INTRODUCTION
FOREKNOWLEDGE OF MAN AND HISTORY
The Almighty God, through His foreknowledge of all things, has
never had to alter His plans or purpose. No decision of
His has ever had to be subject to review:
History is merely the unfolding of the purposes, plans and thoughts
of God determined by Him long ago:
FOREKNOWN BY DECISIONS TO BE MADE
The choosing of the elect has already been completed on the basis
of God's foreknowledge of their decisions and will to continue
to follow Him:
FOREKNOWLEDGE OF THE HEART
In the final analysis, what is destined to happen in the course
of human history, which is the totality of individual and collective
human decisions and actions, is so destined on the basis of God's
foreknowledge:
The omniscience of God-His wisdom, knowledge and foreknowledge-is
infinite. It is unsearchable, knowing no boundaries (Isa
40:28; Ps 147:5), and is not subject to man's feeble attempts
to define and/or to delimit it. This is the testimony of Scripture,
and we see scattered throughout His Word glimpses of the extent
of God's ability to perfectly foresee the destiny of mankind.
I would like to focus on a few more of these examples in this
message and to stress once again the pervasiveness and the totality
of the foreknowledge of God of even the decisions destined
to be made by human beings. For us, as God's people, this should
be particularly encouraging.
Nothing-past, present, or future-is outside of the scope of God's
knowledge:
Job 31:4 Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps
[decisions that we make]?
Nothing is therefore excluded from God's purview. His omniscience
is therefore all-encompassing.
Ps 33:13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons
of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the
inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.
Ps 94:11 The LORD [always] knows the thoughts of
man, that they are futile.
Heb 4:13 (NIV) Nothing in all creation is hidden
from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare
before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Ps 33:11(NIV) But the plans of the LORD stand firm
forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
This can only be the case if every decision of man, not
to mention his every act, to which God responds, has responded
and is yet to respond, is already foreknown by Him. God's plans
and purposes are thus unalterable because they are anticipatory.
Isa 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely,
as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have
purposed, so it shall stand: 25 That I will break the Assyrian
in My land, and on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his
yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden removed from their
shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed against the
whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all
the nations. 27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and
who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will
turn it back?"
If the purposes of God cannot be annulled, then it can only be
because these divine purposes and actions are based on foreknowledge.
This is why God is able to say:
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you
of them."
THE "FULLNESS OF TIME"
The omniscience of the immortal Father, who inhabits eternity
(Isa 57:15), makes it possible for Him to know the precise time
to act according to His pre-ordained plan. This is testified to
by the example of His Son:
Gal 4:4 But when the fullness [Heb: fulfilling,
completion] of [the] time [in other
words, God knew precisely when this time would be] had come,
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
This concept of the "fullness of the time" is an extension
of the explanation by Paul in verse 2 of this same chapter of
how a human father sets the precise time for a minor to become
a full inheritor of his estate. Similarly, the exact time for
the Son of God to die was precisely foreknown by His Father:
Rom 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due
[Heb: the set or proper time; NIV: "at just the
right time"] time Christ died for the ungodly.
As is the culmination of the plan of God in Jesus Christ:
Eph 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the
times [NIV: "when the times have reached their fulfillment]
He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven and which are on earth; in Him.
The Father knows the precise time period to be allotted to allow
His elect saints to inherit the glory promised them:
Rom 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should
be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own
opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles [the exact number, the completed allotment
of the elect Gentiles: God knows exactly how many this number
is to comprise] has come in.
Even this partial blindness of God's people is foreordained to
be only temporary:
Rom 11:2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.
PAUL AND JEREMIAH
Paul said that he was set apart specifically by God long before
he was born. What he was to do, what and whom he was to see and
to whom he was to witness (and the decisions he would therefore
make) were already pre-determined-by the foreknowledge of God:
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he [the
apostle Paul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before
Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show
him how many things he must suffer [his reactions to his sufferings were therefore also foreknown] for My name's sake."
