What is divine foreknowledge?

Divine foreknowledge is an integral part of the OMNISCIENCE of God. The entire Bible is a testimony to the divine foreknowledge of God. God has revealed to us the end from the beginning starting in Genesis, and only God could do this. God knows all thngs, therefore He also foreknows all things from the very beginning. And only God has this awesome foreknowledge. We cannot even fathom how this is possible, but it is child’s play for God.

There is no question that Calvinists have tried to confuse people about the meaning of “foreknowledge”. The words “foreknow” and foreknowledge” occur only three times in the King James Bible -- in Acts 2:23, Romans 8:29, and 1 Peter 1:2. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:... For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren... Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

As we can see, there is a clear connection between foreknowledge and predestination. But before we look at the connection we need to see what those words actually mean. Does this mean that everything that is foreknown is also predestined to the exclusion of human freewill? The Bible does have the answer, not theologians.

The word “foreknowledge” is a translation of the Greek word prognosis, while “predestine” (or "predestinate") is a translation of the Greek word proorizó. “Pro” means “before”, but those words do not mean the same thing.

Strong's Concordance (foreknowledge)
prognósis: foreknowledge
Original Word: πρόγνωσις, εως, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: prognósis
Phonetic Spelling: (prog'-no-sis)
Definition: foreknowledge
Usage: foreknowledge, previous determination. [Note: “previous determination” is not really true in this case]

Strong's Concordance (predestine or predestinate)
proorizó: to predetermine, foreordain
Original Word: προορίζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: proorizó
Phonetic Spelling: (pro-or-id'-zo)
Definition: to predetermine, foreordain
Usage: I foreordain, predetermine, mark out beforehand.

God tells us about His foreknowledge several times in the Bible.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Isa 48:2,3,5,6 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name. I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass... I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Isa 44:6,7 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.

Now the real issue is this: Does God predestine everything just because He knows all things in advance? If this were true then God would be held responsible for all the sin, evil, and wickedness on earth. The Calvinists dodge this issue in The Westminster Confession, but we need to honestly face this matter head on.

It should be obvious to all that since God and Christ HATE iniquity, it is not even remotely possible that they foreordain evil. Which means that all things which are foreknown cannot be predestined. That would violate the character of God. But what about the so-called “election” of the Calvinists? Since God desires the salvation of all mankind, and since Christ died for the sins of the whole world, is it even credible that He would turn around and elect some for salvation and others for damnation? Those who know the character of God from the Bible already have the answer. As for the Calvinists, they love their false Gospel over Bible truth.

So what we see in the Bible is this: (1) God the Father did predestinate the crucifixion of Christ (the Lamb of God) and (2) God and Christ have predestined all the children of God to be perfected and glorified, so that they all will be "conformed to the image of His Son", to the praise of the glory of God's grace.

There is a story in 1 Samuel 23:10-13 that clearly demonstrates that foreknowledge is not predestination (credit to the late Michael Heiser for pointing this out):

David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.”

And the Lord said, “He will.”

12 Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?”

And the Lord said, “They will.”

13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

The Lord knew what would happen, but because David and his men left Keilah, the foreknown action did not happen. The same principle holds in modern times: God can tell us what will happen if a certain course of action is followed. If we follow a different course, the result will be different as well.

Very nice post! thank you!

https://graceonlinelibrary.org/doct...-god/the-foreknowledge-of-god-by-arthur-pink/

The Foreknowledge of God by Arthur Pink
By GOLAttributes of God, Foreknowledge of God


What controversies have been engendered by this subject in the past! But what truth of Holy Scripture is there which has not been made the occasion of theological and ecclesiastical battles? The deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His atoning death, His second advent; the believer’s justification, sanctification, security; the church, its organization, officers, discipline; baptism, the Lord’s supper and a score of other precious truths might be mentioned. Yet, the controversies which have been waged over them did not close the mouths of God’s faithful servants; why, then, should we avoid the vexing question of God’s foreknowledge, because, forsooth, there are some who will charge us with fomenting strife? Let others contend if they will, our duty is to bear witness according to the light vouchsafed us.

There are two things concerning the foreknowledge of God about which many are in ignorance: the meaning of the term, and its Scriptural scope. Because this ignorance is so widespread, it is an easy matter for preachers and teachers to palm off perversions of this subject, even upon the people of God.

There is only one safeguard against error, and that is to be established in the faith; and for that, there has to be prayerful and diligent study, and a receiving with meekness the engrafted Word of God. Only then are we fortified against the attacks of those who assail us.

