Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Foreknowledge

Foreknowledge has been a troubling subject for Christian's and non- Christian's a like for years; how could God have known all the problems in His creating Adam and Eve, and then still allowed them to sin? Moreover, how could God have known all the wickedness that would be caused to human race, and God Himself not be wicked? In other words, God would be responsible for all deaths, disease, and wars caused by the human race, and much more so, He had foreknowledge, and wisdom to prevent it all from happening, but still He created human's and allowed them to sin?

God's foreknowledge is implied wickedness to God, that is, wickedness is known by God's foreknowledge, and he has control over it, but unleashed it onto the human race when allowing Adam and Eve to sin. Subsequently, creating a circumstance for their children, and the human race, which they were not created to deal with as humans.

Foreknowledge means wickedness to most people, that is, if you know of wickedness and have the power to remove it, or prevent it, but instead you allow it than you are a wicked person, so it goes the same with God.

Judging Evil with Evil

First, we must understand from God's point of view what he calls evil, because we are told in God's written word the bible that there is no evil with God, so let us start here.

Most people would have to say in looking at the breathe taking beauty of our earth that if someone created it, it was created for human to enjoy too-the full. We as Christian's know that God did indeed create our home we call earth. That not only did He create it, but God created

the earth with abundant life, and wonderful foods for the survival of the human race and animal life. Moreover, he gave mankind vision in color so we could enjoy the beauty of our earth to the full, it hard to look at a flower or a beautiful tree and not see the creator of them as love. Many humans have come to know God as good by simply looking at all that He has created for mankind, while others see it as a process of evolution.

But for sure although our earth is beautiful mankind has proved themselves as evil living upon it in many ways, it is as though they are out of harmony with the earth; despite their very best efforts, or good intention they produce hurt, and problems for other humans, even their greatest ideas end up in destruction for innocent victims.

Judging evil with evil, means that we human having evil, which according to God is sin, judge God the same. In other words, God is perfect or sinless, thus, He is light and life, for according to God if we had no sin, as human created in God's image, we could live eternally. So does God have sin, that is, because He knew all the evil sin would bring the human race, and much more so, can human with judge God correctly while they are themselves sinners?

First, sin is missing the mark of love, thus, God is love, and because God is love, He is perfect light, anything less than perfect love is darkness, and corruption, such as sin. Light is not corruptible, and it does not perish, it last eternally, and for this reason we are told God/Yahweh is incorruptible and immortal light. In other words, death is nonexistent too God, because God always acts in perfect love.

Judging matters outside of God perfect existence of love, bring death too those that were created to live for ever, but can't because of their sin. In other words, human were not created to judge from this level, they simple were not created as love, nor were any other spirit person in heaven created as love, which means, although having the quality of love, and being created in the imagine of God the Father, but we are not ourselves love.

From this criteria we are forced to think of evil as different than what our modern language consider evil, and we know this is true because we as human seldom act out of love for each other, so it is extremely hard for us to judge God's motivates which are always love correctly. Thus, if perfect love is the condition of eternal life, than being flawed with sin, by our judgment could not be life, but rather death, whereas God's judgments are always life too us.

Judging Evil From Love

Subsequently, when God judges evil from love it is not with evil intention instead God is stating a legal fact, which is, death is evil, darkness, and corruption, accordingly by God's standards of eternal life, which must be perfect love. Thus, when imperfect men uphold the law of the land, as a judge they are not evil, the person being judge did evil, and the judge is executing the law convicting the person of that evil.

The judge is stating a legal proven fact of law, he must uphold the law he is sworn to keep without partiality, or he himself becomes the lawbreaker. The judge does not make the case personal, he judges from facts of law that condemn the lawbreaker. The judge has a separate life from the court room that life outside of his sworn job determines who he is as husband, father and so on, not his executing the law he is sworn too uphold on lawbreakers.