Paul himself describes his setting apart for the service of God
as a separation: a true separation by the hand of God,
as opposed to the notions of the Pharisees, who were known as
"the separated ones". Paul understood that he was divinely
separated, that while he was still in the womb his appointment
to be an apostle of the gospel of truth had already been made:
Acts 22:13 "[Ananias] came to me; and he stood and
said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that same
hour I looked up at him. 14 Then he said, 'The God of our fathers
has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the
Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 'For you will be
His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
Rom 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to
be an apostle, separated [Heb: appointed, severed]
Jeremiah, too, was told that he was sanctified through God's foreknowledge:
Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God [that is, at a
precise time of God's knowledge], who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in
me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately
confer with flesh and blood.
Jer 1:5 (NIV) "Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, before you were born I set you apart [Heb: sanctified-wholly
consecrated, dedicated]; I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations"
In other words, God knew that this process of sanctification in
Jeremiah was to continue throughout his entire life as he responded
with godly actions to the workings of God in his life. It is
the first-born of God (Num 3:13; 8:17), symbolising
the Church (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor 1:2; 6:11; Jude 1:1), who
are sanctified by Him. As we know, the process of sanctification
is a life-long one! Jeremiah died sanctified by God!
Jacob-Israel-a type of God's elect, and Esau, a type of the unregenerate
sinners who refuse to accept God's correction, are allegories
of the success of the saints and the failure of the children of
the evil one:
Rom 9:10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had
conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children
not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works
but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, "The older
shall serve the younger." 13 As it is written, "Jacob
I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
Even as He knew, on the basis of a life-time of decisions to be
made by these two men, how Jacob would prevail in godliness (he
would be loved), while Esau would become a reprobate (he would
be hated)-before they were even born-so God knows who are His
beloved elect saints (2 Tim 2:19), as well as those who will reject
Him.
Mark 13:20 "And unless the Lord had shortened those
days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's [the chosen
ones-past tense] sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days."
Those who are fully given to Christ cannot be lost. The Son of
God is the perfect Shepherd who will nurture His sheep to salvation
for His God and Father. Those destined to be saved will respond
positively to this godly nurturing as did those disciples given
to Christ during His earthly ministry:
John 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I
kept them [those given to Christ; how many were there besides
the original apostles?] in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I
have kept; and none of them is lost [now, and in the future]
except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
The Scriptures indicate that, at any given time, God knows the
destinies of all men and, in the case of those whose lives He
is directly impacting, whether the path they are taking is the
narrow one that leads to success and glory or the broad one that
ends in destruction (Mat 7:13-14). He knows who is in each category,
where everyone is at, as we say:
2 Cor 2:15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among
those who are being saved and among those who are perishing
[because they recognise the "fragrance" of the gospel
of Christ, but nonetheless reject it].16 To the one we are the
aroma of death leading to death [the sweet fragrance of Christ
is for them the seal of death], and to the other the aroma of
life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
Those who are being saved and those who are perishing-who are
destined to perish-because of disbelief and unrighteousness-because
of ungodly decisions made-in the face of the truth are contrasted
in verse 15.
We see a similar theme in 2 Thessalonians:
2 Thes 2:9 (NRSV) The coming of the lawless one is apparent
in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,
10 and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing
[why?], because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Just as the ungodly seal their fate by their evil deeds, so the
righteous complete their salvation by their obedience to the truth.
And they are all known to God.
We might also note 1 Cor 1:18, which is in a similar vein:
1 Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.
However, we read:
2 Pet 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent
to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things
you will never stumble.
We can only understand what first seems like a contradiction by
re-emphasising the vital formula of Rom 8:29-30: that predestination
to salvation is according to God's foreknowledge of the direction
a human being will go, both with and without His guidance, of
the decisions he or she will or will not make. It has absolutely
nothing to do with God compelling His people on an on-going
basis to make the decisions He wants them to make.