There are those today who are misusing this very truth in order to discredit and deny the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners.

just as higher critics are repudiating the divine inspiration of the Scriptures; evolutionists, the work of God in creation; so some pseudo Bible teachers are perverting His foreknowledge in order to set aside His unconditional election unto eternal life.

pt.2
When the solemn and blessed subject of divine foreordination is expounded, when God’s eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son is set forth, the enemy sends along some man to argue that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and this ‘foreknowledge’ is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain ones would be more pliable than others, that they would respond more readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and that because God knew they would believe, He accordingly, predestinated them unto salvation. But such a statement is radically wrong. It repudiates the truth of total depravity, for it argues that there is something good in some men. It takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature. It completely turns things upside down, for in saying God foresaw certain sinners would believe in Christ, and that because of this, He predestinated them unto salvation, is the very reverse of the truth. Scripture affirms that God, in His high sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favours (Acts 13:48), and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False theology makes God’s foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His election to salvation; whereas, God’s election is the cause, and our believing in Christ is the effect.
Ere proceeding further with our discussion of this much misunderstood theme, let us pause and define our terms. What is meant by ‘foreknowledge’? ‘To know beforehand,’ is the ready reply of many. But we must not jump to conclusions, nor must we turn to Webster’s dictionary as the final court of appeal, for it is not a matter of the etymology of the term employed. What is needed is to find out how the word is used in Scripture. The Holy Spirit’s usage of an expression always defines its meaning and scope. It is failure to apply this simple rule which is responsible for so much confusion and error. So many people assume they already know the signification of a certain word used in Scripture, and then they are too dilatory to test their assumptions by means of a concordance. Let us amplify this point.
Take the word ‘flesh.’ Its meaning appears to be so obvious that many would regard it as a waste of time to look up its various connections in Scripture. It is hastily assumed that the word is synonymous with the physical body, and so no inquiry is made. But, in fact, ‘flesh’ in Scripture frequently includes far more than what is corporeal; all that is embraced by the term can only be ascertained by a diligent comparison of every occurrence of it and by a study of each separate context. Take the word ‘world.’ The average reader of the Bible imagines this word is the equivalent for the human race, and consequently, many passages where the term is found are wrongly interpreted. Take the word ‘immortality.’ Surely it requires no study! Obviously it has reference to the indestructibility of the soul. Ah, my reader, it is foolish and wrong to assume anything where the Word of God is concerned. If the reader will take the trouble to carefully examine each passage where ‘mortal’ and ‘immortal’ are found, it will be seen that these words are never applied to the soul, but always to the body.
Now what has been said on ‘flesh,’ the ‘world,’ ‘immortality,’ applies with equal force to the terms ‘know’ and ‘foreknow.’ Instead of imagining that these words signify no more than a simple cognition, the different passages in which they occure require to be carefully weighed. The word ‘foreknowledge’ is not found in the Old Testament. But ‘know’ occurs there frequently. When that term is used in connection with God, it often signifies to regard with favour, denoting not mere cognition but an affection for the object in view. ‘I know thee by name’ (Exo 33:17). ‘Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you’ (Deut 9:24). ‘Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee’ (Ver 1:5). ‘They have made princes, and I knew it not’ (Hosea 8:4). ‘You only have I known of all the families of the earth’ (Amos 3:2). In these passages ‘knew’ signifies either loved or appointed.
In like manner, the word ‘know’ is frequently used in the New Testament, in the same sense as in the Old Testament. ‘Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you’ (Matt 7:23). ‘I am the good shepherd and know My sheep and am known of Mine’ (John 10:14). ‘If any man love God, the same is known of Him’ (1 Cor 8:3). ‘The Lord knoweth them that are His’ (2 Tim 2:19).
Now the word ‘foreknowledge’ as it is used in the New Testament is less ambiguous than in its simple form ‘to know.’ If every passage in which it occurs is carefully studied, it will be discovered that it is a moot point whether it ever has reference to the mere perception of events which are yet to take place. The fact is that ‘foreknowledge’ is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to ‘foreknow,’ not the actions of those persons. In proof of this we shall now quote each passage where this expression is found.
The first occurrence is in Acts 2:23. There we read, ‘Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.’ If careful attention is paid to the wording of this verse, it will be seen that the Apostle was not there speaking of God’s foreknowledge of the act of the crucifixion, but of the Person crucified: ‘Him [Christ] being delivered by…’
The second occurrence is in Romans 8:29,30. ‘For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called.’ Weigh well the pronoun that is used here. It is not what He did foreknow, but whom He did. It is not the surrendering of their wills nor the believing of their hearts, but the persons themselves, that are here in view.
‘God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew’ (Rom 11:2). Once more the plain reference is to persons, and to persons only.
The last mention is in I Peter 1:2: ‘Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.’ Who are ‘elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father?’ The previous verse tells us: the reference is to the ‘strangers scattered,’ i.e., the Diaspora, the Dispersion, the believing Jews. Thus, here too the reference is to persons, and not to their foreseen acts.
Now in view of these passages (and there are no more) what Scriptural ground is there for anyone saying God ‘foreknew’ the acts of certain ones, viz., their ‘repenting and believing,’ and that because of those acts He elected them unto salvation? The answer is: None whatever. Scripture never speaks of repentance and faith as being foreseen or foreknown by God. Truly, He did know from all eternity that certain ones would repent and believe, yet this is not what Scripture refers to as the object of God’s foreknowledge. The word uniformly refers to God’s foreknowing persons; then let us ‘hold fast the form of sound words’ (2 Tim 1:13).
Another thing to which we desire to call particular attention is that the first two passages quoted above show plainly and teach implicity that God’s foreknowledge is not causative, that instead, something else lies behind, precedes it, and that something is His own sovereign decree. Christ was ‘delivered by the [1] determinate counsel and [2] foreknowledge of God’ (Acts 2:23). His counsel or decree was the ground of His foreknowledge. So again in Rom. 8:29. That verse opens with the word ‘for,’ which tells us to look back to what immediately precedes. What, then, does the previous verse say? This: ‘All things work together for good to them … who are the called according to His purpose.’ Thus God’s foreknowledge is based upon His ‘purpose’ or decree (see Psa 2:7).
God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be. It is therefore a reversing of the order of Scripture, a putting of the cart before the horse, to affirm that God elects because He foreknows people. The truth is, He foreknows because He has elected. This removes the ground or cause of election from outside the creature, and places it in God’s own sovereign will. God purposed in Himself to elect a certain people, not because of anything good in them or from them, either actual or foreseen, but solely out of His own mere pleasure. As to why He chose the ones He did, we do not know, and can only say, ‘Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.’ The plain truth in Romans 8:29 is that God, before the foundation of the world, singled out certain sinners and appointed them unto salvation (2 Thess 2:13). This is clear from the concluding words of the verse: ‘Predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.’ God did not predestinate those whom He foreknew were conformed,’ but, on the contrary, those whom He ‘foreknew’ (i.e., loved and elected) He predestinated ‘to be conformed.’ Their conformity to Christ is not the cause, but the effect of God’s foreknowledge and predestination.

