LORD desired to put them to death. (NASB-1985)

1 Samuel 2:25

"If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them. (NKJ)


God hardened the hearts of the leaders of the cities surrounding Israel.

Joshua 11:20

[20] For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. (NASB-1985)


God directed Samson to move against the Philistines.

Judges 14:4

[4] However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. (NASB-1985)

Judges 14:4

[4] But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD— that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. (NKJ)


God appointed Benhadad for destruction. Because Ahab let him go, God said he would have to take Benhadad's place.

1 Kings 20:42

[42] He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’” (NASB-1985)

1 Kings 20:42

[42]Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.'" (NKJ)


God brought destruction to pass.

2 Kings 19:25

[25] ‘Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it;
From ancient times I planned it.
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps. (NASB-1985)

2 Kings 19:25

'Did you not hear
long ago how I made it,
from ancient times that I formed it?
Now I have brought it to pass,
that you should be
for crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. (NKJ)


The LORD decided to cut off the house of Ahab.

2 Chronicles 22:7

[7] Now the destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that he went to Joram. For when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab (NASB-1985).

2 Chronicles 22:7

[7] His going to Joram was God's occasion for Ahaziah's downfall; for when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. (NKJ)


God decided Amiziah would be given over to his enemies because of their evil ways.

2 Chronicles 25:20

[20] But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom. (NASB-1985)



The Lord has made some for the day of doom.

Proverbs 16:4

[4] The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. (NASB-1985)

Proverbs 16:4

[4] The LORD has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. (NKJ)


God chose Abraham.

Nehemiah 9:7-8

[7] “You are the LORD God,
Who chose Abram
And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees,
And gave him the name Abraham.
[8] “You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—
To give it to his descendants.
And You have fulfilled Your promise,
For You are righteous. (NASB-1985)


God chose them.

Haggai 2:23

[23] ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’” declares the LORD of hosts. (NASB-1985)


Jesus chose them.

John 13:18

[18] “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ (NASB-1985)


God chose these men.

John 15:19

[19] “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (NASB-1985)


The older shall serve the younger because God loved Jacob.

Romans 9:12-13

[12] it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” [13] Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.” (NASB-1985) [25]


A choice man in the Lord: a blessing

Romans 16:13

[13] Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. (NASB-1985)


God called him.

Galatians 1:15

[15] But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased (NASB-1985)


"The Bible even uses the word 'Predestinate'!"

Yes, it does. However, 'predestinate' in King James' time did not carry the narrow meaning of 'predestine' we have today. Instead it indicated a strong, well thought-out plan to be carried into action. God knew his creation would be many. He also knew many of these would believe. For these many, he planned them to be confirmed to the image of his Son.

Romans 8:29

[29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; (NASB-1985)

Romans 8:29

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (NKJ)

God did not predestine individuals; instead, He predestined the plan, that is, He decided beforehand that we should be conformed to the image of His Son. The plan existed before the fall. However, if man had not fallen, while we still would have been conformed to the image of his Son according to the plan, it would have happened in a perfect world in which Jesus would not have had to come and redeem us.


This is made clearer by two passages in Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:4-5

[4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love [5] He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, (NASB-1985)

He chose us “in him” before the foundation of the world. In other words, before the foundation of the world, through Jesus, he planned for us to “be holy and blameless in his sight.” He “predestined us to be adopted....” In other words, from the beginning, God's plan (“the predestination”) was for His creation to be His children through Jesus. It wasn’t the plan from the beginning that we would have to be redeemed by Jesus’ death. Jesus created us [26] and it was God's plan for us to be His children; adopted by Jesus Christ. We were already there. Then we rebelled. He purposed to redeem us.

Ephesians 1:11

[11] also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, (NASB-1985)

You see, God is working things out "in conformity with the purpose of his will". If it were truly predestined, there would be nothing to work out.


Some cases in which God did not appear to know the future

The situation does not only involve Jesus. Many scriptures indicate God Himself does not know the future.


God Tests Adam

Genesis 3:9

[9] Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” (NASB-1985)


Genesis 3:11

[11] And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (NASB-1985)

Did God not know or was He just playing a game.


God Tests Abraham

In Genesis 22:1-19, When Abraham obeyed God and prepared to sacrifice his own son, scripture indicates God did not know whether Abraham would obey. If God knows the future, this test was meaningless.


Genesis 22:12

[12] He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (NASB-1985)

Taken at face value, this verse indicates God did not know what the outcome would be. God said, "Now I know….”


Testing Love

In this passage God tests the love of His people.

Deuteronomy 13:3

[3] you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (NASB-1985)

If God knows all things, He should not need to test the love of men for their God.


Other Testing

God tested the Israelites:


Exodus 16:4

[4] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. (NASB-1985)

God tested the people in the wilderness to see whether they would obey.


Deuteronomy 8:2

[2] “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. (NASB-1985)

Apparently, God had to test them to know what was in their hearts.


Judges 2:21-22

[21] I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, [22] in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” (NASB-1985)

God left other nations in Canaan in order to test whether Israel would remain faithful. (also see Judges 3:4)


The verses clearly indicate the purpose of the testing was for God to know, not for man to know his own heart.


Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:5

[5] The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. (NASB-1985)

This implies the Lord had to come down to see, and He would only need to see if he did not know.


Balaam

Numbers 22:9

[9] Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” (NASB-1985)

Did God know who these men were? If so, why did God Ask Balaam who they were? —Another game? Why should God ask such questions?


The Wicked

Ezekiel 33:11

[11] “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ (NASB-1985)

If God knows whether they will turn, then God’s sentiment that he wants the wicked to turn has no meaning.


David

Related to this, when God found David, as described in Acts 13:22,

Acts 13:22

[22] “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’ (NASB-1985)

Can we say God knew at the time He declared David to be a man of His own heart how David would deceptively take Bathsheba as his wife?

2 Samuel 12:9

[9] ‘Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. (NASB-1985)

This only becomes a problem if we assume God knows the future.


Some cases in which Jesus did not appear to know the future

Jesus seems genuinely surprised

If Jesus’ knowledge included each individual’s future thoughts, He could not be surprised by anything, and yet, Jesus seems genuinely surprised at His disciples.

Matthew 15:15-18

[15] Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” [16] Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? [17] “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? [18] “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. (NASB-1985)


Matthew 16:6-8

[6] And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” [7] They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” [8] But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? (NASB-1985)


Matthew 16:11

[11] “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (NASB-1985)


Mark 8:17

[17] This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.” (NASB-1985)


He doesn’t even appear to know what His disciples are going to think or whether they will understand a parable in advance.


When the Centurion came and asked Jesus to heal his son, but said that Jesus just needed to say the word, Jesus marveled.

Matthew 8:10

.” [10] Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. (NASB-1985)


Consider another incident in which Jesus expresses frustration with the people. This is recorded in three of the four Gospels:

Matthew 17:17

him.” [17] And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” (NASB-1985)


Mark 9:19

[19] And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” (NASB-1985)


Luke 9:41

[41] And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” (NASB-1985)


If Jesus, being God, knew the future, He would have had to know how this generation would respond to Him.


Immediately following the above account, in Mark 9:21, Jesus asks, “How long has this been happening to him?” (NASB-1985) Some will say, “Jesus just wanted the man to make a testimony before the others who were around.” If that were the case, why did Jesus not say, “Tell these around us how long the child has been like this?”


Jesus’ words are not the words of one who “knows everything” as we use the term today.


Mark 3:5

[5] After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (NASB-1985)

Jesus was distressed at men, and yet, if He knew the future, He should have known in advance they would be so. This distress implies surprise or an unexpected condition which would not be possible for someone who knows the future.