Rom 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. 30 Moreover whom He predestined,
these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified;
and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
We need to recall the words of Christ:
Matt 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
However, the elect are both called and chosen:
Rev 17:14 "These will make war with the Lamb, and
the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King
of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."
The only way we can reconcile these verses is through the realisation
that God, by His foreknowledge, knows whether or not each one
of His elect children will be diligent. In fact, Christ's words
in reference to His betrayal by Judas are demonstrative of the
reality that our human decisions-already foreknown by God-determine
our destiny. These decisions never detract from the immutable
purpose of God because He is already aware of them and has taken
them into account:
Luke 22:22 "And truly the Son of Man goes as it
has been determined [foreordained, on the basis of God's knowledge
of the determination of the minds of men] but woe to that man
by whom He is betrayed!"
PROPHETIC FOREKNOWLEDGE
Some prophecies could not have been fulfilled unless God had absolute
foreknowledge of the most specific actions and thoughts of men.
Some of the final utterances of Jesus Christ from the cross bear
testimony to this:
John 19:24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let
us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,"
that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided
My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."
Therefore the soldiers did these things.
Although the allotment of the clothing of a convicted felon amongst
the Roman soldiers was customary, God knew that in this case decisions
would be made by these troops to cast lots for the quality garments
worn by His Son. Nothing that Christ said or did led to the fulfillment
of these verses citing the prophecy of Ps 22:18: it is a clear
testimony of the fact that God, from the very beginning, had known
the action that would be taken by this group of men at that precise
time.
Similarly:
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were
now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said,
"I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting
there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop,
and put it to His mouth.
We see no compulsion here, of men conscripted, as it were, to
do God's bidding in an attempt to bring to pass what was predicted.
Once again, decisions, long ago foreknown by God, were made by
human beings that led to the fulfillment of this prophecy from
Ps 69:21:
Ps 69:21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my
thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Sometimes it is easy for us to forget the degree of precision
of foreknowledge required to enable the fulfillment of prophecies
uttered long ago.
Acts 4:27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus,
whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles
and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever
Your hand and Your purpose determined before[hand]
to be done.
In other words, the actions of Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles
who figured in the account, as well as the people of Judea [note
that the Jews are referred to as Israel!] were all in accordance
with the will and foreknowledge of God! Yet are not all these
deeds of men, carried out to enact God's purpose "determined
beforehand", the sum total of decisions made, good or bad-decisions
which will either condemn or acquit?
Let us notice what is written in Deut 29:19:
Deut 29:19 (NIV) When such a person hears the words of
this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks,
"I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way."
This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.
20 The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his
wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written
in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his
name from under heaven.
2 Pet 3:9 and other scriptures, however, tell us that God would
never refuse forgiveness upon repentance:
2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
(See also 1 Tim 2:4)
These verses can only have validity if it is understood that in
this case God could not extend forgiveness because He knew that
none would be sought: in other words, there would be no repentance.
Otherwise God would be seen to be acting capriciously, which He
does not. This is a testimony to the foreknowledge of God of not
only the deeds and actions of men, but also of the thoughts, intents
and proclivities of their hearts (Heb 4:12).
Rev 13:8 (NIV) All inhabitants of the earth will worship
the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of
life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of
the world. 9 He who has an ear, let him hear.10 If anyone
is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone
is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed.
CONCLUSION
Rev 13:10 (Jewish New Testament) "If anyone is meant
for captivity, into captivity he goes! If anyone is to be killed
with the sword, with the sword he is to be killed!"
The omniscience of our heavenly Father should be a source of great
comfort to all His saints. If we are called, chosen and entrusted
to His Son, our godly decisions and actions, foreknown by God,
will ensure our salvation. As the example of Jesus Christ shows
us, we can take heart in the knowledge that no son or daughter
truly born of God and destined for the resurrection of the just
can fail to attain it. With this in mind, let us think deeply
on these words of Christ:
John 10:29 "My Father, who has given them [the
saints predestined to eternal life] to Me, is greater than all;
and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."