The Knowledge of Good and Bad
Definition of ALWAYS:
1: at all times : invariably
2: forever, perpetually
Examples of ALWAYS(from a human perspective)
· He always tries, but he doesn't always succeed.
· It's always a pleasure to see you.
· This area is always filled with tourists.
God has 'always' existed...
Have you ever tried to comprehend what it means that God has 'always' existed? I’m sure we all have, and after doing a mental trapeze for a while we all come to the conclusion that it is simply incomprehensible, only to come back every now and then to ponder some more. Typically, when we use the word 'always' in our daily conversation, we are not using the word in the context of an eternal God, but rather from the human perspective, which is limited in itself. In fact, just looking at the examples above, we can see that the word 'always' typically follows the first(1) definition of the meaning “at all times”. (See examples above).
However, because we use the word 'always' from a human perspective 99% of the time, we fail to comprehend what 'always' means in relation to Gods eternal existence as in the second(2) definition above. In doing so we are placing limits on our understanding of the only true God. How so? To illustrate, when we consider Gods existence, and we look at a timeline and start with the present day and go backwards, we can say that “God has always existed” and the line would continue back for eternity, or infinity (∞).
This typically represents how a person tries to perceive Gods eternal being, as though from the present day and moving backwards, in that he has 'always' existed. No doubt you have done this very thing when pondering on the idea of God 'always' existing, we all have. However, when we use 'always' to describe the foreverness, or eternalness of Gods existence, it isn’t just a one way street, so to speak, that goes back for eternity from our present day as seen in the graphic above. When we say that God has 'always' existed, we must also see him as existing forward for all eternity from our present day as well.
This perspective aligns more closely to the eternal nature of God, so that we can say that God always, or rather All Ways, exists. There is no beginning OR end of his being. At no point does God not exist. The Psalmist describes him perfectly when he says that “… Even from time indefinite to time indefinite you are God" (Ps 90:2).
A timeline that more accurately denotes the context for 'always' as it relates to Gods existence would be closer to this illustration below, showing that he has existed for eternity in both directions, not just backwards for all eternity. Just as Psalms describes Gods existence as being from time indefinite to time indefinite, another way to comprehend Gods existence is to say that it is timeless, and exists outside the stream of time. We must remember that even time was a creation of God, and everything that exists, exists inside the creation of time. Our existence is definable by time, having had an absolute start, and an end that is continually moving forward; the present. Because of this we can say that creation occurred somewhere “inside” the existence of God, which the timeline below very roughly tries to show.
Because our existence is limited to the present, we cannot go forward or backward on our timeline. God however is not constrained by time, and is able to see our timeline at any point he chooses, because he is completely separate from it. Because God exists outside the stream of time, this is no doubt how he is able to predict the future, and see events before they actually happen, because he has already existed for an eternity past our present day. This means that ANY event that happens on our stream of time Jehovah can see before it occurs, if he chooses to do so, simply for the reason that it happened on our stream of time.
The Beginning...
Besides God, everything else had a beginning, which means that at one point nothing existed except for God. Complete in himself, and in his eternal existence, at some point he began to create, and his only begotten son Jesus Christ was the start. The first creation by God also marked the beginning of time, aptly termed 'the beginning' as the following verses indicate, and from this point the stream of time that we exist on began.
(Pro 8:22,23 HCSB) “The LORD made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago.”
(Col 1:18 NIV) "...he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
(Rev 3:14 KJV) "...These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"
Symbols and Images - Free Wills Filter
The ability to see into the future is one of Gods trademarks that, well, make him God. However, he has chosen not to use this ability of foresight when it relates to the free will used by his created beings(angels, humans). To put it another way, God does not look ahead on the timeline to see what individual choices we will make. He has the ability to do so if he choses, for he is omniscient, however he limits his knowledge of our future decisions in order to protect the equity of free will. Essentially, when God looks into the future, our free will is filtered out of his view.
For example, we can look at a map on the computer and filter in, or out, certain information that we want to see. We can see densely populated areas, high growth areas, high crime areas, high/low land values, high traffic areas, etc, etc. Any data that we want from a map can be used, or filtered out, as long as we have access to the information. In the case of our timeline, past and future, God has every piece of information at his disposal if he so chooses to use it. He is thus able to filter in/out anything he wants because he has complete control over all the information that exists within our stream of time.
In the case of our free will, and the choices we make, Jehovah can filter these choices out of the equation when looking at the timeline. The book of Revelation is the perfect example of this filter in use. Every symbolic image(seals, trumpets, four horsemen, seven headed beast, 8th king, etc, etc) represents an actual event that is yet to occur on our timeline, however the people who are involved with those events, are filtered out, as are their choices, leaving only the event.
