“O truth, O truth, how very powerful you are! This beast faithfully portrays your relentlessness. You spare no one, be it the first or last inhabitant of the earth. You do not care about age. You strike the fathers with their children and do not spare their weak mothers. You force our heads to the earth and paralyze our limbs to inactivity. Where is there still a being, except God, that could bear the whole burden of your weight? 8. “O gentle, tender, holy love! If you as Jehovah’s most holy blessing of life did not walk arm in arm with truth, then the knowledge of truth on its own is truly the death of men. 9, “O children, henceforth do not ever seek truth as such, but only love! And whatever amount of truth this will carry with it shall be right for man and profit him towards life. 10. “He to whom the Lord will give more truth than love will be crushed by it, or the Lord Himself will have to become his carrier of the weight of truth. 11. “Therefore, in the future you all should teach your children the truth with love and your brothers love through truth.”

And Nature Stood Still

WHEN THE RESTING PLACE was prepared, Joseph brought Mary into the cave, where she lay down on the bed of hay and straw and found some relief in this position.

When Mary was thus provided for, Joseph said to his sons,

‘You two oldest keep watch over Mary and give her the proper care if she needs it, especially you, Joel, since you learned something about this matter from my friends in Nazareth.’
Then he told the other three to look after the donkey and the ox and to find a place for the cart inside the fairly spacious cave.

When Joseph had looked to all these things he said to Mary, ‘Now I will go up on the hill and hurriedly seek a midwife in the city of my father and will bring her here to give you aid.’
After these words Joseph went out of the cave. It was already late in the evening and the stars were well discernible in the sky.

Here, in Joseph’s own words, are his remarkable experiences after leaving the cave, as he told his sons upon his return with the midwife when Mary had already given birth.

And Joseph’s words were as follows: ‘Children, we are on the threshhold of great things! Now I begin to understand what the voice told me on the evening before our departure. Truly, if the Lord were not present with us – even though unseen – such wondrous things as I now have seen could not possibly take place!

‘Listen! – After I left the cave and went on my way, it seemed to me as if I were not walking! And I saw the rising full moon and the stars in the east as well as in the west, and lo, everything stood still, and the moon did not leave the earth’s horizon, and the stars on the western horizon would not set!

‘Then I saw flocks upon flocks of birds sitting on the limbs of the trees – all had their faces turned hereward and trembled as in times of great, imminent earthquakes, and could not have been dislodged from their places with shouts or stones.

‘And I looked around on the ground again and saw a group of workmen not far from me who sat around a bowl filled with food – some held their hands motionless in the bowl and were unable to lift food out of it.

‘Those who had already lifted a morsel from the bowl held it at the mouth which they could not open, so they might eat; and all faces were turned upward as if they saw great things in the sky.

‘Then I saw sheep which were being driven by the shepherds; but the sheep stood motionless, and the hand of the shepherd who lifted it to strike the tarrying sheep remained in the air as if paralyzed and he could not move it.

‘Again I saw a whole herd of rams who held their muzzles over the water but were unable to drink, for they all were as if completely paralyzed.

‘And I also saw a brook which had a long waterfall coming down from the hill, and behold, the water stood still and did not fall down into the valley! – Thus all things on the ground appeared as if they had neither life nor motion.

‘As I stood there or walked and did not know whether I was standing or walking, lo, I finally saw life again.

For a woman came down the side of the hill directly toward me and when she reached me, asked; Man, where are you going so late?

And I said: I seek a midwife; for there in the cave is one who would give birth!

The woman then asked: Is she of Israel? I replied: Yes, lady, I and she are of Israel. David is our father!

The woman asked further: Who is she that would give birth there in the cave? Is she your wife, or a relative, or a maidservant?

I then answered: Since a short time my wife only before God and the high priest; but when she became pregnant she was not yet my wife and was only entrusted into my care from the temple by the witness of God, since she had formerly been brought up in the Holy of Holies!

But do not be surprised at her pregnancy – for That which is in her is wonderfully conceived by the Holy Spirit of God! At this the woman was amazed and demanded of me: Man, tell me the truth! – And I said: Come and see, and convince yourself with your own eyes!’

The Vision Of The Midwife

THE WOMAN consented and followed Joseph to the cave, and when they arrived there, the cave suddenly became enveloped in a thick white cloud, so that they were unable to find the entrance.

At this phenomenon the midwife expressed great surprise and said to Joseph,

‘My soul has this day experienced great things! This morning I had a sublime, wondrous vision, in which everything turned out as I now have seen it in reality, still see it and shall see more!

You are the same man who came toward me in the vision. I also saw all the world rest in the midst of its appointed rounds and saw how a cloud came over the cave, and spoke with you as I now have spoken.

And I saw still more most wondrous things in the cave, when my sister Salome came after me, to whom alone I confided my vision in the morning!

Therefore I now say before you and before the Lord, my God: A great salvation is come to Israel! A Savior came, sent from above, in the time of our great distress!’

After these words of the midwife the cloud quickly withdrew from the cave, and a light of such intensity streamed from the cave toward the midwife and Joseph that their eyes were not able to bear it, and the midwife exclaimed, ‘Everything is then true that I have seen in the vision! Oh man, you fortunate one, here is more than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Elias!’

Thereupon the strong light gradually became more and more bearable, and the Baby became visible, just as He took His mother’s breast for the first time.

The midwife now went into the cave with Joseph, inspected the Baby and His mother, and when she found everything loosed to perfection she asserted:

‘Truly, truly, That is the Savior extolled by all the prophets, who will be free of bonds already in His mother’s body, to signify that He will unbind all the hard bonds of the Law!

Now when has anyone seen that a newly-born child already reached for its mother’s breast?

That truly is visible proof that this Child when a man will one day judge the world according to love, and not according to the Law!

Hear, you most fortunate husband of this maiden! Everything is in the best possible order, therefore let me go out of the cave, for it now begins to weigh heavily upon my breast, since I feel that I am not clean enough to bear the holy nearness of my and your Lord and God!’

Joseph was thoroughly shocked at these words of the midwife, and she hastened out of the cave into the open.

As she went out of the cave she met her sister Salome outside, who had followed her because she knew of the vision, and immediately said to her,

‘Salome, Salome, come and see my vision of the morning confirmed in reality! The virgin has given birth in fullness of truth to that which human wisdom and nature can never comprehend!’

And Salome replied, ‘As truly as God lives am I unable to believe that a virgin is supposed to have given birth until I have examined her with my hand!’

The Doubting Salome Is Forgiven

AFTER SALOME SAID THIS, she went into the cave and said,

‘Mary, my soul is in no little conflict; therefore I would ask you that you prepare yourself, so I may examine you with my well-experienced hand and learn therefrom how matters stand with your virginity!’

Mary willingly acquiesced in the desire of the unbelieving Salome, prepared herself, and allowed herself to be examined.

But as soon as Salome touched Mary’s body with her experienced hand, she began a mighty lament and cried out at the top of her voice,

‘Woe, woe to me because of my ungodliness and my great disbelief, that I wanted to tempt the eternally living God! See, see here – my hand is being consumed in the fire of the divine wrath over wretched me!’

After these words she quickly fell down on her knees before the Baby and exclaimed,

‘O God of my fathers! You almighty Lord of all glory! Remember me, that I am also a seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

Oh do not set me up to ridicule before the sons of Israel, but give me back my healthy limbs again!’

And behold, thereupon an angel of the Lord stood beside Salome and said to her, ‘The Lord God has granted your entreaty – go over to the little Child and carry Him, and a great salvation will be yours for it!’

When Salome heard this, she went on her knees over to Mary and asked her for the Baby.

Mary willingly gave her the Baby and said to her, ‘May He be to your salvation according to the saying of the angel of the Lord; may the Lord have mercy on you!’

