Most Christians believe that God knows every aspect of the future in exhaustive detail, either by way of Predetermination or Foreknowledge.
Predetermination means that God actively causes/controls everything to unfold exactly the way it has/will for His own glory. Of course, one objection to this view is that God would have to actively cause rape, child abuse, murder, war, racism, the fall, and the damnation of billions of souls, just to bring Himself glory.
Foreknowledge means that God does not actively cause/control everything that takes place, only some things. However, He can perfectly foresee everything that will take place, either because He is outside of time or because He has a limitless ability to perceive the volition of His creation down to the tiniest detail, including the future choices of free-will beings.
Going forward, I will refer to the view that God knows every aspect of the future in exhaustive detail as the Closed Future View.
A small minority of Christians believe that God sovereignly predetermines or foreknows some aspects and events of the future while leaving others open to different possible outcomes. Going forward, I will refer to this view as the Partially Open Future View.
In this chapter, we will examine passages typically cited to support each view and discuss how/whether they can be reconciled. We will begin with passages cited to support the Partially Open Future View. But first, here is a chapter summary.
Chapter Summary
In support of the Partially Open Future View, some passages state or imply that God changed His mind about whether to execute plans He previously declared for an individual or nation, even though His original declaration often did not include any caveat or condition. Examples include Jonah 3:4, 9, 4:2, Joel 2:13-14, Jeremiah 18:7-10, Exodus 32:10, 14, 33:1-14, Deuteronomy 9:13-25, Psalms 106:23, Numbers 11:1-2, Numbers 14:12-20, 16:20-35, 41-48, 1 Kings 21:21-29, 2 Samuel 24:12-25, Amos 7:1-6, Judges 10:13-14, 2 Chronicles 12:1-8, Ezekiel 4:9-15, 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38:1-5.
Some passages state that God was astonished that there was no one left in the nation to intercede for mercy, so He was left with no recourse but to execute judgment. Examples include Ezekiel 22:30-31, Isaiah 59:16-18, 63:5-6.
As an aside, individuals and nations are judged according to how much light they have been exposed to and how they respond to it (ex. Luke 12:48, Matthew 11:24, Numbers 20, Acts 5). The Israelites of Moses’ day received many such experiences that diminished their need to exercise faith in God’s existence, character, or power (ex. Exodus 19-24, Exodus 24:9-11, 33:7-10, Hebrews 12:18-21). History shows that removing intellectual/experiential barriers to faith does not necessarily result in more people ultimately being saved or in an increase in overall righteousness. In fact, the opposite can result (ex. John 11:46, 12:29, Matthew 12:14).
In some passages, God or scripture speaks of different sets of outcomes being real possibilities. Examples include Jeremiah 26: 2-3, 12-19, Exodus 13:17, and Ezekiel 12:3.
Some passages state that God orchestrated tests to find out information about people’s hearts He didn’t previously know. Examples include Genesis 22:12, 2 Chronicles 32:31, Deuteronomy 8:2, 13:1-3.
In some passages, God expresses surprise or unexpected disappointment by an outcome. Examples included Genesis 6:6, Jeremiah 3:6-7, 7:31, 19:5, and 32:35, and 1 Samuel 15: 11, 35.
In support of the Closed Future View, some passages state or imply that God declares future events and/or intervenes to establish His purposes. Examples include Isaiah 42:9, 46:9-10, 48:3-5, Psalm 33:11, and Revelation 1:8, 22:13.
Some passages state or imply that God foreknew certain individuals’ destinies and/or choices. Examples include 1 Kings 13:2-3, 2 Kings 22:1, 23:15-16, Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15-16, Matthew 26:34, John 21:18-19, 6:64, 70-71, 13:18-19, 17:12.
Some passages state or imply that God foreknew certain national or global events. Examples include Genesis 15:13-14, Daniel 2:28-35, Ezekiel 26, Romans 11:25-28, Matthew 24, 1 Timothy 4:1, 3, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 6-22.
These passages show with certainty that God is in control of the ultimate big-picture outcomes of human history. And they show with certainty that God can and does predetermine some future events in some generations, nations, and individual’s lives. However, none of them assert that God predetermines or knows in exhaustive detail all future events in all generations, nations, and individual’s lives.
Some passages state or imply that God foreknew many details of Christ’s ministry. Examples include Zechariah 12:10, Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:57-60, Matthew 16:21, Acts 2:23, 4:28. However, Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and walked in unity with the Father, which facilitated a depth of foreknowledge beyond any other person.
Some passages state or imply that God foreknew that people in future generations would be saved. Examples include Ephesians 1:4-5. However, these passages can be understood to refer to a corporate entity – the remnant – and not necessarily the specified individuals that comprised that entity.
Some passages state God does not change His mind. Examples include Numbers 23:19, and 1 Samuel 15:29. However, in context these passages mean God does not change His mind in ways that reflect human duplicity, but He does change His mind when it would inconsistent with His nature not to do so.