If Jehovah had related to us the prophetic events that occur in Revelation, from a realistic point of view, that is to say by not applying a symbolic filter, then he would have also seen the actual people, and the choices they made to be part of the event, which would thus nullify the free will of those involved. However, by allowing the events to be represented by images and symbolic meaning, free will is filtered out of the equation, giving Jehovah only the events that occur on our stream of time. This helps understand why these events were given to us in such a manner with symbolic imagery.
For example, consider the eighth king in Revelation. We know that the eighth king/kingdom which springs from the seven headed beast will eventually take control of the world, and go off into destruction(Rev 17:11). However, if God had looked at the timeline from the standpoint of actual detailed events, that is to say without a filter of symbolic images, he would then see the individuals/group who make up the eighth king, which would make those involved in this future event predestined to a course already seen by God thousands of years ago. This of course would mean, that before those individuals were even born, their destiny had already been predetermined. This perspective nullifies the equity of free will that is given to creation.
Consider as well the two witnesses destined to come onto the world scene in the time of the end. When Jehovah formed this prophecy, had he looked at the stream of time without a filter, he would have saw the specific individuals/group who would eventually make up the two witnesses. The same reasoning applies, as this would predestinate these individuals before they were born to fulfill this course. Therefore this perspective does not harmonize with the free will that God established prior to the beginning of creation, it invalidates it.
This helps us to understand why the filter of images and symbols must be used to look at events before they happen. It allows Jehovah the ability to relate events to us before they happen, without nullifying the fundamental nature of free will that we all possess. The same filter is used for all symbolic events(seals, horseman, chosen ones, etc, etc), as each prophetic event in the bible represents an actual event on the timeline. This understanding, that God is able to look at events on the timeline WITHOUT predetermining our choices, or who is going to be part of a prophetic event, plays an important part when we consider the next part of this article.
-----Part 2----
Ecclesiastes 3:14 . . .I have come to know that everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite. To it there is nothing to add and from it there is nothing to subtract. . .
Two fundamental truths need to be stated before continuing on.
First, Gods purpose was, is, and always will be the same, it is eternal(Ec 3:14). Second, it cannot be emphasized enough that Gods purpose existed before he began to create, and was complete in entirety. It will never change, period! Just as the verse in Ecclesiastes brings out, to it there is nothing to add, and from it there is nothing to subtract. It was perfect from the beginning.
Entailed within this purpose, was the giving of Free Will to those who would be created in his image. Jehovahs creation would have the ability to decide on their own whether they would live according to Gods purpose, or not. Free will was truly one of the greatest gifts Jehovah could give his creation, and was entirely motivated by the love that defines him, and his purpose for us, which is to simply love him in return because we want to, and to show this love by living in accord with that purpose. (Pr 2:20-21)
We must understand that up until the first sin was actually committed, free will was essentially just a theory, for no creation of God had ever sinned before. Jehovah no doubt told the angels they had free will, but that required faith on the angels part to accept it. How did the angels truly know they had the ability to go against Gods purpose, if it had never been proven to be possible? The fact that no sin had ever been committed before the original sin meant that only one path had ever been taken, the right one. If sin, which is using free will to go against Gods purpose had never manifested, then that would mean that free will had NEVER been used to its full potential to not only make a right decision, but also a wrong one as well.
Try to imagine the arrogant angel as he thought to himself, ”how do I really know if we have free will unless i'm truly able to choose to go against Gods purpose?” Of course, the only way to prove that creation did indeed have free will was to make the choice to sin, and do it. One thing is for certain, Satan had not come up with this idea overnight, but had thought long and hard about committing the first, and worst sin in all of history. Just as a parent can see a rebellious attitude manifesting in their child, Jehovah was no doubt able to see the rebellious attitude that the beautiful Cherub was displaying. Jehovah is a reader of hearts (1Sa 16:7), and when ones heart has become as prideful, and arrogant as the Cherubs most certainly had, it would have been clear as to what Satan was considering to do.
The very nature of free will implies that if a choice can be made it eventually will be, and when it comes to following Gods purpose there are only two choices to the matter, the choice of good, and the choice of bad, and both of those choices would eventually be made.
Prior to creation, Jehovah’s ability to see events that happen on the timeline, without nullifying the free will of his creation(as discussed in part 1), allowed him to identify when sin would manifest on the timeline, without actually seeing who committed it. Once he began creating, all he would have to do is wait, and as time progressed it would become evident who would incite the rebellion against his purpose, and have to prove to themselves that free will did indeed exist.