And Salome took the Baby on her arms and while thus carrying Him kneeling testified:

‘O God, You almighty Lord of Israel, You who reign and govern from eternity! In all, all fullness of truth is here born to Israel a King of Kings who will be mightier than there was David, the man after the heart of God. You I shall honor and praise forever!’

After these words Salome was completely healed again, then gave the Baby back to Mary in the most grateful contrition of her heart and thus justified went out of the cave.

And when she was outside, she wanted to cry out aloud about the great wonder of all wonders and had already begun to tell her sister what had happened to her.

At this a voice was heard from above, and it said, ‘Salome, Salome, be sure to tell no one, what extraordinary thing has happened to you! For the time is still to come when the Lord will testify of Himself in words and deeds!’

At this Salome became silent, and Joseph went out and asked the two sisters to return to the cave according to Mary’s wish, so no one should notice anything of the wonderful things that had taken place in this cave this day. And both humbly went back into the cave.

Peace On Earth, Good Will To Men

WHEN ALL WERE gathered together in the cave, the sons of Joseph asked their father,

‘Father, what shall we do now? Everything has been well attended to! The trip has tired our bodies, may we not retire?’

Joseph replied, ‘Children, you have witnessed the infinite grace which has befallen us all from above – so you should stay up and glorify God with me!

And you have witnessed what happened to Salome in the cave because she would not believe – so we should not be sleepy either when the Lord visits us!

Now go over to Mary and touch the Baby! Who knows, whether your eyelids will not quickly be so refreshed as if you had slept solidly for several hours!’

The sons of Joseph now went over and touched the Baby, and the Baby smiled at them and stretched His hands toward them, as if He recognized them as brothers.

At this all were surprised and said, ‘Truly, that is no ordinary Child! For where has it happened to anyone, that he was greeted so heartily by a newly-born child?

Besides, we now have all been so completely restored in all our limbs as if we had never made a journey and were at home on a morning with a fully rested body!’

Joseph said, ‘See, so my advice was good! But now I feel that it is becoming quite cool, sc bring the donkey and the ox here. The animals will lie close to us and will give off some warmth by their breath and their body heat, and we will place ourselves close to Mary also.’

This the sons did. And when they brought the two animals close to Mary, these immediately lay down at the head end of Mary’s resting place, breathed diligently over Mary and the Baby and thus warmed Him quite well.

And the midwife said, ‘Truly, that cause can be of no little importance before God, which even the animals serve as if they had reason and understanding.’

Here Salome added: ‘Oh sister, the animals seem to see more here than we do! While we hardly dare to think, the animals already worship Nim who has created them!

Believe me, sister, as truly as Ciod lives, that truly also is the promised Messiah here before us – for we know that such wonderful things have never taken place even at the birth of the greatest prophet!’

And Mary said to Salome, ‘The Lord God has shown you great grace in that you behold That before which my soul quakes itself.

But be silent about it, as the angel of the Lord bid you to do previously, or you could prepare a bitter lot for us!’

At this Salome vowed to Mary that she would remain silent the rest of her life, and the midwife followed her sister’s example.

Everything now became still in the cave. And in the First hour before sunrise all heard ever-so-mighty songs of praise outside the cave.

Joseph at once sent his oldest son to investigate what it was, and who was singing so mightily to God’s glory out in the open.

And Joel went outside and saw that all the reaches of the Firmament were Filled – high and low – with countless myriads of shining angels. And he hastened back into the cave in astonishment and told them all what he had seen.

All were highly astonished at Joel’s report and went outside and convinced themselves of the truth of Joel’s assertion.

When they had seen such glory of the Lord, they went back into the cave and bore witness to Mary. And Joseph said to Mary:

‘Hear, oh purest maiden of the Lord, the fruit of your body is truly conceived by the Holy Spirit of God – for all the heavens now bear witness thereto!

But what will happen to us, when all the world is now sure to Find out what took place here? For I have just seen by the many shepherds that not only we, but all other people now see what manner of witness shines for us through all the heavens, for the shepherds had their faces turned upward

and sang in harmony with the mighty choirs of angels which now visibly fill all the reaches of the heavens high and low down to the earth.

And their song sounded like that of the angels: Descend with your grace, o ye heavens, upon the just! Peace on earth to all men of good will! And glory to God on high in Him who comes in the name of the Lord!

See, Mary, the whole world now hears and sees this, therefore it will also come here and will persecute us, and we will have to flee over hill and dale!

And so I believe that we should depart from here as soon as we possibly can, and as soon as I shall be recorded – which shall take place still early today – we shall go back to Nazareth and from there over to the Greeks of whom I know several very well. Do you not agree with me?’

Here Mary said to Joseph, ‘But you can see that I cannot leave this resting place today, so let us leave everything to the Lord. He has led and protected us up to now, so He surely will continue to lead us and protect us ever so faithfully!

If He wants to reveal us before the world, say: to where would we flee where He could not find us?

Therefore His will be done! What He wants, that will be right. See, here on my bosom rests He whom all this concerns!

He will surely remain with us, and thus God’s great glory will not depart from us either, though we flee wherever we will!’

Mary had hardly finished speaking, when behold, two angels stood before the cave as leaders of a large group of shepherds and made it known to the shepherds that here was born the One who was the object of their songs of praise.

And the shepherds went into the cave, knelt down before the Baby and worshiped Him; and the angels also came in bands and worshiped the Baby.

Here Joseph with his sons looked over toward Mary and the Baby in great astonishment and asked, ‘O God, what does this mean? Have You Yourself assumed flesh in this Child?

For how could it otherwise be possible that He would be worshiped even by Your holy angels? But if You are here, o Lord, how then do matters stand with the temple and the Holy of Holies?’

Thereupon an angel went over to Joseph and said to him: ‘Do not ask, and have no concern – for the Lord has chosen the earth to be the stage of His mercies and has now visited His people, as He has foretold through the mouths of His children, His servants and prophets!

What now happens before your eyes takes place according to the will of Him who is holy, most holy.’

The angel then left Joseph and again went over and worshiped the Baby, who now smiled on all the worshipers with open hands.

When the sun rose, the angels disappeared, but the shepherds remained and inquired of Joseph how this had come to be.

And Joseph answered, ‘Hear, as wondrously as the grass grows out of the earth, so also did this wonder happen! Now who knows how the grass grows? Just as little also am I able to tell you about this wonder. God wanted it this way – that is all I can tell you!’