Some passages state or imply that God possesses infinite knowledge and understanding and wisdom. Examples include Isaiah 40:13-14, Psalm 33:13-15, 39:1-4, 15-16, 147:4-5, Job 21:22, 37:16, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Proverbs 15:11, Romans 11:33, Hebrews 4:13, Luke 12:7, 1 John 3:20, and Matthew 10:29-30. However, these passages can be understood to mean God knows everything knowable and do not demand exhaustive foreknowledge.
One passage (Acts 17:26) says God appointed the times and boundaries of every nation’s habitation. However, by comparing it with other passages, we infer that there is some flexibility with these appointments.
Some passages state or imply that God directs the steps of men (Jeremiah 10:23, Proverbs 16:9, 16:33). However, in context, these passages refer to situations where God’s involvement is voluntarily invited by human agents.
There is no contradiction in taking both sets of passages at face value because the second set never explicitly says or implies that God predetermines or knows in exhaustive detail all future events in all generations, nations, and individual’s lives.
It is evident that the theology of several authors of scripture and their contemporaries allowed for God to change His mind and/or for something He predicted to not happen even if He didn’t articulate any caveats or conditions. Examples include Jonah, Joel, Samuel, Amos, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hezekiah.
Some argue that not knowing or predetermining every detail of the future diminishes God’s power or sovereignty. However, it would also diminish God’s power or sovereignty to claim He is incapable of setting up creation in such a way that some aspects of the future are unsettled and unknown, even to Him, before they play out.
Furthermore, achieving desired outcomes by working in and through the free will choices of fallen men and women inside a timeline where not every future event is not set in stone is arguably a much greater, more glorious feat than by predetermining or foreknowing everything.
Unlike the Partially Open Future view, the Closed Future View is an absolute position and it is therefore more difficult to defend. If even one Partially Open Future passage literally means what it says, then God has chosen not to afford Himself exhaustive foreknowledge.
Closed Future advocates assert Partially Open Future passages should be taken figuratively because they erroneously believe they are incompatible with Close Future passages.
Some biblical scholars assert that the idea of God existing outside of time originated with the Greek pagan philosopher Plato. God’s titles in scripture that some cited as evidence for timelessness (Revelation 1:4, Isaiah 9:6, Daniel 7:9, 13, 22, Isaiah 40:28, Hebrews 7:3, 1 Timothy 1:17, Exodus 3:14) can just as easily be understood to refer to the duration of God’s existence into the past and future, His self-sufficiency, or His sovereign control over big picture outcomes.
Laws of physics that God created do not preclude the possibility of God being able to experience His creation sequentially if He chooses to do so.
2 Peter 3:8 does not state God is timeless. Rather, it suggests God can accomplish and experience in one day far beyond anything His creation can conceive of, He is infinitely patient in the execution of His purposes, and can see big-picture outcomes with perfect clarity.
God’s Willingness to Change His Mind is a Virtue
We will now begin our examination of passages cited to support the Partially Open Future View. We begin with three passages that portray God’s willingness to change His mind as a virtue. In Jonah 3, God commanded Jonah to publicly proclaim (vs. 4), “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” No condition or caveat was included in the warning. However, the entire population fasted and prayed. The king issued a proclamation urging everyone to repent, saying (vs. 9), “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” Just as the king hoped, God changed His mind. Verse 10 states:
“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.”
God’s decision fit Jonah’s theology. When God relented, Jonah (who was in favor of the judgment) angrily complained:
“…in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.” (Jonah 4:2)
Similarly, after declaring God’s pending judgment, the prophet Joel stated this scenario was not set in stone, saying:
“Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent…?” (Joel 2:13-14)
In fact, Jeremiah 18:7-10 says the very reason God declares His plans in the first place is to hopefully provoke a godly response in people’s hearts so He will be able to turn away from judgment and/or bestow a blessing:
“At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 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.”
Examples of God Changing His Mind in the Wilderness
Next, let’s look at five times God discontinued His declared or apparent intention to annihilate the Israelites in the wilderness. This occurred after the Israelites worshipped the golden calf (Exodus 32:14, Deuteronomy 9:13-25, Psalms 106:23), complained about God’s provision (Numbers 11:1-2), did not believe God’s promise concerning the Promise Land (Numbers 14:12-20), rebelled against Moses along with Korah (Numbers 16:20-35), and complained after God judged Korah (Numbers 16:41-48). Exodus 32:14 even says verbatim that God “changed His mind.”
Annihilating Israel was a viable option in God’s redemptive plan because He could have rebuilt the nation through Moses’ family line, as He stated in Exodus 32:10. However, every time God was about to annihilate them, Moses pleaded to God for mercy, not only for Israel’s sake, but often for the sake of the Egyptians and the surrounding nations, who had heard about Israel’s miraculous deliverance. This is also recounted in Ezekiel chapter 20, where God said three times:
“I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.”
Why Did God Change His Mind?