Thus, God is love, God as the rightful judge of all creation, created the condition of love for human to live forever in, which is His love, and not our own love created from human experience(s) in our sinful condition. Subsequently, a human judge, deals with a person when they break the law, they do not worry about people that keep the law of the land, nor are they authorized to judge law abiding citizens.

God on the other hand, is forced to judge all humans because all of us have sin. God is obligated to judge us according to the standards of eternal life, which is love. Furthermore, because He is the creator of us, He obligates Himself to redeeming us from sin, so we can have eternal life and associate fully with Him as a Father of us.

Confusion From Sin

Sin causes confusion according to God's standards of love, wherever, there is darkness there is confusion, putting it another way, because mankind sins, or has sin, their direction in life is often confusion, or darkness. They simply cannot judge matters as God does from love which is perfect light. Perfect light is incorruptible, and has no darkness in it from sin. Human have both light, and darkness in them, this is why when having the very best intention of light, or goodness towards helping their fellowman, later we find something in their good intention as evil towards another group of human on earth. The very best governments in our world history will have done evil toward some class of people, in some manner, it will oppress other groups within that same society over time.

Thus, because all humans have sin they eat from the tree of good and evil, subsequently, they produce the same fruits from their hearts as the tree of good and evil, which is, good and sin, or light and darkness. But God/Yahweh, is always light there is no variation of light with Him, He has no shadow of darkness, or sin, He is perfect light without the corruption of sin.

So rightfully, God is the only one that can judge matters correctly from light, and does not make a mistake that will take mankind down a road thousands of years to end up in corruption of sin and death. But here then is the problem, what we see in most religions of our earth history professing light is actually darkness, subsequently, we find the same sinful condition existing in them as those not professing religious convictions. In other words, we find corruption, and darkness, producing the fruits of good and evil.

Which means, those explaining the light are themselves often explaining it from darkness of human sin, they are judging God from darkness of sin by human doctrines of foreknowledge instead of God judging them as darkness walking blindly into all sorts of sin and evil conduct missing the mark of love. Sadly, the teachings of foreknowledge are from humans perspective, putting themselves as human in all power position as God and trying to explain how He could know all things, and yet be sinless.

The first step is sin, and the rest lead down the very road of darkness they are trying to explain away.

Thus our first step has to be from God down too us, letting God say what He is, and then let us put faith in God's word too us. We must believe God's word as truth. God says that He is love, and we are not, thus, we must account love by God's standards of love, and not our own. We must see ourselves as flawed in darkness, and not light, then we must come to the light of God, and be instructed about His ways.

God is love so then, what does God tell us about love so that we can come too an understanding of foreknowledge?

1Cor.13:4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,
13:5 doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
13:6 doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
13:8 Love never fails.

1 John 4:16 We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

Does God take account of evil as we sinful human account evil? We human account evil from evil, which means, we account evil from sin, sin is evil too God, we don't account evil from love, now do we? So did God account evil with His foreknowledge when creating Adam and Eve, or did He created Adam and Eve from His own definition of love, recorded for us by the Apostle Paul?

Standing before us are two roads, one road is defines God by sin, or the laws of sin, in a negative sense, the other road is defines God as He

Himself says He is by “Love” having no sin, or laws that define sin in human beings, but why is this so important? Well, it is so important because the fruit of God own Holy Spirit come from love, which has no laws of sin against the fruit of Holy Spirit. In other words, sin laws that we humans use to control wickedness in others doesn't exist in God, or in His condition of love.

If God view mankind from sin law than He see them as only death, whereas, if He views them from love as He himself states, He is then views us in life, and the hope of only good towards us, which do you chose to believe about God? But at the same time we must chose how we view God, as love, or judgment by sins laws?

In other words, judging God as we judge each other as human only bring us into more darkness of death and corruption. But if we stop judging God as a human, but rather start trusting Him in love, and faith as God our creator, we come to life in love, hence, changing everything about own condition of darkness into the wonderful light of God's love.

Prodigal Son

Most people have heard of the story of the Prodigal Son, which story Jesus Christ told his listener to help them understand God's love instead of sin laws as defining God as a cruel unloving judge of mankind.