19. PARABLE OF THE FATTENING BULL
SAID Ahab, after supper: ‘It goes without saying that I am
clear about Your nature since Jesaira, and there would have
been no need for such immense signs for either myself or
the likes of me, to convince us all abundantly that You are Jehovah
Himself, acting through a physical body, borrowed as it were from
this Earth. But I am curious about whether the 5 Pharisees,
seemingly upright people, in all earnest do not sense who might
the One who healed their sick in a truly miraculous way. If they
had but the faintest clue, they would have to be capable of grasping
by hand that an ordinary human could not possibly accomplish
this in all eternity. In my opinion, one should go and sniff them out
a little and it should quickly transpire as to what they actually
make of You.’
[2] I said: ‘Friend, you will surely not doubt that I know what they
think of Me. So I don’t consider it necessary to interrupt them in
their deliberations. Therefore, tomorrow is another day on which a
few initiatives can be taken in that respect. Let us leave them to
some real fermentation overnight. Because just as cider needs
fermenting to become a spiritual wine, just so every man’s
emotions need fermenting, if he is to transcend to the truly
spiritual.
[3] See, if a man has everything that he needs, then he feels quite
snug. He cares about nothing, does no work, takes it easy and
inquires little about the existence of God or life after physical
death, or whether man is more than the animal, or vice versa.
Mountains and valleys are the same to him, winter and summer
don’t concern him, for in summer he has shade and cooling baths,
and in winter well-heated fire-places and warm clothing.
[4] Neither does he care whether the year was plentiful or not, for
he is provided firstly with all stores for ten years and secondly with
plenty of money for acquiring anything he lacks.
[5] See, such a person then enjoys the leisure of a fattening ox in
the stable, prone to little more thought than the ox, and is therefore
no more than a hedonistic animal in human form.
[6] If you came to such a man to preach the Gospel of the heavenly
kingdom, he would do to you what the ox in the stable does to the
blowfly, swinging his tail over it to make it take off or be killed or
at least suffer considerable harm.
[7] And see, such carefree glutton shall direct his servants, who
also are no more than the carefree hedonists’ fly chasing and
repelling tail, to chase you away. You obviously shall quickly turn
on your heels, and at a safe distance contemplate the effect of your
gospel on the glutton.
[8] But I know how to give such oxen quite a different
introductory sermon. I let one terrestrial accident after another
overtake them. This fills them with all sorts of troubles and fears,
causing them to think, seek to find out and ask how it is possible
for them to now be beset by all sorts of extremities, since they had
never been unjust to anyone, having always been orderly and
respectable citizens.
[9] This however is only on account of the necessary fermentation.
[10] When such people then undergo a proper fermentation, they
long for friends who could bring them comfort. Go to them then to
preach the Gospel, and they shall hear you and not raise their
furiously swinging tail against you.
[11] And see, for this reason it is good for these guests to undergo
real fermentation this night; this shall make them internally more
spiritual, and your work shall be easy with them tomorrow. Do you
follow this?’

20. A LATE-RISER WILL SOON AGE
SAYS Ahab: ‘O wisdom, o wisdom. See your grasp of the
exalted and true, and how immensely stupid the likes of us.
It is an eternal truth that nothing can arise without a
struggle, yet I was going to hurry over to the Bethlehemites to
start enlightening them. O, centre of stupidity that I am. Do not
the Greek wise men say: Every activity is generated from struggle,
and every effect its outcome. Yet I did not see this. Why do I see
it now?
[2] Indeed, if there is no preceding contention between the inner
life-elements in man, then all external efforts with man are futile.
[3] I am now in the clear about human instruction, and could
almost pronounce a life-fundamental, without straying too far
afield.’ I said: ‘Let it be heard. I intend not to review it within
Myself until you have voiced it.’
[4] Ahab says: ‘What man has not initially acquired himself from
the properties given him at the outset, no God can give him
without ruining him. To God, of course, all things are possible, but
thereby man does not gain anything.
[5] Who does not know himself first, how can he know another
and, finally, even God? That would be my principle. Am I far off
the mark, Lord?’
[6] I said: ‘No, friend Ahab, you have in truth hit the nail firmly on
the head. Thus it is. What man does not acquire for himself
independently with the abilities bestowed on him, God cannot and
may not provide without judging him.
[7] Therefore, all of you should not be just idle hearers of My
Word, but diligent doers, only then will you begin to notice its
blessings within you.
[8] For life is action and not stagnation of the powers on which life
depends. And so life must be preserved even for eternity through
the constant activity of all its powers, for in the lying-down-to-rest
there is no permanent life.
[9] The certain feeling of well-being you gain from rest is nothing
else but a partial death of the powers needed for living. The person
who then increasingly enjoys the inactive rest, especially of the
spiritual life-powers, thereby also slides ever more into the arms of
actual death from which no God will easily free him.
[10] O yes, there does also exist a proper rest full of life, but that is
in God and for everyone an indescribably blissful feeling of
contentment to be active in accordance with God’s will.
[11] This most blissful feeling of contentment and the clearest
realization to have always truly acted according to the order of
God is that proper rest in god which alone is full of life because it
is full of energy and respective action. Every other rest that
consists in the ceasing of the life-powers is, as already mentioned,
an actual death to the point to which the various life-forces have
withdrawn from activity and no longer resumed it. Do you
understand this?’
[12] Says Judas Iscariot: ‘Lord, if so, then man should flee
sleep like the pestilence, for also sleep is a rest of a number of
life-forces, although external ones.’
[13] I said: ‘Certainly. Because of that late-risers will never reach
a particularly great age. Whoever grants his body 5 hours of sleep
in his young days and 6 hours in his old age will usually reach a
great age and look youthful for a long time, whereas a late-riser
soon ages, gets a lined face and gray hair and at a somewhat
advanced age walks around like a shadow.
[14] And just as the body gradually dies off through too much
sleep, in the same way, but on a larger scale this applies to the soul
if it increasingly slackens in its activity according to My Word
and will.
[15] Once idleness has made itself at home in a soul there soon
follows also depravity. For idleness is nothing else but a selfindulging
love which all the more flees any activity for someone
else’s sake because it basically want only one thing, namely that all
others should work for its benefit.
[16] Therefore, beware particularly of idleness, for this is an actual
see for all kinds of vices.
[17] The various beasts of prey may serve you as an example.
Look, these beasts become destructively active only when driven
by burning hunger. Once they have captured their prey and
satisfied their hunger, they again return to their lairs where they
rest often for days, especially snakes.
[18] Now look at a robber or murderer. This man who shuns all
work, who is actually a devil in the flesh, lies often for days in one
of his dens. Only when his pies tell him that a rich caravan is due
to pass his den, he lies in wait together with his accomplices,
ruthlessly attacks and robs the caravan and kills the merchants to
prevent them from betraying him. And that is a fruit of idleness.
[19] Therefore, I say once more: Beware above all of idleness, for
it is the road and the wide door to all imaginable vices.
[20] After the work has been done moderate rest is good for the
limbs of the body, but excessive rest is worse than none.’

