The Man Behind the Screen: The World of Lightness vs World of Darkness

Lightness vs Darkness

Christianity is one of the leading global faiths, with more followers than any other religion. Today, there are approximately 2.3 billion Christians worldwide. Among them, over 17.5 million are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2024 Statistical Report of the LDS Church).

The World of Darkness

On a global scale, the struggle between light and darkness is ultimately a battle for souls. Every day, lives are destroyed by sin and deception. News reports are filled with stories of crime, violence, and corruption. What many do not realize is that these events reflect the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the last days, as described in Matthew 24 (KJV). The last days refer to the events and signs that will occur before the second coming of Christ.

In this battle, God represents the World of Light, while Satan—the "man behind the screen"—represents the World of Darkness. The man behind the screen is invisible to the human eye; therefore, people cannot see him. He is like someone who throws a brick and then hides his hands. According to Matthew 24, Satan’s central plan is deception. He seeks to manipulate humanity through both internal and external influences—our thoughts, desires, environments, and relationships. Just as breaking a nation’s laws carries legal consequences, breaking God’s laws carries spiritual consequences.

The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:1–24) illustrates this reality. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they received a lifelong sentence of separation from Him. Since then, humanity has continued to break God’s commandments—through murder, idolatry, fornication, deceit, and many other sins (Revelation 21:8; 1 John 3:15). Cain’s murder of Abel set a pattern: hatred and violence lead to destruction. Jesus Himself warned, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

Satan also deceives through false Christs and prophets. Scripture warns that “many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). For example, in recent years, seven men across England, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Zambia, Japan, and the Philippines publicly claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, attracting devoted followers (Sutton, 2017).

This deception results in spiritual destruction. Crime statistics highlight this grim reality: in 2017, a violent crime occurred every 24.6 seconds, and a murder every 30.5 minutes in the United States (FBI, 2017). Darkness spreads wherever sin reigns, and souls fall into despair.

Hell, according to Christian teaching, represents the ultimate separation from God. It is both a spiritual prison and the tragic result of self-destruction caused by rejecting Him. When a person does not learn the teachings of Jesus Christ or strive to become like Him, they resist the governance of God and Christ. In doing so, they place themselves outside the laws of God. These divine laws are given to help humanity live righteously and in holiness. Through repentance and obedience to God’s commandments, believers seek eternal life with Him. However, by refusing to repent and rejecting obedience to God and Christ, individuals condemn themselves to failure, spiritual imprisonment, and ultimately self-destruction.

·         Isaiah 59:2 (“your iniquities have separated you from your God”)

·         Romans 6:23 (“the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life”)

According to Latter-day Saint doctrine, hell is often understood as a temporary state (spirit prison) for those who died without truth or who were disobedient, but it also symbolizes eternal separation for those who ultimately reject Christ. The Bible teaches that while the body may perish, the soul is eternal and cannot be destroyed by human hands (Matthew 10:28).

The World of Lightness

In contrast, the World of Lightness is rooted in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ—His Atonement, the Restoration of His Gospel, and the Restoration of His Church.

1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ

The Atonement is the central act of love and sacrifice by which Jesus Christ reconciled humanity to God. Humanity’s sin broke the relationship with God, but Christ’s sacrifice made reconciliation possible. He calls all to repentance, transformation, and renewal of mind (Romans 12:2).

By offering Himself as a living sacrifice, Christ bore the sins of the world, sanctifying humanity and making eternal life possible. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). He is the only source of salvation: “Neither is there salvation in any other… for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We are saved only when we repent, follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, and strive to become like Him.

·         Acts 3:19 (repentance)

·         John 14:23 (following His teaching)

·         Romans 8:29 (being conformed to the image of Christ)

2. The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ

During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught two great commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36–40). He organized His Church, called Apostles, and gave them authority to teach, baptize, and administer His ordinances (John 3:5; Matthew 16:15–19).

Over time, following the deaths of His Apostles, apostasy spread, and many truths and ordinances were lost (Acts 20:29–30). In fulfillment of prophecy, the fullness of the gospel was restored in the 19th century through the Prophet Joseph Smith, beginning with his First Vision in 1820 in Palmyra, New York. This marked the beginning of the “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10; Doctrine and Covenants 112:30).

3. The Restoration of the Church

Through Joseph Smith, God restored His Church on earth with priesthood authority, ordinances, and divine revelation. Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that the fullness of the gospel has been restored, and salvation is offered to all through faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Conclusion

The battle between light and darkness is ongoing. The World of Darkness seeks to destroy, deceive, and separate souls from God, while the World of Lightness offers reconciliation, truth, and eternal life through Jesus Christ. The choice lies with each individual: whether to follow the deception of the adversary or embrace the light of the Savior.

References

Crime Clock. (2017). FBI Uniform Crime Reports. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/topic-pages/crime-clock

Statistical Report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (2024, December 31). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2024-statistical-report

Hackett, C., Stonawski, M., Tong, Y., Kramer, S., Shi, A., & Fahmy, D. (2025, June 9). How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/

Sutton, C. (2017, December 24). Seven men around the world who each claim to be Jesus Christ. The New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/seven-men-around-the-world-who-each-claim-to-be-jesus-christ/2W27IHL7PIQLTO5SFAPPAMN5HM/

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