When a nation rebels, God generally desires to extend mercy rather than calamity. He extends mercy as long as there is still hope for redemption, but He has still made Himself voluntarily dependent on human change-agents to work through for this to be a viable option. This is why He said in Ezekiel 22:30-31:
“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath…”
Clearly, God wanted to extend mercy, but He could not find a change-agent that made this a viable option. Similarly, Isaiah 59:16-18 says,
“And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him… and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing. According to their deeds, so He will repay…”
Again, God would have extended mercy if He found an intercessor, but because there was none, the only way to reach the apostate nation was through calamity. As a final example, God said in Isaiah 63:5-6:
“I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me. I trod down the peoples in My anger…”
(This passage poses a challenge since some commentators believe the context is the second coming of Christ. How can God truly be astonished if this is written about a still-future event? On the other hand, some commentators believe it applied to ancient Israel, in which case there is no issue. A third possibility is the passage has multiple fulfillments – one past and one still future.)
These passages offend some people’s idea that God controls everything, but I believe God gave mankind free will and He has chosen to make Himself dependent to some extent on human agreement. In the case of Moses, his intercession presented God with a viable alternative to judgment. Look at what Moses said at one point in Exodus 32:32:
“But now, if You will, forgive their sin – and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”
Moses’ love for Israel was so great that he sincerely offered to lay down his own salvation and spend eternity in hell if it would help them be saved. Moses’ willingness to intercede for Israel in this manner revealed a heart that God could use to still bring forth a righteous remnant, despite all their rebellion. God’s influence through Moses’ yielded heart was still a workable solution.
By contrast, there are other instances in scripture where a nation fell so far that even radical change agents could not possibly avert calamity. For example, in Jeremiah 15:1, Israel’s condition became so dark that God said:
“Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!”
Similarly, in Ezekiel 14:20, God said:
“‘…even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.’”
Why Was God So Severe in the Wilderness?
Before continuing, let’s pause here to address an important point. Many New Testament Christians find God’s severity in the Egyptian wilderness hard to understand. However, there is nothing inconsistent about it.
Both individually and corporately, people are judged according to how much light they have been exposed to and how they respond to it. This is why Jesus said in Luke 12:48:
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
This is also why Jesus said Capernaum would be judged more severely than Sodom even though Sodom appeared far more wicked on the outside. Jesus knew the men of Sodom would have repented if they had received the same level of light that Capernaum did (Matthew 11:24). This is also why Moses, who regularly spoke with God face to face, was disqualified from entering the Promise Land for one outburst of anger (Numbers 20), or why Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for misrepresenting their generosity in the midst of a great revival (Acts 5).
There is a higher level of accountability for those who are given experiences that diminish the need to exercise faith in God’s existence, character, or power. The Israelites of Moses’ day received many such experiences. They witnessed Him:
· Bring the most powerful empire and their fallen angel gods to their knees with a series of cataclysmic plagues.
· Part an enormous body of water so they could safely pass through and then close it back in upon their pursuers.
· Supernaturally provide food and water on a daily basis.
· Descend on Mount Sinai in a blazing fire, thunder, lightning, and thick clouds (Exodus 19-24, Hebrews 12:18-21).
· Audibly declare statutes and ordinances for them to live by.
· Lead them in a pillar of fire by night, cloud by day, and they went into a time of worship whenever He descended in cloud form on the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:7-10).
This is only a partial list. Seventy of the elders even saw God with an unobstructed view, saw a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky under His feet, and ate and drank in His presence (Exodus 24:9-11). It is unlikely that any Christian alive today has as much first-hand revelation of the Lord as the average Israeli citizen of that generation. This is why they were held to such a high level of accountability for their rebellious actions.
Some Christians wonder why God requires us to exercise faith in His existence. We might wonder:
“Why doesn’t He make His existence undeniable? Why doesn’t He just split open the sky and show us His face or speak audibly so the whole world will know the truth?
However, history shows us this would not necessarily result in more people ultimately being saved or in an increase in overall righteousness. While such experiences would remove intellectual barriers to faith, they would not remove the inclinations of our hearts to go on living for ourselves. Then, if we did go on living for ourselves despite our experiences, the enemy’s access to our lives would be much greater since we would be much more accountable. Perversion could actually greatly increase rather than diminish.
God is careful in how He brings along a person or group into greater first-hand revelation of Himself. He doesn’t give more than we are able to respond to wisely. Sometimes it is better for Him not to give us overt, miraculous proof of His involvement in our lives, but to give us the opportunity to trust Him by faith.
We see this at times in Jesus’ ministry as well. When the Father audibly spoke to Jesus, many of the people denied it, saying it thundered (John 12:29). When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some of the people went and told the Pharisees rather than surrender their hearts to Him (John 11:46). When the Pharisees witnessed Jesus miraculously restore a man’s withered hand, they conspired how they might kill him (Matthew 12:14). Clearly, being exposed to hard evidence of God at work in their midst was not beneficial to every person’s soul.
More Examples of God Changing His Mind
Now, let’s continue with additional examples of God changing His mind about a nation’s future due to one person’s intercession.