We define knowledge as: a fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. Satan obviously had knowledge of good, as that was all he had ever experienced or seen, yet he didn't retain a true knowledge of bad yet. Yes, he knew what bad was, but he had never experienced it, or could associate it to an actual event. It was only until the angel sinned that he truly had a Knowledge of Good and Bad.
The Trees in the Garden of Eden were much more than just trees, but represented symbolically the choice of sin, or eternal life. We can see the same symbolic filter was used to represent when the original sin by Satan would take place in the stream of time. By filtering out the free will of his creation, just as he has done in Revelation, and throughout the scriptures, Jehovah used the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad to represent that which would eventually become the event of sin on the timeline(Gen 3:4-5).
As sure the name given the tree symbolically to be the Knowledge of Good and Bad, once Satan had sinned, and used his ability to choose bad by lying to Eve, free will was no longer a theory, but now a full blown PROVEN truth, and the actual event as symbolized by the name of the Tree was fulfilled. Free will, or the Knowledge of Good AND Bad, had now fully been accomplished and realized by Satan.
But how do we know that the Tree OF Knowledge of Good and Bad was meant to represent the original sin by Satan, and not Adam & Eves sin? We know this because even after Satan had sinned, and now had knowledge of good AND bad, Adam & Eve still had the choice to not partake of the fruit on the tree. Had they not eaten from the tree, the tree would have still been called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad because that which it represented, the event of sin on the timeline, had already occurred when Satan chose to sin, and lie. The tree did not represent Adam and Eves fall, it represented Satans at the very first sin, at the very first moment free will was used to not only have knowledge of good, but also bad.
We are now living through the results of that choice. Proverbs 16:4 states “Everything Jehovah has made for his purpose, yes, even the wicked one for the evil day.” Was it Gods purpose for sin to occur, or to make Satan the wicked one? No, of course not, he would never want anybody to sin. Then how are we to understand this scriptures?
We must understand that EVERYTHING is a product of Gods purpose. Even sin. Being that free will is an integral piece of that purpose, it was only a matter of time when a wicked one would eventually manifest sin. It was inevitable! No, Jehovah didn’t create the cherub to one day become evil, but he did know that eventually the evil day would occur. By giving his creation free will, it was an expected certainty that sin would eventually manifest.
Some might say then that it’s Jehovahs fault that Satan sinned. But consider this, If you give a good gift to somebody, and they choose to break it, is it your fault they destroyed it because you gave them the gift? Of course not. Free will is a blessing from Jehovah, and how we choose to use the gift of free will is obviously up to us. Whether we choose to use it for the knowledge of Good or Bad will ultimately determine our existence within Gods purpose.
Scriptural support for this perspective will be shown in part 3, and will bring everything spoken of together.
Part 3
Foresight is 20/20
When we look at the verse below, why is it that God chose the anointed before the founding of the world, if he didn’t know that Adam & Eve were going to sin in the first place? The current WT understanding, although attempting to explain how this is possible, creates a patchwork of interpretations that do no stand up under closer examination to the scriptures.
Eph 1:4 “…just as he chose us in union with him before the founding of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love”
This article won’t address the teaching from the WT specifically, as it would take way more than a few paragraphs to discuss why they believe God had to adjust his plan after Adam & Eve sinned because of misapplying a few key scriptures to this topic. That is for another article, for now however, the focus is on explaining why the perspective of this article is worthy of consideration. Not only because it harmonizes with the Bible, but this understanding allows truth to flow freely through the scriptures that the WT has blocked with their misunderstanding of this topic by looking at it from a human perspective. How so?
Consider what Jesus taught:
"For example, who of YOU that wants to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense, to see if he has enough to complete it?” Lu 14:28
This principle from Jehovah is an easy to understand illustration teaching us that before we begin something we need to prepare ahead of time to make sure we can finish it. As this principle comes straight from Jehovah(John 8:28), we can be sure that God did the same thing before he began to construct all of creation. Just as a builder tries to contemplate any problems that may occur, Jehovah did also. Jehovah knew that giving free will to creation, came with one problem, sin. Because the current understanding looks at this from the human standpoint, we are missing much that can be learned about God, how so?
As imperfect humans, regardless of how hard we try to calculate our expenses before we build a tower, or do anything for that matter, there can always be unforeseen occurrences that we just cannot be prepared for. Even though we can plan ahead to avoid any problems through good preparation, good design, etc, and try to calculate our expenses to the best of our ability, our foresight to potential problems is limited. Sometimes there are just too many variables to consider when attempting to build our tower. How many times have you thought, if only I could go back and change something? We often hear the term “hindsight is 20/20”, for if we had only foreseen the problem ahead of time we could have avoided it, or at least been prepared for it when it happened.
