But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only. - Mt 24:36

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How is this compatible with the prophecies in e.g. Dan 8, Rev
11, etc. which seem to give actual dates for when we could
expect the Messiah?

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Here was my reply:

I think this can be explained in what is called the mini
apocalypse or the "Sermon of the End" in Matthew 24:1-28, upon
which Abdul-Baha Himself commented:

"In Matthew, chapter 24, verse 3, Christ clearly says that what
Daniel meant by this prophecy was the date of the manifestation,
and this is the verse: "As He sat upon the mount of Olives, the
disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall
these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and
of the end of the world?" One of the explanations He gave them
in reply was this (v. 15): "When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)." In
this answer He referred them to the eighth chapter of the Book of
Daniel, saying that everyone who reads it will understand that it
is this time that is spoken of."

See the chapter in "Some Answered Questions":

http://bahai-library.com/writings/abdulbaha/saq/10.html

So saying at the time: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." - Mt 24:36 does
not really contradict the references to the prophecies in Daniel in
my view as the Father knew them.

Note that passages in Daniel would have been better known by
a reference such as "abomination of desolation" than a chapter
or verse as there were of course no chapters or verses in those
days to designate specific Scriptures.

- Art

This is an interesting & important point thanks for sharing.

Another interpretation is that this Verse refers to the Ministry of Baha'u'llah in 1863+: -
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only. - Mt 24:36

It's true that nobody knew that date as it was not disclosed until The Bab appeared and prepared the people for the coming of He Whom God Will Make Manifest. It was in the Writings of the Bab that the significance of the years 9 and 19 were revealed for the first time (i.e. 1853 and 1863).

In other words, Jesus and Daniel (also Islamic traditions) give dates only for the Ministry of the Bab. The day and hour for the Ministry of Baha'u'llah was indeed a mystery known only to God, which He Revealed for the first time through the Bab in 1844.