The Future

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:13 NASB

Endtelos, the Greek word translated “end,” is a particularly knotty problem. Why? Because after Aquinas we have been theologically convinced that telos is directly connected to gnosis, that God knows the end because He sees it all from the beginning. Unfortunately, Aquinas was wrong. He assumed that telos is a word about completion rather than goal. He wasn’t wrong to think in Greek. He was just wrong to think that John, or any other Jewish writer of the text, also thought in Greek. Aquinas’ mistake has led most Christian theology down the path of implicit determinism. After all, if God already knows the end, then it can’t be anything different than what He already knows. He’s God. He can’t be mistaken about things. What He knows must be the case. And if He already knows your end, then, no matter how much you attempt to twist and turn, your future actions are exactly what He knows they will be. You are just playing a script written before the foundation of the world.

That idea is thoroughly Greek. It is not Hebraic.

We can do more than react to stimuli; we can contemplate alternatives and choose between them. We can imagine and act on the basis of our imagination. Because of this we have freedom in a way no other life form has. For everything else, we can give a scientific explanation. Events are the effects of causes. Determinism reigns. But human consciousness is not caused by something in the past. It is oriented towards the future—a future that is radically indeterminate because it is made by our choices, which themselves emerge from the creativity of the mind. Nothing can predict the constructs of the human imagination, and because of this we are capable of creating new possibilities of action. It is this link between language, imagination, the ability to contemplate alternative futures and the freedom to choose between them that frames the mystery of the human person. It is here that monotheism found God. Jewish faith is the supreme expression of reality as it responds to and affirms the personal.[1]

Do you understand? Sacks proposes a radically different God than Aquinas. The God of Aquinas is an idea—an idea of total control, total information, total determinism; a God who encapsulates every cause and effect explanation including your actions. But this is not the Hebrew God. The Hebrew God is fundamentally personal, and that means the future is not fixed. God does not know everything that you will do in advance. You are creating the world as you choose. That’s what it means to be a person, a free will agent at large in the universe. Your choices have cosmic consequences. Aquinas’ God is another name of fate. YHVH is the name of the God who decides to let other beings decide. The universe is at risk over you.

Have a nice day.

Topical Index: future, telos, determinism, person, choice, Revelation 22:13

If you want to read the whole argument about the difference between the personal God of Scripture and the fatalistic God of Christian theology via Aquinas, then get my book, God, Time and the Limits of Omniscience on my web site. But be prepared for some serious thinking.

 

[1] Jonathan Sacks, Radical Then, Radical Now, p. 70.

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laurita hayes

Please forgive my enthusiasm and thank you all for indulging my engagement, but I love this!

I spent all day yesterday frustrated at the fatalism the world suffers under. This fatalism is particularly apparent in the East, where people believe that nothing you can possibly do can alter the future. Further, you are stuck with repeating the past in that future. The East has an expression that people pull out when something really fortuitous happens to someone: they say “did you save your country in your past life?”

Stuck with what is essentially means stuck in the past. I think the East is not wrong to observe the natural consequences of attempting to live life without a personal relationship with a personal God: after all, I believe, anyway, that we are hardwired to do what has been done to us, and our choices in the flesh are going to be geared to react to what has been and what is, which means, on this planet, anyway, we are stuck forever trying to play catchup to chaos. Stuck without the necessary forgiveness (reordering) of that past, we are doomed to repeat it in the vain hopes that this time, we can spiral upwards in that fate. Is this not death?

I have noticed that no false religion has a personal god. Zero. That is the one thing that is NOT allowed. Even Catholicism separates us from God through the intervention of other humans, notably Mary. But what the world seems to fear most, which is personal accountability with a personal God, is our only hope to escape the fatalism we are stuck with when we are stuck with attempting to deal with reality on our own.

It is super scary to contemplate that we have been given the creative power, through free will, to determine – to literally create – the future. Apparently, the natural mind finds it simply impossible to even think like that. Sin is where we constantly are trying to throw that free will in the trash can, for sin is where we choose our choices away. We know we cannot handle the personal responsibility for the future ‘on our own’. Sin is where we run from that responsibility. However, when we throw away a personal God, we throw away ourselves, too. Personal creation of the future (and, defined by our free will, we ARE people of that future), through the terrible gift of free choice, is only going to be possible in conjunction with a personal Creator. Its time to get together.

