Jesus did not know the hour or day of his return? How then can he be God?

As the title suggests, this post is going to be about the knowledge concerning the day and the hour of Christ's return being exclusive to the father. Many who attack the divinity of Jesus bring about this verse in an attempt to display that he was limited in his knowledge and hence cannot be God. They also hope to prove that Jesus and the father cannot be one seeing as there are some things the father knows which the son has no knowledge of.

Within this post, I will demonstrate the meaning behind Christ not knowing the day and the hour of his return and how this does not prove anything against his infinite knowledge and wisdom. I will also post a commentary of this verse written by Saint John Chrysostom in order for the reader to come to their own conclusion to what this verse actually means.

Within the following passages which are found in the 13th chapter of Mark, Jesus is coming to the conclusion of his sermon on the end times. He informed the disciples concerning false prophets, the tribulation of the Christian community, the abomination of desolation and other things regarding the last days.

Seeing as we stand in this section, I think it is important to explain and clarify a “believed” contradiction or falsehood which many claim Jesus brought forth. In verse 30, Jesus says that this generation shall not pass until ALL these things have happened. As we know, that generation has indeed passed away and all these things have still not been performed. Hence, Jesus was wrong. Or was he? These misunderstandings arise out of the limited definition people provide for the word generation.

According to the Macmillan dictionary, generation also means:

-the process of producing something

-a group of products that were made at about the same time, intended as an improvement on those that came before them

Just think of when people say “ this will generate energy" or "lets generate new leads”. This means to produce or to create. 

In fact, according to the Merriam-Websters dictionary, to generate means:
- to produce something or cause something to be produced.

Hence, generation also means creation or production. The passage should then sound more like this: Verily I say unto you, that this CREATION/PRODUCTION shall not pass, till all these things be done. In other words, the world IE God’s creation shall not pass until everything has been fulfilled. This is why many footnotes and commentaries say that generation refers to Israel or even the world. There is no falsehood on Jesus’ part, but on the reader.

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[24] But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,

[25] And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

[26] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

[27] And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

[28] Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

[29] So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

[30] Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

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Now we come to the relevant passage. 

Jesus informs the disciples that no one knows the day or the hour of his coming, not even the Son.

Before we come to explain the passage, we must first understand that Jesus is omniscient in John 21:17:

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You " Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.

Also, refer to my post : The quran proves that jesus claimed to be God to see other examples of Christ's omniscience. http://beyondcontroversy.blogspot.ca/2016/06/the-quran-proves-that-jesus-claimed-to.html

Another thing we must note is that Jesus, prior to coming into this world, possessed FULL divine glory without any aspect of manhood. This is found in John 17:5:

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

The Greek word for had is εἶχον. This word literally means HAD or ONCE HAD. The reason why this is important is because it points to Christ having an existence prior to his physical birth. That he is eternal.Hence, those who are quick to dismiss such a passage saying it was merely a translation error are wrong in regards to this verse. If you do not believe me, here is the evidence:

So, what we have come to see is the following: 

-Jesus is all knowing

-Jesus, on earth, does not have the glory which he once had in heaven

With these 2 in mind, let me refute the argument by means of an analogy:

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Lets say that I am a musician and you heard that I can play the guitar very well. One day you finally decide to come hear me play, but unfortunately, I left my guitar at my friend’s house therefore I cannot play for you. When I get it back, THEN shall you hear me perform.

Question: Does me not having the guitar, hence not being able to perform for you, not make me a musician? OF COURSE NOT.  I AM STILL a musician despite me not having my instrument on me. However, when I get it back, then will I perform and prove myself. In the same way, Jesus not having the glory which he had in heaven, hence preventing him from actually knowing the hour and day does NOT mean that he is not All-knowing. It just means that when he comes into his kingdom with the FULL glory he had before the world began, then will he know the hour and day of his return.

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Seeing as I am an individual who loves for people to come to their own conclusion, I will, as promised, provide Saint John Chrysostom's commentary on this passage. This does not mean that he is correct. It doesn't even mean that I fully agree with his reasoning. But, I still want to display it as a means to help shed some light on the meaning behind such a passage in order for you to come to your own understanding.

For those of you who do not know who this man is:

-He was an Archbishop of Constantinople and an important Early Church Father.

-Born: 347 AD, Antioch, Turkey

-Died: September 14, 407 AD, Comana Pontica

Concerning this passage, He said in Homily 77 on Matthew:

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“But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. By saying, not the angels, He stopped their mouths, that they should not seek to learn what these angels know not; and by saying, neither the Son, forbids them not only to learn, but even to inquire. For in proof that therefore He said this, see after His resurrection, when He saw they had become over curious, how He stopped their mouths more decidedly. For now indeed He has mentioned infallible signs, many and endless; but then He says merely, It is not for you to know times or seasons. And then that they might not say, we are driven to perplexity, we are utterly scorned, we are not held worthy so much as of this, He says, which the Father has put in His own power. And this, because He was exceedingly careful to honor them, and to conceal nothing from them. Therefore He refers it to His Father, both to make the thing awful, and to exclude that of which He had spoken from their inquiry. Since if it be not this, but He is ignorant of it, when will He know it? Will it be together with us? But who would say this? And the Father He knows clearly, even as clearly as He knows the Son; and of the day is He ignorant? Moreover, the Spirit indeed searches even the deep things of God, 1 Corinthians 2:10 and does not He know so much as the time of the judgment? But how He ought to judge He knows, and of the secrets of each He has a full perception; and what is far more common than that, of this could He be ignorant? And how, if all things were made by Him, and without Him was not even one thing made, was He ignorant of the day? For He who made the worlds, it is quite plain that He made the times also; and if the times, even that day. How then is He ignorant of that which He made?

2. And ye indeed say that you know even His substance, but that the Son not even the day, the Son, who is always in the bosom of the Father; and yet His substance is much greater than the days, even infinitely greater. How then, while assigning to yourselves the greater things, do you not allow even the less to the Son, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3 But neither do you know what God is in His substance, though ten thousand times ye talk thus madly, neither is the Son ignorant of the day, but is even in full certainty thereof.”

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