Mark 6:6

[6] And He wondered at their unbelief. (NASB-1985)

Jesus could not not have wondered at their unbelief if He knew the future. (See also Matthew 8:10 and Luke 7:9)



Jesus, when mourning over Jerusalem, said,

Luke 19:42

[42] saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. (NASB-1985)

This indicates that up to this point a different outcome was possible. There was a condition that would have brought Israel peace. As if, when Jesus came, there were two contingencies with two possible outcomes. If God knows the future, this statement becomes meaningless.


Can these words be based on knowing the future? Even though this is a rhetorical question, it becomes nonsensical if Jesus knew the future. Is Jesus playing “mind games?”


Jesus is Troubled

Luke 22:1-3

[1] Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. [2] The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people. [3] And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. (NASB-1985)

Satan entered Judas at this time.


John 13:18-21

[18] “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ [19] “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. [20] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Jesus Predicts His Betrayal [21] When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” (NASB-1985)


*Psalm 41:9

[9] Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread,Has lifted up his heel against me. (NASB-1985)

Jesus was troubled. Jesus could not have been troubled if He knew all along who it would be and how it would take place.


Not wishing that any should perish

God doesn’t want anyone to perish and go to Hell, a place “prepared for the devil and his angels”. (Matthew 25:41).

2 Peter 3:9

[9] The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (NASB-1985)

If God knows the future, this verse is meaningless. He already knows who will and who will not come to repentance, and who will and who will not perish.


Jesus said the Father wants all to come to repentance.

John 6:40

[40] “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (NASB-1985)

This statement is meaningless if God already knows who will and who will not be saved.


If God Knows the Future...

If God knows the future, He can't be sorry or change His mind at all. It wouldn't be possible for Him to change His mind, or to be sorry, or “repent,” for anything because He would have already known it, and yet the Scriptures tell us He has done these things.


Genesis 2:15

[15] Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. (NASB-1985)

Genesis 3:9-11

[9] Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” [10] He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” [11] And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (NASB-1985)

Genesis 3:17-18

[17] Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you;In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. [18] “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; (NASB-1985)

Genesis 3:23-24

[23] So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. [24] After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (NASB-1985)

Did God really plan for Adam and Eve to live their lives in the Garden of Eden, or did He know in advance He would have to expel them?


God regrets making man

Genesis 6:5-6

[5] Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (NASB-1985)


How can God regret or be sorrowful about something he would have known from the beginning? Did He not believe His own knowledge? God could not be sorry or grieve over the outcome of creating man if He already knew how it would turn out.


Moses and the children of Israel


Moses pleads with God


Exodus 32:10-14

[10] “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”Moses’ Entreaty [11] Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? [12] “Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. [13] “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” [14] So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. (NASB-1985)


Is God a liar? Was God playing games with Moses, saying that he would destroy the people, but after Moses appealed, God relented and changed his mind? Did God really know He wouldn’t destroy the people, but just wanted Moses to react in a way that He knew he would?


Here is the previous scenario documented again in scripture:

Deuteronomy 9:14:

[14] ‘Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ (NASB-1985)

Deuteronomy 9:25:

[25] “So I fell down before the LORD the forty days and nights, which I did because the LORD had said He would destroy you. (NASB-1985)

Deuteronomy 9:26:

[26] “I prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. (NASB-1985)


In Numbers 14:1-20 God and Moses discuss the congregation of Israel. Moses got God to change his mind again… Numbers 14:11-12:

[11] The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? [12] “I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.” (NASB-1985)

Numbers 14:19

[19] “Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” (NASB-1985)

Numbers 14:20:

[20] So the LORD said, “I have pardoned them according to your word; (NASB-1985)

Numbers 14:27:

[27] “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. (NASB-1985)

Verse 11 indicates God is considering destroying Israel. Moses influences God to spare them. Verse 27 tells us God is still not pleased with Israel.


In another event, God was going to consume the entire “congregation,” but for Moses’ plea:

Numbers 16:19-32

[19] Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
[20] Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
[21] “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.”
[22] But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”
[23] Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
[24] “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”
[25] Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him,
[26] and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin.”
[27] So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and their sons and their little ones.
[28] Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing.
[29] “If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.
[30] “But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD.”
[31] As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;
[32] and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. (NASB-1985)

Instead, He caused the ground to swallow up the offenders.


The Censer: God allowed Moses’ petitions to mitigate His anger:

Numbers 16:45-46

[45] “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. [46] Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the LORD, the plague has begun!” (NASB-1985)


The Brass Serpent: Again, God allowed Moses’ petitions to mitigate His anger:

Numbers 21:4-9

[4] Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.
[5] The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”
[6] The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
[7] So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.
[8] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.”
[9] And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. (NASB-1985)


God regrets making Saul King

1 Samuel 13:13

[13] Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. (NASB-1985)

God tells Saul He would have established Saul's kingdom over Israel forever, but not now. If God knew this would happen, He could not honestly say He would have established Saul's kingdom over Israel forever.

1 Samuel 13:14

[14] “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” (NASB-1985)


If God knew the future, He would not have had to seek a man after His own heart to replace Saul. He would have simply known who was to come next.


1 Samuel 15:10-11

[10] Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, [11] “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night. (NASB-1985)


1 Samuel 15:35

[35] Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. (NASB-1985)


Again, if God knew how it would turn out, he could not be regretful over the outcome.


Other Regrets

In Ezekiel 22, God sought for just one Israelite who would pray and stand up for righteousness, but found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30-31) God could not genuinely search for someone to intercede if He knew there was no one. “The fact that God tried to raise up an intercessor suggests that He knew it was possible that an intercessor would have responded.” [27]



God asks, “How long?”

Hosea 8:5

[5] He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying, “My anger burns against them!”How long will they be incapable of innocence? (NASB-1985)


God is surprised

In Isaiah 5:2-5, the Lord raised up a vineyard, a reference to Jerusalem and Judah, but was surprised to find it had yielded wild grapes.


Here are passages where God is speaking to one of His Prophets in which He says He thought something would occur, but it didn't.


Jeremiah 3:6-7 -

[6] Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. [7] “I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. (NASB-1985)


Jeremiah 3:19-20

[19] “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
[20] “Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover,
So you have dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. (NASB-1985)


“If God tells us He thought something was going to occur while being eternally certain it would not occur, is he not lying to us? If God can't lie (Heb.6:18) and yet tells us He thought something would occur that did not occur, doesn't this imply that the future contains possibilities as well as certainties?” [28]



Other times God changed or promised to change His mind

Jeremiah 18:8

[8] if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. (NASB-1985)

Jeremiah 18:10

[10] if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it. (NASB-1985)

Jeremiah 42:10

[10] ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. (NASB-1985)

Amos 7:3

[3] The LORD changed His mind about this.“It shall not be,” said the LORD. (NASB-1985)

Amos 7:6

[6] The LORD changed His mind about this.“This too shall not be,” said the Lord GOD. (NASB-1985)

Jonah 3:10

[10] When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. (NASB-1985)

2 Samuel 24:15-16

[15] So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. [16] When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (NASB-1985)

Judges 2:18-22

[18] When the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.
[19] But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.
[20] So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice,
[21] I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,
[22] in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” (NASB-1985)


God changed His mind and extended Hezekiah's life after God told Hezekiah he was going to die soon and Hezekiah petitioned Him. 2Kings 20:1-6


Other times are recorded in Exodus 33:1-14; 1 Samuel 2:27-31; 1Kings 21:21-29; 2Chronicles 12:5-8; Jeremiah 26:2-3; Ezekiel 4:9-15


God indicates that the very book of life can be changed

Exodus 32:33

[33] The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. (NASB-1985)

Revelation 3:5

[5] ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (NASB-1985)

Revelation 22:19

[19] and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God ill take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (NASB-1985)

This would not even have been necessary if God knew the future. God would not put names in the book of life if He knew He was going to blot them out later.


