“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Old Testament Daniel 12:3 - 4)
Today, we are living in the dispensation of the fullness of times. This is a prodigious era where a restoration of all things is taking place for better or worse. Undoubtedly, these are the crucial times in the history of mortal existence, where the delta of the river of life concentrates its vast of volume of knowledge in our age. And the mysteries of all ages concerning scientific, philosophical, and religious aspects are being unfolded and clarified before our eyes in the essence of truth fullness and purity.
In this rapidly changing and advancing age there are many of the Lord’s children in the world today who are running to and fro seeking a stable anchor and a safe channel. They are in search of light, truth, knowledge and understanding concerning our existentialism. They seek the truth earnestly in all places, especially among all religions and denominations, but they do not know where to find it.
Many people also live in fear of the unknown. It is the old dilemma of uncertainty concerning the prospect of futurities. This is a state of emptiness in life or a sensation of uncertainty that creates fear and anxiety. This is what has been denominated by the world as the existential vacuum. This is a void or state of meaningless in the lives of a great many people which is growing rapidly even like a disease.
We cannot deny that nowadays, a great many of us are gazing upon the perils of the world and the stakes that are at hand. Many, especially among the youth, have raised the question or concern whether or not they would live long enough to get married and to have children or to pursue a formal education. To some, having children in this day and age is even out of the equation. The source of fear is subconscious and not certain and the anxiety appears to be increasing also. We do not know if it is death we fear or the prospect of death. Or even, the thing we fear the most is perhaps the prospect of life after death.
It is difficult to talk consciously about God and the fears that we have concerning the issues of life and death especially with an educated person. The nodding, the pressing of the lips and the lack of thoughtful interest in these subjects must recede sooner or later, for we cannot wander forever to and fro in uncertainty and expect to find the peace of mind and settlement of life that we are longing for. We have to take courage and take a step or two into the darkness of the unknown or the things that we cannot comprehend in order to transcend above the pit of emptiness. It is imperative that we realize that beyond the knowledge of most people there is an absolute and an undeniable certainty towards which we should all project ourselves. That certainty is the truth of al things.
The truth is the knowledge of things as they are; things as they have been and things as they are to come. That certainty is the truth about God. God said in the Holy Scriptures and we all may be aware of it, that he is the same yesterday today and forever. Therefore, he is the only one that knows all things past, present and future. And he is also the only one that can lead us to the knowledge of all sciences and to the understanding of the behavior, potency and essence of the universal reality of all things. But in order to know the truth of all things we must first know God.
To know God is better than just knowing about him. To know him is to have a conscious understanding of his existence, his person, his attributes, his potency, his excellence and his divinity. And if God is the truth and the truth is God, to know the truth one must recognize that there is a pattern of organization in the reality of all things. All things appear to revolve around four factors of organization at all times.
For instance, we know that there are four fundamental forces in the universe. These forces are gravitation, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force and the electroweak nuclear force. In the pattern of organization of life, we know that all living organisms first, they are born; second, they grow up; third they multiply and fourth, they die. In semantics we have the four factors of bad, good, better and best.
In everyday life we also have the notion of nothing, small, medium and large. And there are also four cardinal points that give us the notion of direction which are North, South, East and West. In quantum physics or the nuclei of matter we also have four factors. Inside an atom there is space time or antimatter, protons, neutrons and electrons. In the prism of light we have four factors of color which are the absence of light itself and then the three primary colors red, yellow and blue. In written languages we also have four factors of communication; these are letters, words, sentences and paragraphs. Even within sentences themselves we have four factors which are: simple sentences, complex sentences, compound sentences and compound complex sentences. In ancient times also, people believed that everything in the universe was also made of four factors which are earth, water, fire and wind.
Thus with ease we can reason and understand that there is a patter of organization in all things. With these and many more examples we can reasonably establish that there, not only two or three, but four factors playing a roll in the reality of all things. And if this is a universal principle of pattern logy, there must also be a pattern to come to the true knowledge of God.
If we really want to know God and therefore the truth of all things, we must also follow the established pattern. Only then we can begin to grasp and understand the world we all live in. And believe it or not the pattern to know God is simple and it also has also four basic steps.
In order to know God, first we must exercise faith in him, for without faith it is impossible to please him. He desires to believe that he is and exists and that he does all that he says he does. Second, we must repent of all of our sins. Repentance is a gift from the almighty for believing in him. It is feeling sorry, confessing, and forsaking our sins with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Sorrow is the only way that God can give us individual understanding that any degree of sin is an impurity that separates us and make us unworthy of the company of his presence. And therefore he is indicating or telling us that nothing impure dwells in his presence. He does not look upon sing with the least degree of allowance. How then, are we to know God if we are separated from him by sin. We have to somehow become clean, sanctified or purified in one way or another before we can expect to know God. This assertion leads us to the third factor or step.
The Third step towards the true knowledge of God is that we must be baptized for immersion for the remission of sins. This is a symbolic act that shows unto him that we are humble enough and willing to keep his commandments. In fact baptism is a covenant or a bilateral agreement between him and the individual. Therefore this is our part of the deal.
And the forth and last step is the reception of the Holy Ghost. This is an ordinance that we have to receive also. In this step or beyond God does his part by baptizing us with fire and of the Holy Ghost. And depending in our sincerity, obedience and worthiness the Holy Ghost will fall or descend upon us bearing record of the true existence of God and also of the truth of all things. Thus that is how we know for a fact that there is a God without any room for doubt. Knowing is beyond belief, for one can no longer believe in a thing that one knows with absolute certainty.
Thereafter, according to our intellectual abilities, vocations and disposition, the Holy Ghost as a constant companion will help us and guides in the path towards the kingdom of heaven. And he will also help us to prepare in all things in order to meet him and not become obliterated by the brightness of his coming.
Miguel Angel Tinoco Rodriguez
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