21. REST AND ACTIVITY

IF someone has walked a long distance and finally reaches
a shelter he will, if he does not go to bed immediately, but
continues with small movements and on the following day
is on his feet already before sunrise, not feel any tiredness all day,
and the longer he will thus continue his journey the less tired it
will make him.
[2] If, however, someone after a day’s march arrives quite as tired
at a shelter, immediately throws himself on a bed and maybe
leaves it only at noon on the following day, he will be continuing
his journey on completely stiff feet and with a totally drunk head.
After having covered a certain distance, he will from utter
exhaustion long for a rest, and it can even happen that he collapses
on the road and perishes there if no one comes to his aid, which
can easily happen.
[3] And what has caused it? His own too great desire for rest and
the delusion that rest strengthens a person.
[4] If someone wished to achieve a great, amazing accomplishment
in one or the other art where a high degree of skillfulness of hands
and fingers is required, then I ask you: will he achieve it if instead
of constant diligent practice every day he idly strolls around day by
day with his hands in his pockets motivated by a kind of anxious
concern not to tire his hands and fingers to prevent them from
getting stiff and unfit for the striven-for accomplishment?
[5] Truly, even I Myself with all My boundless wisdom could
not make a prophet and determine the time when such a disciple
of art will become a virtuoso. Therefore, My dear friends and
brothers, I repeat:
[6] Only activity upon activity for the common good of people
brings you salvation. For all life is the fruit of God’s constant,
never tiring activity and therefore can only be maintained and
preserved for eternity through proper activity whereas nothing but
death does and must result from inactivity.
[7] Place your hands on your heart and feel how it is constantly
active day and night. The life of the body depends solely on such
activity. Once the heart stops, that would mean the end of the
natural life of the body, I should say.
[8] And just as the rest of the physical heart obviously constitutes
the total death of the body, this same rest of the soul’s heart is the
death of the soul.
[9] The heart of the soul, however, is called love, and its pulsating
expresses itself in true and full love-activity.
[10] Thus constant love-activity is the never wearying pulse-beat
of the soul’s heart. The more actively the heart of the soul pulsates,
the more life is generated in the soul and once thereby a
sufficiently high degree of life, this awakens therein the life of the
divine spirit.
[11] This spirit – being pure life because it is the untiring supreme
activity itself – then flows into the soul that has become equal to it
through love activity, and everlasting imperishable life has fully
begun within the soul.
[12] And look, all this arises from activity, but never from idle
rest.
[13] Therefore, shun rest and seek full activity, and eternal life will
be your reward.
[14] Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace to mankind
on this Earth. O no, only the sword and war instead.
[15] For, men must be impelled to all kinds of activity through
distress and hardships or they would become lazy, fatted oxen that
fatten themselves for eternal death.
[16] Distress and hardship bring about fermentation upon
fermentation in man from which in the end something spiritual
could develop.
[17] One could, of course, say: “Through distress and hardship
also anger, vengeance, murder and manslaughter arise, also envy,
hardheartedness and persecution.” That is indeed true, but bad as
all that is, the result is nevertheless better than from idle rest which
is dead and brings neither good nor bad results.
[18] Therefore I tell you: let a person be really warm or completely
cold where I am concerned, but a lukewarm one I will spit out
from My mouth.
[19] I prefer an energetic enemy to a lukewarm friend, for the
energetic enemy will challenge Me to full activity, so that I
may either win him over or make provision to prevent him
from harming Me. Beside a lukewarm friend, however, I
become lukewarm Myself and if I should get into difficulties, will
the lukewarm friend be of any use to Me?
[20] Therefore, also a lukewarm ruler is a pest for his people, for
then the nation’s spirit decays and the people all turn into
voracious oxen and beasts of burden. But a severe and even
tyrannical ruler causes the people to be alive and there is activity
everywhere so as not to incur punishment. And if a tyrant goes too
far the people will rise in great numbers and rid themselves of their
tormentor.
[21] I think I have now said enough about the value of activity and
am convinced that all of you have understood this lesson.
Therefore, if someone wants it and feels a need for a sleeping rest
for his body, let him seek a bed, but who wants to sit up with Me
through the night, let him remain here.’ There they all said: ‘Lord,
how could we sleep when You are sitting up? Only the mother
Mary seems to need a rest for her body, and so You could send her
to bed.’
[22] But Mary, although she had dozed a little in an armchair
behind Me, heard these words, sat up and said with great
friendliness to the speaker: ‘Friend, you who usually speak for
your fellow-disciples, I tell you that your concern for me is rather
futile. For, see, for the sake of my Lord I have sat up for probably
hundreds of sleepless nights and am still alive – and if it is His will
I will again go through as many sleepless nights and not lose my
55
life. Therefore, do not concern yourselves about me all of you, it is
sufficient that One looks after me.’
[23] These words had been addressed to Thomas and he came to
Mary and asked her not to regard his good intention unkindly.
But Mary comforted him and was very kind about his concern for
her, and Thomas felt easier in his mind and soon, quite relieved,
resumed his seat.
[24] For a while there was now silence. No one spoke, for they all
pondered on what had been said and found the truth of it shining
ever brighter.
[25] Only Matthew said after a while to himself: ‘Tomorrow at
daybreak this teaching about activity and rest will be recorded as
best as possible on a special tablet, for this so extremely important
lesson must on no account be lost to the world.’ And when soon it
began to dawn, Matthew kept his word, and this lesson was
preserved for a long time and through Jonael and Jairuth reached
also Samaria, but in the course of time was considerably distorted
and, therefore, also got lost. But while it was still around the
people knew it under the name of “the night-sermon.”

57. THE FIRST DAY OF CREATION

JESUS: ‘Is it not written: In the beginning God created the
Heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form,
and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And
the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

[2] And God said, let there be light: and there was light. And God
saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the
darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He
called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

[3] See, these are Moses’ words. If you were to take these in their
natural sense you should have to at once see their ultimate
absurdity.

[4] What of a truth is the Heaven and Earth of which Moses says
all was created in the beginning? In man, Heaven is the spiritual
and Earth the natural. This still is void and without form – as in
your case. The waters are your deficient knowledge of all things,
above which the Spirit of God moves indeed, but not yet within
them.

[5] Since God at all times however sees the terrible darkness in
your material world-depth, God says to you, as manifestly even
now: “Let there be light.”

[6] It begins thereupon to dawn within your natures, and God
indeed sees how good is the light upon your darkness, but it is
yourselves who do not want to recognize it. For this reason
therefore a division takes place within you, day and night verily are
separated, and through the day within, you then recognize the
former night of your hearts.

[7] With man, his initial natural being is late evening and therefore
night. Since God gives him light however, such light is to him a
veritable sunrise, and out of man’s evening and sunrise verily come
man’s first day of life.

[8] Therefore see, if Moses, who most certainly had been an
initiate into all Egyptian science had intended in his scripture to
indicate the coming into being of the first terrestrial day, then he
would, with all his science and wisdom have noted that no day
could ever emerge from evening and morning. Night proper surely
always follows evening, and day comes only after the morning.

[9] What therefore lies between evening and morning is night.
Only what lies between morning and evening is day.

[10] Had Moses said: “…and therefore out of morning and
evening emerged the first day”, then you would have been entitled
to take this in its natural sense, but for good reasons of
correspondences he said exactly the reverse, and this signifies
man’s evening and night, which also is understandable since
nobody has seen the highest wisdom in a child yet.

[11] When a child is born, its soul finds itself in utter darkness and
therefore night. The child nevertheless grows, receiving all kinds
of instruction, gaining all sorts of insights with that. And see, this
is dusk comparable with evening.

[12] Indeed you say that it dawns also in the morning, and Moses
therefore might have said: “And from dawn and an actually bright
morning emerged the first day.”

[13] To this I say: indeed, had he availed himself of spiritual
correspondences to tell mankind the crassest nonsense. But Moses
knew that only evening corresponds to man’s terrestrial state.
He knew that it was with man’s worldly-intellectual education
exactly as it is with the gradually waning light of natural evening.

[14] The greater the pursuit of worldly things through men’s
intellect, the feebler the pure divine light of love and spiritual life
in their hearts. Therefore also Moses called such worldly light of
men the evening.

[15] Only when God through His mercy kindles a small light of
life in the heart, does man begin to understand the nothingness
of all that he had previously acquired through the intellect – his
spiritual evening, whereupon he starts to gradually see how the
treasures of his evening light are as transitory as this light itself.

[16] The right light out of God however, kindled in the hearts of
men is that morning which together with the preceding evening
brings about the first true day within man.

[17] From this My present explanation however you must see what
a vast difference there has to be between these two respective
lights or rather cognitions, because all cognition from the worldly
evening light is deceptive and transitory. Only Truth lasts forever
and deception has in the end to come to naught.

58. THE SECOND DAY OF CREATION

BUT it can nevertheless happen that the divine light is
poured out over the evening light in man’s heart and be so
consumed or blended that it would in the end be no longer
possible to know the natural light within man from the divine.

[2] God then made a divide between the two waters, which
bespeaks the two cognitions with which I have now adequately
acquainted you, and He thus divided the two waters.
[3] The division itself however is the actual Heaven within man’s
heart expressing itself in true and living faith and not ever in a
void, intellectual musing.

[4] For this reason also I call him who has the mightiest and most
undoubting faith a rock, which I place as a new divide between
Heaven and Hell, and this fortification, no powers of darkness
shall overcome forever.

[5] When this fortification is placed within man and his faith
waxes ever mightier, then through such faith the nothingness of
natural cognition becomes steadily more apparent. Natural
cognition then moves to subordinate itself to the dominance of
faith, and with that, out of man’s evening and the steadily
brightening morning, there arises the other and by far brighter day.
[6] In this second day condition man already recognizes that which
alone must maintain itself as ultimate truth forever, but proper
order nevertheless still is lacking within him. Man still continually
blends the natural with the purely spiritual, often spiritualizing
nature too much and therefore seeing the material also with the
spirit, therefore not yet being decidedly on the side of the
right deed.

