This war was carried on by the “multitudes of the earth,” whose headquarters was some large structure “like unto the building which my father saw.”
The world and the wisdom thereof. This large building, the angel explains, is, or represents, the world and its wisdom. It represents the world as marshaling and mobilizing the forces of its institutes of learning, all its philosophy (wisdom), against the apostles of the Lord.
What is, then, the nature of this wisdom?
The “wisdom of the world,” for one thing, is not, like divine truth, an unchangeable, eternal rock; rather, it resembles the waves that beat against the cliff, now rising, now falling, now raging, now gently rolling, according to the winds that blow. It is constantly changing.
The “wisdom of the world” today is different to that of yesterday; tomorrow it will be different to that of today. But no matter what form or color it may assume in the marvelous kaleidoscope of history, it offers no clue today, and will offer none tomorrow, any more than it did in the past, to the solution of the vital problems, the true answer to which it has pleased God to reveal only in the gospel of the Crucified One—“Unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:21-4) And this is as true now as it ever was. That “the world by wisdom knew not God” was never more evident than it is in our day.
The so-called “Enlightenment” in the 18th century, which was a natural but radical re-action against the then prevalent orthodoxy, is an illustration of the futility of trusting to the wisdom of the world for guidance in matters of eternal values.
During this “Enlightenment” it was discovered that man was not the miserable earth worm of the old theology, to be trampled in the dust, but that he is a being exalted above other creatures, possessing intelligence, entitled to certain inalienable rights on earth as well as an eternal destiny.
An estimate of the world different from that of the old orthodoxy followed. The absurd view that matter itself is evil and that the earth is at best a prison, the kingdom of satan, an abode of torment from which to escape by death, was discarded. By and by the sciences made themselves heard. The telescope, the microscope, the appliances of the various laboratories, unveiled ever more and greater wonders and constructed a marvelously beautiful universe of which previous centuries did not even dream.
During this period of Enlightenment human reason was awakened from a long slumber and placed in a seat of honor.
The Enlightenment freed man from the serfdom of feudalism, if not entirely from the curse of its degrading militarism; it paved the way for the great ideals of democracy which are the cornerstones of the government of the United States and all free governments. It was the beginning of an industrialism which, if rightly guided, would have ennobled the human race and made every home a divine abode. It blazed the way for liberty, equality and fraternity—the very goal of human existence.
With these achievements to its credit, it appeared for a while as if human philosophy might have found God and a restored paradise, independently of divine revelation. Especially since the most brilliant minds of the age, freed from fear and “prejudices,” engaged in the endless search. With philosophers, such as Bacon, Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Kant, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Leibnitz; with scientists, among whom we need only mention Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Lamarck, Darwin, Spencer, Lyell, Laplace, Huxley; with theologians, such as De Wette, Schleiermacher, Wellhausen, Driver, and with a host of others including poets, historians, dramatists, biographers, and even revivalists, all devoting their resources of knowledge and powers of reasoning to the search, one would seem justified in expecting success.
And the results?
One result is that the world quite generally has come to regard the sacred Scriptures as nothing but fragmentary remnants of an ancient literature. It is hardly ever consulted as a guide to correct conduct in the affairs of daily life.
Human reason has been exalted to the position of highest authority on questions of truth and morals, a position it cannot fill, now or ever.
Another result is that the 19th century democracy has broken down in war, revolution, economic disorder and crime. Wise men of the present day admit that what they call the “old order” is irrevocably gone and is about to be replaced by a new form of government.
And it is not only religion that is under attack. Scientific research and application are also in danger. Over a large part of the world, censorship is threatening to enslave the sciences. This generation has lived to see students in great institutes of learning take the lead in a crusade against free speech, and a free press. The prevalence of that spirit would be the end of learning. It would mean death to all sciences.
The Godhead. The doctrine of the Deity is by far the most important of all. On a correct knowledge of God depends life eternal. (John 17:3) And our life on earth, our personal conduct, our relations with our fellowmen and with society are governed by our belief in, or rejection of, God as our Father, our Ruler, our final Judge. Godlessness is a menace to a family, a community, a nation, as well as the individual.
According to the revelations—the only reliable source of information on that subject—three Divine Persons constitute the Council of the Godhead.
