The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-13, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 1992 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

Concerning your November 29th message on the fear of the wrath to come, you referred back to Matthew 24, verse 36, “But of that day and hour, no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” It says “nor the Son”… If the Son and God are in and of themselves the same being and they have perfect communion, why does the Son not know the day of the Lord?

Answer

Do you understand what we call the kenosis or the self-emptying of Christ? He became a man, He put self-imposed limitations on Himself, and that was one of them. He put a lot of limitations on Himself. He limited Himself spatially to a human body. In one sense, He gave up His omnipresence, right? He wasn’t everywhere at the same time. He was in Jerusalem. He was in Galilee. He was up at Nazareth. He was in the desert…He gave up His omnipresence.

He voluntarily gave up His omnipotence. He said, “If I wanted to, I could call for a legion of angels, but I yield that up. He restricted His omnipresence, He restricted His omnipotence…why should we be surprised that He restricted His omniscience? He purposely and willingly and personally limited himself not to know that. As God, fully God, in His glorified state at this time, He knows. But, while He was on earth, He didn’t know. That was a self-imposed limitation, as He limited, willingly, the exercise of His divine attributes.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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