The Wisdom of God

Friday morning on the news program, Fox & Friends, there was an author who was interviewed. His name was Christopher Hitchens. He had written a book titled, God is Not Great. Christopher Hitchens argues that the world would be a better place to live in without religion. Needless to say, he's an atheist.

Apparently, he's from Britain. He argues that most wars are motivated by religious convictions. Those with different religious convictions fight one another. He would cite things like Muslims versus Christians, Muslims versus Jews, Catholics versus Protestants, Hindus, and Buddhists. You could go on and on. We're all familiar, if you read back through history, with the sweeping military campaigns that took place in the Middle Ages, in the Middle East, in North Africa, in the name of Islam.

Within just a few years, Islam had spread to conquer a territory larger than the Roman Empire. In the name of Christ, the Crusaders marched into the Middle East and fought and took and retook and lost and relossed in Jerusalem and battled with Islam in that area.

In the 16th-17th century Europe, there were a lot of wars between Protestant and Catholic rulers that brought about much bloodshed. Lazars often were protagonists against the Jews. Mahatma Gandhi was killed by a militant Hindu monk in 1959, if you'll remember. In our days, we've seen Catholics and Protestants clashing in Northern Ireland. In India, we see Hindus and Muslims fighting one another. Buddhists and Hindus fight each other. And Sri Lanka might remember back when Ayatollah Khomeini called for the death of Salman. Russia died because of his satanic verses.

And today, all of the terrorist activities that we see taking place around the world, just as we were coming to church today, a plot was being announced to blow up some gas tanks or trucks and maybe airlines in JFK in New York. And there have been three or four arrests that have taken place because of that. The list could go on and on. In other words, these are things that would be cited by people who say, well, you know, religion is the source of war.

Now, I've not read his book, but I went and I read several book reviews on the book, which give some summaries. And one book review from the New York Times Sunday edition had this to say, quoting from his book, so these are actual quotes from the book, The great religions all began at a time when we knew a tiny fraction of what we know today about the origin of the earth and human life.

It is understandable that early humans would develop stories about God or gods to save their ignorance. So his idea is that religion arose because of man's ignorance, and it's the ignorant trying to explain why things happen. But people today have no such excuse, he says, if they continue to believe in the unbelievable or say they do, they are morons, lunatics, and liars. So there, that puts us in our place. Then he goes on to say, the human wish to credit good things as miraculous and to change bad things or charge bad things to another account is apparently universal. So he would not believe in miracles, and he would not believe in a literal devil.

This is what he's talking about, that people everywhere, when something good happens, they say, oh, that's a blessing from God. And then something bad happens, something evil, well, there goes the devil again. So the devil gets his blame. Then he asks the question, how could Christ have died for our sins when supposedly he also did not die?

Now that's actually a fair question, because there are many theologians today who will tell you, well, Christ didn't die, he just went to the grave, and he went off and he preached to the spirits in prison for three days and three nights. Did the Jews not know that murder and adultery was wrong before they received the Ten Commandments? And if they did know, why was it such a wonderful gift?

So, you know, these were all excerpts and questions that were posed in this book review. Another book review from the Sydney Morning Herald, if you wanted to read book reviews, there are all kinds of book reviews on this, but this is another one. It says, there are four irreductible objections to religious faith. So there are four things he says you just can't get away from. One, that it wholly misrepresents the origin of man and the cosmos. That the Bible and other religions tried to explain where man came from, where the earth originated, where matter comes from, and they're totally in error. Secondarily, because of this original error, it manages to combine the maximum of servility with the maximum of solipsism.

Now, what he's saying here is that those who are religious tend to be very servile in their approach. They tend to be meek, or try to be humble. And, you know, this way. Solipsism is a belief that the only thing somebody can be sure of is that he or she exists. So, okay, I know I exist. You know you exist. Otherwise, true knowledge of anything else is impossible. So, what he's saying is, all you can know is that you're here, everything else you can't know. So, you know, that's another approach. Three, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression.

Religion wants to repress sex. And fourth, that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking. You know, people hope, they wish, that their lives can be extended. They wish there would be a happy hunting ground, or heaven, or some things of this nature.

