Does God Know When We Will Die?

Name: Vikki Tice
Question: My husband and I were talking about “appointed time to die”. I disagree that all the people who died as a result of 9/11 were all appointed to die. I say that is evil, sinning against others, by taking their lives through an act of evil. It was not appointed that those people die that day. He disagrees with me. Can you help explain where he or I are wrong biblically? Thank you.

Answer: Thank you for the question Vikki, but I’m not stepping into that trap! I’ll let you two sort that out, but let me address the notion.

Many Christians believe, we have an “appointed time to die,” and that God knows the exact instant. This stems from the belief that God knows everything. Even to the point, that God knows what you’re having for breakfast today, millennia before you were even born.

There’s just one major problem…

This rationale creates gaping contradictions in the Bible. It even leads to unbelief! The fact of the matter is, God does not know your future. There is no fate, you decide your own fate. I’m going to prove that, and I will also explain some of the verses that are used to explain we have an “appointed time to die.”

God Doesn’t Know The Future

It’s true, God “knoweth all things,” but in the sense of universal knowledge, (1 John 3:20). “God knoweth your hearts,” but He does not know your future, (Luke 16:15).

I know what you’re thinking…

Then what about the fulfillment of prophecy?

We should understand, it’s not that God already knows what will happen. It’s that God ensures it does happen. These facts will become clear, and they prove God does not know the day of our death.

Tower of Siloam

Listen to Jesus.

Luke 13:4
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

18 people died when a tower tipped over on them. Jesus is telling us, this was simply an accident. God didn’t smite them, and they didn’t sin more than the next guy. I wanted to open with this verse as it proves, there are accidents in life, not predeterminations.

God Said, “Now I Know”

Recall the story of Abraham.

God asked him to sacrifice his only son Issac. So Abraham bound Issac to an altar he constructed, and just as Abraham was bringing down the knife to end his son’s life, God spoke…

Genesis 22:12
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

God said, “Now I know.”

Prior to this event, God did not know with certainty if Abraham would actually sacrifice his son. God only knew in the moment right before it was about to become a reality.

Why?

God knew Abraham’s heart in that moment. This tells us, since God didn’t know if Abraham would sacrifice Issac before the fact, then God cannot know the day of our death either.

God Proved The Israelites

Look what God told the Israelites at the end of the forty years in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 8:2
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Over and over, God proved the Israelites, and we’re told He did that to understand their hearts, (Exodus 15:25, 16:4). In fact, on the way out of Egypt, God became so upset with Israel, He was about to destroy them all, but Moses reasoned with God and changed His mind, (Exodus 32:11-14).

Moses Changed God’s Mind, Twice

Numbers 14:11-12
11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

See: Numbers 14:11-20

In Exodus 32, God was hot with the Israelites for constructing and then worshipping a golden calf. In Numbers 14, God was so hot, He was about to destroy the whole bunch and create a new nation from Moses.

However, Moses reasoned with God, changing His mind twice.

• So, if God knew the future, why would He be upset?
• Why would God become so worked up, that He was about to change His plan?

That clearly tells us, God did not know their future until they decided it. If God already knew the future, there would have been no reason to become upset and change His plan. He would have already known the Israelites would rebel against Him.

Angels Rejoice Over Sinners

Luke 15:10
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Why would the Angels rejoice when a sinner is saved, if God already knew that sinner would be saved?

God Created Satan

Now for the biggest whammy of them all…

God created Satan.

If God knows the future, then He knew creating Satan would unleash hell on earth. God would have known that creating Satan would create evil, terror, and destruction. If God knew that, and He still went ahead with it, inflicting pain and suffering on us, then God would be evil.

Yet, Scripture tells us God is not evil, but righteous and just. (Job 34:12, Psalms 5:4).

This all tells us, God does not know the day of our death.

Do We Have An Appointed Time To Die?

Now, let’s take a look at some of the verses that are used to explain we have an appointed time to die. This will ensure we look at the debate from both angles.

Psalms 139:16
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Note: Portions crossed out were added to English text.

This is a pretty obscure verse, but an interesting one.

The prior verses state, “thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” So the context is the creation of the writer. So let’s take a look at some of these words to gain a better understanding of what is being said.

• “Substance” means a “wrapped embryo.”
• “Continuance” can mean “day,” “time,” and refers to existence.
• “Fashioned” means, “squeezing into shape, mould into a form, a potter.”

So we’re being told, the writer was an embryo in the womb, and the details of his creation were written in God’s book, just as an architect has blueprints. This reminds me of our DNA which dictates our appearance, all before we are even formed in the womb.

The point is, God already knows our appearance as outlined in His design book, (ref: Jeremiah 1:5). Simply stated, God saw all the details of the embryo before it was moulded into form.

Now, many Bible commentaries will explain, this verse means all the days of the writer were known in advance to God. I didn’t read that, and if it were true, then we should have more Bible verses that indicate that, but we don’t.

Now, let’s look at another verse.

Job 14:5
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.

Job was not saying that God knew the instant he would die. Job was simply explaining, mankind has a lifespan (bounds) that is determined by God. No matter how healthy we are, we’re going to die. Man’s lifespan is already set in stone and we cannot escape death.

Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

This verse does not state or indicate that God knows the specific day we will die. This verse simply means, each of us will live, we will die, and then we will be judged.

For completeness, here are some additional verses that are used to support the belief that we have an “appointed time to die.”

• In Psalms 31:15 David explains, “My times are in thy hand.” They were, David was under attack from the enemy. God could choose to preserve David or let his enemies consume him.
• In Job 1:21 he says, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away.” God can choose to give life or take it away, but that does not mean He knows everyone’s fate. Moreover, it was actually Satan that took away from Job, not God, (Job 1:12).
• In Psalms 90:12 we’re told, “Teach us to number our days.” This simply means, we only have so many days on earth. We are a shadow that passes away, so we should make the most of our time here.
• In Matthew 10:29, Jesus spoke concerning the animals of the field and how God looks after them all. The point was, we are superior to animals, so God cares for us even more. Not that God knows when we will die.

Summary

As we learned, Scripture does not support the notion that God knows our future and the time of our death. Such a belief would mean God created Satan knowing in advance that he would bring evil, pain, and suffering into the world.

That would make God responsible for wickedness, and it would make God evil. Yet, He is not.

Moreover, it would also make the Bible a contradicting mess. So always remember, the very basics of Christianity say we must accept Jesus and live a Godly life to be saved. That means, we have to go through a process in order to be justified and saved.

An outcome that God cannot know with certainty.

Otherwise, what is the point of life, if God already knows your decision?