GOD KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING

When Christians speak of God being Omniscient, we often think of Him knowing all that is going on now. But Omniscience is much greater than that; it is His knowledge of all, past, present, and future. That is why Jesus is called the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). That is why the prophet could write: "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" (Jer. 1:5). However, God's knowledge and plans are set within time for our sakes. These passages speak of God's foreknowledge:

"Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ" (Eph. 1:9-12).

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it" (Acts 2:22-24).

"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. 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: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified" (Rom. 8:28-30).

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 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. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:1-2).

Just from these few passages, we see that God's plan involved Christ's Crucifixion for us, His Resurrection, His eternal dominion, our salvation, our justification, our sanctification, our glorification, and our future resurrection from the dead! Truly, God does work all things for our good because He knew we would respond by loving Him back (1 Jn. 4:19)! Blessed be the name of our all-knowing, all-loving, all-merciful God!