Luke 15:11 He said, "A certain man had two sons.
15:12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of your property.' He divided his livelihood between them.
15:13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.
15:14 When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.
15:15 He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
15:16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

15:17 But when he came to himself he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with hunger!
15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.
15:19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."'
15:20 "He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
15:21 The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
15:22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
15:23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;
15:24 for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.' They began to celebrate.
15:25 "Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
15:26 He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
15:27 He said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.'
15:28 But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
15:29 But he answered his father, 'Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
15:30 But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.'
15:31 "He said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
15:32 But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.'"

The Good fathers loved his wayward son can only be understood if you are a father that values love over material things, in other words, if you have a godly view of material things that they are a gift that add to life, and not the other way around.

Where the older son act like the unforgiving Scribes and Pharisees that could not get passed the rule of law towards judging their brothers;the father's love brought the wayward son back to life with him in forgiveness.

But how does this subject fit into God's foreknowledge, well, it helps us to understand foreknowledge either defined in God's love, or by the law of sin. There is a vast chasm that exist between the two views. Where the faithful son seen his wayward rebellious brother from rule of law, instead he defined his father love as sins law, rather than the truth that their good father judged both of his son's in love.

Thus, proving that it is our personal view from our own heart, that judges good, or evil, God; showing no matter what the father had taught or done towards his eldest son it was up to his son, and him alone, to see his father goodness as love, or as punishment by the rule of law. This is the exact situation that human find themselves in when it come to God Yahweh, either they see foreknowledge from a God of love or they define God's love as punishment by sins laws.

If God was acting from love in His foreknowledge, just as the father did towards his prodigal son, then God's foreknowledge of creation was by His love, and not evil, thus, evil could not be contributed to God by His foreknowledge, but if he was acting from sin law, and its punishment for sin, than God would be wicked in creating the humans race, knowing that He would only have to punishes them and/or destroy them, just like the eldest son imagined his father should have done towards the prodigal son, in order too be fair, and just according too the law.

Well, did the the father of the prodigal son have to become wicked to allow his son to chose a life of drunkenness, consorting with postitutes and squandering the hard work of his father's hands?

Did the father have to dig deep too know every evil little dirt detail of the sin, in case his son was might fall into evil, in order to show him good from his love?

Did the father say in his heart before conceiving his son's; “ I won't have children because I know how evil this world is, and if a child is conceived it may chose to become wicked?” Or did the good father believe in love over evil, defeating evil by showing love, rather than living in fear of what evil might do or cause?

How wicked do we make God when we speak of Him the God of love who chose to create earthly children because of His love as evil by His foreknowledge. When He created a perfect home for them that lack nothing good for their life including association with Him into eternity. How foolish, and self-righteous is a person judging God over the subject of foreknowledge because in His love he allowed his children to choose good and evil?

Much like the eldest son own wicked self-righteous heart towards his brother when his good and righteous father honored him with love, because he had return from a bad life into association with his father and brother. So it is with those having an evil heart of judgment toward their brothers and sisters because God chose to believe in love over evil and created a beautiful earth for them to live upon in happiness.

Free Will Does Not Make God Wicked

Here people try to tie God's hands because of free will, it much like an adult child who hates their parents because they reach the age of responsibility and rebel against their parents wishes than blame their parents for not physically stopping them from rebelling.

It is truly an unobtainable position if the parents stop the adult child from choosing the life they want - the parents are evil, and if they do nothing they are equally as evil to the rebellious child. In other words,

what we have is a selfish spoiled brat that wants no responsibility for their actions, which as we know does not exist any where on earth. The adult child in this case, means they are some one child, but now are an adult having a free will, and can chose what they want to believe, or not in their own life. Their parents can no longer make choice for them he/she is grown up and must make their own decision.

This adult child has spend their whole life blaming others for their bad conduct some how blaming others justifies their own evil actions. But now the adult child must face his/hers own choices in life, so once again the adult child rebels, but this time it does not matter because he/she must face the consequence of their actions before other adults, and the law.

