Does God know the future?

[The LOUD Cry]

I'm curious what people think of this idea. ..."Does God know the future?"

Scripturally, "Yes!" [read the whole book of Daniel and Revelation] - Isaiah 46:9-10; John 14:29, Revelation 21:4, etc.

An addtional note, God is love [1 John 4:8,16]. Therefore free choice exists, "...choose ye this day whom ye will serve...", and "...whosoever will...", and the sacrifical Lamb was to be "freewill" offering. Yet that God is all-knowing [ie omniscient, of all things in all times, etc], this does not injure free choice in God's all-knowing. Christ Jesus Himself chose to do the will of the Father. He knows, we do not, except as He shall reveal.

Notice the last text given of Revelation 21:4, in that God has foretold that there will be no more pain, suffering, death, etc. How can He be sure to promise it, unless He knew what will be? Some will say from His omnipotence [His All-Power], that He makes it [forces by might] happen that way [will He force the heart? If He would do that, why then are any lost at all?, simply because He decided it was to be that way?, then that is a God which is no longer Love, and can never be], and in so doing they destroy free choice and attack God Himself, who is indeed Love - even as demonstrated in Christ Jesus's life and death and resurrection, etc. Yet rather scripture is clear, we do have choice, God is love, and He does know all things [not merely some, but all, past, present, future], and so can promise. For He already knows who will choose Him, and He does not force that choice, nor of those who choose not Him, He however knows what will be, and gives each person their complete free choice in the time in which they live.

The question is, what will you do with your freee choice given you? It is such a gift to treasure, for it even cost something of infinite and uncalcuable value...

 

[oi_antz]

Hi CloudyDay, I like the way ViaCrucis is explaining it to you, because it explains free will and predetermination very clearly. So I am backing up his analogy by suggesting to you that while God is experiencing life in the now, He also knows intimately the nature of every person/creature/thing that exists, because He created it. It is just as though you and I would construct a masterpiece, we would know it intimately and in a way that no observer could know it. So because He knows the nature of Adam and Eve, He knows that they will fall victim to their curiosity, just as He knows you might choose to drink a Pepsi tomorrow.

So I think of God's mind as being akin to our own mind, in the sense that we make judgments daily and all through the day. The process of making a judgment is the consideration of information and calculated prediction of which decision is best. I believe God does that too, He knows the nature of the people, He predicts the situations we will get into and predicts the decisions we will make. It seems to us like a lot of effort, but regarding God who makes a universe such as the scale of ours, there is plenty of evidence to prove His might.

So do you think that if God created the universe in all its mass and all its detail, that He is not able to accurately calculate how it will behave over time? I believe it is not beyond reckoning. So there is merely a little question left over, that is "what if our will conflicts with His?". At which point God would need to use coercion or bribery or some other tactic to influence our decision. Again, this idea is not beyond reckoning.

Nice to meet you, I hope you will look for answers that coincide with the thoughts of God's prophets.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Humanity is like a large group of people on an ocean liner heading for say, Europe.

God is the ship's captain.

The passengers can do anything they want to while enroute,

but they are still going to Europe,

and they will arrive on the captain's schedule.

 

[cloudyday2]

Hmmm. Those are all valid points (oi_antz, oldwiseguy, the LOUD cry).

Isn't there some place where Jesus says that nobody knows certain things about the future except the Father - not even the Son? (I was trying to find that quote, but I probably have the wording wrong.)

I was wondering if the Father is God outside the universe and the Son is God inside the universe (experiencing time just like the universe)?

 

[Tnmusicman]

Hmmm. Those are all valid points (oi_antz, oldwiseguy, the LOUD cry).

Isn't there some place where Jesus says that nobody knows certain things about the future except the Father - not even the Son? (I was trying to find that quote, but I probably have the wording wrong.)

I was wondering if the Father is God outside the universe and the Son is God inside the universe (experiencing time just like the universe)?

The Father and the Son are the same. The Trinity is difficult to understand,though.

 

[cloudyday2]

The Father and the Son are the same. The Trinity is difficult to understand,though.

O.k. I found the bible verse: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36 NIV)

This is clearly saying that the Father has a more detailed knowledge of the future than the Son.

 

[ebia]

The Father and the Son are the same. The Trinity is difficult to understand,though.

The same in essence, but distinct in persons.

 

[1234321]

O.k. I found the bible verse: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36 NIV)

This is clearly saying that the Father has a more detailed knowledge of the future than the Son.

The Father does have more detailed knowledge than the Son, but it is also an old Hebrew saying.

That is a reference to a traditional Hebrew wedding. In Hebrew weddings, the father organized the whole ceremony. All the bride and bridegroom basically did was show up. Once the engagement was made (i.e. when the son tells the father who he wants as a bride,) the father readies a venue, and takes care of the ceremony.

The invitees/registry of the wedding are informed by the father what time to be at the wedding, when to be there, what to wear, what to bring (if anything,) etc. The bride and bridegroom are well aware of the general time at which the wedding will occur, but because the father is organizing the ceremony, no one, not the registry/invitees, musicians, bride, groomsmen or bridegroom know the hour, or the day that the wedding will take place, except the father.