pt3.
God did not elect any sinner because He foresaw that he would believe, for the simple but sufficient reason that no sinner ever does believe until God gives him faith; just as no man sees until God gives him sight. Sight is God’s gift, seeing is the consequence of my using His gift. So faith is God’s gift (Eph 2:8,9), believing is the consequence of my using His gift. If it were true that God had elected certain ones to be saved because in due time they would believe, then that would make believing a meritorious act, and in that event the saved sinner would have ground for ‘boasting,’ which Scripture emphatically denies (Eph 2:9).
Surely God’s Word is plain enough in teaching that believing is not a meritorious act. It affirms that Christians are a people who ‘have believed through grace’ (Acts 18:27). If, then, they have believed ‘through grace,’ there is absolutly nothing meritorious about ‘believing,’ and if nothing meritorious, it could not be the ground or cause which moved God to choose them. No; God’s choice proceeds not from anything in us, or anything from us, but solely from His own sovereign pleasure. Once more, in Romans 11:5, we read of ‘a remnant according to the election of grace.’ There it is, plain enough; election itself is of grace, and grace is unmerited favour, something for which we had no claim upon God whatsoever.
It thus appears that it is highly important for us to have clear and spiritual views of the foreknowledge of God. Erroneous conceptions about it lead inevitably to thoughts most dishonouring to Him. The popular idea of divine foreknowledge is altogether inadequate. God not only knew the end from the beginning, but He planned, fixed, predestinated everything from the beginning. And, as cause stands to effect, so God’s purpose is the ground of His prescience. If then the reader be a real Christian, he is so because God chose him in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4), and chose not because He foresaw you would believe, but chose simply because it pleased Him to choose; chose you notwithstanding your natural unbelief. This being so, all the glory and praise belongs alone to Him. You have no ground for taking any credit to yourself. You have ‘believed through grace’ (Acts 18:27), and that, because your very election was ‘of grace’ (Rom 11:5).