He goes on to say, it goes without saying that none of the gruesome, disordered events described in Exodus ever took place. So, all of the miracles of the Exodus are just stories. And there's good logic, too. Would the plagues he asked have been attributed to a vengeful God, if the germ theory of disease were known at the time? So, all of the firstborn died because bad germs, or I don't know how bad germs had to do with gnats and flies and frogs and things of this nature. Rather than target one weak point hard, Hitchens goes hard at the mall.

So, in other words, he begins to hammer religion. He says, faith is condemned as an overrated virtue. The holy texts are a sham. That means, you know, this is a sham. Now, there are some shams out there. I will agree with that. But, you know, he classifies the mall this way. Religious metaphysics are false. Metaphysics is a philosophy of being. In other words, what are we?

How do you explain origins? How do you explain God? How do you explain where man came from? He says, intelligent design is foolish. And, best argued at all, religious people are very, very dangerous people. And then the final point that would summarize, religion poisons everything. Everything it comes in contact with, it poisons. Now, he poses all of this, throws it out as very erudite, very educated, something that cannot be challenged. And yet, I would say almost anyone sitting here today could actually address the objections he brings up and answer them.

I think many of our teenagers sitting here could actually address his objections and answer them. Actually, I even think some of our preteens could do a very good job of being able to explain some of these things. Why is it that our great thinkers of our time and past ages do not understand these situations and still are wandering around like they're out here in a fog bank trying to feel their way and not knowing where to go or what life is all about?

Let me summarize some of these concepts, and today we want to see what does God have to say about them. Would the world be a better place without religion? You know, that's one of his major points. Now, remember he's lumping all religions together. Now, just talking about Christianity, although that's probably his main focus, he's talking about Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, witchcraft, I mean, just anything that you can think of, it's all lumped together under the term religion.

Are most wars and violence fomented by sectarian religions? Was religion formulated out of ignorance by uneducated men who tried to explain what was going on around them? Is that where religion originated? Did Jesus Christ actually die? If not, what was he doing during the three days and the three nights? Are the Ten Commandments a special code, a wonderful code, of law, or are they a rewrite of Hammurabi's code? Or are they a rewrite of some other ancient law code?

People can go back and they say, well, you know, some of these ancient civilizations had laws that were very similar to the Ten Commandments, so Israel just copied them from the nations around them. Can the Bible explain creation? Can that explanation be defended, or is it superstition? Does the Bible repress sexual expression? And has religion been a poison to societies and cultures around the world?

Well, what we want to do, brethren, is take a look at these today and see what does the Bible say. Actually, what I hope is my voice holds out. Okay, let's go back and look at some basic principles here. Foundational concepts mentioned in the Scriptures. The Bible basically describes two basic courses of action. The wisdom of God and human or worldly wisdom. What are we talking about when we talk about wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action based upon knowledge and understanding.

Now, the problem is, if you don't have complete knowledge or complete understanding, then how can you say you're wise? You know, a person can claim to be wise, but if they're ignorant, they're not wise because they don't have understanding and knowledge. Let's go over to 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18.

1 Corinthians 1, and we'll begin in verse 18. What you find is that the Apostle Paul, in writing to the church in Corinth, actually had to address many of these questions. Much of what is called wisdom at that time and what he wrote. Notice now in verse 18. It says, So what you find, then, is that the preaching about Christ, salvation, and all of that to the world appears foolish. And he goes on to say here, For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and to bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise?

Where is the scribe? Where is the disputing of this age? Is not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Now you'll find here in verses 21 through 25 that the Apostle Paul describes the message of the cross is foolishness to the Greeks. It is assembling block to the Jews. And those who believe, Paul says, that this foolishness of God, the foolishness of God, what they call foolishness, is actually the wisdom of God. Because through our understanding, especially, of the plan of God, we are given great wisdom.

Now you'll notice here that it talks about the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world. Let's go on and read here. Verse 21 says, Since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know it, in other words, the world by its own wisdom does know God, but God in His wisdom made the world, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message, preached to save those who believe.

