Does Isaiah 46:10 Refute Open Theism? No.

I am always amazed when people try to use Isaiah 46:10 as a refutation to Open Theism – the doctrine that says the future has open or alternative possibilities, that God has not predetermined everything, and thus God’s foreknowledge consists in part of open possibilities.

Read carefully:

Isaiah 46:10- 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

Think about what Isaiah 46:10 is actually saying. It says God foretells certain future events that He has predetermined. Does it say that God foretells and foreplans all future events? Certainly not. God does not foretell us all the details of the future. Therefore, Isaiah 46:10 is saying God foretells (and consequently foreplans) some future events.

So some future events are foretold because some future events are foreplanned. This is perfectly compatible with an Open System of future possibilities. The future is open for God to decide and He foretells us some of the things that He has planned. 

 

Even I can foretell my wife today that I am planning on going to the store tomorrow. Its an Open System of possibilities that make such planning possible.

FREE BOOK ON OPEN THEISM

Divine Nescience & Foreknowledge contains two classic works from the 1800’s in one volume. They are “Divine Nescience of Future Contingencies A Necessity” and “The Foreknowledge of God, and Cognate Themes in Theology and Philosophy” by L. D. McCabe. Because these books were out of print, these books have been very hard to find and very expensive to purchase, until now. These two profound books were written in the 1800’s and brilliantly expound upon the open view of God. They are two of the most important theological writings of the 19th Century and arguably two of the best writings on the topic of open theism. This book is a must read for any Christian who wants to understand the scriptural and logical arguments for the open view of the future. 490 pages

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