The Omniscience of God
The scriptures are clear that The LORD God Almighty is Omniscient knowing all things that have and will occure. In this chapter we will see how the scriptures teach the Omniscience of God and how freewill choices of man can change future events.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omniscient
Definition of omniscient
1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight, 2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge
Does God know everything? Or does he only know future events “simply because he has decreed that they are so to happen” as Calvin teaches?
John Calvin [a.d. 1509-1564]
Institutes of the Christian Religion - Chapter 23 - Section 6
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.v.xxiv.html
"If God merely foresaw human events, and did not also arrange and dispose of them at his pleasure, there might be room for agitating the question, how far his foreknowledge amounts to necessity; but since he foresees the things which are to happen, simply because he has decreed that they are so to happen, it is vain to debate about prescience, while it is clear that all events take place by his sovereign appointment".
The truth is the scriptures make these questions very easy to answer, as they reveal that God not only knows what does or will occur, but he also knows what could happen depending on the free will decisions that are taken by men.
Knowing events before they happen.
Isaiah 42:9
9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
Isaiah 65:24
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
In the previous verses we see that God declares future events before the spring forth, for this is where we get biblical prophesy. We can also see that he even knows the thoughts and\or prayers of man before they call to him.
The scriptures are clear that God gives man the responsibility to make decisions and choices that will affect their future.
Ezekiel 33:11
11 Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turnback from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
The Lord God makes it clear that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and that man is fully responsible to turn from his wicked ways.
Jesus makes this even clearer when he calls all men to him.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jesus also makes it clear that man can also be unwilling to come to him as well.
John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
You can see what some of the Early Church Fathers taught in regards to these subjects in:
The Early Church Fathers - The Refutation of Heresies
And
The Early Church Fathers - Free Will
You can also see what Calvin taught on the subjects in:
Calvin - God is the Author of ALL Events
Is it true that “All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation” as Calvin Teaches? All of this for "God's pleasure" and "to glorify Him by their destruction"?
Lets continue in Ezekiel and see how clearly God asserts the responsibility of man. Ezekiel continues to warn the righteous man and give hope to the wicked man that if he changes his ways he could live.
Ezekiel 33:12-16
12 And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13 When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. 14 But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, 15 if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.
The freewill choice on man changes the foretold future revealed by God.
I Samuel 23 is one of the most awesome examples of God revealing to David what would happen in the future. We will see what happens when David inquires as to what would happen if he stayed in the city of Keilah.
I Samuel 23:10-11
10 Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”
Verse 11 ends with the LORDS answer to what would occur in the future.
And the LORD said, “He will come down.”
David asks an additional question in verse 12
I Samuel 23:12
12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”
Verse 12 ends with the LORDS answer to what would occur in the future.
And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”
Verse 13 we see David makes a decision to depart from Keilah.
I Samuel 23:13
13 Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.
When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.
Now we see that since David departed from Keilah Saul gave up his pursuit and did not come down and the people did not have to surrender David.
Yes, the LORD God almighty can see what the future will bring and the free will choices of man can change the future.