For Jews request to sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom. And the Greeks were noted for their philosophy, Socrates, Plato, and all of these fellows who, back then, were the great philosophers on which much of the education of the Western world has been built. But we preach Christ crucified to the Jews, assembling block to the Greeks foolishness. But those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. So it is through Christ, brethren, we receive God's Spirit. That Spirit gives us power, and it gives us wisdom and knowledge. The ability to judge correctly has to be based upon right knowledge.

And when you don't have right knowledge, how can you judge correctly? Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weaknesses of God is stronger than men. Now going on, says, you see your calling, brethren, but not many wise according to the flesh.

Not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world. That's you and me. To put the shame the wise. So he's talking about the wise of this world. And I mean, there are people who, as far as this world is concerned, are considered extremely wise. But God has chosen the foolish, the weak things, to put the wise to shame. And verse 28, And the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

See, brethren, there's going to come a time when those who are considered the wise of this world, the intelligentsia of this world and this age, are going to eventually die. Guess what? Same thing happens to them as happens to us. We all die. And they will come up one day, and they'll have their minds open, and they will understand the truth of God, His way. And they will have to humble themselves. They will have to repent. And God is not calling the greats of this world today, and the wise and the mighty, because they would think that God needed them.

That God is doing a work through people, that other human beings look around and say, Who are you? And they despise God's people, and they despise the message, and they do not see the wisdom of it. Now, going on over into chapter 2, He continues to write about wisdom here. He says, I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, except Christ and Him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not the persuasive words of human reason, or excuse me, of human wisdom, not human reason, but human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of the power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Now, it's just because of a philosophical argument.

Let me demonstrate to you some of the wisdom of the Greeks. Remember back in 94-95 when the Trinity was being pushed on the church by Dr. Stavarnides? And you remember, some of you didn't hear these. Now, Norma and I, the very first regional pastor conference we ever attended, we had been appointed a regional pastor in 1992.

We go to a conference, and the whole conference we thought we were going to be educated on what our job was, how we could serve better, and we heard a whole week of Dr. Stavarnides talking about the Trinity. And then, his lectures were all copied later on, and then they were sent out to all of the ministry. He tried to prove that God is a Trinity, not based upon the Scripture, but on Greek philosophy, how the Greeks would reason.

And so, you know, he reasoned, and he tried to show by logic and prove this. And yet, he was not accepting what the Bible taught. Well, that's exactly what the Apostle Paul is having to deal with here when he is describing this. Now, let's go on and notice. Verse 5 talks about the wisdom of men. Notice verse 6, However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age.

So what wisdom do we speak? Nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. And verse 7, But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, The hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages, For our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew, for had they known it, They would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

What you find is that the wisdom of God has been hidden from man. In the Garden of Eden, I should say, When man rejected God, took of the wrong tree, He was cut off from the tree of life and from true spiritual knowledge and understanding. He was limited to knowledge and understanding on the human level. His understanding was on the human level. What he could think, what he could devise, what he could originate, What he could come up with, you know, between his two ears.

This wisdom, or understanding on the human level for the last six thousand years, Has also been influenced by Satan the Devil. And it is today what we claim as humanism, our secularism. Philosophy that we humans can solve our own problems. We don't need an outside source. And secular meaning without religion. And so you have secular humanism today as a basic philosophy that you see rampant In the educational institutions of this nation and many of the Western world.

But notice what verse 9 shows. That truly the wisdom of God has been a mystery. The word mystery in the Greek means hidden. It's actually been hidden from the world. It's only been revealed to certain people. Now let's notice that. As it is written, eyes not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love him.

So mankind, all from God, does not comprehend the plan of God, Does not comprehend the plan of salvation, about Christ being crucified, Does not comprehend about life beyond death, does not comprehend about the future. They're cut off from this knowledge. But who understands it? Well, verse 10. We find, but God has revealed them to us through his Spirit.