God promised disaster

Jeremiah 26:19

[19] “Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and the LORD changed His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against ourselves.” (NASB-1985)

But He changed his mind.



If God knows the future,
He could not genuinely become angry

If God knows the future, He could not ever become angry because He would have known all events since the beginning of time. He would also know that the objects of His anger would have been able to do nothing else than the actions they took which kindled His anger. And yet, in the Old Testament, we see God’s anger numerous times:


How dare you do what I already knew you would do!


Exodus 4:14

[14] Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. (NASB-1985)


Numbers 11:1

[1] Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. (NASB-1985)


Numbers 12:9

[9] So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. (NASB-1985)


Numbers 22:22

[22] But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. (NASB-1985)


Numbers 25:3

[3] So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. )


Numbers 32:10-13

[10] “So the LORD's anger burned in that day, and He swore, saying, [11] ‘None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, [12] except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully.’ [13] “So the LORD's anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the LORD was destroyed. (NASB-1985)


Judges 2:14

[14] The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. (NASB-1985)


2 Samuel 6:7

[7] And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. )


Isaiah 5:25

[25] On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down.
And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
For all this His anger is not spent,
But His hand is still stretched out. (NASB-1985)

There are more than 100 verses speaking of the anger of the Lord in the Old Testament.


In Hebrews, the writer indicates that because of the generation of Israel that left Egypt, God became angry and declared an oath as the result.

Hebrews 3:11

[11] AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’” (NASB-1985)


Hebrews 4:3

[3] For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,“AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,”)

God made this decision only after Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God’s original intent was for them to proceed to the Promised Land (even just before the 40 years punishment), but their hearts were hard and unbelieving.


God is Grieved?

If God knows the future, He could not become grieved, yet God is grieved when we resist Him


Psalm 78:40

[40] How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 63:10

[10] But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them. (NASB-1985)


Ezekiel 6:9a

[9] “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. (NASB-1985)


Ephesians 4:30

[30] Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (NASB-1985)

God and the Holy Spirit can't honestly grieve if they already knew what would take place.


Furthermore, God would not create people He knew would not believe and try to get them to believe if He already knew they were going to hell.


If God knows the future, conditional statements are moot

If God knows the future, conditional statements made by God are moot. If God knows the future there can be no conditional situations. There should never be an “if” because He already knows “whether.” For example, it wouldn’t be “if” His people will humble themselves and pray. (2 Chronicles 7:14) He already knows “whether,” so the “If” should be a “When.” If God knows the future, what good is a conditional statement? He already knows whether they will, and the alternative is not possible.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14:

[13] “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, [14] and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NASB-1985)


Jeremiah 18:8

[8] if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. (NASB-1985)


Jeremiah 26:3

[3] ‘Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.’ (NASB-1985)


God expresses uncertainty


God says they might change their minds

Exodus 13:17

[17] Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (NASB-1985)


God says "perhaps"

Ezekiel 12:3

[3] “Therefore, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; even go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand though they are a rebellious house. (NASB-1985)


Was God being disingenuous when he said this?


Hezekiah: God does not lie

God adds 15 years to Hezekiah’s life:

2 Kings 20:1-6

[1] In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”
[2] Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying,
[3] “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
[4] Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
[5] “Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.
[6] “I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.”’” (NASB-1985)

If God knew the future and He knew He was going to add fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life, it would have been a lie for Him to tell Hezekiah that he would not recover and was going to die of his illness. God does not lie.


God and Prophecy

“If God doesn’t know the future, how can he make prophecy about things that will happen many years in the future?”


God actively works His plan to fulfill His prophecy

Prophecy on God’s part is not prediction of the future, but determination of particular events of the future. God works directly with the necessary individuals and with nature to make His plan a reality. Remember the example of the shepherd leading his sheep described earlier? God is able to decide on His action and lead events according to His desires. When God predestines, He does so by making a plan, then acting in order to make all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20).


Building the future


When God makes prophecy, He essentially tells us what He is going to do. Let’s consider, for a moment, a passage that seems to indicate God knows the future. (There are not many such passages.)

Genesis 16:11-12 To Hagar:

[11] The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. (NASB-1985)

However, with a closer look we can see past the apparent inconsistency. We know God knows the personality He gives to each person even when he or she is still in the womb. He also knows the behavior of those around each person. He can therefore prophesy the direction of specific individuals in general terms. He conducts perfect analysis of the situation and knows how man thinks. In this case, God is telling Hagar the way things are and how her son will fare based on his personality and how others will respond to him.


In this example, God tells Abram what He will do:

Genesis 15:5

[5] And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (NASB-1985)


Genesis 22:17

[17] indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. (NASB-1985)


Genesis 26:4

[4] “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; (NASB-1985)


Concerning Daniel’s prophecy of the end times, (Daniel 2:28-45, and other passages), God is presenting of the “destiny” of man. He knows this because he knows how the mind of man works. He knows all the tendencies of every heart, and he knows how men will interact with each other. God also knows the things which must "come to pass." [29] [My question is, where does Satan play in all of this?]


There are many other passages in which God makes prophecy, but in every passage, the viewpoint is the same. God tells us what He will do.



Consider these Old Testament verses concerning fulfillment of prophecy


God raised up Pharaoh for a purpose:

Exodus 9:16

[16] “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. (NASB-1985)


David was God’s chosen even though he was not of proper lineage. David was the tenth generation from Judah and Tamar’s illegitimate child Pharez (Perez). He could not “enter the congregation of the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 23:2

[2] “No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD. (NASB-1985)

And yet, David was selected to be king over Israel. Can we say God planned this from the beginning? Moreover, through this line, Jesus was brought into the world. Can we really say God knew all along Jesus was to be born through a line of illegitimate birth?



Consider these New Testament verses concerning fulfillment of prophecy


Matthew 1:22-23

[22] Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: [23] “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 26:53-54

[53] “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? [54] “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” (NASB-1985)

Jesus states He can invoke power, but admits His actions must be tempered by the intentional actions required to fulfill prophecy. The implication is that God doesn’t know the future but that God determines portions of the future, and Jesus must comply or the prophecy will not be fulfilled.


Matthew 27:35

[35] And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. (NASB-1985)


Mark 15:27-28

[27] They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [28] And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.” (NASB-1985)


John 19:24

[24] So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.” (NASB-1985)


At this point, we could say either, “God knew these things would take place,” or “God is working directly with individuals to accomplish His plan.” If the former, it wouldn't be His "plan" if He knew it was already going to happen. No planning would have been involved. If the latter, it means God plans the fulfillment of prophecy and works to make it take place.


God works with men to affect an outcome

Consider this passage indicating how God works with particular men to affect the outcome:

John 12:37-40

[37] But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. [38] This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” [39] For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, [40] “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.” (NASB-1985)

If God knew the future of these men, He wouldn’t have to harden their hearts. Things would just be. Nevertheless, God acted in order to achieve His desired outcome. So we have clear indication God actively works in the lives of men.


In the following instance, God Changes His Plan and makes a Second Covenant. In spite of what has been said many times about messianic prophecies, the specifics of God's plan for fellowship with man and the plan of salvation have been changed from the original plan:

Hebrews 8:6

[6] But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (NASB-1985)


Hebrews 8:7-8

[7] For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. [8] For finding fault with them, He says,“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; (NASB-1985)

Why was there ever a need for the second covenant if God knew he would find fault with the people?


The original plan was for God and man to have fellowship together with His creation in a perfect world. That is, unless you believe God knew the future, in which case God knew in advance that was never going to happen.


The question is again brought to mind, “Why would God bother to create man at all if He knew man would fall?”


Oh, wait, He did it because He was predestined to do it. He knew He would.