But in their own sick mind they have happily mentally tied their parents hands thinking they have it all figure out without being judged, but in reality, the very fact the parent allowed them to suffer the consequence of their actions proves they are under judgment from their own bad conduct as a grown up, and not their parents.

Human often think that their ways are higher than God's ways, and if they were actually in God's position they would have done things differently, or more fairly. But despite the obvious, which is God is from eternity to eternity compared with the few short years of human life is the equivalently of comparing the life of a flower to star that a billions of years old.

Trying to compare what is justice, love, and fairness by such a myopic understands to the God's eternal wisdom cannot be done it is actually foolishness. One must first recognize the obvious, which is, human cannot direct their own life good enough to obtain to God's wisdom and eternal life, they simply end up in death repeating the same mistakes as the previous generation before them.

Human were created by Yahweh the God of eternal wisdom to live but one day at a time and nothing more, they simple were not given the

wisdom to direct their life more then one day at a time, even the creation testifies to this truth, one day the weather is good the next day a storm may take a life of work away, If man was God none of this would be true. However, because mankind has sin, and empowers themselves with words of strengthen they deceive their own heart that are eternal indestructible.

Moreover, they have use every form of materialism to build strong towers to hid in for protection, such as life insurance, foundation, money market accounts, estates and so on. But all one has to do is go to any grave yards and see that no person since the beginning of time has escaped death, all must meet the wages of sin, and its truth, which is, we can only live but one day at a time. All things accumulated in this life is going to be some else at death.

Even in a person very best planning they cannot prevent the hate and greed over the material things left behind for their family and friends, they cannot control the outcome of their death nor their very best scheme in protecting their interest for their children. Subsequently, how could people with such short sight truly understand God's foreknowledge, and speak too it as an authority by human experience and the history of mankind on earth?

At best we may humbly stand before our creator and ask Him to teach us some about His ways. All the intellect of mankind is like one grain of sand on a beach, as nothing in the big picture of God's wondrous creation. Yet, we should see how arrogantly prideful human are in killing one other in the name of God, debating as intellects as to why God must be wicked if He had the foreknowledge to create, and know the outcome of all created things, but the truth is we do not know no more than what God explaining Himself as, which is love.

See also: www.nu-truth.com

Foreknowledge, if possessed by a person with the means and ability to act and avert some impending disaster, for example,

invariably leads to direct responsibility for the consequences ensuing from such wilful negligence on his part.

Responsibility arising from acts of commission or omission injurious to others does not, however, as such equate to wickedness or evil intent - although it may constitute unrighteousness towards those adversely affected.

Wickedness is only one potential motive for God's toleration of evil in the world - there could be other reasons for letting His foreknowledge and might seemingly go to waste on suffering mankind.

Empirical evidence suggests that for every reason given to back up the concept of a righteous and benevolent God, there is another one seemingly proving just the opposite.

This state of affairs might just be wisely purposed by God, in order to leave the judgment up to each and every one of us -

to make in accord with what we want to be true about Him, and as motivated by our heart - that in judging God we might reveal what we ourselves are made of.

By alienating us all from Himself in the sin of Adam, God, in His wisdom, is looking for those objecting to this unrighteousness committed against them,

in order to freely bestow the reconciliation effected in the death and resurrection of Christ on their behalf.

This 'wholesale' approach of God towards sorting out billions of people as regards the exercise of their free will - in a never to be repeated experiment with the alternative to His benevolent will -

serves also to demonstrate the faith He has in us to trust Him in the death of His Son, for the declaring of us righteous.

Thus in judging God we judge ourselves, for better or worse.

He who trusts God, upon hearing the Gospel about Christ, has thereby proved himself trustworthy.

This is the greatest blessing and a solemn responsibility on the part of earthling man.

Thank you, Daniel, for giving your inspirational thoughts on this evocative issue, so central to Christian belief.