So spiritual knowledge, true knowledge, true understanding, is revealed knowledge. Mr. Armstrong, when he was alive, used to say that knowledge comes through the five senses. And he would explain, you know, the five senses. And he would say, that's all physical knowledge. And that spiritual knowledge, spiritual awareness, spiritual wisdom, is revealed. And God has to reveal it, and he reveals it through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things. Yes, the deep things of God. Now, God reveals knowledge, wisdom, understanding to those he calls. But down through the ages, there have been those who claim to have had secret knowledge.

Knowledge that nobody else understood. Remember, we covered Gnosticism. And I showed you that the Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge. It was demon-inspired information. The Masons claimed to have knowledge that no one else is privy to today. The Rosicrucians claimed to have secret knowledge, and especially from the East. They're Eastern religions that people are gravitating to from the West today. Supposedly, they have extraordinary information that's not contained in Christianity.

What is the source of this so-called secret knowledge? Well, it's not God. There is another Spirit out there. Let's notice verses 11 and 12. We find that there are three spirits mentioned here in the Bible. It says, verse 11, For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man which is in him? So God has placed a spirit within man. A spirit essence unites with our brain. It gives us a mind. It gives us the ability to think and reason, and to be aware, to have self-awareness, consciousness, and to learn, to be creative, to have abilities and talents.

It goes on to say, Even so, no one knows the things of God, except the spirit of God. Now, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. So, brethren, there is the Spirit in man, and every human being has that. There is the spirit of this world, and that is Satan the devil, his spirit, and he broadcasts in his wavelength.

And there is the Spirit of God. And it is through the Spirit of God that God is able to influence our minds and to give us knowledge and understanding. The Spirit of this world gives people false information.

Only those who are influenced by the Spirit of God understand spiritual things. That's why the vast majority of people in society do not. They're cut off from God. They're cut off from the tree of life. Now, in verse 13, going on here, it says, These things we also speak not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches. Comparing spiritual was spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.

The normal, natural man cannot understand, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. So, brethren, verse 16 says, we can have in the mind of Christ. The biblical concept of wisdom, therefore, is quite different from the classic view of wisdom in this world. The classic view of wisdom of this world is that wisdom is sought out through philosophy and through human rational thought.

That people think and they reason, and they can only go by observation, not by revelation, to determine the mystery of existence and the universe. And so what you find down through the centuries and the millennia? There have been hundreds of philosophers, all coming up with contradictory philosophies, contradictory approaches, and coming up with their own ideas and their own philosophies. The biblical concept of wisdom is spiritual knowledge that God reveals to us that has to do with His plan, His purpose, why we were born, that God actually reveals to us the weighty questions that philosophers have chewed on and dealt with for millennia.

Why are we here? Why were you born? What is life all about? Is there life after death? How can you achieve eternal life? Did God create man? What is the origin of the universe? You know, all of these questions that man tries to answer by human reasoning.

And guess what? Human reasoning is limited and cannot come up with the answers. Verse 18 of chapter 3, he goes on talking about wisdom here. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise, in this age, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written he catches the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile. Therefore, let no one boast in men, for all things are yours.

So, brethren, we don't boast in men and the philosophies of men, but in what God says. James 3 explains this a little differently, but in much the same way, beginning in verse 13. James 3, verse 13, and you'll notice here in the book of James, says, Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct, by how he lives, his conduct, that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

Now, wisdom will lead a person to be meek and humble. But if you have bitter envy, self-seeking in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above.

This is not from God. It is earthly, sensual, demonic. So, brethren, we need to realize that Satan and his demons have influenced the minds of men down through the ages. And some of the concepts and thoughts and ideas that they've come up with have been placed there by evil spirits. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above, so there is wisdom that comes from God, that God gives to us, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

So, brethren, this describes the way that we should be. You see the fruits of the earthly, sensual, demonic wisdom, is envy, self-boasting, self-seeking, you know the ways of this world, the vanity and the pride of life. And yet the wisdom that comes from God leads to peace and prosperity and mercy, good fruits, and treating each other in a proper way. Men cannot find the answers to life, to origins, to why he was born, or to solve his problems on his own. This type of information must be revealed by God. He created us and he knows how the product works.

