LessonsDivine Will: Eternity, Specification of Possibilities and Free AgencyQuiz

Eternal will may have as its object that a thing come into existence at a specified time. The proposition “this thing exists at its particular time” is different from “this thing exists without beginning.”

No change in the attribute is required, because its object was specified as a temporal occurrence. Supposing the object already exists before that time changes what was originally specified.

Thus eternal will plus a temporal willed object is not a contradiction. Contradiction would require assigning eternity and origination to the same thing under the same respect.

Opening interactive controls...

How eternal will specifies a temporal act

Divine Will: Eternity, Specification of Possibilities and Free Agency

Eternal will may have as its object that a thing come into existence at a specified time. The proposition “this thing exists at its particular time” is different from “this thing exists without beginning.”

No change in the attribute is required, because its object was specified as a temporal occurrence. Supposing the object already exists before that time changes what was originally specified.

Thus eternal will plus a temporal willed object is not a contradiction. Contradiction would require assigning eternity and origination to the same thing under the same respect.