[7] He resembles a world of water which indeed is surrounded on
all sides with lucent air – not being clear however about whether
his water-world came forth from the translucent air surrounding it
or the latter proceeding from the water world, i.e. he is not sure
within himself yet whether his spiritual cognition developed from
his natural one, or whether the latter secretly came out of a
possibly secretly pre-existent and secretly active spiritual cognition
in man. Or to put it more plainly still, he does not know whether
faith proceeds from knowledge or the latter from the former, and
what the difference is between them.

[8] In short, he cannot work out whether the chicken was before
the egg and the seed before the tree.

[9] God then comes once again to help man along, provided man
has done what he could from the strength loaned to him and
therefore his, on this second day of his spiritual education. And
this additional help consists in the provision of more abundant
light, which then like the sun in spring, not just by greater light
intensity but the warmth affected with this, starts to fertilize all the
seeds laid in man’s heart.

[10] This warmth however is called love, and spiritually
constitutes the soil within which the seed starts sprouting and
thrusting out its roots.

[11] And see, this is what is written in Moses, that God said:
“Let the waters be gathered together in certain separate places, so
that the dry and firm land can be seen, from which alone the seeds
can grow into living and enlivening fruit.”

[12] And it says: “…and God called the dry land Earth, and the
water, now gathered at certain places, the seas”.

[13] Then the question is: for whose benefit did God call it so?
For Himself verily He would not have needed it, since it surely
would sound somewhat divisive to attribute to the highest wisdom
in God His special pleasure in succeeding with the naming of the
dry land as ‘Earth’ and the gathered waters as ‘seas’.

[14] Yet God surely could not do the naming of the dry land and
the gathered waters for anyone’s benefit, since there was no being
besides Himself in this creation period to understand Him.
[15] Such saying of Moses therefore cannot possibly have a
material but only a spiritual sense, having only a potentially
retrospective spiritual sense in relation to the erstwhile creation of
the worlds – i.e. from the spiritual to the material – this being
capable of comprehension only by the wisdom of angels. But the
way it stands, it has a purely spiritual sense and indicates how
initially the individual and society at large develop in time and
periods from their necessary original natural state to the gradually
purer spiritual.

[16] Man therefore is being sorted out even in his natural state.
The cognitions have their place – that is man’s sea, and the love
emerging from the cognitions as a soil capable of carrying fruit,
washed all around by the totality of rightful cognitions, steadily
renewed in its strength for the bringing forth of all kinds of select
fruits ever more abundantly.’

38. THE QUESTION OF SIMON OF CANA

SAYS Simon of Cana: ‘Lord, I would like to raise a
question, which seems important at least to myself,
which you may be inclined to answer for us before we
go out – for our instruction and peace of mind. I beg that You
would hear me.’

[2] I said: ‘I can read your question from your heart more precisely
than you can formulate it, but let not this stop you from voicing it
for your brethren’s sake. For the question is of truly great import
and worthy of a true and unspoiled Jew. Therefore bring out into
the open by all means what makes you heavy breasted.’

[3] Says Simon of Cana: ‘Very well. If it be Your will that I too
speak, then let you all hear me. The question is this:

[4] We shall presently be going to those who have need of us. We
shall be preaching what You taught upon the Mount. This Your
Sermon on the Mount is of a purely divine nature and therefore of
a heavenly goodness beyond all measure. But this teaching is for
the most part in strict opposition to the old Mosaic one.

[5] I am familiar with all the localities along the extensive Galilean
sea coast, as also many times no less so with its inhabitants. There
are indeed many among them who have thrown Moses overboard
for Pythagoras, yet it is not these who would pose too much of a
threat for your teaching. But there are among them also many
families, who so to say live and die for Moses and actually more
still for the Temple – and the parents generally more so than the
children – although the reverse is not seldom the case. If therefore
the children of some ultra orthodox Jews receive Your in many
ways anti-Temple teaching, but not their parents, what shall be
the result?

[6] The parents shall reproach the children for disobedience
according to Moses and curse them – a phenomenon none too rare
among fanatically orthodox Jews.

[7] If this undoubtedly shall be taking place in front of our eyes,
what shall have to be our response, because it can doubtlessly be
taken for granted that such parents shall persecute and curse us
without limit?

[8] In the alternative case however it would be much easier of
course, since by mere virtue of political law itself, the children
cannot be lords over the parents. Besides blessings therefore, we
shall be casting the seeds also of discord, quarrelling, rage, hate
and revenge and shall be hated, persecuted and totally cursed by
thousands. Who shall make good such damage and remove the
thousandfold curse from our loins.’

[9] I said: ‘Do not let this overly concern you. See, there comes
down from Heaven not only the mild, all enlivening sun beam of
spring, but storm, hail, lightning and thunder as well.

[10] Everyone praises the sunbeam indeed, but nobody wants to
praise the hail, storm, lightning and thunder. And winter comes too
soon for all, yet winter is more beneficial to all than spring, and
storm, hail, lightning and thunder are as necessary as the sunset’s
mild beams.

[11] I say into you: it shall come and must come that, for My
name’s sake, one brother shall deliver another to death and thus a
father the son, and the children shall be outraged at their parents
and help them towards death. And you have to yourselves be hated
by everyone of the world as it now actually is, for My name’s sake.

[12] Whosoever among you shall not be offended thereby, but
perseveres until the end, shall gain beatitude, for Satan’s paw does
not easily let go of his prey. Have you understood Me?’

[13] Says Judas: ‘It’s getting better all the time. If this sending has
to draw everybody’s hatred upon us, then God help such
undertaking. Good luck, those who will hate us are going to look
after us and keep us like summer does with the snow. Lord, if this
is Your full earnest, then I as a simple but nevertheless quite
experienced man say to You: Let You nicely stay home with us,
because this seed shall not sprout and bring forth fruit. Hear, if we
shall have reached the stage where after our sermon we shall be
hated of everyone like death itself, what shall be left us to do?
Shall we allow ourselves to also be killed on the quiet side? If that
too, who will then spread Your Word? Hey, think of what You are
asking. Do You not for the sake of the most luminescent Heaven
see You make Yourself sheer impossible, being therewith Your
own greatest enemy and persecutor? Where, where in the whole
wide world is he who, hating me beyond death, will listen to my
sermon that is going to fill his house with discord, hate, rage and
deadly revenge? Speak, what is to be done in such unavoidable
circumstance?’

[14] I said: ‘You talk the way you understand it, but we talk
the way we do. You understand everything in the terrestrially crude
way, while the discussion here is from the Heavens, spiritual.

[15] If however you or anyone else should be so scared of men,
then flee from a city where they persecute you, to another.
Because, verily I say unto you: you shall not have preached in all
the cities of Israel by the time I already, as the Son of Man, come
to you again as One who shall kindle judgment for everyone –
a ruinous fire in his heart, arousing the evil worm in the evildoer’s
breast and the fire shall not go out and the worm not die. You
yourselves however shall be justified for, let all those beware once
who persecuted and laid hands upon you.’

[16] Speaks Judas once again: ‘Yes, once we shall have been
killed, You shall follow us indeed. If however you have now given
us the authority over evil spirits and the power to heal all sickness,
why do You not also at the same time provide us with the power to
call forth fire out of the Earth, under the feet of those who
persecute us, and we shall in a short time convert the whole world
for You.’

[17] I said: ‘And would you be more than is your Master and
Lord? I say unto you all however: the disciple is not above his
teacher and the servant not above his lord. It is enough for the
disciple to be like his master and for the servant to be like his lord.

[18] If however your Master does not avail Himself of

extraordinary power in order to force men into His teaching, why
should His disciples and servants want this?