· In Exodus 33:1-14, God initially said: “I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.” However, after Moses interceded, God changed His mind, saying: “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
· In 1 Kings 21:21-29, God told King Ahab: “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away… because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.” However, afterward, Ahab tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, fasted, and humbled himself. Therefore, God said: “Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”
· In 2 Samuel 24:12-25, as punishment for David’s disobedience, God sent an angel to strike Israel with pestilence. However, when the angel approached Jerusalem: “…the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, ‘It is enough! Now relax your hand!’” After David interceded and built an altar, the passage concluded by saying: “Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.”
· In Amos 7:1-6, God showed Amos his intention to destroy Israel’s crops by locusts. When Amos begged God to pardon the nation, scripture says: “The Lord changed His mind about this. ‘It shall not be,’ said the Lord.’” Then God showed Amos His plan to consume the farmland with fire. Again, Amos interceded, and again scripture says: “The Lord changed His mind about this. ‘This too shall not be,’ said the Lord God.”
Next, let’s look at two examples of God changing His mind about national calamity, not due to an individual’s intercession, but because of national repentance.
· In Judges 10 and 11, Israel began worshipping false gods so God gave them into the hands of their enemies. When they cried out to Him for help, God replied in Judges 10:13-14: “…you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.” However, when the sons of Israel sincerely repented, put away the foreign gods, and served the Lord, scripture says God “could bear the misery of Israel no longer.” He then raised up Jephthah to deliver them. Notice how God’s merciful, fatherly side shone through. He plainly said He would not deliver them, yet when they repented, He was so moved with love and compassion that He could bear their misery no longer!
· In 2 Chronicles 12:1-8, Israel was unfaithful to the Lord so He said: “You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you to Shishak” (an enemy king). However, when the king and princes humbled themselves, God said: “They have humbled themselves so I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak.”
Next, let’s look at two examples of God changing His mind about His instructions or plans for an individual after that individual entreated Him.
· In Ezekiel 4:9-15, God commanded Ezekiel to only eat one particular kind of bread for 390 days as a prophetic message to Israel. He further commanded him to bake “in their sight over human dung.” Ezekiel objected, saying: “Behold, I have never been defiled… nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth.” So God changed His mind, saying: “See, I will give you cow’s dung in place of human dung.” God’s original instruction was not frivolous. Israel’s condition had become truly nightmarish and the prophetic act was meant to provoke and shock. However, God still made room to respond to Ezekiel’s objection in an understanding, relational way.
· In 2 Kings 20, (also recorded in Isaiah 38:1-5) King Hezekiah became mortally ill. God said to Hezekiah through Isaiah: “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.” However, Isaiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “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 wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had even left the middle court, God told him to return and tell Hezekiah: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you… I will add fifteen years to your life.”
God/Scripture Spoke of Different Possible Outcomes
Now we’ll look at a handful of examples where God or scripture speak of different possible outcomes for various situations.
· In Jeremiah 26:12-19, Jeremiah exhorted the officials of Judah, saying: “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you.” They agreed that the prophetic word could still be avoided and cited historical precedent, saying: “Did he [King Hezekiah] 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?”
Based on this exchange, can there be any doubt that the theology of Jeremiah and his contemporaries regarded God as being able to change His mind and regarded future events as not entirely predetermined?
· In Exodus 13:17, God chose not to lead the Israelites through the land of the Philistines, saying: “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
If we take this scripture at face value, God did not say this would happen with absolute certainty, only that it was a possibility. The same can be said of the next examples.
· In Jeremiah 26:2-3, God gives Jeremiah a prophetic message and urgently instructs him not to omit a single word, saying: “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.”
· Similarly, in Ezekiel 12:3, God commands Ezekiel to pack his bags, leave the city, and go into exile in the sight of all his countrymen. This is meant to warn them of an impending calamity. Then God speaks in terms of possibility, saying: “Perhaps they will understand though they are a rebellious house.”
· In 1 Samuel 13:13, Saul had disobeyed God. He prematurely offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord without Samuel present for fear that the people would scatter from him, demonstrating that he feared man more than he feared God. So Samuel said to him: “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.”
Samuel’s statement revealed that Saul successfully fulfilling his commission as king was a real possibility. However, in the chapters that follow, further disobedience irreversibly disqualified Saul from God’s purpose.
God Gave Tests to Discover People’s Characters
Next, let’s look at some examples where God gives an individual or a group a test to find out information about their hearts that the Bible says He did not previously know.
· In Genesis 22:12, when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac in response to God’s command, God 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.”
· In 2 Chronicles 32:31, scripture says regarding King Hezekiah: “God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.”
· Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:2: “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.”
· Finally, in Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Moses warned the people that, if a false prophet accurately predicts the future and then tries to lead them into demon worship, it is because “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”.
Each of these passages clearly states that God conducted tests or could conduct tests so that He might find out what was in the people’s hearts. The passages don’t say the purpose of the tests was so the people themselves would know or to confirm something God already knew. However, many Christians have been taught to think that these passages cannot possibly mean what they say.
