Christian apologist and philosopher Denis Giron wrote a post concerning Mark 13:32,

“But concerning that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Showing that our Lord’s words that no one knows the day or hour except the Father, doesn’t include the Holy Spirit among those who do not know the time when Christ would come to judge Jerusalem and her inhabitants (Does Mark 13:32 Preclude the Omniscience of the Holy Spirit? https://bloggingtheology2.com/2018/11/28/does-mark-1332-preclude-the-omniscience-of-the-holy-spirit/).

An anti-Trinitarian heretic named unitarian chimed in the comments section:

“I don’t quite find this article quite convincing. Even with the “limited discourse” it seems slightly bizarre to think of a limited contrast for a token of a necessary exclusionary attribute that is related to a divine being.

“Per se this type of text would tell me that only the father has this foreknowledge. I don’t think there is ANY OTHER TEXT related to the Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that would constrain it anyway.” (https://bloggingtheology2.com/2018/11/28/does-mark-1332-preclude-the-omniscience-of-the-holy-spirit/comment-page-1/#comment-45)

Carefully pay attention to the implication of this heretic’s objection. His argument basically means that if there are biblical texts that affirm the omniscience of the Son and the Holy Spirit, then our glorious Lord’s words that “no one knows” can be taken in a more restricted sense where the Son and the Holy Spirit are not included among those who do not have this foreknowledge of the precise time that the Son would bring judgment and destruction upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the temple.

Here, therefore, are passages where the Son and the Spirit are said to be omniscient, possessing perfect wisdom and knowledge of all things, even the unsearchable things of God the Father:

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, BECAUSE HE KNEW ALL MEN, and did not need anyone to bear witness of man, FOR HE KNEW WHAT WAS IN MAN.” John 2:23-25

“All things are delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son, EXCEPT THE FATHER. And no one knows the Father, EXCEPT THE SON and he to whom the Son will reveal Him.” Matthew 11:27 – cf. Luke 10:22

“Even as the Father knows Me, SO I KNOW THE FATHER. And I lay down My life for the sheep.” John 10:15

Note that the Father’s and Son’s knowledge of each other is reciprocal, showing that the Son knows the Father to the same extent and to the same degree that the Father knows him. Add to this the Son’s claim that only the Father is capable of knowing him and you end up with Christ claiming to be an incomprehensible and omniscient Being. And:

“His disciples said to Him, ‘Yes! Now YOU ARE SPEAKING PLAINLY AND WITH NO FIGURE OF SPEECH. Now we know THAT YOU KNOW EVERYTHING and do not need anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘DO YOU NOW BELIEVE?’” John 16:29-31

“He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said to Him, ‘Lord, YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.’” John 21:17

Now compare the foregoing with the following:

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart AND KNOWS EVERYTHING.” 1 John 3:20

Both before and after his physical resurrection, because Christ was explicitly clear the apostles came to the realization that the Lord Jesus knows all things, in the same way that God knows everything. This is why they concluded that they didn’t need to ask him any more questions to see whether he knows what he is talking about.

There’s more:

“Who has directed THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, or as His counselor HAS TAUGHT HIM? With whom did He take counsel, and who INSTRUCTED HIM, AND TAUGHT HIM in the path of justice, AND TAUGHT HIM KNOWLEDGE, AND SHOWED TO HIM THE WAY OF UNDERSTANDING?” Isaiah 40:13-14

The Spirit of YHWH has no one to guide, counsel and/or instruct him, obviously because he is omniscient and therefore doesn’t need anyone to teach him anything. And:

“But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit. FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHES ALL THINGS, YES, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD. For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Likewise, no one knows the things of God, EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-12

“that their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love, and receive all the riches and assurance of full understanding, and knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, IN WHOM ARE HIDDEN ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE.” Colossians 2:2-3

Compare the above with the following claim by the same Apostle:

“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable are His ways!” Romans 11:33

Since the depth of the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge are beyond comprehension and pass finding out, the only way for the Spirit to search and know the deep things of God and for the all of the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge be stored in the Person of Christ, is if both the Son and Spirit are omniscient and incomprehensible Persons.

We’re not through just yet.

“Again, He entered Capernaum after some days. And it was reported that He was in the house. Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no room to receive them, not even at the door. And He preached the word to them. They came to Him bringing one sick with paralysis, who was carried by four men. When they could not come near Him due to the crowding, they uncovered the roof where He was. When they had broken it open, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.’ But some of the scribes were sitting there, reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this Man speak such blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Immediately, when Jesus perceived IN HIS SPIRIT that they so reasoned within themselves, He said to them, ‘Why do you contemplate these things IN YOUR HEARTS? Which is easier to say to the paralytic: “Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, “Rise, take up your bed and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, rise, and take up your bed, and go your way to your house.’ Immediately he rose, picked up the bed, and went out in front of them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!’” Mark 2:1-12

In this passage, the Lord exhibits the very abilities and characteristics that both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Quran agree belong to God alone, namely, the ability to know the inner thoughts and hearts of men, as well as the power to heal diseases and forgive all sins:

“then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and render to everyone according to all his ways, whose hearts You know—for only You know the hearts of the sons of men—”1 Kings 8:39

“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your fathers and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing spirit, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will abandon you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9

“would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:21

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies… He does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Like a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord gives compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows how we are formed; He remembers that we are dust.”” Psalm 103:2-4, 10-14 – cf. Isaiah 43:25; Daniel 9:9; Micah 7:18-19

And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring God to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, – and who can forgive sins except God? – and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done. S. 3:135 Y. Ali

When God showed thee them in thy dream as few; and had He shown them as many you would have lost heart, and quarrelled about the matter; but God saved; He knows the thoughts in the breasts. S. 8:43 Arberry

Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Y. Ali S. 39:35

And it is clear from the context of Mark that Jesus wasn’t merely proclaiming that God had forgiven the paralytic. Rather, Christ was emphatically affirming that he himself was forgiving the man by his own inherent divine authority, i.e., “that you may know that the Son of Man HAS AUTHORITY on earth to forgive sins”. The Lord then healed the man to provide miraculously divine confirmation of his possessing the divine ability to pardon all transgressions.

This means that, per the unitarian heretic’s own criterion, Mark 13:32 does not deny the perfect knowledge and wisdom that the Son and Holy Spirit possess by virtue of their essentially unity with the Father. Therefore, anti-Trinitarian cultists, and especially Muhammadans, can no longer misuse Mark 13:32 to disprove the omniscience of God’s beloved Son and his glorious Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

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