For those who may not be familiar with Arthur Pink, this man was a DYED-IN-THE- WOOL CALVINIST. So we should expect him to promote his false Calvinistic ideas. Just ignore them. Post #2 is a good illustration.

Thank you for making things so clear for us. Since brother @Nehemiah6 is dead-on 100% correct and you have informed us that Pink is merely a maker of mincemeat, we won't have to waste our time wading through it.

Aw>Pink destroys your false teaching all day long. You cannot begin to answer him at all.

You cannot grasp it, so leave it for others who can comprehend it.
N6 is dead wrong.

Isaiah 46:10

Except that is God's Omniscience....the butterflies do not change this.

So many reasons to be grateful for God's omniscient foreknowledge!

- It makes possible all prophecies. Those fulfilled give us confidence in the sure hope that those yet unfulfilled will surely come to pass.
- It shows us how the Father could love mankind unto the point of giving His own Son even before Jesus came down to Earth in the form of man.
- We can be assured that Jesus willfully laid down His life for us and it was not merely taken from Him.
- It actually shows us that no man was specifically created to be destroyed... God had foreknowledge that some would choose to follow and others would choose to reject Him.
- It reveals the end time victory of all that shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb. We know that all shall end well for the Children of the King.

Well ok then. Another fine reason fer Oyst to ignore Pink's mincemeat.

So what in that 2 posts was wrong? I understand some of Calvinism and its errors but like always I go back no matter what I know I search again. I find these kind of posts by a few here love is tossed out. What you said is not true. Making sure to post in caps ...yet I could not find one that called Mr Pink "dyed in the wool" this. To say he had very strong opinions.. yes but did not make him hard core Calv. Ever read his books? You get the impression he hmm well like bounces around but hard or what was it.. yeah hyper Calvinist I never get that impression. Not one used a word like "ignore". Now I didn't read every thing so there are I am sure those that feel like you do.

My point is speak about this man that loved Jesus Christ belongs to a GOD just like everyone of us that has something we believe some doctrine that is like Mr Pink wrong. Me? I would say go search on him read about him and some of this books.. you decided. Don't base it on what I say or some unknown poster.. like me

Predestination (based upon the foreknowledge of God)
Premise: God knows the beginning and the end, so therefore he must also know all that will occur within the entire expanse of time including everything that will occur in the middle, between the beginning and the end of time.
Predestination as discussed in the bible (below passages) can therefore be easily explained when taking into consideration the foreknowledge that God possesses as also noted in scripture, which factor is germane to the proper understanding of predestination but is most often, if not always, overlooked and not considered when examining/discussing predestination.
Further, based upon God’s foreknowledge, all things must therefore then be already determined (destiny/fate); how can they not be if God knows the future? How can God know the future if it is fluid, dynamic, and changes, unless such fluidity and change is part of His foreknowledge, which it obviously must be? If things were fluid, dynamic, and/or random and subject to unexpected or unknown constant change to God, God would not know what was going to happen in the future and would not be able nor have been able to predict future events through His prophets. So, if God does know what will happen in the future, the future must already be set or determined and unchangeable (destiny/fate).
This premise further has profound implications when considering things such as prayer. This would have to then mean that God knows that you will (future) be praying for something before you pray for it. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pray for it then, it simply means that the future is already known or has already been determined (due to God’s ‘foreknowledge’ of it), and your prayers, are simply fulfilling that which is already known to God and will occur as does everything else that occurs or will occur (also due to the “foreknowledge” of God). Whatever influences we think we have upon any given thing or subject through prayer or other actions, may in fact be as such, however, such influences are already known to God by His foreknowledge, and have therefore already been determined and are just the fulfillment of that which has already been determined will/should occur.
If God knows the beginning, the end, and as stated everything in between, then one can only conclude that all things have already been determined and are NOT able to be changed (destiny/fate) by prayer or anything else (once again due to the “foreknowledge” of God) and that all things that are done are so done in accordance with God’s plan and predicated upon and consistent with His “foreknowledge”. This is not to say that certain individuals were chosen first as being special or better than others and predestined accordingly, but rather means that once the plan was set into motion (the creation of all things), that the creation itself and related natural unfolding, sequential events, including the actions taken by individuals pursuant to the exercise of their own free will, would result in various things being done and events unfolding as a result thereof, but because God knows what those things will be in advance of them happening due to His “foreknowledge”, and predestination then being consistent with said “foreknowledge. Predestination then is successive to and in harmony with the “foreknowledge” of God.
Jer 1:5 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Rom 8 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
1 Pet 1:2 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Eph 1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,