I once heard a pastor read Genesis 22:12 aloud and go on to say, God already knew what was in Abraham’s heart, but Abraham needed to know! Likewise, I heard a pastor read Exodus 32:14 (where God “changed His mind” in response to Moses’ prayer) and go on to state emphatically, Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind, it changes our hearts! This kind of pet-doctrine-infused preaching is not only disrespectful to God’s word, but it’s also dangerous. It teaches Christians not to take the Bible literally, but to override it with popular opinion. At the very least, such preaching should be backed up with a thorough explanation of why he settled on that position and how he accounts for apparently contradicting passages.
God Was Surprised or Disappointed
Now let’s conclude by looking at a handful of verses in which the Bible says God was surprised or disappointed by an outcome. I’ve also included one more passage where God once again speaks about different possible futures.
· In Genesis 6:6, the condition of the earth in Noah’s day reached such a dark state that scripture actually says: “The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
Other literal, word-for-word translations such as KJV or YLT even say God “repented” that He made man. Some say God’s response suggests it was not a foregone conclusion before man’s creation that he would reach such levels of depravity. Others point out that God foretold mankind’s redemption in Genesis 3 immediately after the fall and this plan was never in jeopardy in the days of Noah. Therefore, how could He really have been “sorry” or “repented” in the truest sense of those words? This verse is difficult to grapple with and it is no wonder there are numerous interpretations.
· In Jeremiah 32:35, the sons of Israel did something unspeakable. They offered their children to the false god Molech as burnt sacrifices. God said of this act: “…I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination.”
This is a practice God specifically warned the Israelites not to perform in Deuteronomy 18:10. God’s statement suggests He never expected that Israel would fall to such depths of depravity. However, the statement seems hard to grasp. How could something that never entered God’s mind as a possible future still come to pass? It is almost as if God anticipated this question when He chose to repeat these exact same words two more times in the same book, in Jeremiah 7:31 and 19:5. If God made it a point to canonize this statement three times, should we not at least consider that He really meant what He said?
· In Jeremiah 3:6-7, God told Jeremiah that after Israel went astray by sacrificing to idols, He expected them to return to Him in the days of King Josiah. The passage says: “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. I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return…’”
The critical background point here is that king Josiah performed a series of remarkable actions to purge Judah of idolatry (see 2 Kings 23 and 2 Chronicles 34). Furthermore, 1 Kings 13:1-3, and 2 Kings 22:1, 23:15-16 show that God knew hundreds of years ahead of time that Josiah would become king and burn the bones of reprobate priests on the very altar they once defiled. This might cause one to ask: How could God have known the name and specific actions of Judah’s king hundreds of years in advance, but not foresee Israel’s continued harlotry?
While this is a fair question, there is not necessarily any contradiction here. God’s ability to raise up and/or influence the heart of an individual in authority is seen in many places in scripture… and so is His apparent inability to sometimes foretell a nation’s response to that individual, as we have already seen. Therefore, while it may seem odd to have such specific foreknowledge juxtaposed with disappointment in an outcome, it is not biblically or logically inconsistent.
· As we already saw, in Isaiah 59:16-18, God searched for an intercessor who would stand in the gap before Him and pray for mercy so that He would not be forced to execute judgment. However, He “was astonished that there was no one” to do so. Identical language is used in Isaiah 63:4-6 – God “was astonished that there was no one” to intercede for mercy.
· In 1 Samuel 15: 11, 26, 35, scripture twice says God “regretted that He made Saul king” and therefore “rejected [him] from being king over Israel”.
This completes our examination of passages typically cited to support the Partially Open Future View.
God Sovereignly Intervenes to Establish His Purpose
Now let’s look at passages typically cited in support of the Close Future View – that is, that every aspect of the future is known by God in exhaustive detail. First, we’ll look at passages that teach that God not only knows what will take place in the future, but actively intervenes to accomplish His will.
· Isaiah 46:9-10 says, “…I am God, and there is no one like Me, 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.’”
· Similarly, Isaiah 48:3-5 says, “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… Therefore I declared them to you long ago, before they took place I proclaimed them to you…”
· Next, Psalm 33:11 says, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”
· Also, Isaiah 42:9 says, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” In context, God is referring to specific things He plans to accomplish, not just random events He can foresee.
· Finally, Revelation 1:8 and 22:13 call God “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end”, indicating He has sovereignty over the ultimate outcome of human history and His plan cannot possibly be thwarted.
God Foreknew/Foreknows Certain National and Global Events
There are many examples in scripture of God foreseeing national or global events. For example, He told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved for 400 years and then that nation would be judged in Genesis 15:13-14. He foretold the rise and fall of empires hundreds of years in advance in Daniel 2:28-35. He foretold the judgment of Tyre in Ezekiel 26. He foresaw the partial hardening of Israel, causing salvation to spread to the gentile world, in Romans 11:25-28. Also, according to some, scripture indicates God foreknows many still-future events such as a coming great apostasy, the revelation of the antichrist, and various worldwide judgments, described in passages like Matthew 24, 1 Timothy 4:1, 3, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 6-22. In the next chapter, will discuss the nature of God’s sovereignty over national and global events in more detail.