Looking at it from Gods perspective however, he most certainly has the ability to foresee all events before they occur, without predetermining the individuals choices as we have discussed. We also know that God is Love, and as much as he must have wanted his creation not to sin, he couldn’t stop it. Because Free will is part of his eternal purpose for his creation, to stop the sin would mean he would have to alter the use of free will, which he has obviously chosen to never do.
So really then, from Gods perspective, ‘foresight is 20/20’ because he does have the ability to foresee, or calculate, any potential problem, and perfection is the result. Sin, however, was the one variable he couldn’t prevent from happening, for with the giving of free will, also came the certainty of sin. Therefore by planning ahead, and creating the solution to sin prior to creation, he was ensuring its success from the inception of creation; it was guaranteed to succeed. It is for this very reason that Solomon wrote regarding Gods creation that “to it there is nothing to add[adjust] and from it there is nothing to subtract.”(Eccl 3:14) Perfection from the beginning!
This solution to the eventual sin that would take place was the Sacred Secret, and was built into his purpose for creation. This plan was formed in relationship to Jesus Christ, and would not only solve the problem of free will/sin through his death, but would also predestinate 144,000 chosen ones to be patterned after the image of his son. The Sacred Secret ensured the success of his purpose, and once sin manifested itself, the Sacred Secret would be enacted into action as the solution that was already prepared for when sin took place.
Because the Sacred Secret was created in advance, God could maintain his sacred day of rest which he initiated after the sixth day of creation. This means he would not have to adjust his purpose from plan A, to plan B, as the Watchtower essentially teaches, for it was always Plan A to begin with and will never change.
So…did God calculate his expense and plan ahead to build his tower. Indeed he did, and the following scriptures support this understanding, and help us to see the outworking of Gods purpose, and the incredible wisdom that he used to accomplish it. As you consider these verses remember that Jehovahs purpose for creation was complete BEFORE he began to create.
Rom 8:28-29 “. . .Now we know that God makes all his works cooperate together for the good of those who love God, those who are the ones called according to his purpose; because those whom he gave his first recognition he also foreordained to be patterned after the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. . .”
Eph 3:9-11 “. . . and should make men see how the sacred secret is administered which has from the indefinite past been hidden in God, who created all things. This was to the end that now to the governments and the authorities in the heavenly places there might be made known through the congregation the greatly diversified wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose that he formed in connection with the Christ, Jesus our Lord,”
2Ti 1:9 “He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not by reason of our works, but by reason of his own purpose and undeserved kindness. This was given us in connection with Christ Jesus before times long lasting,” [before the beginning of time, ASV]
Eph 1:8-11 “. . .This he caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and good sense, in that he made known to us the sacred secret of his will[purpose]. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. [Yes,] in him, in union with whom we were also assigned as heirs, in that we were foreordained[predestined] according to the purpose of him who operates all things according to the way his will counsels,
1Pe 1:1-2 “. . .Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the temporary residents scattered about in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, to the ones chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, with sanctification by the spirit, for the purpose of their being obedient and sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ: May undeserved kindness and peace be increased to YOU.”
1Cor 2:7 “. . .But we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained [destined, purposed] before the systems of things for our glory.”
Ephesians 2:10 “. . .For we are a product of his work and were created in union with Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in them.”
These verses show that the sacred secret, comprised of Jesus Christ, and the 144,000 chosen brothers of his, was foreordained to occur before the beginning of time, and was part of his original purpose for creation. Jehovah already knew that free will would eventually produce sin, thus in his infinite foreknowledge, predetermined that eventually 144,000 individuals would submit to be conformed to the image of His Son, and in relationship with Jesus Christ he prepared, in advance, the solution with them being a part of it. Therefore, by covering all the variables beforehand, he guaranteed the success of his purpose, ensuring he wouldn’t have to do anything afterward to adjust its course. Foresight is 20/20!
If you made it this far, I thank you for taking the time to do so, and hope that you will examine what is being said to make sure these things are so(Acts 17:11). A small truth overturns large lies, and facilitates the ability to find more truths for those searching for answers. I hope and pray that with these truths, we can come to a clearer understanding of the many hidden gems contained within the scriptures, and it will allow us all to draw closer to our incredible God, Jehovah.
(Col 1:26) “. . .the sacred secret that was hidden from the past systems of things and from the past generations. But now it has been made manifest to his holy ones,”
Please bear in mind this one final scripture from Isaiah.
(Isaiah 46:10,11) . . .I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please…Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.”