6,000 years of human history proves a man does not know how to solve his problems. If you look back over the last 6,000 years, what government has brought peace to the earth? Man has had 6,000 years to come up with every form of government you can think of. Democracies, republicans, dictatorships, oligarchies, you know, any type of communism, fascism, you know, kings, any type of government you want to think of.

Which one of them have ever solved the problems of this world? Who has ever solved poverty? Poverty has always existed. What about radiant health? We don't find people in radiant health today. What about relationships at all levels?

What about family relationships? Neighborhoods, communities, nations, internationally. Well, if everybody got along with everybody, there'd be no wars. There'd be no management labor problems. There'd be no breakup of marriages. Things would be radiantly happy. But you don't find that in the world. What about wars, violence, sickness, crime, abuse?

You could go on, you could stand here for an hour and just list words that describe the failings of human beings down through the ages. Obviously, something is missing in man's understanding. Men like Christopher Hitchens look at religion and say, Well, religion is supposed to know how to solve all these problems, and they haven't. Therefore, God is not great. He writes this book. Now, of course, the flip side of that coin is that man thinks he can solve all these own problems, and he has not.

Religion is another form of solving things man's way. Now, what do I mean by that? Religion is man's attempt to solve his problems in another way that God did not ordain. Now, I did not say that God's way of life is included in that. I'm talking about the religions of this world. Look 16 and verse 8. Notice Luke chapter 16 verse 8. You might remember the parable of the unjust steward. The master in verse 8 commended the unjust steward for acting shrewdly. Why would anyone approve of dishonesty? What the steward did was unjust. If you'll remember, he wasn't handling the account of his master properly. His master said, I'm going to have to get rid of you, I'm going to fire you, you're going to be out. You're no longer going to be my steward. He got to thinking, well, what's going to happen to me in my later years? So he went to the master's debtors and he reduced their debts and he said, go ahead and pay me. You know, 50 percent or 80 percent or 75 percent and we'll wipe your debt out.

And then these individuals would later on take him into their house because they would appreciate the fact that he was able to do this. Notice in verse 8, so the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly, thinking James Version says wisely. For the sons of the world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. So what you find is that people in this world are wiser and shrewder than we are when it comes to this generation. They're wiser in this age in how to do things. They're the billionaires. They're the politicians. They're the movers and shakers. They are the ones who are in charge. But what you find is that the word here in the Greek that's translated shrewdly means that. It means that they've got savvy. They're shrewd. They're the motivators. They're the ones who are able to manipulate. And they know how to work a deal. They know how to take advantage of people. And so they are wiser in this age right now as far as how to get along in this age. How to make a buck and that type of thing. But that doesn't mean that they're wiser in the broad sense that the Bible talks about. Let's go back with all of this in mind. I've given you this as a background because when it comes to trying to understand some of these questions that Christopher Hitchens posed, I think unless you have a biblical background and understand what God says, you wouldn't be able to understand fully these questions. So let's take very quickly the questions as I summarize them and pose them. And let's see if we can answer them. Would the world be a better place without religion? Well, let me rephrase that question because that's not phrased correctly. Would the world be a better place without the true religion? And the answer is no. Man can look at religion and see that they contradict one another. They don't teach the same thing. They claim to worship different gods. They have different customs, different outlooks, different traditions, and they try to subjugate one another. They go to war to spread their philosophies. Religions, quote-unquote, that term and everything that can be lumped under them, is not the same as spiritual knowledge, spiritual understanding, and wisdom. Most religions today are man-made or a corruption of the truth.