God Foreknew Individuals’ Destinies and/or Choices
Many passages in scripture show that God foreknew certain individuals’ destinies and/or choices. For example, 1 Kings 13:1-3, and 2 Kings 22:1, 23:15-16 show that God knew hundreds of years ahead of time a man named Josiah would burn the bones of reprobate priests on the very alter they once defiled. Likewise, Jeremiah 1:5 and Galatians 1:15-16 say God set apart Jeremiah and Paul for His purposes before they were even born. Also, Jesus foreknew that Peter would deny Him three times (Matt 26:34), He knew how Peter would die (John 21:18-19), and He knew Judas would betray Him (John 6:64, 70-71, 13:18-19, 17:12). In the next chapter, will discuss the nature of God’s sovereignty over political and spiritual leaders in more detail.
Pause For Commentary
Collectively, the Closed Future View verses we have examined thus far teach that God is sovereign over the ultimate outcome of human history, as well as the big-picture events of each generation along the way. We understand from studying scripture as a whole that God’s ultimate purpose is to procure and purify a remnant of people whose hearts belong to Him. This is what His actions in every generation ultimately work toward.
However, none of these verses explicitly states or implies that every detail of the future is exhaustively known or predetermined. Therefore, in my opinion, it is possible to take them at face value while still taking many of the Partially Open Future passages we saw earlier at face value as well.
God can predetermine the ultimate outcome of human history. God can predetermine or foreknow the outcome of all nations during some generations. God can predetermine or foreknow the outcome of some nations during all generations. God can do all this while still allowing for different possible outcomes for some nations during some generations if He chooses. There is no unresolvable contradiction here. God is not bound to deal with every generation or nation in the same way.
Similarly, God can predetermine or foreknow the actions/ministries of some individuals while leaving other individuals open to different possible outcomes. Despite free will, God does sometimes exercise a special form of sovereignty in the lives of certain kings and prophets in scripture, as we will discuss in more detail in the next chapter. Once again, I believe there is no unresolvable contradiction. God is not bound to deal with every individual in the same way.
God Foreknew Details of Christ’s Ministry
Scripture indicates God foreknew many details of Christ’s ministry. For example, He knew that Jesus would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10), He would be buried in a rich man’s grave (Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:57-60), and He would be nailed to a cross, die, and rise from the dead on the third day (Matthew 16:21, Acts 2:23, 4:28). However, since Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and was bound to walk in perfect obedience to and unity with the Father, the outcomes of His life and ministry were not subject to the same type of free-will-uncertainty that all other human beings’ lives are subject to.
God Foreknew that Some People Would Be Saved
Some passages indicate that God foreknew that some people would be saved. For example, Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons…” There are other passages along these same lines that we will examine in more depth in Chapter 4.
The key question is whether the passages refer to specific individuals or a corporate entity – the remnant. If they refer to specific individuals, they would appear to support the Closed Future View. After all, how could God logically know the specific identities (down to names, addresses, and genetics – including parents, grandparents, etc.) of every individual who would be saved in every generation without predetermining or foreknowing everything that would occur in previous generations to bring about those individuals’ births and choices to be saved?
However, if they refer to the remnant, it is compatible with the Partially Open Future View, since open theists acknowledge God regularly intervenes in human history to preserve His remnant even though He does not predetermine all the specific individuals that comprise it.
As we will see in Chapter 4, there is nothing about the context or the original Greek construction of these passages to demand they speak of specific individuals rather than a corporate remnant.
Scripture Stated that He Does Not Change His Mind or Repent
There are a couple of places where scripture says He does not change His mind. For example, in Numbers 23:19, God says:
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Similarly, Samuel said in 1 Samuel 15:29:
“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
Of course, as we already saw, this statement is closely bookended in the very same chapter
by scripture twice saying God “regretted that He made Saul king” (1 Samuel 15: 11, 35) and therefore “rejected [him] from being king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:26). In other words, God changed His mind about allowing Saul to remain king in close proximity to saying He does not change His mind.
How are we to understand this statement, especially after seeing so many verses in previous sections stating verbatim that God repented or changed His mind?
Notice that God connected changing His mind with lying or being like a man. In other words, God is always perfectly consistent in nature; He is not duplicitous like man’s nature. God never changes His mind when it would be inconsistent with His nature to do so; however, as we’ve already seen in several passages, He always changes his mind when it would be inconsistent with His nature not to. For example, recall from Jeremiah 18:7-10 that sometimes the very purpose for God declaring His plans to bless or judge a nation is to provoke a righteous response. However, if that nation responds wickedly, He promised to change His mind about what He previously spoke.
God is Omniscient
Several passages are regularly cited as evidence that God is omniscient, which means He knows all things. These include Isaiah 40:13-14, Psalm 33:13-15, 39:1-4, 15-16, 147:4-5, Job 21:22, 37:16, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Proverbs 15:11, Romans 11:33, Hebrews 4:13, Luke 12:7, 1 John 3:20, and Matthew 10:29-30. I won’t quote them all here for the sake of brevity, but they essentially state, among other things, that God knows our inner thoughts and desires, He knows what we will say before we say it, He cannot be taught anything He didn’t already know, and He possesses infinite knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
However, since none of these verses explicitly states that God knows every detail of the future, I believe they can reasonably be interpreted to mean that God knows everything that is knowable, including all closed aspects of the future and every knowable outcome of the unsettled future.
