Proof that Jesus is God?

I do read sites and watch videos that argue against my views. It’s an intellectually honest exercise or at least it can be if you don’t go into it strictly with the idea of shooting down anything the other guy comes up with out of hand.

My most recent excursion was a YouTube video with “proof” that Jesus is God.

The argument for Jesus as God was actually quite simple and based upon only two assumptions both related to Mark 13:2.

Mark 13:2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

The first assumption is that this is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple fulfilled by the Romans in 70 CE. The second is that Jesus actually said it and Mark recorded it prior to 70 CE.

The poor guy then goes on to “prove” that Jerusalem and the Temple were actually destroyed. The one point that no one was going to argue with him about.

The idea that Jesus may not have actually said this never enters into his head.

Even if Jesus did say it, it’s not clear from the context of Mark 13 that he isn’t talking about incidental destruction occurring at the same time as wide spread and large scale destruction.

In Mark 13:3-31 Jesus describes the destruction of Mark 13:2 as part of the end times when “people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

Well, unless everyone missed it, that didn’t happen when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE so that couldn’t have been what Jesus was talking about.

The other problem of course is Mark 13:30 where Jesus says “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”

So, again, unless everyone missed it, “all these things” most certainly did not happen before that generation passed away unless you think there are some 2,000 or so year old people hiding somewhere.

So, while it’s possible he’s right, there are several weak points in the argument that keep it from being anything close to the slam dunk “proof” he appears to think it is.