GOD KNOWS

Because God is eternal and omniscient, He knows all there is to know; He knows the past, the present, and the future.  God exists apart from time!  The Bible begins with "In the beginning God...."  God is not restricted by time; He created time.  He operates within it so that humans can comprehend things such as the sequence of events.  Phrases like "And then"; "after that"; etc.; are for our benefit.  Here are just a few verses which clearly illustrate this:

John 17:5 - "And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was."

John 17:24 - "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world."

Romans 8:29 - "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."

Romans 11:2 - "God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew."

1 Corinthians 2:7 - "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory."

Ephesians 1:4 - "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."

2 Timothy 1:9 - "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."

Titus 1:2 - "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."

1 Peter 1:20 - "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."

Revelation 13:8 - "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Because He knows all, we cannot disappoint Him, nor can we surprise Him.  And, even though He knows our every thought, our every word, and our every deed, He still loves us.  That is why our eternal God is praised for Him mercy and His grace toward us; He knows we will one day be like His Son; we will finally be in the image and likeness of Jesus (Gen. 1:26-27; 1 Jn. 3:2)!

Praise God who was, who is, and who is to come!