Monica

Skip am a bit confused here, you are saying that God does not know the beginning from the end ? How so he is all seeing all knowing! He knew us before we were form in our mother’s womb, please explain

Maxine

God may not know what choices we will make but He knows the result of whatever choice we make. We are free to choose.

David R

Hi Skip and Others,

Your reflection today in my estimation places importance on two Biblical advisements: Choose this day whom you will serve; lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. The second puts are motivation in concert with YHVH. I have three concerns though that probably relate to Monica’s comment above. Proverbs 3:5-6, the command to trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths. Jonah outrightly refusing to go to Ninneveh. I do not recall the exact reference but the verse that advises, The steps of a righteous one are ordered by the Lord. I assume this fits in with the “open future” ideology, but “Go sin no more,” is a command and YHVH perhaps nonverbally communicating to the woman and us, I think you can do this! Thanks for the food for much thought..
David

David L. Craig

I think you just debunked all prophecy as nothing more than good guesses.

Kevin

David,
A few months ago I would have agreed with your statement. However, in examining prophets more closely, what I discovered is that the message they bring does not always (in fact rarely) prophesie about a particular time and place with particular persons; it can be a prophecy that is fulfilled again and again. The paradigm under which I have grown up teaches the former and doesn’t leave open the future for anything more than God just pulling strings to make things happen the way he already knows they will. From a Greek philosophical approach this makes sense. From a Hebraic standpoint, it does not. It takes away any freedom we as humans have in the process of living. My 2 cents.
Blessings
Kevin

David L. Craig

There’s a death penalty for getting it wrong, you know.

David L. Craig

Would any sane person prophecy specific, detailed results of the entirely unexpected end of a siege within 24 hours if you and everybody else understood you were only proclaiming The Almighty’s best guess about that, but you would still be executed if it didn’t work out that way? How can you possibly reason that was the Hebraic understanding of the nature of prophecy?

David L. Craig

I think as well you might be missing the point. There was an army and a city full of very hungry people involved in that affair, every one of them exercising free will. I do not see this distinction you are making to marginalize this Scripture.

David L. Craig

I do not understand why you posit foreseeing and dictating to be two sides of a coin; i.e., if you can foresee perfectly what someone will choose to do, you are inherently compelling them to do so. If I have read a book enough times, I will always know what is coming when I read it again, but I am in no position to influence the story. Since God exceedingly rarely chooses to intervene in the exercise of free will, how can that be construed into dictating outcome?

Lauretta aragon

So what do we do with prophecy? What happens to Revelation? He explicitly tells us what is going to happen in the future. Is this not translated correctly either? He doesn’t know how it all will end/begin? How do we believe and trust in anything?

Ron

It seems Ya could know the future of world events because He can “steer” things like Pharaoh , He can tell us “all Israel will be saved” because He knows that when He reveals to them “the one whom they have pierced” that they will choose Him and repent. all this He can do without violating choice.

Len Cicio

Fantastic article Skip! I believe that there are over 23 verses in the OT where the word “repent” is used and literally means God changed his mind. Based on the response of the individual. He chose Saul as king but Saul’s heart changed and God said that he repented (or changed his mind) in response to Paul’s disobedience. He knows that there will be a future kingdom on the earth and the Messiah will rule. There are many prophecies of the future times but my personal choices and decisions can change, I decide whether to use the gifts that God gave me or not. We read throughout the OT that God always “needed” someone to stand in the gap. David stood in the gap between Goliath and Israel. God could have worked through David’s brother’s or Saul, but He worked through David because he chose by his free will not to live in fear but to step in the gap. God could have used any other of the soldiers but they were afraid and where there’s fear, we don’t trust God and He is limited by our decision not to obey. Esther stood in the gap. She had a choice. Could God have still saved a remnant of Israel, yes, but if Esther did not stand in the gap, many of the Jewish men, women and children would have died. That would not be God’s will but again He is limited in how He can work and do this will by our obedience or disobedience. God warned Cain about controlling himself but Cain still decided to kill Abel and God’s response was what have you done, your brother’s blood cries out to me. He didn’t say “Oh I knew it all along, I told you so!” Why did he even bother approaching Cain, unless he thought that he could change his mind! Wonderful and insightful article that challenges our current theology. Do we believe what scripture says or the theology of the times that is rooted in Greek thinking? Bravo Skip and thank you! Len