It's man's way, again, of trying to solve his problems. Even those who have the Bible take it and come up with their own ideas, their own philosophies on how to do this. When you look around the world, you ask yourself, did God start all of these religions around the world? Competing religions, competing ideas? Are those His? So how can we blame God for something that man devised in his philosophy? There is a true religion, and the problem today, the one religion that actually is based upon the true source, the Bible, or is supposed to be based upon the true source, is not setting the right example. It is not proclaiming the proper truth, the way that God tells us. Revelation 12.9, we're all familiar with some of these Scriptures, says that Satan has deceived the whole world. Satan the devil has deceived the world. 2 Corinthians, we will read this, 2 Corinthians 4, verses 3 and 4. 2 Corinthians 4, beginning in verse 3, says, Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. So the truth, the gospel, is veiled. It's like people having a veil over their eyes. Verse 4, whose minds, the God of this age, have blinded. So the Bible very clearly reveals that Satan the devil has blinded people. A blind person can't see. And we're talking about being spiritually blinded. They cannot see and understand the truth. So the God of this world, of this age, is blinded. Who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. So ever since man was driven out of the Garden of Eden, he has gone about establishing his own religion. Cain was the first. Man has established his own governments. Man has established his own economic systems. Man has established his own culture, his own educational systems. The whole ball of wax is what man has done. Where did all of the ideas behind false religions come from? Is there a common source for most of what we would look around the world today and evaluate as false religion? Well, back in Genesis 10 and 11, I'll just summarize these. We read about Nimrod in the Tower of Babel. Nimrod married Semiramis. Nimrod and Semiramis started a competing false religion after the flood. It was based upon the same principles that Cain had established before the floods. Nimrod, if you'll remember, was killed by Shem, according to tradition. Semiramis realized that she could not practice her religion publicly. At this point, the Babylonian system that they had established was in disrepute. And so, she established a secret religion.

Only those who were initiated understood the real meaning behind the symbols. They established symbols such as an evergreen tree, lights, lighting candles, various things that were done at that time. But those who knew what the symbols stood for understood them. Well, at the Tower of Babel, languages were divided and people were scattered. And they were scattered all over the world. And they went everywhere. They still had the same religion, but now it was called by different names. And you'll find that Nimrod then begins to be called by various names all over the world. Slowly, over the centuries and millennia, various religions evolved. But most of them could trace back their origins to Babel. Most religions have a tradition about a three-in-one type of god. It could be a turtle, it could be an elephant, it could be whatever. But they still have some type of a tradition. Many of them have a flood tradition. Many of them can go back, and you'll find that some of the very core beliefs go back to Babylon.

This, I think you'll find, is one reason that in the book of Revelation, the political, religious, and economic systems in the world today are called Babylon the Great. You'll find Babylon the Great in this whole world. It's not just Europe that's called Babylon, but the whole world lies in confusion. This is where the secret religions in societies also originated. Religions like Islam and Mormons started with later revelations from demons. But they're not the true religion either. They came along later on, but much of what they believe is just a repeat of things. As an example, the Mormons believed much like what the Gnostics believed. A spirit comes down and inhabits everyone. That spirit goes back to God. They're talking about demons again. There are a number of things that you find that all of these have in common. What will the world look like when the one true religion is taught and nothing else is allowed? There is going to come a time, it's called the Millennium, when God will no longer allow the false religions, false education, false anything to be taught. Let's go back to Isaiah 11. We're familiar with any number of scriptures that could be quoted. We'll just read one here, Isaiah 11, verse 9. There's going to come a time when it says, The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion together, cows and bears will graze together, lions will eat straw like an ox. Verse 9, it says, So what happens when the whole world has the knowledge of God? Their minds are open and they understand and nothing else is allowed. Finally, we have peace. Finally, we have blessings. So, there's going to come a time when none other will be permitted. Then we'll have a thousand years of peace, prosperity, good health, right relationships, because all of this will be based upon God's law. Remember, Micah 4 talks about how the law of God will go out from Jerusalem, Isaiah 2. So, God's righteousness will govern the universe forever. There is only one way that will continue to be practiced in this universe forever by God and his family. That is God's way. The way of righteousness, the way of his spiritual laws and commandments.

So, I think when you begin to understand what the Bible shows us, we know the answers to these questions. What about the question about wars in the name of religion and violence in the name of religion? Well, what you find is when you understand that where the fighting comes from, where do the fighting come from? James said. Well, they come from your own lust, the war, and your members. You see, a lot that is attributed to religion is nothing more than just human nature, isn't it? Why do people go to war? You got it? I want it? I'll take it. That's the basic summary. So, people go and take it. And you find that when human beings, cut off from God, are motivated by pride, vanity, by power, ego, if I'm stronger, I can dominate, I'll take it, then you know why we have wars.

