in special ways in Jehovah’s purposes, being types or patterns or fulfillments of prophecies, or in some other way being used to contribute to the enlightenment of Jehovah’s people or to show forth Jehovah’s power. Jehovah can and does maneuver events in their affairs so that all works out for the fulfillment of his foreknowledge. But these few exceptional cases that did involve Jehovah’s foreknowledge cannot be used to successfully prove he has exercised a similar degree of foreknowledge in the case of every human creature.

12. Why do Acts 15:18 and Romans 8:28 fail to help predestinarians?

¹² In an endeavor to prove such a complete exercise of foreknowledge some quote Acts 15:18: “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” The New World Translation renders Ac 15 verses 17 and 18 as follows: “Jehovah, who is doing these things which he has known from of old.” A marginal reading is, “who has been making these things known from of old.” Regardless of the version used, it is clear that Jehovah is here showing that he foreknew his works. It does not say that he foreknows the works of every person. Nor may Romans 8:28 be properly used to prove God foreknew all events or acts of men: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” More accurate translation shows it is the works of God, not the deeds of men who may persecute, that are for the good of his servants: “We know that God makes all his works cooperate together for the good of those who love God.” (NW) Jesus showed that when men fall victims to violence or accidents it cannot rightly be attributed to fatalism or predestination, but that it is more in line with the fact that “time and chance happen to all of them”.—Eccl. 9:11, AT; Luke 13:1-5.

13. Why can we not say Jehovah foreknew the fall of the covering cherub and Adam and Eve?

¹³ Can it be said that Jehovah foreknew that the covering cherub placed over Adam and Eve in Eden would turn rebel? Or that Jehovah foreknew that Adam and Eve would succumb to that rebel’s temptings? Neither Scripturally nor logically can it be maintained. The Bible shows that Jehovah’s foreknowledge is exercised regarding his works, but the cherub’s rebellion and Adam and Eve’s transgression were not works of Jehovah. He did not intrude his powers of foreknowledge into the affairs of these creatures. He is not a suspicious God, always suspecting his creatures, seeking to find flaws in their mind and heart, looking for trouble. He waits and allows them to manifest their failures. A man may go straight until some special temptation faces him, and then flaws in his integrity show up. So it apparently was with the cherub. After being assigned to his position and after Adam and Eve were created, the situation became a temptation to the cherub. Not a temptation from Jehovah, but one that the improper thoughts and desires of the cherub created for himself. (Jas. 1:13-15; 1 John 2:15-17) He saw the human pair, knew of their power to multiply, the divine command for them to do so, and envisioned the earth filled with human creatures. He wanted their worship, and proceeded to alienate this first pair from Jehovah’s worship. But all that Jehovah had foreordained in these matters was that obedience would mean life and disobedience would mean death, and he so informed Adam, and through him Eve.—Gen. 2:16, 17.

14. Why would Jehovah not need to foreknow their rebellion to cope with it?

¹⁴ In the face of absolutely no Scriptural evidence that Jehovah foreknew this trio’s transgressions, on what basis can it be argued that he did? No sound basis. He would not have to foreknow the rebellion of these three in order to cope with it. Nor need he foreknow the works of demons and men at this time in order to accomplish his purposes. No more so than would a man, intending to cut the weeds from a plot of ground to make a garden, have to foreknow the acts of insects dwelling in the jungle of weeds and which constitutes their home. Regardless of what the insects might do, they could no more prevent the man from cutting the weeds than man could prevent God from accomplishing the divine works. God needs to foreknow man’s opposing efforts no more so than the man needs to foreknow the insect’s. (Isa. 40:22) In either case the intended purpose can be carried out regardless of the opposition, since it is so insignificantly feeble in comparison with the power of the purposer.—Isa. 46:11; 55:11.

Foreknowledge Compatible with Free Will

“I know what their temperament will lead to, even now, before I bring them into the land, which I promised them on oath.”—Deut. 31:21, AT.

1. How do Presbyterian teachings deny man’s free will?

IT IS not denied by predestinarians that men are free moral agents, yet their own teachings certainly deny it. Do not the following statements from their publication rob of real meaning their contention that men are free to will good? “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation.” But when God intervenes to convert an otherwise helpless sinner he “enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good”.a God promises to “give unto all those that are ordained unto life, his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe”.b So those not ordained have no free will or ability to believe. Similarly, God is “renewing and powerfully determining their wills” in order to make men “willing and able” to answer his call.c Even after starting in the right way the “perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election”.d And where is the free will of individuals to be found in their statement that God is “governing all his creatures; ordering them, and all their actions”?e If God did “unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass”, and to show his sovereign power over some did “ordain them to dishonor and wrath”, and to show his grace toward others did predestinate them to life “without any foresight of faith or good works”, then how