Jesus and Prophecy

Jesus was restricted from action by the necessity to fulfill prophecy. This was a voluntary self-limitation. If it were not so, Jesus was not being honest in His statements. Jesus coordinated His actions with the actions of the Father to fulfill prophecy. God also works with the hearts and minds of specific individuals to fulfill prophecy. Consider these examples.


Jesus referring to prophecy

The reference:

Matthew 26:53-56

[53] “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? [54] “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” [55] At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. [56] “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled. (NASB-1985)

The scripture that was fulfilled:

Jeremiah 23:2

[2] Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD. (NASB-1985)

Jeremiah 31:10

[10] Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare in the coastlands afar off, And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.” (NASB-1985)

Ezekiel 34:6

[6] “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them. ”’” (NASB-1985)

Ezekiel 34:12

[12] “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. (NASB-1985)


The reference:

John 13:18

[18] “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ (NASB-1985)

The scripture that was fulfilled:

Psalm 41:9

[9] Even my close friend in whom I trusted,Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. [10] But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up, (NASB-1985)

Obadiah 1:7

[7] “All the men allied with you will send you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.) (NASB-1985)


The reference:

Matthew 27:9-10

[9] Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; [10] AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER's FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.” (NASB-1985)

The scripture that was fulfilled:

Zechariah 11:13

[13] Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD. (NASB-1985)


God knows men’s hearts and God carries out his plan.


The reference:

Mark 14:27

[27] And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ (NASB-1985)

The scripture that was fulfilled:

Zechariah 13:7

[7] “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. (NASB-1985)


As an aside: Who is the “I” in this prophecy? If this is really the verse Jesus fulfilled there seems to be a translation problem. Jesus says the prophecy says, “I will smite the shepherd” while the passage says the entity represented by the “sword” will “smite the shepherd… and I [the Lord of hosts] will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”


Jesus actively worked to fulfill prophecy

Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy was the result of direct action. He did not just blindly act, or act outside of His own will, and thereby fulfill prophecy. Jesus’ responsibility was to perform the actions that would fulfill the scriptures. Consider the following verses concerning Jesus’ working to fulfill scripture.

Matthew 2:23

[23] and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 4:13-16

[13] and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. [14] This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: [15] “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES — [16] “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 8:16-17

[16] When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. [17] This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 12:15-18

[15] But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, [16] and warned them not to tell who He was. [17] This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: [18] “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. (NASB-1985)


Matthew 13:13-15

[13] “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [14] “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; [15] FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ (NASB-1985)


Matthew 13:34-35

[34] All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:“I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 21:1-5

[1] When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. [3] “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” [4] This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: [5] “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’” (NASB-1985)


Mark 14:49

[49] “Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” (NASB-1985)


Luke 4:18-21

[18] “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, [19] TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” [20] And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. [21] And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (NASB-1985)


Luke 21:21-23

[21] “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; [22] because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. [23] “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; (NASB-1985)


John 18:8-9

[8] Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” [9] to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” (NASB-1985)


John 19:28

[28] After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” (NASB-1985)


These verses above show Jesus taking active steps to fulfill prophecy. The last verse in particular indicates He was following a plan or a “script” of things that had to be done to fulfill scripture. Once the list of necessary actions was complete He was freed from the “script” somewhat.

(Also see "Predestination" previously discussed for other instances where God directed human behavior.)


Twelve Thrones

Matthew 19:28

[28] And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (NASB-1985)

Jesus is speaking specifically to the twelve chosen disciples. Jesus said twelve thrones, not eleven. I suggest that at this particular time, Jesus did not yet know it was one of the twelve who would betray him.


This would tie in well with the selection of Paul as a replacement to complete the twelve thrones. Paul refers to himself in this regard as “one untimely born.”


“What about Matthias?” Really?


Jesus making prophecy:

Jesus actively made prophecies based on what He knew of man and his nature, and of God’s plan for the future.


Mark 13:2

[2] And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.” (NASB-1985)


Mark 13:7-14

[7] “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.
[8] “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
[9] “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.
[10] “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
[11] “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.
[12] “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
[13] “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
[14] “But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. (NASB-1985)


(See also Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, Daniel 12:11)


Mark 13:22

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. (KJV)


Mark 13:24-26

[24] “But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, [25] AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. [26] “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. (NASB-1985)


Mark 14:9

[9] “Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” (NASB-1985)


Jesus is speaking from His complete understanding of the hearts of all men and the plan God has for the future.


Implications to Prayer

There are serious implications to prayer if we say God knows the future. If God knows the future, then prayer is of no consequence; God already knows whether or not we will pray, whether or not we will ask, and whether or not He will grant the request before we ask; our prayer affects nothing. Clearly, this is not the teaching of Jesus.


Some things Jesus said about prayer:

Matthew 6:7-8

[7] “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. [8] “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (NASB-1985)


Luke 11:2-4 (and Mt:6:9-13)

[2] And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. [3] ‘Give us each day our daily bread. [4] ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 21:22

[22] “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 26:53

[53] “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (NASB-1985)


Mark 11:24

[24] “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. (NASB-1985)

It is obvious Jesus taught that prayer changes things.


Mark 13:18

[18] “But pray that it may not happen in the winter. (NASB-1985)

This suggests that prayer provides a potential for changing when the flight will be. If God knows the future, such a prayer is inconsequential.


Pray to avoid temptation

Jesus tells Peter, James, and John to pray so they don't fall into temptation.

Matthew 26:41

"[41] “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (NASB-1985)

If the future was known, the exhortation would be useless.


Feed my sheep

John 21:17

[17] He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep. (NASB-1985).

If Jesus knew the future, there would have been no reason to exhort Peter because no amount of exhortation could change what Jesus already knew.


Some things Jesus said in His own prayers:

Matthew 26:39

[39] And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 26:42

[42] He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” (NASB-1985)


Mark 14:35

[35] And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. (NASB-1985)


John 17:15

[15] “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. (NASB-1985)


John 17:21

[21] that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (NASB-1985)

At the very least, these verses indicate Jesus believed His prayer could change the course of things. When He said, “If it be possible,” He was asking God whether some other plan could be put into effect, but concluded that He would do whatever God would direct. Jesus believed that there could be other possibilities. If God knows the future, there are no other possibilities.


What other NT writers said about prayer:

Romans 8:26

[26] In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (NASB-1985)

Intercession suggests the potential for change from what might otherwise be. If God knows the future, there is no potential for change from what He knows will be.


Romans 10:1

[1] Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. (NASB-1985)

Unless the prayer is moot, Paul’s prayer suggests a potential for change. If God knows the future, there is no potential for change from what He knows will be.


Philippians 4:6

[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (NASB-1985)

Unless the prayer is moot, requests to God suggest a potential for change. If God knows the future, there is no potential for change from what He knows will be.


2 Timothy 4:16

[16] At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. (NASB-1985)

Again, Paul’s prayer suggests the ability to change the course of God’s punishment for those mentioned. If God knows the future, there is no potential for change from what He knows will be.


James 5:13

[13] Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. (NASB-1985)

If God knows the Future, He already knows whether your affliction will be relieved, prayer is inconsequential. Clearly, James did not believe this, or he wouldn’t have told us to pray.


James 5:14

[14] Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; (NASB-1985)

If God knows the Future, He already knows whether sickness will be relieved, prayer is inconsequential. Clearly, James did not believe this, or he wouldn’t have told us to pray.


James 5:15

[15] and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (NASB-1985)

If God knows the Future, He already knows whether sickness will be relieved, prayer is inconsequential. Clearly, James did not believe this, or he wouldn’t have told us to pray.


1 Peter 3:12

[12] “FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.” (NASB-1985)

Saying God’s “ears are open” suggests once again the potential for changing what will be. If God knows the future, there is no potential for change from what He knows will be.