David Williams

We humans love to package things for salability, configure them for usability, label them for understandability, shelve them for visibility and discard them for unsuitability. It’s how we merchandise. It’s how we purchase product. We love things in a good container. It’s manageable and controllable. But can we package God that way in an attempt to understand Him? Can God be placed in a box, contained within the borders of our minds? We attempt this through ‘God is’ and ‘God can’ and ‘God knows’ or ‘God knew’ statements. We all are familiar with the ‘God knows’ statement that He knows the ‘beginning and the end’ of everything. We classify that knowing as one of His attributes. We also say He is impassible, not capable of suffering, yet that is contradicted all over Scripture. A subject for another day, perhaps. Are our days determined? Does God know everything we will think and do? Has He created our reality that way? I am going to choose to give God a lot more credit for creativity, then what that assumes. Can He know the end if He chooses? I would answer ‘most likely’ to that question. Did He create with that purpose in mind? My thinking is that He might be bored silly with that kind of creation; rather vanilla if you ask me. And if we say that God knows exactly what we are going to do in advance of our doing, what does that say about His ‘love’ for his creation and his creatures, you and I? Think of the Holocaust or human trafficking or any number of putrid happenings. I am seeing God a little differently than the packaging handed to me, to be swallowed whole, without question. He has blessed us with freedom and will to move in any direction we choose. We are unpredictable, yet we are an important part of His good creation. We are like an artist creating a new piece of music each day. We are not a completed work and I sense God’s enjoyment in watching that progression. I see greater enjoyment in observing that, then in looking at the finished product and missing all the building of that product and the various twist and turns in the process. Can God know the end? I suppose He can if He chooses. But did He create reality and the Cosmos that way? I doubt it. I see God as actively involved in His good creation, enjoying the process when it turns out good and grieving the process on far too many occasions. Is God less powerful, less good, less righteous in seeing God this way. Absolutely not! God created life unscripted for His enjoyment and His purposes. Awful things happen and good things happen. We share in God’s enjoyment, with a playing part in a sort of, cosmic ‘jam session.’ And who knows the end of such a session or would even want to? Not me!

carl roberts

Roots Run Deep

Truth and Consequences

~ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome [the goal, the end result, the consequence] of your faith the salvation of your souls. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,. ~ (1 Peter 1.8,9)

~But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap (the consequence, the goal, the end results) leads to holiness, and the result [‘tarpon’ -the fruit, the consequence, the goal] is eternal life ~ (Romans 6.22)

~ Then you will know the truth, [the results, the fruit, the consequence will be?] —and the truth will set you free ~ (John 8.32)

~ if the Son [the One, the Living Word of God, who is Truth Incarnate] sets you free, you will be free indeed! ~ (John 8.36)

~ Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth ~ (John 17.17)

~ The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times ~
(Psalm 12.6)

Now, concerning the Sovereignty of God and the free will of man. The short answer is yes. Yes to both. It is so. Amen. We are totally free in the choices we make. (All of them). We are not free from the consequences of our choices. (Again, all of them). God, the living God, the One was “from the beginning,” does know the “end from the beginning,” and all the “in-between” as well. Who is man to limit Him or what He can do?

However, we (humans) must remain free in our choices, otherwise we have no choice and the “fatalistic” view (we’re all doomed) prevails. Friend, what about faith,hope and love? Are any of these, in the least, tainted by “fatalism?” No. Not by a long shot. Friend, the LORD is good. Always good. Regardless of my circumstances or situation, He is, and remains, “good.” He is the (hello) “Good Shepherd!”

The “future,” however, is not fixed. Prayer, it has been revealed, can and does change things. What then is the (always) right choice? Yes, o yes, — it is to pray. Amen.

