But you say these were the heathen gods? but that will never do, surely the Lord is not the chief God of the heathen gods. Perhaps we may discover more light on the subject.
Again the Psalmist sings: "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. * * * I have said ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High."
Say what you will of the other passages, but of this you must admit that the heathen gods are not mentioned, for this truth received the divine approval of the Redeemer Himself as He taught the apostate Jew: Hear Him:
"I and my Father are one."
"Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shown you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
"The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, maketh thyself God."
"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
"If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures cannot be broken;
"Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"
And the Jews were shocked, just as a Reorganite minister is, with this doctrine of plurality of Gods, and they sought the life of the Savior, but He was delivered out of their midst.
The Apostle John in his First Epistle and third chapter also teaches this doctrine:
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
If the faithful, who keep the commandments of the Father are His sons, then they are heirs of the kingdom and shall receive of the fulnesss of the Father's glory, even until they become like Father. And how can they be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect if they are not like Him?
In the revelations given to Joseph which were accepted by the Church before 1844, the doctrine of plurality of Gods is also taught. From the "Vision" one of the grandest revelations ever given to man, I quote the following:
"And again, we bear record for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the Gospel of Christ, concerning them who come forth in the resurrection of the just: They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on His name, and were baptized after the manner of His burial, being buried in the water in His name, and this according to the commandment which He has given, that by keeping the commandments, they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power: and who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true; they are they who are the Church of the firstborn; they are they into whose hands the Father has given all things; they are they who are priests and kings, who have received of His fulnesss, and of His glory, and are priests of the Most High after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son; wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God; wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's and Christ is God's and they shall overcome all things."—(D. & C., Sec. 76:50-60. Reorganite edition, 76:5).