Some have argued that Psalm 139:16 says that every moment of every day of each person’s life was preordained since the passage is sometimes translated:
“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”
However, in context, the passage can also be interpreted to refer simply to the nine months a baby spends in the womb while it is being formed. Or it could describe the specificity of God’s careful design of our physical bodies. For example, the King James Version translates it:
“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
A similar verse is Job 14:5, which says:
“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.”
However, in context, this verse speaks about the general conditions of mankind and the limited duration of his life on earth. It is comparable to Psalm 90:10, which says, “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years…” except Job 14:5 is measured in months and days instead of years.
Finally, Acts 17:26 says:
“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.”
Some would say this verse indicates a level of sovereign control over borders and national lifespans that could only be explained by absolute foreknowledge. While this verse does describe breathtaking sovereignty and foreknowledge (similar to the empire timeline described in Daniel 2:28-35) it is nevertheless compatible with the Open Future View.
God is able to determine big-picture outcomes through various means such as national calamity, national blessing, raising up prophets, or influencing the hearts of kings, as we will discuss in the next chapter. We see God doing these things throughout scripture, often in response to the prayers and faith of His remnant in that generation and/or previous generations. Therefore, Acts 17:26, in my opinion, does not require God to foreknow every detail of every individual’s life within these nations.
Furthermore, when comparing to dozens of other scriptures, there is apparently some degree of flexibility with at least some national borders and timelines, since God is not averse to changing course, as He stated in Jeremiah 18:7-10. As a reminder, the passage says:
“At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 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.”
As if to drive the point home, the rest of the sentence in Acts 17:26 is an overtly Partially Open Future statement that expresses a genuine possibility for every individual to find God if they seek Him:
“…that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”
God Directs Men’s Steps
A handful of passages say something to the effect that God directs the steps of men in ways beyond their own reasoning or understanding. For example, Jeremiah 10:23 says, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.” Similarly, Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Some interpret these passages to mean that God predetermines every choice every person will ever make, good or evil, even if he is not aware that God is causing him to do it. However, examining contexts and scripture as a whole, these passages describe a principle (note) that generally applies to those with whom God is involved because He has been invited. They don’t apply to every person or every choice. For example, in the verses immediately following Jeremiah 10:23, it is clear Jeremiah was asking God for help and correction. Likewise, the context of Proverbs 16:9 is a man who fears the Lord.
A similar misinterpretation has been made of Proverbs 16:33, which says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Some use this verse to support the idea that everything that happens is specifically willed by God, including the outcome of casting a lot. If you randomly draw a jack of hearts from a deck of cards, they say, God willed it to happen. However, Proverbs 16:33 likely also describes a principle that applies to someone who invites God’s help since casting lots was a way that ancient people sought God. It was often combined with prayer and faith. Two examples are when the men casted lots to discover Jonah as the cause of a storm in Jonah 1 and when the apostles casted lots to choose who would replace Judas in Acts 1.
Conclusion
How do we reconcile the Partially Open Future and Closed future passages we examined in this chapter? Let’s apply our aforementioned approach for addressing seemingly contradicting passages. We ask:
1) Is there any sense or context in which both sets of passages could be true at the same time without any contraction?
2) Or are both sets true at the same time despite contradicting because it is simply beyond our limited human capacity to grasp how they can both be true?
3) Or is one set meant to be taken at face value while the other is meant to be taken figuratively?
We start by searching for any possibility in which the first scenario works. This assumes that God spoke plainly and His word means what it says. In my opinion, there is no contradiction in taking both sets of passages at face value because the second set never explicitly says or implies that God predetermines or knows in exhaustive detail all future events in all generations, nations, and individuals’ lives.
We looked at about two dozen passages in which God:
· Changed His mind
· Expressed a willingness to change His mind
· Spoke in terms of different possible outcomes
· Expressed surprise or disappointment over an outcome
· Orchestrated a test to find out information He did not previously know
While some passages arguably did not strengthen the case for a Partially Open Future doctrine, the large majority supported it well. Further, it is evident that the theology of several authors of scripture and their contemporaries allowed for God to change His mind and/or for something He predicted to not happen even if He didn’t articulate any caveats or conditions. Examples include Jonah, Joel, Samuel, Amos, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hezekiah.
It has been said a student of the Bible should find at least three overtly supportive passages before attempting to establish an idea as doctrinal. By this standard, the doctrine that the future is not 100% known or predetermined by God is well supported indeed.
Some argue that not knowing or predetermining every detail of the future diminishes God’s power or sovereignty. However, it would also diminish God’s power or sovereignty to claim He is incapable of setting up creation in such a way that some aspects of the future are unsettled and unknown, even to Him, before they play out. Furthermore, achieving desired outcomes by controlling everything demonstrates great power alone. However, achieving desired outcomes by working in and through the free will choices of fallen men and women inside a timeline where not every future event is not set in stone demonstrates great love and wisdom, in addition to great power. It is arguably a much greater, more glorious feat.
