Declare the Future: Isaiah's God vs. Open Theism

Idea: God proves He is God by His foreknowledge. He essentially challenges false gods to prove it. “If you are god, prove it. Predict the future then fulfill it.” At the same time He challenges those who trust in false gods for their empty hope. Today, this challenge runs particularly against the teaching of Open Theism.

Intro: What is Open Theism?

1. God's case against idols. They do not know and cannot control the future. God can!
   a. God demonstrates this by looking back and explaining past events, which false gods cannot do.
   b. God then predicts future events, explains them, and brings them to pass.

2. God's case against idolaters.
   a. They trust in 'gods' who have eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear, mouths but cannot speak.
   b. They reject the God who has told and explained and brought about events in history.

Application:

1. Open Theism departs radically from Biblical Christianity. Open theists propose a God who does not know or order human history. Their God is not the God of the Bible.

2. God's sovereign knowledge and control give comfort to the Christian in afflication, a comfort the Open Theist tries, but fails, to give.