The Knowledge of God: A Solution

So, how do we reconcile God’s infinite knowledge (Psalm 147:5) with the free will of man? How can I say God “holds the future” but He does not know it? How can I say God is sovereign if He doesn’t know the future?


This framework doesn't challenge God’s sovereignty. God is still sovereign and because of His complete and perfect knowledge, yes, He holds the future. Allow me to present an illustration of God’s knowledge that's more fitting an infinite God than the simplistic and problematic assertion, of “God knows the future.” The illustration doesn't place limits on God’s knowledge in the way that immutable knowledge of the future does. Instead, this illustration opens the possibility to understand God in an entirely new light—the light He presents in His word that has been obscured for centuries.


Please keep in mind this illustration is in human terms and is therefore subject to inadequacies.


Prophecy: Seeing the Future,
Grounded in Past and Present

I maintain that knowledge is past and present only. Future is not knowledge. No entity knows the future. The act of knowing the future predestines the future. As I previously discussed, I don't subscribe to the idea that God is "outside of time."[11]


It's all repeats



I previously discussed my views on what God knows, so I won't reiterate them here.


Let’s examine the life of an ordinary human. Consider yourself, right now. Imagine being at the center of a circle. Call it a “free-will” circle. A dot marks the center of the circle and represents a decision-making point. The possible decisions you can make are represented by the circle itself. There are an infinite number of decisions you can make. You could decide not to read further. You could decide to scratch your head, take a break, or stand up and shout, "This is nuts!” You can do anything your abilities allow. The possibilities are infinite. Our minds can't comprehend them all. Some decisions will have a greater effect on your life than others. However, each of those decisions is represented by a point on the circumference of the circle.




Decision Circle001








Once you make the decision, you are at a point on the circumference of the circle. All other points on the circle are now impossibilities because the decision is complete. It is past.




Decision Circle001









However, as soon as you make the decision, you are once again at the center of another free-will circle; another decision-making point.




Decision Circle001












We could chain as many of these together as we wanted showing a path of decisions, which at each point, there were an infinite number of possibilities.




Decision Circle001







Through this series of free-will circles, we can see the path taken by the individual. If God knows the future, that person’s life could be charted, even before he was born, by a line indicating the path the person would take in every circumstance. There would be no circles because there would be no possible decisions other than what God knew. Instead of the circles, there would just be the line going from point to point.


The above diagram of free-will circles shows a very limited portion of the complete illustration. I will demonstrate what I mean.


From our perspective, one thing we can't know is what possible paths could have opened up for us if we had made some other decision. Look at just a small example of multiple possible decisions:




Decision Circle001










You can see how it could quickly become too complicated for us to comprehend. This illustration barely scratches the surface before we humans become overwhelmed trying to take it in. Yet God comprehends it all—for everyone all at once. This is the power of God’s knowledge and wisdom. This illustrates the supreme ability and sovereignty of God. This is what I mean when I say God knows all possible futures. This is what I mean when I say God holds the future. This is also how I reconcile God holding the future while He gives us free will.


For each free-will circle, for each decision in your life, you decide, not God, what you will do. God has granted us this. God wants us to love Him and serve Him because we want to love and serve Him in the same way we want our children to obey and love us in free will. This is why God created man in the first place. This is why we’re here.


God could force us to serve Him. God could even control our minds and make us “love” Him, but then, would it be love if there were not free will?


If you chose, you could chart every major free-will circle in your life and come up with a map of all your major decisions. If you had a great enough mind, you might even be able to chart many of the minor free-will circles in your life. With your limited knowledge, you could even speculate on some possible alternate futures—things that might have happened if you had made different decisions. People often make such speculations. The only problem is, our knowledge is so limited, as soon as we change one of the free-will decisions, we have no idea what decisions would have faced us next.


On the other hand, God’s knowledge is complete. God knows every possible decision of every free-will circle you encountered and will encounter in your life. God knows all that is possible. From that which is possible, God knows those decisions that are likely for any given free-will circle in your life.


In addition to this, God knows your thoughts, past and present; your actions, past and present, and God knows the history and thoughts of all your ancestors all the way back to Adam. God also knows your personality, He knows your aches and pains, and He knows your physical as well as your mental deficiencies. Man doesn't know this, but God does. Now, here’s the clincher. God knows this for every individual who ever lived. He knows the interactions between every individual, what they thought, and why they responded the way they do. He knows what every individual thinks and feels, and what every individual who ever lived thought and felt.


How then, does God make prophecy happen while not “knowing” the future? If He does not predestine individuals, how does he work it all out?


Remember, God’s knowledge is complete, and He has the wisdom to be able to use it. In addition to knowing humans, God knows everything about the earth, the moon, the sun, the stars, and everything physical. He created it all. God also knows all of history. He was there. Since God knows the tendencies, thoughts, emotions, pains, feelings, fears, genetic make-up, ancestry, education, influences, and everything else that makes up each individual, He also knows what that person is likely to do in any given situation, and extending that, He knows what possibilities each decision opens up for every situation. God knows all the possible futures. Let me demonstrate this using a free-will circle.




Decision Circle001






For a given decision, the circle represents all possible choices to a given situation. The shaded area in the free-will circle represents the likely responses an individual will make. The arrow from the center of a circle to a point on the circumference represents the decision made.


Chaining multiple circles together, the illustration would look like this:




Decision Circle001






Notice that the response in the fifth circle falls outside the range of likely responses for the individual at that moment. Yes, occasionally a particularly onerous bent to our own will may fall outside of the range of what God saw as likely. Remember King David?


Even the slightest difference in a decision among the most likely could have a significant influence on the next decision. God would have no immutable knowledge which choice we would make, and therefore would not know which outcome would follow. But He does know all the possible choices, and all the possible outcomes.


God knows all of these likely decisions due to his complete knowledge. By knowing who we are and how we think, in this way He sees our futures. In each of the decisions we make, there is the uncertainty factor of free will. There has to be. At significant points, God acts to direct decisions and other factors to produce His outcome. He also responds to prayer in this way to make His will reality. God has made us to be independent beings and therefore, we are inherently unpredictable. If it weren’t for the uncertainty factor, most of the accounts in the Bible wouldn’t make sense: God being angry, God changing His mind, God using the words “if” or “unless.”


One thought to keep in mind is that each circle represents a potentially infinite number of decisions, so each additional circle represents infinite times infinite. Then you multiply this by the number of people who have ever lived and this becomes incomprehensible for us, but not for God.


A passage that fits my description especially well is 1 Chronicles 28:9. I've listed it below in three translations:

1 Chronicles 28:9

[9] “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. (NASB-1985)

God “searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.” That’s essentially what I have been saying. Then “If you seek him… if you forsake him...” makes my point that we have the choice and God leaves it up to us. God made us to be the unpredictable ones.


It's interesting to note that in Acts 21:10-12, the Holy Spirit prophesied through Agabus that the Jews would bind Paul and hand him over to the Romans. As it turned out, the Romans rescued Paul from the Jews. This is a clear case of God knowing all the possibilities, but because individuals are free agents, the prophecy did not turn out exactly as presented. The outcome was the same in that Paul was bound for the name of Christ.


“[God] always has a plan B and a plan C. He's also wise enough to know how to weave our failed plan A's into these alternative plans so beautifully that looking back, it may look like B or C was His original plan all along. This isn't a testimony to His exhaustive definitive foreknowledge; it's a testimony to His unfathomable wisdom.” [30]


In summary:

A pastor friend of mine said, “I’d hate to know the future and be powerless to do anything about it.”[31] That’s exactly the position in which God is if He knows the future. By immutably knowing the future, you couldn’t do anything about it. My pastor friend was asserting God knows the future but could change it. Yet, if God were to change it, He really didn't know the future. If God knows the future, anything He would do, He would have already known He would do, so He wouldn't have changed the future at all. Any other conclusion is muddled logic and sloppy thinking. This pastor friend unwittingly assigned to God the very predicament he said he would hate; that God would know the future and be powerless to do anything about it. However, as with most believers throughout history, it's clear he doesn't really believe God immutably knows the future.