Luzette

Its kind of funny – Jews pray: Hashem, please give me today the strength to cope with everything that crosses my path (-as if the future and God’s plan was fixed)
Christians pray: Father please help me with this, change that, give me whatever is needed ( as if the future is not fixed) – yet they both believe the opposite!!

Luzette

And what would the purpose of repentance or obedience be if the future was fixed? Both can alter the direction of my life.

Bernie Jensen

Wait a minute. Please give me your take on Psalm 139:4-5, …there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
This certainly seems to indicate He knows what we’re going to say before we say it. What’s to prevent Him from knowing everything in the future as well?

Bernie Jensen

Skip, Thank you for this response. I certainly do not accept that the future is fixed. I am most grateful for the truth that we have free will, but I have always believed that God’s Omniscience KNOWS what the future holds–He knows which way we will choose, etc. As for His Omnipotence, I feel He could have created the heavens and the earth in a nanosecond, but He chose to take six days to set an all important pattern. His knowledge and His power knows no limit. That makes me a simple man who takes His word seriously.

laurita hayes

When it comes to sin, there is no other way it could be: sin = death. End of a boring non-story. Sin is precisely refusing to exercise any of those lovely choices that are possible: sin is where I am AVOIDING a real choice. Really easy to calculate, mathematically speaking.

I think where it gets interesting is when someone chooses to exercise love. Anything then becomes possible. Anything meaning real, of course. Sin negates reality. Simply. The outcome is certain with sin, but not with righteousness. Righteousness throws a new playing piece onto the board.

There is an illusion I think we suffer from in that we think sin and righteousness equal two sets of possibilities. That is wrong. There is only one set. Paul says “ALL things are possible, but not all things are expedient”. Sin is not a thing, so therefore is not a real choice. Sin is the negation of choice, simply. Totally predictable. No new calculation necessary.

Gayle Johnson

What a terrific subject, and discussion. It opens up so many other ideas. Without some understanding of the Hebraic view of mankind, I might never have realized that “free will” is a sacred gift, and I think it is included in Gen. 1:27 (the image).

Laurita, your words, “Sin is the negation of choice, simply. Totally predictable. No new calculation necessary,” cause me to imagine binary numbers arranged in ever-increasing branches, full of ‘ones’ of righteousness. 🙂

And now I am wondering if anyone’s righteous actions could “surprise” the LORD today, and if so, what would He feel?

David L. Craig

You paint a picture of a not ever-present deity. Where was he and what was he doing when the pinnacle of his creation, his masterpiece, was dialoging with the rebellious one? Was he asleep? Was the network down? You’re right, then–he is a fallible shepherd. The adversary now appears less irrational–he may yet overcome the not so almighty.

How much more fallible must his human son be, then? What exactly did he think was finished on the cross? According to you, certainly not the future–that is still in play.

I pity you.

David L. Craig

See, you are convinced I do not struggle with moral decisions, that I believe I have no need to do so. I do not see how we can stop talking past each other. May we both receive greater revelation.

Michael C

Yesterday I saw what I was going to do today, but decided against it just now.

Yesterday I asked what to do today and saw that I was compelled to do it anyway.

Yesterday it was revealed from the scroll of the book that I won the lottery today, but I forgot to buy a ticket.

What a brain warp this subject is. 🙂

Michael C

🙂

Gayle Johnson

Thanks, Skip. More to consider…

carl roberts

His Part and Ours

Hannah prayed, and she gave birth to Samuel.
Hezekiah prayed, and 185,000 Assyrians were slain.
George Whitfield prayed and a thousand souls were saved in one day.
George Mueller prayed and hungry orphans were fed.
Hudson Taylor prayed and inland China was evangelized.

“If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray..”

Maxine

I believe that God knows the result of whatever choices we make, we are free to choose.

David L. Craig

Different tact time–perhaps introducing the concept of “certainty is a mathematical limit” resolves the dichotomy.

How do we reason about likely outcomes? We assess probabilities of different outcomes based upon what we believe are the probabilities of certainty regarding every datum in our ever accumulating and revising database of the universe. We “know” very little with extremely high certainty beyond, “I think, therefore I am” and many historical facts; e.g., I was born, I experienced learning to count.

