Why Does Only God Know the Future?

“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’” (Isaiah 46:9–10)

Today’s big question: why does only God know the future?

People have made many predictions (or more accurately, guesses) of things they think will happen in future, but most of the time these predictions are incorrect. This is because there is only one who knows “the end from the beginning.” There is only one Source of truth that can never fail us.

It is God who foretold that the woman’s Seed would be the conqueror of Satan (Genesis 3:15), which, of course, was fulfilled by the Messiah’s work on the Cross. There are many precise prophecies in Scripture that have been fulfilled to the letter. For example, hundreds of years before their fulfillment, the Old Testament foretold the birthplace of the Messiah (Micah 5:2), His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), and His sacrificial death (Isaiah 53:6–10).

God said in today’s verse, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.” This is the reason why He alone knows the future. Nehemiah explains this concept in further detail:

You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You. (Nehemiah 9:6)

In other words, God is the authority over all things, including things to come, because He is the Father of all creation. God is not limited by time (2 Peter 3:8). In fact, He is the Creator of time, which explains why He knows “the end from the beginning.” He knows everything, including the past, present, and future.

Many books and other works easily get outdated, but God and His Word stand forever (Psalm 119:89). We should remember this the next time we hear another prediction about the future that in not based on God’s Word.

Today’s big idea: God knows the future because He is the Father of all creation, including time.

What to pray: thank God for His unending wisdom, and ask for guidance in everything you do.