“…[W]e should seriously question the assumption that a God who exhaustively foreknows what is definitely going to happen is wiser than a God who does not.” [32] A God who allows his creation to decide on its own the direction it will take would have to be much wiser than one for whom no surprise is possible.


As we read God's Word, we see passage after passage indicating God leaves the future open. God allows us to decide for ourselves. The entire Bible is written from the viewpoint that people make their own choices and that their futures are yet to be decided. It is the most straightforward and sensible way to look at God's Word. Not only that, but most Christians, even if they say they believe God knows the future, live their lives as if God does not know the future. They pray for change, they hope for the salvation of friends and family, and they even presume to make their own decisions.



Conclusion:

I believe God knows all that is knowledge. He knows the hearts of men. He knows our deeds, our thoughts, and our words. God knows everything that has ever happened and everything that is happening now. With His incredible and perfect knowledge, He also perceives all the possibilities for the future.


I believe God becomes angry. I believe God can change His mind. I believe the devout prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much (James 5:16).


I believe that if God were to know the future, we would be predestined, but more astounding than that, God Himself would be predestined. If God knew the future, prayer would be of no consequence because whatever God knew would happen before the prayer would still happen. If God knew the future, Jesus’ dying on the cross was not an act of submission to His Father’s will, but the unalterable result of predestination. If God knows the future, Jesus was either lying or He was wrong when he said in Mark 10:27:

…[27] Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” (NASB-1985)

If God knows the future, all things are not possible, only one thing is possible—that one future God knows.


I believe God has made us creatures with free will, and that God does not know from before the creation of the world who will be saved and who will be lost. I believe God truly loves His creation and wants all of us to be reconciled to Him and to have communion with Him. I believe God has changed His mind in the past, and can change His mind today and in the future. I believe that fervent prayer to Him can make a difference.


So, we have these three necessary conclusions: If God knows the future, we are predestined. If God knows the future, God is predestined. If God knows the future, prayer is of no effect.


I do not believe we are predestined. I do not believe God is predestined. I believe in the power of prayer. Therefore I believe God does not know the future.


Rather than thinking “God knows the future,” instead, consider that God holds all possible futures and “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love” [33] Him.


With God, all things are possible.



Appendix A


Additional Prophecy Verses

God promises, establishes, or blesses

The following is a list of scriptures that speak of prophecy made by God in the form of blessings or promises. In every case, God prescribes what he has done, will do, or what man will do based on how thoroughly God understands the hearts of man. He does not say, “You will do this in that day” but instead, “I will do….” Even the verses that talk about “foreknowing” can be seen in this light. Those verses that speak of predestination do not preclude the will of the individual to reject God’s “election.” They speak of what God has established. God sets the future in motion. He plans it out and works His will.


Exodus 33:19

[19] And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and wwill show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” (NASB-1985)


Deuteronomy 4:37

[37] “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, (NASB-1985)


Deuteronomy 7:7-8

[7] “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, [8] but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (NASB-1985)


Deuteronomy 10:15

[15] “Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. (NASB-1985)


Deuteronomy 32:8

[8] “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of man,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the sons of Israel. (NASB-1985)


1 Samuel 12:22

[22] “For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. (NASB-1985)


1 Kings 12:15

[15] So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the LORD, that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (NASB-1985)


2 Chronicles 6:6

[6] but I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ (NASB-1985)


Job 23:13-14

[13] “But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does.[14] “For He performs what is appointed for me,And many such decrees are with Him. (NASB-1985)

God does what He wants to do.


Psalm 33:12

[12] Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. (NASB-1985)


Psalm 65:4

[4] How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple. (NASB-1985)


Psalm 78:67-68

[67] He also rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
[68] But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved. (NASB-1985)


Psalm 78:70-72

[70] He also chose David His servant
And took him from the sheepfolds;
[71] From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
[72] So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands. (NASB-1985)


Psalm 105:17-22

[17] He sent a man before them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
[18] They afflicted his feet with fetters,
He himself was laid in irons;
[19] Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him.
[20] The king sent and released him,
The ruler of peoples, and set him free.
[21] He made him lord of his house
And ruler over all his possessions,
[22] To imprison his princes at will,
That he might teach his elders wisdom. (NASB-1985)


Psalm 135:4

[4] For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession. (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 44:1-2

[1] “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
[2] Thus says the LORD who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 44:7

[7] ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place. (NASB-1985)


Jeremiah 1:4-5

[4] Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
[5] “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (NASB-1985)


Malachi 1:2-3

[2] “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob's brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob; [3] but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 11:25-26

[25] At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. [26] “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. (NASB-1985)


Matthew 20:16

[16] “So the last shall be first, and the first last.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 20:23

[23] He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 22:14

[23] He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” (NASB-1985)


Matthew 24:22

[22] “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (NASB-1985)


Matthew 24:40-41

[40] “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. [41] “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. (NASB-1985)


Matthew 25:34

[34] “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (NASB-1985)

This kingdom is prepared for all who will believe from the foundation of the world. Not for specific individuals from the foundation of the world.


Matthew 26:24

[24] “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (NASB-1985)

Jesus does what is necessary to fulfill prophecy.


Mark 13:20

[20] “Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. (NASB-1985)

God will act on their behalf.


Mark 14:21

[21] “For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (NASB-1985)

Jesus does what is necessary to fulfill prophecy.


Luke 8:10

[10] And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND. (NASB-1985)

Some are allowed to understand, but others are prevented.


Luke 10:20

[20] “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (NASB-1985)

The spirits are subject to his disciples.


Luke 17:34-36

[34] “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. [35] “There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. [36] [“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] (NASB-1985)

God will actively carry out his plan.


Luke 18:7

[7] now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? (NASB-1985)

God will avenge His elect.


Luke 22:22

[21] “But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. [22] “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” (NASB-1985)

Jesus does what is necessary to fulfill prophecy.


John 6:37–38

[37] “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. [38] “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (NASB-1985)

Jesus came to do what God told him to do.


John 6:39

[39] “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. (NASB-1985)

This was God’s will, and what he will do at the last day.


John 6:44-45

[44] “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. [45] “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. (NASB-1985)

God draws individuals. If it were predestined, no drawing would be necessary. Also, teaching is necessary for the drawing.


John 15:16

[44] “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. [45] “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. (NASB-1985)

This choosing is not something that happened before the creation of the world. It happened during Jesus’ efforts on Earth. Jesus indicates requests of the Father are granted upon asking. If the request is made, it is granted. If it is not made, it is not granted. It is not predestined, it’s dynamic and dependent upon the request.


John 15:19

[19] “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (NASB-1985)

Jesus chose them out of the world––Indicating the choice was during His ministry. If the choice had been made from the beginning of creation they cold not be said to have been chosen out of the world.


John 17:2

[2] even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. (NASB-1985)

God does the giving. When seen through the light of John 6:44–45, we see that those who are drawn through the teaching are the ones God will give him.


John 17:6

[6] “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. (NASB-1985)

Once again, Jesus indicates God gave Him these men out of the world.


John 17:9

[9] “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; (NASB-1985) Jesus prayed for them, indicating their futures weren’t a foregone conclusion.


John 21:23

[23] Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (NASB-1985)

Here is an example of people misapplying what Jesus said, and John correcting them.


Acts 1:7

[7] He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; (NASB-1985)

Jesus indicates God has plans for the times and seasons according to his will and power, not that the times and seasons are immutable.


