34. In one day. As Hophni and Phinehas had dealt violently with the things of the Lord, so they were to meet violent deaths. Hoping to turn them from their evil course, God drew aside briefly the curtain of the future. It would have been natural to expect that when the sons heard this prophecy they would alter their lives, in order to avoid reaping its fulfillment. In making this prophecy, God simply foresaw their doomâHe did not foreordain it. He who knows the end from the beginning knows all that affects the exercise of free choice. By warning individuals of what the future holds in store for them, God proves to the universe that men go so far of their own free choice that even that knowledge will not deter them.