Likewise, this verse is an allusion to a traditional Hebrew wedding in spirit - because we (the Bride of Christ) will marry Christ (the bridegroom.) And, Christ is alluding that only the Father will know the exact day and hour the nuptials will be made - as in, only God knows when the appointed time will be for Christ to come to earth at the end of the world to make union with the Church. People outside the circle (invitees/registry,) the angels (Choir/witnesses/musicians/groomsmen,) the bride and the Bridegroom (Christ) don't know that exact moment.

That is not to say that the bride should not know the general time period of the wedding. Just like when a wedding planner goes from finding a venue, to making flower arrangements, to completing a cake, to organizing the seating arrangements - these are successive signs pointing to the coming of the ceremony. Likewise, Christ gave us successive signs that will point to the coming of the ceremony of the Church and Christ (birth pangs, man of perdition, abomination that causes desolation, etc.)

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.


For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.


But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.


Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.


Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

1 Thess 5:1-6

We are supposed to watch for the signs Christ gave us, even if we die before all of them happen we are supposed to tell our kids, and kid's kids. As the bride, we should most definitely know the general time of the wedding - more so than anyone else (except the groom and father.)

 

[ebia]

The Father does have more detailed knowledge than the Son, but it is also an old Hebrew saying.

That is a reference to a traditional Hebrew wedding. In Hebrew weddings, the father organized the whole ceremony. All the bride and bridegroom basically did was show up. Once the engagement was made (i.e. when the son tells the father who he wants as a bride,) the father readies a venue, and takes care of the ceremony.

The invitees/registry of the wedding are informed by the father what time to be at the wedding, when to be there, what to wear, what to bring (if anything,) etc. The bride and bridegroom are well aware of the general time at which the wedding will occur, but because the father is organizing the ceremony, no one, not the registry/invitees, musicians, bride, groomsmen or bridegroom know the hour, or the day that the wedding will take place, except the father.
)

Reference please

 

[1234321]

Reference please

Learn to read up on Ancient Hebrew wedding ceremonies.

 

[ebia]

Learn to read up on Ancient Hebrew wedding ceremonies.

I take it that means you don't have any scholarly citations to back up your claim.

 

[1234321]

I take it that means you don't have any scholarly citations to back up your claim.

Please take it however you want to.

 

[ebia]

Please take it however you want to.

I will. Thanks

 

[oi_antz]

O.k. I found the bible verse: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36 NIV)

This is clearly saying that the Father has a more detailed knowledge of the future than the Son.

Your thoughts are on a good path. What you are considering is the nature of Jesus' relationship with the Father. Consider this verse:

Matthew 17: 27Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

I see two ways you can rationalize this verse, either Jesus' will made the money appear in the fish's mouth, or the money was already there and Jesus knew by The Holy Spirit that the money was there. Maybe there is another explanation, what do you make of it?

He speaks often of our lack of faith, and if we had sufficient faith we too could perform miracles. I have witnessed a specific miracle that proves this. Perhaps one day you will too

 

[oi_antz]

I was wondering if the Father is God outside the universe and the Son is God inside the universe (experiencing time just like the universe)?

I believe that God The Father is indescribable, that The Holy Spirit is His expression in the form of word, and that Jesus is a human being who was not conceived of human sperm, but by the divinity of The Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus was created perfect by God, and was able to resist the temptation of sin. Though, He did live as a human in our corrupted world, facing temptation and behaving as God would if He was human, having power over all of creation (Mark 4:41 NLT). This is my understanding of the Trinity, and is derived from John 1:1-14 NLT.

 

[cloudyday2]

Your thoughts are on a good path. What you are considering is the nature of Jesus' relationship with the Father. Consider this verse:

Matthew 17: 27Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

I see two ways you can rationalize this verse, either Jesus' will made the money appear in the fish's mouth, or the money was already there and Jesus knew by The Holy Spirit that the money was there. Maybe there is another explanation, what do you make of it?

He speaks often of our lack of faith, and if we had sufficient faith we too could perform miracles. I have witnessed a specific miracle that proves this. Perhaps one day you will too

I like to think that Jesus willed future events rather than knew future events. This makes Him just like a human. The Lord's Prayer says "Thy will be done". My theory is that humans were created to exercise the will of the Father on Earth to continue the process of creation, but humans by eating the "fruit of the knowledge of good and evil" said that they would exercise their own will instead of the will of the Father. So Jesus had to be human to reassert the will of the Father, because that is the purpose of humans.

 

[oi_antz]

I like to think that Jesus willed future events rather than knew future events. This makes Him just like a human. The Lord's Prayer says "Thy will be done". My theory is that humans were created to exercise the will of the Father on Earth to continue the process of creation, but humans by eating the "fruit of the knowledge of good and evil" said that they would exercise their own will instead of the will of the Father. So Jesus had to be human to reassert the will of the Father, because that is the purpose of humans.

Good insight, thanks