Acts 2:23

[23] this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (NASB-1985)

As we have said before, God works out his plan among men according to His incomprehensible understanding of men. This plan is foreknowledge in the sense we have described.


Acts 2:39

[39] “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (NASB-1985)

The promise is to all that are afar off. The promise is not limited to a select set determined from the creation of the world. It is determined by the call, which is initiated through teaching of the Gospel.


Acts 2:47

[47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (NASB-1985)

Those who have the faith to be saved, the Lord adds to the church.


Acts 3:18

[18] “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. (NASB-1985)

God’s prophecy is not a foreseeing of what is going to happen as much as it is a foretelling of what God is going to do. God prophesied that the Christ should suffer, then he worked out His plan. He fulfilled the prophecy


Acts 4:28

[28] to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. (NASB-1985)

God works with people to get his tasks done.


Acts 13:48

[48] When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. (NASB-1985)

Ordained here means essentially, as many as had a will to achieve eternal life believed.


Acts 17:26

[26] and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, (NASB-1985)

God determines according to His will. He marked out the boundaries: rivers, mountains, seas, and determines the length of the endurance of their nations according to their behavior. There is much controversy about this verse, but it is mostly due to a misunderstanding of the ancient Greek use of the terms. Many Greek texts omit the characters that translate into English “pre”. Nevertheless, we must view this passage in the context of other passages.


Acts 22:14

[14] “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. [15] ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. (NASB-1985)

In some cases, God actively seeks out and chooses individuals.


Romans 1:6–7

[6] among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;[7] to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB-1985)

God calls us. All who therefore have faith in Jesus are called “the called.”


Romans 8:28-30

[28] And we know that *God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (NASB-1985)

God makes things work together for the ultimate benefit of those who are called and will be His children. This was discussed previously.


Romans 8:33

[33] Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; (NASB-1985)

God justifies according to His plan.


Romans 9:7-33

[7] nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.”
[8] That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
[9] For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.”
[10] And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
[11] for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
v [12] it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.”
[13] Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”
[14] What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
[15] For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”
[16] So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
[17] For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
[18] So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
[19] You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”
[20] On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
[21] Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
[22] What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
[23] And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
[24] even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
[25] As He says also in Hosea,“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
[26] “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
[27] Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; [28] FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.”
[29] And just as Isaiah foretold,“UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY,WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.”
[30] What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;
[31] but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
[32] Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
[33] just as it is written,“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (NASB-1985)

God works with people as groups, and sometimes individuals to accomplish His purpose.


The Older will Serve the Younger

Romans 9:9-12

[from the above passage] For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. (KJV)

God has knowledge of a person’s intellect, being, and disposition as well as what God Himself plans to do with the individual


Romans 11:4–5

[4] But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” [5] In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. (NASB-1985)

God reserved some. This “election of grace” was determined by those who still had faith in God. God did not force them to have faith, but he very well protected them.


Romans 11:7-8

[7] What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; [8] just as it is written,“GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR,EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT,DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.” (NASB-1985)

Nothing in this verse indicates that the elect were chosen before the creation of the world. It indicates those who were pure in heart or who were ready to accept Jesus Christ became elect upon hearing the word. Those whose hearts were unwilling, God hardened.


1 Corinthians 1:26-29

[26] For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; [27] but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, [28] and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, [29] so that no man may boast before God. (NASB-1985)

God calls select ones. This does not indicate they were called before the world began, nor that God decided on those whom He would call before He created the world.


1 Corinthians 2:7

[7] but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; (NASB-1985)

God ordained the hidden wisdom before the world, not us.



Galatians 1:15

[15] But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased (NASB-1985)

But compare with the King James' Version: Galatians 1:15

[15] But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, (KJV)

Notice the distinct difference in meaning expressed by the KJV and the NASB. In KJV, God, who separated Paul from his mother’s womb, called Paul when it pleased Him. While the NASB indicates God “called” Paul from birth. Nevertheless, as related by the NASB, Paul says from “from birth,” not “from the beginning of the world” or “from the beginning of time.”


Ephesians 1:9-11

[9] He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him [10] with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him [11] also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, (NASB-1985)

This is all according to His will. Any "predestinating" is being done actively; God is pursuing His plan. This is not being done from the “beginning of time.”


Ephesians 2:10

[10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (NASB-1985)

In this passage, it is not us that God prepared beforehand, it is the works. God planned for us to be his presence in this age to do good works.


Ephesians 3:11

[11] Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— (NASB-1985)

God is accomplishing his eternal purpose––fellowship with his creation and an end to death and sin. Fellowship with his creation was the original purpose, but was confounded by man’s rebellion. God is working out His plan. Jesus Christ completed the salvation portion of it. There is more to come.


Colossians 3:12

[12] So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (NASB-1985)

We are elect through Jesus Christ, not beforehand as individuals, but in the same way Israel was elect, or God’s chosen people.


1 Thessalonians 1:4

[4] knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; (NASB-1985)

We are assured that we are part of God’s plan. Our election was made possible through the work of Jesus Christ. Our response to Him counts us among the elect.


1 Thessalonians 2:12 T

[12] so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. (NASB-1985)

God calls all men as is seen in 2 Peter 3:9:

2 Peter 3:9

day. [9] The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (NASB-1985)

Those who respond through faith in Jesus Christ are saved.


2 Thessalonians 2:13

[13] But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you *from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. (NASB-1985)

He chose the brethren of the Lord, as we have said before, to salvation “through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.” It should be noted that the Greek word “beginning” [ἀρχή archē] can mean “early on” instead of “the beginning“ of creation.


2 Timothy 1:9

[9] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ esus from all eternity, (NASB-1985)

God saves us in spite of our works through faith. Nevertheless, we still must have faith or we can't be saved. God saved us and called us with a holy calling, according to his plan. This plan was in place “before the world began.” It’s not predestined. We were to be holy from creation. That was God’s purpose before the world began. That purpose never changed, only the path to accomplish the purpose did.


Titus 1:1-2

[1] Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, [2] in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, (NASB-1985)

Before the fall, we all would have had eternal life without pain and turmoil. It's this promise that God is carrying forth after our redemption.


Hebrews 10:38

[38] BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. (NASB-1985)

Here God indicates the possibility of the “just” drawing back, and then God would have displeasure in him.


James 1:18

[18] In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. (NASB-1985)

Through the truth delivered in Jesus Christ, these early Christians were firstfruits.


1 Peter 1:2

[2] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. (NASB-1985)

Again, according to God’s plan we are now his people and Christ’s church.


1 Peter 1:20

[20] For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you (NASB-1985)

Jesus was ordained before the foundation of the world. (He was the agent who performed the act of creation.) He was revealed (and given) to us in these “last times.”


2 Peter 1:10

[10] Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; (NASB-1985)

“calling and choosing” isn't a static condition. It takes diligence on our part to maintain that status.


Jude 1:4

[4] For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (NASB-1985)

Ungodly men have existed and have been “predicted” from the earliest times. These have been marked out for specific condemnation.



Appendix B


Verses containing “the end” and “Time”


End of time


Many people refer to “the end of time,” and “before time began.” These statements lend to confusion and are not necessarily scriptural concepts. Let's examine some passages on the subject.


Ecclesiastes 3:11

[11] He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. (NASB-1985)


Isaiah 46:10

[10] Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; (NASB-1985)


Daniel 8:17

[17] So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.” (NASB-1985)


Daniel 8:19

[19] He said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. (NASB-1985)


Daniel 11:6

[6] “After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to carry out a peaceful arrangement. But she will not retain her position of power, nor will he remain with his power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who sired her as well as he who supported her in those times. (NASB-1985)


Daniel 11:27

[27] “As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time. (NASB-1985)


Daniel 12:4

[4] “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” (NASB-1985)

In these verses, "the end," "the time of the end," and "the end of time" refer to the end of man's time on this earth.


