Next - The movie...

What if you could see into the future - but only for 2 minutes - and ONLY if your life is directly involved - What would you do with that knowledge?

I felt the premise of this movie was - at the very most – just interesting - until I began to think about the events that occur in the life of the lead character, Chris Johnson - played by Nicholas Cage; and how he uses the ability to see 2 minutes into the future.

I began to think that this is what God did before we were born, for each of us. It is what God did at the before time (as we know it).

An excellent visual representation of this occurs in one scene where a team of FBI agents and Mr. Johnson are inside a freighter and must "clear" the decks of all the bad guys. Cage's character tells the team of FBI agents they can clear THIS deck, and he will ‘clear all the others’. He never moves from his spot, but by using his ability to see into the future 2 minutes, instantly takes every possible route available and without moving at all, he walks along every inch of the ship to find the hidden bombs, bad-guys and ultimately the hostage they are searching for.

Visually I could see a physical representation (albeit, poor - and only to the level that my human mind can comprehend) of Cage's character everywhere, all at once - because he can see into the future he can see every choice he can take and then takes it to see what is there. It was quite an experience.

I could visualize that this is how God saw our lives. He knew every possible way we would go, every step we did take - He has orchestrated every step. He sees everything!

Proverbs 15:3 - The eyes of the Lord are in every place.

God has preordained what will and won't happen. He has seen all of our choices. He knows where we are going, as he has declared our life. In the movie Cage’s character is always saying to people who tell him not to do something, “I already did it”. From God’s perspective, that is what He says when we think we are doing something for the first time – He could say, You’ve already done it. Interesting!

Isaiah 46:9-11- "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,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it"

God stated that whatever He has decided will be, it will come to pass. The extent of His ability to do so is difficult to grasp, for it lies at the root of all prophetic statements. For example, just a bit before this statement, God states the name of the king who would rebuild Jerusalem,

Isaiah 44:28 - "Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'".

The statement is made about 150 years before Cyrus was born. At the time it was given, the Assyrian empire ruled the world with no end in sight. Yet in a short while it would be wiped out suddenly by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Cyrus, however, was a king of the empire that wiped out Babylon in a surprise attack of its own. What was recorded in Isaiah would be equivalent to naming who would be head of the world's leading nation, not just after the United States falls, but of the nation that brings down the nation that brings down the United States. We couldn't even fathom the first fall, let alone the succeeding details.

God declared,

Isaiah 42:9 - "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them".

In struggling to understand how God is able to do this, some theologians concluded that everything in the world must have been predetermined by God before He even created the world; thus He can tell the future because the events are playing out as He had decided long ago.

So, now imagine if God gave you the ability to see as he does - but only for the next 2 minutes, and only if YOUR life is involved. Would you be able to do more good for others? In the movie, Cage's character has to make a choice, to help save the lives of 8 million people, or the life of his future girlfriend. What would you do?

How would you use the ability to see as God does - all the possible choices? What would you do? Oh, the most important thing - from the movie - Once you see the future, you have changed it, just by looking at it, you have changed the outcome - because you now have foreknowledge of specific events - even for the next 2 minutes those events have been changed.

Think about that. By knowing what will happen in 2 minutes, you have changed the results of that time because you know what will happen. So even if you do nothing, the events will have changed. hmmm...

So would you even look ahead?