So, the section I just covered here explaining about false religions, where they come from, the difference in the world tomorrow, when all of those are eliminated, the same thing will be true when it comes to war. We recognize a religion today derives much of their teachings from ancient Babylon and from their own humanly devised traditions and ideas. Notice again, Matthew 15, verse 9, that Jesus Christ corrected the Jews of His day because they thought that they were worshipping God in the right manner. And God said this to them, In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men. So, if we follow our own tradition, follow the commandments of men, then we're worshipping God in vain. The world would be much better off without false religion, I will agree. And without false teachings, false approaches of any kind. I don't care what they are. The world would be better off without any false teachings, secular or religious, if they're false. Not all wars have been started by religion. That's a simplistic view. Stalin, what religion did he use to start his wars? Communism. Historically, many pagan empires have risen and fallen. And basically, you find that nations go to war because of the desire for power and acquiring what others have. Is religion formulated by ignorant, uneducated men who try to explain what is going on behind them or around them? In front of them, over them, under them, wherever it might be? Well, let's focus on Christianity because this is where most atheists attack. The Bible claims it's God's revelation to mankind. In it, God reveals Himself in the purpose of life and the future. The Bible is not man trying to explain God, and therefore he writes all of these philosophical books and stories and myths and comes up with something about God. But it is God telling us about Himself and His plan. But you see, there's a missing ingredient. A person can read the Bible all of his life and not understand it and also come up with conflicting ideas. There are people who are so scholarly who can read Hebrew and Greek. I mean, I've got a computer program that I probably have, I don't know, by now, a thousand books on. And there are people who've written books on Greek and Hebrew and whole commentaries. I mean, this is all they do all their life. They know more information about the Bible but have no idea why they were born. They don't know what the future holds for them. They have no idea how to have a happy marriage. They don't know what to eat or not to eat, you know, anything, because their minds have not yet been opened. So, brethren, the missing ingredient is God's Spirit. A person can have this on his lap, can have it in his home, can study it. And yet, unless God calls and opens the mind, they will not understand. John 6, 44. No one can come into the sun unless the Father draws him. God has to call a person. God has to open their minds. He has to work with them through his Spirit.

I will admit, I can add, subtract, and divide. I can even do fractions.

If you brought a calculus book in here and gave it to me and said, Okay, I want you to study this, and next week I'm going to give you a test on it.

Forget it. You might as well give me an F to start with. Without some help, I'll guarantee you I wouldn't understand it. And with some help, I probably wouldn't understand it. You see, this is the way most people are. The Bible might as well be written in Sanskrit. It might as well be a calculus book. They read it, and it sounds nice. It's got good phrases. There are certain parts that human beings would agree with. But the spiritual perception is not there. The spiritual perception, the spiritual depth and understanding, has to come from God. So consequently, what man does is he reads the Bible, and he reads his own interpretation into the Bible. In the United States, there are dozens and dozens of major denominations. Thousands of sex, where people are split. And we've experienced that even ourselves within the Church. Why? Because people go off, and they come up with their own ideas, their own interpretation.

What about some of the challenges he hurled out? Well, the Bible doesn't explain creation. See, part of the problem is, they look at what certain Christian writers have written in the past. Because a few hundred years ago, the Catholic Church taught that the earth was flat. And they also taught that the earth is only 6,000 years old. And there are many who still believe that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Now, we do not believe that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Let's go back to Genesis 1. You see, a lot of the accusations that are hurled against Christianity are because of false teachings. And therefore, they assume that Christians got these out of the Bible. When they didn't get them out of the Bible, the Bible talks about how God sits on the curve of the earth. Man knew that the earth was curved and round centuries ago. But let's notice here, it says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now, it doesn't say when God created the heavens and the earth. This is a perfect creation, the creation of the earth's surface. The earth could have been here for millions of years. We don't know. Man, as we know him, has only been here for 6,000 years. There's a difference in man being on the earth for 6,000 years. And the earth has only been around for 6,000 years. So, the earth could be millions of years old. But you find that people will make this argument, and then those who are involved in paleontology and archeology, and where they go and dig up bones, they'll say, well, these things have been around much, much longer. What about Christ? Did Christ die? Well, the Bible said he did. I don't have time to go through that. I'll make an interesting sermonette one day for one of our sermonette givers.