Revelation 10:6

And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: (KJV)

Revelation 10:6

[6] and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer, (NASB-1985)

In the King James Version, Revelation 10:6, seems to indicate that time will end. In the New American Standard Bible, the translators rightfully convey the meaning that there will be no more delay.

In addition, Psalm 102:27 tells us

[27] “But You are the same,And Your years will not come to an end. (NASB-1985)

God’s years are not going to end; only the time of man.


One of the problems we have in understanding the concept of time is that once errant ideas get embedded into our theology, they bias our understanding. The bias embedded in our thinking causes us to see the conclusion of that bias where it is not justified. In the efforts of the NIV to be more easily understood in the context of our 20th century American lives, it often phrases Biblical passages in terms we already understand, whether or not it is the most accurate translation. For example, the NIV translates the following passages as “before the beginning of time.” However, this is unwarranted from the original language. It should be understood as "before the beginning of man's time" or "before the world began." In this case, the King James Version is the most properly expressed for the intended meaning.


2 Timothy 1:9

who has saved us and called us to a holy life— not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, (NIV)

Titus 1:2

a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, (NIV)

According to Strong’s [34] the passage should be rendered “before a space of time eternal.” Interestingly, in this case, the KJV is closer to the Greek when it says, “before the world began.”

2 Timothy 1:9

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (KJV)

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that can't lie, promised before the world began; (KJV)

The New American Standard Bible expresses a meaning similar to the King James Version.

2 Timothy 1:9

[9] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, (NASB-1985)

Titus 1:2

[2] in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, (NASB-1985)


The RSV Interlinear Greek New Testament [35] translates it “before times eternal.” The same is true for both verses.



Appendix C


Notes on Man’s Scholarly Explanations

Often, scholarly work on topics such as this tends to perpetuate the prevailing ideas rather than to bring us closer to truth. We can see this sort of perpetuation in many subjects, most notably Calvinism to which we have alluded previously. For example, consider Nelson’s Bible Dictionary on the subjects of Foreknowledge and Predestination.


Foreknowledge

“The unique knowledge of God which enables Him to know all events, including the free acts of man, before they happen" God's foreknowledge is much more than foresight. God does not know future events and the actions of men because He foresees them; He knows them because He wills them to happen. Job 14:5; Psalms 139:15-16. Thus God's foreknowledge is an act of His will. Isaiah 41:4; Revelation 1:8,17; 21:6. In Romans 8:29 and 11:2, the apostle Paul's use of the word foreknew means "to choose" or "to set special affection on." The electing love of God, not foresight of human action, is the basis of His predestination and salvation" Romans 8:29-30,33. This same idea is used to express the nation of Israel's special relationship to God. Acts 2:23; Romans 11:2; 1 Peter 1:2,20. [36]


Predestination

“The biblical teaching that declares the sovereignty of God over man in such a way that the freedom of the human will is also preserved" “Two major concepts are involved in the biblical meaning of predestination.


"First, God, who is all powerful in the universe, has foreknown and predestined the course of human history and the lives of individuals. If He were not in complete control of human events, He would not be sovereign and, thus, would not be God.


“Second, God's predestination of human events does not eliminate human choice. A thorough understanding of how God can maintain His sovereignty and still allow human freedom seems to be reserved for His infinite mind alone. Great minds have struggled with this problem for centuries.


“Two views of predestination are prominent among church groups today. One view, known as Calvinism, holds that God offers irresistible grace to those whom he elects to save. The other view, known as Arminianism, insists that God's grace is the source of redemption but that it can be resisted by man through his free choice. In Calvinism, God chooses the believer; in Arminianism, the believer chooses God.


“Although the term predestination is not used in the Bible, the apostle Paul alludes to it in Ephesians 1:11: "We have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will."


“All Christians agree that creation is moving within the purpose of God. This purpose is to bring the world into complete conformity to His will Romans 8:28. From the very beginning of time, God predestined to save humankind by sending His Son to accomplish salvation. Thus, "God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" 1 Timothy 2:4.


“The doctrine of predestination does not mean that God is unjust, deciding that some people will be saved and that others will be lost. Mankind, because of Adam's FALL in the Garden of Eden, sinned by free choice. Thus, no person deserves salvation. But God's grace is universal. His salvation is for "everyone who believes" Romans 1:16. “Paul also declared that he was a debtor under obligation to take the message of the gospel to other people Romans 1:14 so they might hear and obey. Paul clearly meant that no one is saved apart from the will of God and no one is lost apart from the will of God. But the will of God functions within an order which God Himself has established. “Predestination is a profound and mysterious biblical teaching. It focuses our thinking on man's freedom and responsibility as well as God's sovereignty. [37]



It seems to me Nelson’s Bible Dictionary presents internal contradictions in both its explanation of Foreknowledge and of Predestination. The author tries to explain a difficult subject but does not want to stray too far from the accepted ideas. As a result, distinct and opposing ideas are muddled together.


Under Foreknowledge, It states that God knows the “free acts of man, before they happen.” Then it describes Paul’s use of the word Foreknew as “to choose” in the same way that God “predestined” Israel’s relationship to God by an act of His will. This is contradictory. Either God knew the acts before they happen, or God causes them to happen in the case of Israel.


Now, under Predestination, the position is taken that, “A thorough understanding of how God can maintain His sovereignty and still allow human freedom seems to be reserved for His infinite mind alone.” I consider this statement to be an abrogation of the ability to read God’s Word, reason, and reach a conclusion on this topic. It is an absurd statement. The writer admits that ‘predestination’ is not in the Bible, and then concludes the thought by asserting it to be a ‘profound biblical teaching.’ This is begging the question. In addition, the statement, “From the very beginning of time, God predestined to save humankind by sending His Son to accomplish salvation” is unfounded by scripture and makes God a liar many times over. It implies that when God created the Garden of Eden, that He had already planned to send His son to save the world from Sin. And yet Adam and Eve were sent out of the Garden because they sinned. This indicates that if they had not sinned, they would have had a perfect existence in communion with God in the Garden for their entire existence. Such a perfect existence would not require the sacrifice of God’s son for the Sin of the world. Was God merely playing a mind game with Adam and Eve? This is the necessary conclusion if we insist that God knew Adam would disobey before he was created. It also leaves us with no reason for God to be angry, since if He knew the future, He knew the sin was going to happen, how it would happen, and when it would happen. I assert that God did not establish (put in place) the plan to send His Son until after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden.


The only conclusion I can reach from Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, after wading through the intellectual mire, is that it offers no conclusion.


As remarkable as many scholarly men might be on other issues, when they attempt to resolve the issue of predestination and free will, their explanations degenerate into self-contradictory statements in order to hold on to the illogical theological position that has been promoted by the established orthodoxy for so many years.


Appendix D


Sources

1. God of the Possible, Dr. Gregory A. Boyd, Baker Books, Second Printing July 2000


2. R.C. Foster, Professor, Cincinnati Bible Seminary, circa 1951-1953, as related by Willman R. Golden, Evangelist


3. The Bible, King James Version


4. The Bible, New King James Version


5. The Bible, New International Version, 1984 edition


6. The Revised Standard Version Interlinear Greek-English New Testament by Alfred Marshall, D. Lit., © Literal English Translation, Samuel Bagster and Sons Ltd. 1958, Zondervan Publishing


7. Strong’s Greek & Hebrew Dictionary as presented in the PC Study Bible New Reference Library computer Software program, version 2.1c, Copyright © 1988-1996, James Gilbertson, Biblesoft, 22014 7th Ave. South, Seattle WA 98198


8. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers


9. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers


10. American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd edition.


11. AnswersInGenesis.org http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2007/05/02/dying-you-shall-die


Endnotes