Mary Anna,

That appears to be the heart of the matter.

In the beginning of Mark 13, the disciples really want to know "when".

Mark 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

It is that burning quest of knowing "when" that Jesus addresses:

In the arena of knowing "when", Jesus first & foremost warns them about:

Mark 13:5 ¶ And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

Deception will come in this arena of knowing "when", and Jesus' warning is to take heed.

Jesus also brings up this deception, in this arena of knowing "when", again in line 6 & 22.

People will try to seduce the very elect, and this is in the context of knowing "when".

Still within the context of knowing "when", Jesus mentions, towards the end of the chapter:

Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Jesus tells them that they know not when the time is, even though they had a burning desire to know it.

They didn't know when, before, when they first asked him.

Then when he answered their question by the entire chapter.

His answer to them was to not tell them when, even though they had asked him.

It wasn't for them to know, like it is also not for us to know.

They wanted so badly for Jesus to tell them when, and he never did.

Why? Why would he refuse to tell them when?

Why would he keep that knowledge from them and from us?

Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Clearly, that is exactly what the Father wanted & planned for.

The Father knew "when", but the Son did not.

The Father had not allowed the angels to know "when".

The Father had not allowed the disciples to know "when", otherwise Jesus would have told them.

Is it also possible that the Father as not allowed us to know "when"?

If so, then maybe that is why the Holy Ghost is not revealing unto us, either, "when".

However, the warning to the disciples, would then apply to us, too.

We need to take heed that no man deceive us.

Why? Because we burn to know "when", just like the disciples did, and the enemy knows that.

The enemy knew that this is exactly where he could so easily deceive the disciples and the young church.

The enemy also knows that this is exactly where he can so easily deceive us, too.

In our burning desire to know "when", he gives us something.

Then if we are not careful, in our burning desire, we convince ourselves that maybe the Holy Ghost gave that to us.

We somehow convince ourselves that we, and we alone, have been chosen of the LORD, to be the one exception to line 32.

The enemy provokes us to dare conceive that the Father would allow us to know what even his Son said that he had not known.

It is one thing to dare to think that the Father thinks more of one of us,

than he does of the angels, the disciples, and all the other Christians since Pentecost.

However, it is the height of arrogance to conceive that the Father thinks more of one of us, than he did of his Son.

So, yes, I agree with you, that we should take Mark 13:32 literally.

Unfortunately, probably everyone of us who have read your letter, at one time or another, have failed to do so.

Everyone of us have probably, at one time or another, been deceived about knowing "when".

We probably allowed ourselves to think that we had figured out, or been shown, what the Father clearly keeps close.

I've been guilty of that more than once, it was wrong, and it was therefore something to confess & repent of.

It is far safer to do what you wrote, and to take it literally.

Thank you so much for writing that,

Gino