1. The Father. That there is a Divine Father we learn from innumerable revelations, former as well as recent. Consider the following:
“Do ye thus requite the Lord? ... Is not he thy Father that hath brought thee?” (Deut. 32:6)
“Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David ... and when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee ... I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” (2 Sam. 7:8-14)
“Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not; Thou O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.” (Is. 63:16)
"Ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. (16)
(See also Alma 11:44; Hela. 14:12; Mor. 5:77)
(Christ) “glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him.” (D. and C. 76:43)
2. The Son. There is also a Son in the Godhead. Jesus Christ is called the Father’s “beloved Son.” (Matt. 3:17) In the view of the Apostle Paul, God raised Jesus from the dead because he is his Son:
“And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised us Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (33)
Jesus Christ is “the Great I AM.” (Ex. 3:1-14. Here we learn that the Great I AM is none other than the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (v. 6), whose name is Jehovah, or Yahveh.
Jesus Christ is also called, God’s “Holy Child”:
“The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together.” (27)
See also Rev. 2:18.
Jesus speaks of his angels. (Matt. 11:27) He claims, furthermore, that prayers offered in his name will receive special attention by the Father:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (24)
No mere human being could make such a claim, truthfully.
3. The Holy Ghost. In this Divine Council there is also a third member, a Person, sometimes called, The Holy Ghost, and sometimes, The Holy Spirit. He has all the divine characteristics. He is infinitely wise, holy, good and tender. Our Lord, immediately before his death, explained the special mission of the Holy Spirit. He told his disciples that he was about to leave them, but would return. However, they were not to be left “comfortless” (rather, “orphans”) while waiting for him (John 14:18). They would have the Spirit of Truth abiding with them. Our Lord says:
“When the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.... He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16:13-15; comp. 14:15-18)
That the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person is further evident from the instructions of our Lord concerning baptism. He said to the Twelve:
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 28:19)
Here both the personality and equality of the three members of the Godhead are clearly taught.
The same truth is conveyed in the Apostolic blessing:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.” (2 Cor. 13:14)
The enumeration of the three is the recognition of three distinct Personalities, and each has, moreover, his own characteristic—“grace,” “love,” and “communion.”
Distinct personal acts are attributes to the Holy Spirit. He speaks. (Matt. 12:31)
All these are attributes of a person. (See also I Ne. 11:11)
A Divine Power. But there is also a “Spirit of Jehovah,” a “Spirit of God” (Joel 2:28) It is the light of Christ
“... and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he [Christ] is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; and also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; and the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” (D. and C. 88:7-13)
It is through this Light, this Power, that God
“Comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever.” (D. and C. 88:41)
Immanence. Some exponents of the wisdom of the world—philosophers, we may call them—who reject the revelations concerning the personal Godhead, yet claim to be believers in the divine element, or force, which they conceive of as “immanent” in the matter of which the universe is composed. By “immanence” they mean the indwelling of something divine in the material world as its soul, or “the spirit that animates it and which takes various forms, such as heat, light, gravitation, electricity, and the like; the all-embracing substance of which men and things are but differentiations; the principle of unity underlying all multiplicity; the infinite consciousness in which all things have their existence; the indwelling personality with whom we commune when we contemplate nature or look into our own souls.” (Arthur C. McGiffert, “The Rise of Modern Religious Ideas,” p. 201)
It will be seen from this that the philosophy referred to and revelation come quite close to a perfect agreement on recognizing the existence of a divine element that permeates the universe. But there is a noteable difference. Revelation says that, transcending this force, directing and controlling it, there is a Godhead, consisting of three divine Persons, infinite in majesty and glory, the Creators and Rulers of heaven and earth and all that is in them; while the philosophy boldly asserts that there are no such Persons. The force directs itself. It is God. That is the philosophy of immanence. But is that real philosophy?
We are told that the indwelling divine force manifests itself as electricity. Very well. Can that force send a message without a person who thinks and writes and operates the keys according to certain rules? Has the force itself personality enough to act without a person on the outside of it in control? Or, we hear a sermon over the radio. Is there no person somewhere who speaks? Worldly wisdom says, Certainly not. Revelation says, Yes, indeed.