Time does not exist. Therefore, Free Will Does.

A Multidisciplinary Contextualized Analysis of Select Passages From Genesis Version 2.0

[This is an excerpt from a new edition of a study of the book of Genesis, the first edition of which can be found here. The purpose of this exercise is to compare a close reading of the text to our current understanding of language, paleontology, and the physical sciences. Constructive discussion on the elements presented is always encouraged!]

Concurrent Indeterminism is my description of how the demonstrably true properties of the universe, an omniscient God, and authoritative records of His statements and actions are logically and consistent. There are parallels to other philosophies like Open Theism, Process Theology, Philosophical Indeterminism, and Quantum Theology in that all reject strict determinism. Each incorporates some degree of contingency, freedom, or unpredictability in reality, challenging the idea that the future is fully fixed or predetermined.

However, Concurrent Indeterminism differentiates itself by maintaining logical consistency with a literal reading of the Bible. To clarify:

In Open Theism, God knows all possibilities but not a fixed future emphasizing human free will and God’s relational nature. The concern is that God limits omniscience to allow genuine freedom leaving the future partly open but limiting what God determines through some limitation.

Process Theology is a metaphysical hybrid where God and the universe co-evolve, and God persuades rather than controls. The theological leap is that God is not omnipotent in the classical sense and is Himself in a process of becoming.

Philosophical Indeterminism, considered a secular philosophy, rejects causal determinism. Events (especially human actions) lack inevitable outcomes because not all events are fully determined by prior causes. Although not interested in rationalizing theism, it’s antithesis, determinism or unavoidable causality, is also found in philosophy and the sciences.

Quantum Theology strives to resolve theology and science through the properties of quantum mechanics. However, it sets the uncertainty principle as the mechanism to inform theology. In other words, God interacts with the world through probabilistic quantum events linking divine action to physics. This again makes God’s actions either subject to physics limiting His capacity to the available possibilities.

The key distinction of Concurrent Indeterminism is that God’s power and knowledge are not limited, yet the mechanics of the universe are such that genuine free will also exists. There are several key mechanisms that make this true:

• The only extant moment is now. Despite the use of time as a “dimension” in general relativity, it was Einstein himself who stated, "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion". The past is a construct of the evidence found in things that exist now. The future is another construct of predictions or intentions we make from our current state. Although a functionally necessary intellectual exercise, neither of these places exist at a location in a time dimension. While God acts without restriction whenever He chooses, and can make plans or predictions just like we do, there is no predetermined future forcing His hand or obligating us to a specific destiny. If that were the case, all sincerity of emotion and righteousness of God’s actions for allowing or even creating evil would be problematic.

• Quantum indeterminacy (QI), also known as quantum coherence, is a physical property that not all conditions of a system can be known simultaneously. This demonstrable property allows a system to behave organically and randomly in a manner that allows free choice even if all the choices are predicted. Even with complete knowledge of the system and all the possible choices, QI does not allow the final decision to be known until it occurs.

• God considers “work” to be influencing the universe in a way that essentially counters entropy, adding organization where there was chaos, separating what was mixed. This shows that He is not bound by physical laws. However, the universe is bound by such laws, and it is within those limitations that we exist. He observes the Earth and chooses when and how to intervene along the way. Although there is a preference for working within physical laws and through human representation, miracles are by definition actions that defy the rules of science, including entropy.

• God is good or there is no point to theism. That He would be the author of evil or pretend to be upset at choices we never really had control over is an affront to scripture. If there is not inherent benevolence but instead a zero-sum morality, then only Nihilism is logical.

This framework posits that God interacts with an indeterminate universe, achieving His purposes without fully predetermining every detail or outcome. My interpretations address potential objections while reinforcing the core tenets of Concurrent Indeterminism: an open future, selective divine determinism, and a balance of God’s omniscience with human freedom. This is consistent with all statements attributed to God, Jesus, and the prophets, including the following:

Isaiah 46:10 “I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. I say: My counsel will stand, and I will do all that I please.”

God’s declaration reflects His unwavering intent to fulfill specific purposes, not a rigid, unchangeable script for all events. The “end” signifies His ultimate goals, while the means and timing remain adaptable preserving both divine sovereignty and indeterminacy.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

God’s foreknowledge and consecration of Jeremiah indicate a deliberate choice for a specific role, not a universal determinism applied to all people or events. God can selectively determine certain callings or outcomes while leaving the broader tapestry of the future open to variation.