[19] Since they have called Me, as the Lord and Master of the
house from eternity Beelzebub, how much more shall they call you
of My household so.

[20] Since it cannot however remain hidden to Me what they
intend to or do to you, you can also count on My help at all times.
Does the lioness abandon her young, or in times of danger not
hazard her life for every cub that would be taken from her? So,
surely, I too shall know how to protect you with My life in times
of danger.

[21] Therefore do not fear worldly men. What I taught you at
night, that speak before them by day. And what I said to one or the
other of you in the ear of your heart secretly, that proclaim from
the rooftops and therefore fear none of all those who indeed can
kill man’s body, but cannot kill the soul, which alone lives and has
life and which they are unable to damage in any way.

[22] If however you have to fear, then fear Him who is a Lord also
over your souls and can judge same unto Hell, when He will. And
Him you know now, for it is He who is telling you this now.

[23] Look there before us: a roofed barn. See the sparrows
frolicking thereon. They fly up, then literally fall down from the
roof. At the market, two are bought for a penny. How little is their
worth. And yet not one falls from the roof without the will of the
Father in Heaven.

[24] But I say unto you: the hairs of your head are counted, yet
none comes off your head without the Father’s knowledge and
will. If however the Father cares for things seeming so exceedingly
trivial to you, will He then not take care of those of you who
spread His Word and grace?

[25] Therefore yours is a vain fear and you should never fear, for
you surely are better than many sparrows.

[26] Therefore, go ye out without fear and confess Me before men.
Verily, he who shall confess Me before men, him also will I
confess before the Father in Heaven. But whoever among you shall
deny Me before men out of vain fear, him I too shall deny once
before the Father in Heaven.’

[27] Here Judas takes the word again, saying: ‘This all is spoken
wisely and nicely and certainly is also quite true, but of what use is
all this. The teaching certainly is wondrously glorious, pure and
true. We certainly don’t want to argue any part, while your deeds,
for those of us assembled here, more than testify of Him who
basically carries them out. But by prevalent norms, the teaching
together with the deeds not only shall hardly ever find general
acceptance but, as the main cause for strife in every household to
which it is introduced, it shall be either most ardently persecuted,
or even totally proscribed by the state, making us impossibilities.
What then? When, as the spreaders of Your teaching and deeds on
Earth, we shall have certainly soon expired through stoning or the
sword, by fire or indeed on the cross or the lion’s den, who shall
step in our place and carry on for us?’

39. A PROMISE TO THE FAITHFUL

I SAID: ‘I already said to you that you always speak in
accordance with the wisdom of the world. To give the
world its peace would be to give it still more death than it
is imbued with already in all fullness.

[2] If you are to restore sight to the blind, shall he become seeing if
you tear out his eyes, or shall the lame be straightened if you chop
off his defective foot, or shall the dumb ever gain speech if you cut
out his tongue, pest be healed by more pest, or a burning house be
put out with more fire?

[3] See, just so is it with worldly men today. They are spiritually
dead and have no life other than the animalistic natural one. Their
souls are only flesh and their spirit, as good as dead, resembles the
spirits indwelling the stones, chaining together loose matter by
their judged steadfastness, to become stones of all kinds and forms
– softer and harder ones, some transparent and others not and
colored in accordance with their indwelling spirit.

[4] But should you want to liberate the spirits from the stones, will
you be able to bring this about with lukewarm water? Definitely
not. I say unto you: with such gentle and peaceable treatment, the
stone shall remain firmly what it is. Here a mighty fire has to
come, so that the spirits within the stone get into a great battle.
Only then do they themselves tear the bonds of matter and are
liberated. And see, so also it must now be here.

[5] That which liberates the spirits from the stone, the fire, the
battle, the mighty pressure and blows, that also awakens the hearts
of men turned stone, liberating them, especially the hearts of the
great and the rich, who have hearts of diamond which no earthly
fire can soften.

[6] Therefore take note of what I say: let go of the ludicrous notion
that I have come to bring, through you, the peace of the Earth to
worldly men, but rather the sword.

[7] Understand Me properly. I have come to arouse the yet softer
son against the more unbending hardness of his father and the
more unassuming daughter against her domineering mother and
the gentler daughter-in-law against her mean and envious motherin-
law. Verily, man’s worst enemies shall be those of his own
household!

[8] In truth I tell you: whoever loves his father or mother more
than Me is unworthy of Me. And who has sons and daughters and
loves them more than Me is unworthy of Me. Whoever does not
willingly take his burden – even if it should weigh him down like
the Roman cross of death – onto his shoulders and follow Me, is
quite unworthy of Me and shall not participate in the Kingdom
of God.

[9] Truly I tell you: whoever seeks the life of this world, and also
easily finds it, shall lose life eternal and on judgment day,
following the shedding of his body, I shall not awaken him to
everlasting life, but cast him into Hell for eternal death.

[10] But he who does not seek worldly life, even shuns and
despises it out of true, pure love for Me, shall find eternal life, for I
shall awaken him immediately after the death of his body, i.e. on
his judgment day, or the first day of his new life in the spirit-world,
and shall lead him into My Eternal Kingdom and adorn his head
with the crown of eternal, immortal wisdom and love and he will
then rule forever with Me and all the angels of eternal, infinite
Heaven over all the material and spirit world.’

BUT these two had hardly left the house when new arrivals
brought a man who was both dumb and possessed.
Several Pharisees and scribes whom we had left behind at
Matthew’s house had also followed them, to see what I should do
inside the house and to where I would turn. In front of the house
they encountered the two blind, who immediately told them that
one dumb and possessed is about to be healed, but they told them
nothing about themselves, for they still feared in their hearts.

[2] In response to this the Pharisees hurried, lest they should be
late. On entering the room, they recognized the possessed, who
also was dumb and they said: ‘O, this one we have known for a
long time. With him no power has any effect. When his devil gets
wild, he uproots trees and no wall or chain is too strong for him.
He does not burn in the fire and let the fish beware if he enters the
water. The best thing about him is that he is dumb and deaf, if he
could also hear and talk, then no creature on Earth would be safe
with him. O, this man is terrible. Everything flees before him, even
the most rapacious animals. And this one he intends healing? This
one only the devils’ chief can heal.’

[3] I said: ‘And yet shall I heal him, that you should at last
recognize that all beings must obey God’s might’

[4] Therewith I stretched out a hand over the possessed and spoke,
‘Come out of this person, you unclean, evil spirit!’ Here the spirit
cried: ‘Where should I go?’ I said: ‘Where the sea is deepest, there
a monster awaits you!’ The evil spirit cried out again and at once
left the man.

[5] Thereupon the man at once assumed a friendly appearance,
began to talk full of gratitude, answering everyone with propriety
and the gentlest of words: all became convinced that he had also
lost his deaf and dumbness.

[6] The disciples however and all folk present began to greatly
marvel, saying: ‘Truly, this surpasses everything. This has never
been heard of in Israel. There has been banishment of wind and
storm, even if on a much smaller scale, and there have been revival
of the seemingly dead, while rocks had to yield water and Manna
came from Heaven in response to Moses’ prayer, of course nothing
to that high degree of perfection.

[7] When Solomon was building the Temple and no workers
wanted to lend their hands for a month, he prayed to God for
workers and a great many youths came and offered Solomon their
service and Solomon took them on, working with them for a
month, as tradition would have it.

[8] In short, since Abraham, quite a few wonders have taken
place, but, as God truly lives and reigns, nothing equals this
wondrous deed.’

[9] This wonderment thoroughly angered the Pharisees, and not
being able to contain themselves, they spoke to the people: ‘How
can you be such blind fools! Did we not upon entering the room
immediately indicate to you who could be the master of such
possessed? We told you that only the devils’ chief could do this!
He also healed the possessed of course, but how? He cast out this
devil through the devils’ prince!

