It sounds like God has hope, but He still knows what is to come.

Dave: Yep, that's what I said too. So does that men he did not plan for the second man or Ellen White?

Tom: I assume "men" should be "mean" so the question would read "So does that mean he did not plan for the second man or Ellen White?" and the "mean" I take it means "imply", so what you're intending to ask is does the fact that the first fellow did not do God's will imply that God did not plan for the second person or for Ellen White?

I hope I have understood your question correctly. My answer is no, it doesn't imply either that God not plan for the second fellow or for Ellen White. I'm not saying God didn't plan ahead, I'm saying there's no logical implication one way or the other given the premise that the first fellow could refuse to do what God had intended.

Dave: The risk that is spoken of is the fact that Jesus too was of his own mind. He could have chosen to not follow His Father's plan.

Tom: So it was possible for Jesus to not have followed God the Father's plan, correct? There was an actual risk involved that Christ could have failed and been eternally lost; God could have lost His Son.

Yep, sure could have. I wonder if earthly fathers would have as much confodence in their sons.

Jesus was a human, and humas can fail. Lucifer was an angel, so apparently angels can fail.

BTW, os Jim Hoen still president out there? My dad was a pastor in Kansas.

If they had accepted him, wouldn't that mean that there would be no sacrifice for us? Wouldn't that make salvation impossible? I think maybe we are taking a parable a little too literal.

How free are we? Not any more than God allows. God has a plan and He will not let anyone derail it. That's why He can tell us exactly what will happen ahead of time, even saying who will do what before they are born. There is absolutely nothing random or spontaneous about the unfolding of history.

Romans
4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Amos
3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Does that mean that God intends for some to be sinners?

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, who is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

And would that indicate that God intends some to not repent?

God would love it if none of this ever happened, if Lucifer never rebelled, if Adam and Eve never ate the forbidden fruit. But it did happen, and what's more, God knew in advance that it would happen. And yet He chose to create them anyhow. And God has been managing the affairs of men and angels ever since in such a way that the great controversy will turn out to His honor and glory. Yes, we are free to choose salvation or not, but we are not free to derail God's plan to win the great controversy. God will use rocks to preach the gospel if we refuse, and whatever else it takes to win. Do you think the lamblike beast is free not to make an image to the beast? free not to enforce the mark of the beast? Of course not!