Where did they come up with the idea that he was off somewhere? Well, the Bible talks about during the Flood that the God of the Old Testament went and talked to the angels, while the demons, while the earth was underwater during that period in time, and said, well, look, you think you may be frustrating the plan of God, but it's going forward. It was not during the time that he was in the grave for three days and three nights. He died. And the Bible is very clear about that, but that teaching goes back to Gnosticism. Again, it's not a Christian teaching, but a Gnostic teaching.

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel from Mount Sinai, was it a special law, a wonderful law? Or did they already know it? If you'll remember, prior to God choosing Israel, God had worked through individuals and families. Up to the time of the Exodus, Abraham understood God's law because it says, Abraham kept my commandments, my laws, my charge, and so on. But the majority of mankind did not. Now, you had Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons. And then you find that the sons of Jacob, families, went down to Egypt.

They were in captivity for over 230 years. They lost much of the knowledge of God. And so when God brought them to Sinai, God revealed to them things that had been revealed before to their ancestors, through which most or many of them had forgotten or never really knew.

Now, what you find is that that way of life God revealed. The Ten Commandments are a spiritual law. They form the basis of all relationships, our relationship with God and our relationship with mankind. Why does not man want to keep the law of God? All you have to do is go back to Romans 1. We don't have time to read that today. Romans 1, where God said, there was a time when man knew God, but did not want to obey God. And they professing themselves wise, they became fools.

And why did man want to reject God? Because by rejecting God, you reject His law. And man does not want God to tell him what to do. And man wants to be able to practice every vile sexual practice that the mind of man can come up with. And so consequently, do away with the law, there is no God, therefore there are no standards. You can do anything you want to. That's the basis. That's the motivation behind what man does.

I would say that secularism and humanism is responsible for much of the ills and evils that we see in society today. God's laws, when they are applied by any nation, and people have, in a limited way, tried to apply God's laws. When people do, they produce fruits.

They produce the right way. And God's law governing marriage produces wonderful marriages without kickbacks. God gave his law not to be repressive, but to protect us and to bless us and to show us how to have an abundant life. Let me permit me, in conclusion here, to summarize what God has revealed to us. Brethren, you and I are the wise of this world. Not the shrewd of this world, when it comes, I'm talking about the age that we live in, but we have the wisdom of God, is what I'm referring to. God has given us wisdom. We understand much that the world is searching for answers.

We know the true God. We know his Son, Jesus Christ. We understand the Bible is a revelation from God, that it shows us how to live. We know the plan of salvation. We understand that God is not trying to convert everyone today. We understand why there are horrendous problems in the world today, because of man being cut off from God. We know what our future reward is, that it's not heaven, that we are to be born into the family of God. We understand the broad strokes of prophecy, the backbone of prophecy.

We know about the future. We know that prophecy is history written in advance. We know about the millennium, the white throne judgment, how God is going to extend salvation to all mankind. We know what happens to Satan and his demons. We understand how to worship God. This is the true spiritual knowledge. This is the spiritual wisdom that God reveals. We're not the wisest of this age, of this time. We're not the shrewd of the societies around us. God has not called the wise.

He's not called the mighty. He's not called the intelligentsia. But he has revealed to us principles that eventually every human being will come to understand. That's why I say our teens and our preteens have more wisdom when it comes to spiritual knowledge and understanding the great philosophical questions that have been posed by the thinkers and philosophers, because they know God's way of life. Let's read one final scripture in Daniel, Daniel 12, and verse 3.

It says, And brethren, that's talking about those who are wise spiritually, will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. So the wisdom, brethren, that God gives to us, it will lead eventually to the ultimate reward of being in God's kingdom and having a glorified body.

So let's realize, then, that you and I have a blessing when it comes to understanding that spiritual wisdom truly is revealed.