Suppose we consider the possibility that the Almighty is in the same boat as us (created in His Image), but to an unfathomably different degree, so much so that His miscalculations are exceptionally rare, and only occur in the presence of two or more possibilities that He calculates are practically equal. Such surprises are hardly of a blindsiding nature and His contingency planning is really, really good. The capacity of the adversary in this regard, though far beyond our own, is many leagues removed from God’s.

Thus, the Lord is very careful not to lead His prophets onto saying anything unless He calculates it has effectively no chance (“impossible” is defined statistically as probability <= 1.0E-50) of being derailed by any exercises of uninfluenced free will.

Does this model fit all the data, particularly what The Scriptures have to say about the nature of God's reality? Time to reread The Bible again…

David L. Craig

Well, that’s exactly what the definition of certainty posited–it is an unattainable limit that is infinitely approachable (in theory).

Is there any difficulty positing God’s database is, was, and ever shall be entirely flawless and pure, merely incomplete as pertains to events on our particular timeline (I’d like to keep God’s location outside of our timeline out of this if possible) and that he never has any difficulties accessing any of it?

I am seeking funding and my wife’s agreement that will enable me to acquire and absorb your dissertation. Does God know if I shall succeed?

Michael C

I, for one, am quite sure you will acquire it. The doubt hovers around if you will absorb it. 🙂

David L. Craig

On what basis are you quite sure? Did The LORD give you a word of knowledge^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hprobability signifying that is His Will? Be careful how you answer.

Michael C

I was answering on a lighter side with a little giggle. Nothing heavy with theology. My “quite sure” is itself quite limited and based primarily on your exhibited drive for understanding. Nothing more. As to absorbing Skip book referenced, I would think it would be a challenge to take on for anyone on this blog.
I’ve been reading that book for quite a while. It’s been a very slow journey for me, but, it’s forming my thoughts bit by bit, very, very slowly.

David L. Craig

🙂

Since you wrote nothing about the database question, then we can stipulate The LORD was monitoring The Fall in realtime or was the data merely being captured, not processed until He noticed Adam was AWOL?

David L. Craig

Databases are not my area of expertise, either, I just use them, especially the one inside my skull (which I would prefer to be a lot more reliable). My question is essentially exactly when and why did God experience surprise in the Garden that His expectations had not panned out? Was He surprised only that Adam made a last second choice to miss the appointment; i.e., how much time passed between the surprising choice being made and His experience of surprise? His questions to Adam could indicate He was truly seeking knowledge He did not yet have. What is your interpretation of the Scriptures regarding this?

David L. Craig

Are you suggesting APPEARances could be, ah, MISLEADing in any Hebrew account?

Seeker

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:13 NASB

The short and the long; For me this earth and our lives are there for a Godly or Christ purpose and not to recreate the way we need to interpret it through one study upon another.Resulting from this our study needs to be to show as approved to God through Christ and not latter critics view of what the records reveal.

David L. Craig

My pastor directed me to http://www.iep.utm.edu/o-theism/ which I am certain contains data familiar to you, Dr. Moen. He also reminded me of the conclusion of Ecclesiastes, gently suggesting my time might be better redeemed than attempting to consume your dissertation. I still need to hear from The LORD His view on that undertaking.

I am still concerned that new believers perusing this website receive a one-sided presentation of much of what the Scriptures were created to convey to mankind. It bothers me that they may not read this comment and click on the link.

robert lafoy

It’s interesting how you accuse the presentation, as given, of being “one sided” and therefore deceptive through lack and then immediately turn around and use “concern for new believers” (as being more easy to influence?) as a tactic towards arousing curiosity towards clicking on the link you provided. (a deceptive tactic) Beings that you could have simply stated your case and worded your presentation any number of ways, I assume it’s willful. If you’re seeking recognition and/or confirmation, you’re going about it the wrong way.

robert lafoy

My apologies to you and the other bloggers for my contentious remark, it wasn’t intended that way. I’ll refrain from commenting in regards to this thread in the future.

David L. Craig

I, too, will refrain from commenting further.