 This problem is an especially interesting instance of the more general problem of the compatibility of God’s complete foreknowledge with the existence of future contingent events (for more on this general problem, see the entry on  divine foreknowledge and human freedom).  Whereas the more general question about God’s foreknowledge typically involves just God’s knowledge and the future contingent event, the problem of prophecy involves a third element, namely, the prophecy itself, which becomes a part of the past history of the world as soon as it is made. This additional element adds an interesting twist to the general problem, making it more difficult to solve.