[10] This testimony to Me in front of the people by the furious
Pharisees was the last straw to the commander Cornelius, also in
attendance. Utterly outraged at these remarks, he thundered a
sentence over the Pharisees and scribes: ‘Even this very day the
cross shall be your lot! I shall make you tell the difference between
God and the devil!’

[11] Hearing such thunder, the Pharisees began to dreadfully howl
and despair. But the people were jubilant, saying: ‘Ah! Have you
at last found the right one to drive out your old devil? Serves you
right all the way. For you are yourselves fully the equals of the
devils’ prince, you continue to fight the way he once fought the
archangel Michael for Moses’ body, i.e. about the dead matter of
his teaching and persecute all with the curse, fire and sword,
everything that even remotely scents of spirituality. Therefore it is
you who always act with the devil’s help, lending a hand to the
lying spirit. Therefore the devils’ sentence is a fully just one for
you Satan henchmen, and no compassion stirs our hearts.’

[12] Here Matthew the tax collector steps over to the Pharisees,
saying: ‘It is about 4 days since on the last Sabbath the Master
Jesus freed the old brother of my mother from palsy, how much
was said to you then by way of fundamental truths. Children
understood it almost with their hands and pointed their fingers at
you. The Master Himself spoke to you with such wisdom that you
were filled with astonishment and were forced to ask how He came
by such wisdom. Yet neither His Spirit nor instruction filled
answers, nor His unheard of deeds were able to open your eyes.

[13] If such deeds and teachings are not capable of opening your
eyes, even while your wicked hearts only get steadily more furious
and vengeful, say, what do you still lack for accomplished devilry?
I tell you indeed, as I already told you, that you are worse than all
devils put together and it is therefore right before God and all
better mankind that you be extirpated like ravenous beasts.

[14] Even if I am an exceedingly sensitive person, unable to hurt a
fly or tread upon a worm, yet I could quite easily myself strike off
your heads without feeling uneasy about it. Therefore I praise the
chief Cornelius for condemning you to the gallows’ (synonymous
with cross).’

[15] When the Pharisees in their great fear saw that no one felt
mercy for them or were about to intercede with the Commander,
who held the inexorable Jus Gladii over all Galilee, they fell on
their knees before the commander, averring that they had not
meant Jesus harm, the way it was taken, but had only wanted to
highlight how the obviously divine power within the Master of all
masters Jesus, could and has to also manifest by making the prince
of the devils subservient to it, for it should be bad for mankind if
God had no power over the devils. If undisputedly however God’s
supreme power is acting through Jesus, then it has to be able to
reign over all devils as over all angels and be capable of enforcing
their strictest obedience. ‘Therefore we only wanted through our
pronouncement to emphasize that his godly power extends over
everything in Heaven, on and under the Earth. Since however we
had meant only that and not possibly anything else by our
exclamation, for which you have condemned us to death, how is it
possible that you as an exalted lord of Rome, could have
pronounced such sentence over us? We therefore beg you in the
divine name of Jesus that you would most mercifully retract
the pronounced sentence.’

[16] Says the commander: ‘If Jesus, the Master, is willing to put a
word in for you, then I shall retract my word, but if He keeps His
silence, then you die without further ado even this day. For I put no
trust in your words, because your hearts don’t tally with your
mouths.’

[17] After these words from the chief, they all rush at Me,
clamoring: ‘O Jesus, you good Master, we beg you to rescue and
save us. Have us flogged if you don’t trust our words not to place
any further obstacles in your path. For we all are convinced now
that you are a purest servant of God to us, His unfortunately
profusely degenerated children. O, Jesus, do not overhear our
plea.’

[18] I said: ‘So go home in peace! But beware of more exploits, or
I would no longer say to you then: go home in peace.’

[19] They all promised, and the commander said: ‘As He gave
you the peace, so give I, taking back the sentence for now, but
beware if I find out even the least about you.’

[20] The Pharisees thank Me and the chief exceedingly and
fervently, departing hastily and keeping utter silence, for they all
dreaded Cornelius terribly. But in their hearts they hatched that
much harder how to ruin Me and revenge themselves on the chief.
Yet they had to, due to lack of opportunity, grin and bear it, their
survival depending on it. This nevertheless was good for My
cause, for I now could for a lengthy period, until late autumn,
preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God without hindrance in all
the cities and market places of Galilee, healing all kinds of
diseases and sicknesses among the people.

92. GOD’S OMNISCIENCE AND HIS GUIDANCE

WHEN Matthew had finished his several verses the day after
I had healed the nobleman’s son from Capernaum, he
showed Me his work, which I commended, as it was
concise and to the point. But after packing his writing utensils he
comes to Me asking how much writing material he shall need at
Capernaum. If he is to keep more tablets unpacked then it should
be easier to remove them from the main pack now rather than at
Capernaum.

[2] I said: ‘The 4 shall suffice, but I nevertheless have to make you
aware of a small error in the ordering of your things. Basically
there is not much to it, but since with Me everything has to have its
proper order, it is unwise of you to first tie up your pack and ask
Me only afterwards how many tablets you shall need. Had I now
said “You shall need 5 at Capernaum”, then you would now have
had to untie the entire pack for just one tablet, which would have
caused you unnecessary effort. But, prompted by My secret
inspiration, you had to keep the exact number out and thereby save
yourself the effort of re-opening the pack. But as I remarked
already, there is not much to it, but often the advantage of the
right order in all things, even if seeming ever so trivial, can be of
great benefit.

[3] See, if someone washes in the morning, at midday and evening,
starting with his face and only then the hands, then he won’t get
his face clean so soon, because going over same with dirty hands,
but washing the hands first he shall be finished with his face more
quickly, by rubbing it with clean hands.

[4] A man with a stony field cleared same with much effort, but he
kept the following good order. First he gathered the largest stones,
stacking them out of the field in a rectangular pile. This he did
with the smaller stones also and so on down to 10 different piles
holding stones of similar size.

[5] Neighbors who saw him do it and who had cleared their fields
by just tossing all their stones into one ordinary heap remarked:
‘Look at the fool fussing with his stones.’

[6] But a builder passed by the road adjacent to his field. Seeing
the 10 regular heaps he went to the man whom his neighbors called
a fool and bought the stones off him for 40 silver groshen, because
in this order he was able to use them straight away. When the
neighbors saw it they came up and said: ‘Sir, why didn’t you come
to us? See, we have similar stones and would have given them to
you for just a few groshen, whereas here you paid 40 silver
groshen for the same stones.’ But the builder said: ‘Your stones I
would have to first sort out, which would take much work, time
and effort, but these here are already sorted, just as I need them
now, and so I rather overpay for these than accept yours free.’
Thereupon the neighbors of course started sorting their stones, but
it was too late. Because the builder had enough with those he
bought from the first, and these neighbors went to much effort for
nothing.

[7] Therefore always keep the best order in all things. When
someone then comes with an offer he is sure to always go for the
best order. A later effort is often and many a time in vain. Do you
follow this picture?’

[8] Says Matthew: ‘O Lord, how should I not understand it? Is it
not as bright and clear as the midday sun?

[9] But only one thing I would still like to find out from You, how
was it possible for You to know that I shall require four tablets at
Capernaum? Because divine omniscience still is the greatest
puzzle to me. Sometimes You know everything and arrange Your
ways without asking anyone, yet at other times You ask and act
like one of us, as if You did not know what happened or will
happen. How come? Lord, please give me a little light on this.’

[10] I said: ‘Friend, I would very much like to reveal this thing to
you, but you could not grasp it; therefore let us leave it. But a time
shall soon come when you shall easily grasp and comprehend such
secrets.