As stated previously, it is important to remember that the Closed Future View can be divided into two sub-views, or perhaps two ends of a spectrum: Pretermination versus foreknowledge.
Predetermination means that God actively causes/controls everything to unfold exactly the way it has/will for His own glory. Of course, the problem with this view is that God would have to actively cause rape, child abuse, murder, war, racism, the fall, and the damnation of billions of souls, just to bring Himself glory. This doctrine, in my opinion, takes aspects of Satan’s nature and substitutes it in place of God’s.
Foreknowledge means that God does not actively cause/control everything that takes place, only some things. However, He can perfectly foresee everything that will take place, either because He is outside of time or because He has a limitless ability to perceive the volition of His creation down to the tiniest detail, including the future choices of free-will beings. While this view is more compatible with God’s loving, un-controlling nature, it is incompatible with taking many of the Partially Open Future passages we saw at face value.
It is also important to note that the Closed Future View is an absolute position. There is no room for compromise and it is therefore more difficult to defend. It is similar to the adage that it is immeasurably harder to prove there is no gold in China than to prove there is gold in China. Just a single confirmed gold flake ends all debate. Likewise, if even one of the Partially Open Future passages we looked at literally means what it says, then God has chosen not to afford Himself exhaustive foreknowledge.
By contrast, the Partially Open Future position is not absolute and is thus quite flexible. The Bible poses no problem for this view when it explicitly says God predetermined or foreknew any particular event or set of events. In fact, it specifically affirms that God sovereignly predetermines or foreknows some future events of His choice, while leaving others open to multiple possible outcomes.
The Partially Open Future position does not necessarily have to be able to always explain how God does this. As stated previously, God, Satan, man, creation, time, salvation, and free will all affect one another in sometimes complicated and nuanced ways. There are also an unknown number of holy and unholy angels and demons exerting influence in the world. Students of scripture will not always fully agree on how to break down every biblical event to the point of discovering what is attributable to God’s sovereignty/activity and what is attributable to human or angelic choices or actions. And that is fine. The Partially Open Future View does not require such agreement or discovery of all such factors.
Closed Future advocates argue that when God changes His mind, expresses a willingness to change His mind, speaks in terms of different possible outcomes, expresses surprise or disappointment over an outcome, or orchestrates a test to find out information He did not previously know, these passages should be taken figuratively. They don’t actually mean what they say. Rather, they depict an infinite God in ways to make Him relatable and understandable to finite human beings.
In response to this assertion, I would simply ask: Where does the Bible say such passages should be taken figuratively? Where does it say they are only meant to make God seem relatable and understandable?
Of course, the Bible never says this. Rather the argument is based on the belief (erroneous, in my assessment) that such verses are incompatible with other verses about God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge.
Closed Future View advocates also sometimes argue that passages depicting God experiencing time sequentially/chronologically must be figurative because God exists outside of time. Therefore, God wrote His word in such a way that it would be understandable/relatable to human beings who exist within the boundaries of time.
In response to this assertion, I would simply ask: Where does the Bible say God is outside of time? Where does the Bible say that passages that depict Him experiencing time are figurative and only meant to help us understand/relate to Him?
Once again, the Bible never says this. Rather, the argument is based on the philosophical presupposition that God exists outside of time. In fact, some biblical scholars assert that the idea of God existing outside of time originated with the Greek pagan philosopher Plato’s work Timaeus, which subsequently influenced church fathers like Augustine and Aquinas.
Some have argued that certain titles given to God in scripture indicate He is outside of time. For example, Jesus or the Father is called “the Alpha and the Omega… who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:4), “Eternal Father” (Isaiah 9:6), “the Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9, 13, 22), “Everlasting God” (Isaiah 40:28), “having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Hebrews 7:3), “the King eternal, immortal” (1 Timothy 1:17), and “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). However, each of these titles can just as easily be understood to refer to the duration of God’s existence into the past and future, His self-sufficiency, or His sovereign control over big picture outcomes.
Some point out that time, like three-dimensional space, is just another created dimension in our universe. Therefore, since God created time in our universe, He is outside of it and cannot be subject to it. While logically reasonable, I do not believe that time being a created thing precludes the possibility of God being able to enter into His creation to experience it sequentially, if He chose to do so. Once again, I would simply ask: Where does the Bible say God does not experience time sequentially? It doesn’t.
Perhaps the most pertinent verse describing how God experiences time is 2 Peter 3:8, which says, “…with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a one day.” This verse also does not say God is outside of time. In fact, it appears to affirm that God experiences time sequentially just like we do, but in other ways, He experiences it differently than we do.
A day is like a thousand years because God is everywhere, knows everything knowable, and possesses all power that He hasn’t voluntarily delegated to created beings. Therefore, He can accomplish and experience in one day far beyond anything His creation can conceive of. He can think an infinite number of thoughts and pursue and influence billions of hearts, all with perfect love and wisdom. And a thousand years is like a day because He is infinitely patient in the execution of His purposes and can see the big picture – including the ultimate outcomes of history – with perfect clarity.