The video gamer in me says it is like an uber-game that he has designed that plays out as he has designed it to an ultimate conclusion as he planned. Into that game environment (the universe) he has placed billions of players on one sub-map (earth) as one would find in a live multi-player on-line scenario. (Those who have gone from a programmed video game to its on-line multi-player version will know what a huge leap of a difference live thinking players make...) The designer can watch from outside see all angles and perspectives, and knows from close observation how each player reacts, responds and handles every variable and interaction with the environment and other players.

As the scenario unfolds with the independent free will of each player interacting with infinite possibilities, the Designer knows the limits and possibilities and probabilities extremely well as only a supreme intelligence/designer could.

To be so smart to be able to predict with a perfect level of certainty given the truly infinite number of variables that 6 billion free wills would bring to the scenario - WOW! That impresses me more than simply having keen time vision that can see passively over the time horizon into the future.

Now combine that with a God/designer with unlimited power to step in and manipulate/reprogram the whole environment and and each and every one of the players. Believing that God doesn't tinker around like that makes me realize that His most awesome power is his own power of self-restraint.

Think of Back To The Future meets Bruce Almighty.

As a fellow gamer, I like it a lot! I still reckon he knows the future in more than just a probabilistic, range of possibilities (stochastic, heh, and we've come full circle!) way.

Sorry guys, seems to me that God does tweek and change things a bit to allow things to happen for the good of all His creatures. (But maybe I misunderstood what was being said here. If so, sorry.)

Is't that what God did at Calvary? Didn't He change things for the good of His creation? Hasn't He done things all through history that change things a little, like letting Paul out of the prison and placing Joseph in charge of so much? And didn't He make it possible for the Jews to leave Egypt? Maybe you are saying that He planned to change these things all along. I would have to agree with that.

I also agree that God's greatest power is His self-restraint, but I do not think He will not allow Himself to every change things. Whatever happens He has directed it for the good of the Universe. He has not just left us to self-destruct. He does have a plan and He is making sure we stay with-in that plan.

No, I do agree with you. I didn't mean to leave an impression of an uninvolved God. (That would put me sort of in the camp of agnostics that believe in a distant detached God) Indeed I do believe that those "miracles" do happen. Those are God's tweaking of the natural rules he put in place.

A bit of a shift in focus is to ask if God ever changes His mind. If so, why would an all-knowing God need to change His mind?

The only time I am aware of God changing His mind was when someone identified with His goals....

Moses, if you recalled, stood between God and the hebrews, who were quite stupid in thier desires, and he asked for a second chance for them....Moses reasoning was that God would look bad if, after He had miraculously removed all these tens of thousands of people out of the land of egypt and then slaughtered them, He would look like a God that desires human sacrifice.A conversation ensued to the point that Moses went so far as to offer himself to save them....

At that point, God changes His mind....

While I would love to get onto God's side, there are times, when pondering our church's stance on various issues, I wonder where His side is at?

I don't see it as God changing His mind, but more so He was testing Moses as to his dedication to the task given to him. I can see God smiling when people finally 'catch on' and act in a manner that God intended. Moses was demonstrating a relationship with the people he was leading and trying to protect. A portrayal of Christs role.

It's very similar to what God was saying to Abraham concerning the distruction of the people living in Sodom. The conversation style of those people in those times was to creep up on an issue one step at a time, thus giving time for the other person to develope his point of view, instead of dumping your whole argument all at once, complete with every argument and reason on his head, and so alienating him that you will never hope to get him on your side.

The KJV uses the word repented to describe God's change of heart at Moses' pleading for the people. We normally thing of repenting as changing our sinning ways. The Hebrew expression, as I understand it means a change of direction, or simply to turn around or face or go a new direction.

Another way of perhaps expressing that God changes his mind with changing circumstances would be for Him to express regret over something that happened or that He did, as in Genesis 6:6 where it says that He was sorry that he created man because of the evil that resulted. This would seem to suggest that things didn't turn out quite as expected. If God perfectly foresaw the outcome of man being created and rebelling against Him, why would he regret the result of His creation of man just as He anticipated it would happen, exactly as it turned out?

The same reaction by God is expressed in 1 Samuel 15:35 that God regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel; in 2 Samuel 24:15,16 over having killed 70,000 Israelites; in Amos 7 about what evil to send against Israel; and in Jonah 3:10 over what he planned to do to Nineveh. It would seem that God was pleasantly surprised by their repentance and changed his plan and had mercy on them.

It seems to me that God's need to have people to love (and for them to love in return) is the answer to the whole question.

Reading the first chapter of "Patriarchs and Prophets" was the answer to my own questioning. Here I found a picture of absolute, unthinkable love. This is just my snapshot of the picture -- and anything past this point is open to discussion. I reserve the right to be wrong!

Way back in the "beginning of eternity" I see the Godhead -- three persons, each with his own personality, but absolutely united in thought and love for each other. They needed to have others to share that love, and so angels were created, millions, trillions of them -- all kinds, all different, but all with the same desire for love and capacity to share love.

Then God began to populate the planets, with people whom He could love, and be loved in return. The angels rejoiced as each of these planets produced a wider range of persons with whom to share love.

Then the chief angel, Lucifer, realised that the Godhead was discussing another creation, and the thought went through his mind that he would love to be involved in that planning -- and, well, you know the rest of that part of the story.

God had not PLANNED that the inhabitants of earth would disobey Him. Even when Satan had tempted Eve and she had taken the fruit, I believe that it was not too late to save this earth. According to Romans 5:12 and 1 Cor.15:22 it was when Adam willingly handed his kingship over to Satan that the great "Rescue Plan" swung into action.

Jesus won the battle, which means the He is now the uncrowned King of this world, waiting for that great day when He will be crowned King at the end of the millenium, and sin will be forever destroyed, because of the unthinkable love that the Godhead has shown to the repentant sinners of this world.

Just my thoughts,

Beryl