Daniel 9 Includes prophesied a detailed schedule outlining “seventy weeks” leading to specific events. Instead of an unalterable future, this prophecy may represent a timeline God intends to bring about through His active will. This interpretation emphasizes God’s agency in shaping key moments, fitting my philosophy’s stance that divine plans can coexist with an indeterminate universe, enacted with flexibility rather than fatalism.

Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.”

Isaiah 42:9 “Behold, the former things have happened and I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up.”

God shares His intentions with prophets, operating within an open future where both He and humanity retain freedom to act. Revelation here is purposeful, not a sign that all possibilities are foreclosed or that we have an exhaustive record of these revelations. This reinforces my rejection of strict determinism, highlighting a dynamic relationship where divine plans unfold without negating human agency or future contingency.

Zechariah 12:10b “They will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for his firstborn.”

This reflects a blend of predetermined intent and flexibility in how it unfolds, ensuring key outcomes while allowing variation in the process. Concurrent Indeterminism accommodates this by asserting that God secures essential ends without micromanaging every step, preserving an open-ended universe.

Matthew 26:34 & John 13:38 (Peter’s Denial)

This short-term prediction showcases God’s acute awareness of near-future tendencies, possibly aided by subtle divine influence (e.g., as seen in Exodus 4:21 with Pharaoh’s heart).

Matthew 24:30b “ Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”

God has set plans for eschatological events, but their timing hinges on His discretion, possibly linked to specific conditions or “eigenstates.” This reflects my belief in divine freedom where God acts decisively when He chooses, within a framework that doesn’t demand a fully predetermined schedule.

Luke 22:32b “You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers.”

God’s omniscience enables precise short-term foresight, and His intervention guides outcomes without overriding free will. This fits my model where God can predict as well as influence events dynamically while maintaining human autonomy.

In a universe of Quantum Indeterminacy where now is the only extant state, even with complete knowledge of the entire system it is designed to be unpredictable and authentically random. Therefore, God can know all and still be surprised. Without this scientific truth, there would be no free will, making us essentially scripted automatons simply fulfilling our programming be it for good or evil.

Since the universe is subject to physical laws to which God is not bound, including indeterminacy, it is this limited and probabilistic reality that introduces unpredictability into the narrative. After being created, the universe actualizes organically with God making adjustments as needed along the way.

Although altering a decision may appear to challenge omniscience, it is that flexibility which is evidence for the reality of QI and therefore complete free will. Being a benevolent and invested God, His direct participation is in a corrective or necessary capacity, including reconsideration of decisions based on the free will input from a human. In this light, all of God’s statements and those of the prophets align without contradiction.

For example, Genesis 6:6 reads, "Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart." This suggests that He observes our universe as it progresses and can be genuinely surprised by human actions. This means that God does not predetermine or conclusively predict all actions allowing for human free will and a universe with inherent unpredictability. To clarify:

• God’s Regret Implies Surprise: If God knew humanity’s wickedness in advance, His regret would be pointless. This suggests the future is open, not fixed.

• Time and God’s Interaction: God is de facto timeless in that He existed before the universe and will continue to after its end. He interacts with creation in the now and by the mechanics He put in place in which time is not a traversable dimension.

• Quantum Mechanics: The universe’s indeterminacy evidenced by particle-wave duality prevents knowledge of certainties. God’s omniscience provides insight into eigenstates or result probabilities while allowing for surprise at which outcomes occur.

• Free Will: God grants humans genuine choice, intervening when necessary to avoid irreparable catastrophe, but not scripting every action.

• Conditional Prophecies: Examples like Jonah 3:4-10 and 1 Kings 22 show God adjusting plans or offering different outcomes based on human responses, supporting an open future.

• Rejection of Predeterminism: If everything were predetermined, God’s emotions like showing regret in Genesis 6:6 and 1 Samuel 15:11 would lack meaning.

Scriptures like Jeremiah 18:7-10 and Ezekiel 33:11 show that predeterminism undermines the Bible’s portrayal of a dynamic God-human relationship. Even in the case of Matthew 24:36 which reads, “But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only,” that statement does not necessitate a fixed schedule. Only that it is unknown. It is more logical to consider that no schedule exists, but that God is the exclusive authority on when His plans will be executed. This in turn enables God’s own free will in that He is not compelled to act outside of His promises to do so. And, unless the details are provided explicitly, He chooses the when and the how, perhaps at a time when the appropriate eigenstate of conditions presents itself.

Although this interpretation may seem drastically different from common theological beliefs, it is logically coherent, aligning with a literal contextual reading of the Bible.