True Christianity: The Portable New Century Edition, Volume 1

7. The result is the abomination of desolation and the affliction such

as has never existed before and will never exist again, which the Lord

foretold in Daniel, the Gospels, and the Book of Revelation.

8. In fact, if the Lord were not building a new heaven and a new

church, the human race would not be preserved.

9. Many absurd, alien, imaginary, and misshapen ideas of God have

come into existence from the Athanasian Creed’s assertion of a trin-

ity of persons, each of whom is individually God.

Now these points will be elaborated one by one.

1. There is a divine Trinity, which is the Father, the Son, and the Holy 164
   Spirit.It is very obvious in the Word that there is a divine Trinity, which
   is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Take the following passages
   for example:

The angel Gabriel said to Mary, “The Holy Spiritwill descend upon

you and the power of the Highestwill cover you; therefore the Holy One

that is born from you will be called the Son of God.”(Luke 1 : 35 )

Here three are named: the Highest (who is God the Father), the Holy
Spirit, and the Son of God.

When Jesus was baptized, behold the heavens opened and John saw the

Holy Spiritcoming down like a dove upon him; and a voice from

heaven said, “This is mybeloved Son,in whom I am well pleased.”

(Matthew 3 : 16 , 17 ; Mark 1 : 10 , 11 ; John 1 : 32 )

The Trinity is even more obvious from the Lord’s words to his disciples:

Go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name

of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 28 : 19 )

The Trinity is also obvious from these words in John:

There are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Spirit.( 1 John 5 : 7 )
Further evidence besides these passages is that the Lord prayed to his
Father and spoke about him and with him; and he said that he was going
to send and had sent the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, in their letters the
apostles frequently mention the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
These sources clearly show that there is a divine Trinity, which is the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

§164 the holy spirit & divine action 237