[11] But this much I can say to you for now, that although God can
know anything He likes in spite of man’s freedom of will, yet
when He chooses not to know, so that man would act freely, then
He will also not know. Do you understand that?’

[12] Says Matthew: ‘Lord, if so then man’s life on Earth is most
dangerous indeed. Which moderately knowledgeable person does
not know the many enemies which confront poor mankind
everywhere with all sorts of adversities, causing man’s demise
therewith? If without knowing so You permit this to go on just like
that, then the health of the soul should fare badly.’

[13] I said: ‘Not quite as badly as you think. Because firstly
everyone shall be living in accordance with his beliefs and loves;
and secondly man is free to at any moment call upon God for
protection, and God shall turn His countenance towards him who
pleads and help him in every adversity.

[14] Besides, everyone has been assigned a guardian angel anyway
who has to guide him from his birth to his grave. Such a guardian
angel always influences a person’s conscience and only begins to
keep further and further away from his ward when the latter,
guided by his self-love, has voluntarily relinquished all faith and
all love for his neighbor.

[15] Thus man on this Earth is by far not as forsaken as you think,
for everything depends on his free will and actions whether he
wishes to be supervised and guided by God or not. If he wishes it,
God will wish it too, but if he does not wish it, he is absolutely free
as far as God is concerned and God does not take any further
notice of him, except that he receives what according to universal
order every natural man is destined to have as the natural life and
what is needed to support it. But that is as far as God will and can
go with such a person because of his inviolable freedom. Only
when a man with his heart’s free will seeks and implores Him,
God will always come to meet such a man on the shortest possible
way, provided he seeks and prays in downright earnest.

[16] But if a person only seeks and prays tentatively in order to
convince himself whether where God and His promises are
concerned there is anything to it, he will not be considered by God
or his prayer granted. For God is in himself the purest love and
looks only upon those who come to Him in their heart’s pure love
and seek Him for His own sake, wish to learn to know Him with
gratitude as their Creator and have the fervent wish to be guarded
and guided by Him personally.

[17] Oh, as concerns those who come to God in this way, He
knows every moment only too well how things are with them, and
He teaches and guides them personally in everything. However, of
those who will have nothing to do with God He certainly does not
take any notice.

[18] And when once in the beyond they will be standing before
God, calling fervently and saying: “Lord, Lord”, God will answer
them: “Out of My sight, you strangers, for I have never known
you”. And such souls will then have to suffer and struggle
considerably until they will be able to approach God as recognized
by Him. Do you now understand this?’

[19] Says Matthew: ‘Yes Lord, this I understand now quite well,
plainly and clearly. But should I not at once record this great
teaching, which ought to and must greatly encourage men to
constantly search for and pray to God, that He would guide and
lead them along the right paths?’

[20] I said: ‘No, My dear friend and brother, because man would
never grasp such teaching in its right and living fullness. Therefore
you need not record it, except perhaps at a later stage, for yourself
or a few brethren.

[21] But now, if you all are ready to continue our journey to
Capernaum, then let’s be on our way. Whoever will, let him follow
us, but whoever prefers to stay, let him stay. I must go there, as
there is much misery there, as well as in the small cities around the
lake, which is a Galilean sea.’

86. THE LORD BACK IN CANA OF GALILEE.
SATANS TRICK.

46. So Jesus came again into Cana, of Galilee, where He made
the water wine.

AFTER these Words the journey continues and we reach
the little city of Cana without trouble. Arriving there, we
at once move over to the house where I had worked the
first public miracle. An hour hardly passes when nearly all of the
place knows that I and all who journeyed with Me arrived happily
and in good shape; and all rush over to see, greet and welcome the
arrivals. And seeing me they cannot find sufficient words of praise
and glorying at the decisive way I cleansed the Temple at
Jerusalem. Because many had come to the feast from Cana and had
seen what I had affected in Jerusalem, and had also heard how I
had healed many sick there, praising Me tremendously.

[2] I asked them if there were no sick here. But they said that
strangely enough there was not one sick at this place.

[3] Then I said that they were indeed healthy as far as their body
was concerned, but not in their soul: For whoever practices
harlotry and fornication is very sick in his soul. Through this sin a
persons heart hardens from day to day, becomes ever more
unfeeling and merciless towards its fellowmen and in the end loves
nothing but itself and the object of its lust, not for the sake of the
object though, but only for the sake of satisfying its lust. Such a
heart then flees Gods Word which admonishes it against its evil
desire and in the end even becomes hostile to those who carry the
Word of God in their heart and live accordingly. Many of you
suffer from this sickness and that is why I returned to you to heal
you from this very bad and fatal disease. Those of you who know
that they suffer from this deadly disease should entrust themselves
to Me and I shall heal them.

[4] At this My announcement many promptly leave the house, for
the offenders fear that I may divulge their secret and so they take to
their heels. Among them were some adulterers, some guilty of
incest and many of both sexes who defile themselves, and they
were relieved to be out of My sight.

[5] Not that there were not many who would have liked to be
healed of this vice, but it was the disgrace. Because they counted
as honorable, well-regarded people, and it would have been
embarrassing to have their neighbors find out about their infirmity
of flesh. Yet they did not consider that they gave themselves away
by taking to their heels in response to My offer.

[6] Many who remained behind said: No, I could never have
thought that about this or that one. Others however could not
resist laughing, saying: Quite smart of You. These would have
given no answer even if asked for ten years straight, yet You only
offered most kindly to heal them of this affair, and look how they
all shot through. They probably thought that He who could convert
water into wine could also call them by their name, You there
sinned this way and so many times, and you there this way and this
often. And this they could not bear of course and thus made off.
But they did not consider that this way they gave themselves away
most of all. We don’t wish to judge them, since we know our own
weaknesses, and know it is better to first sweep before your own
house, but it is funny how they thought that by running off they
would not be recognized the way you described the sins. No, these
are sillier than Persian rhinos.

[7] I said: Let them go, the blind fools. Before men they feel
ashamed, but before God who at all times sees and tries the hearts
and kidneys of men they are not ashamed. I tell all of you: This
worldly sense of shame is idle. How long will it last in this world
anyway? Soon the body will be taken from them whose flesh gave
them so many sweet hours. Then they will arrive naked in the other
world where everything they did ever so secretly in this world will
be revealed in all detail. Only there a true and lasting shame will
be theirs of which they will not be able to rid themselves as easily
as here.

[8] In truth, I tell all of you: Those who are lascivious, unchaste
and fornicators shall not enter the Kingdom of God unless they
have drastically changed their most wicked way of life. For see, all
other sins man commits outside his body and can, therefore, rid
himself of them more easily, for what takes place externally does
not cause as much damage to a person as that which takes place
within him. Fornication takes place within man, damages his soul
and spirit and is thus the most dangerous of all evils. Therefore,
shun it above all and flee it like the plague, for the appetite for
sensual pleasure is Satans trick. Woe betide him who has allowed
Satan thus to take hold of him. He will find it extremely difficult to
free himself from Satans claws. Unspeakable suffering and pains
will be his share. Do heed all this, or else the time and the days
will come which you will not like at all. But now let us retire.

[9] Several who had travelled with Me moved over to their
dwellings. My disciples however and mother Mary and My
brethren, i.e. Joseph’s five sons, remained with Me.

(Excerpt from Great Gospel of John vol I – Jakob Lorber)

SAYS Simon Peter: Yes, Lord, we have indeed understood it profoundly; yet this thing has its drawback in that, in my
opinion and in line with Your teaching, if all punishment
is to be abolished, then the transgressors would soon multiply like
the grass on Earth and sand in the sea. Wherever a law is given it
has to be sanctioned with a corresponding punishment, or it should
be as good as no law at all. Or can a law prevail without sanction?

[2] I said: My dear Peter, here you judge like one blind judges the
color of light. Go and look at the zoos of the dignitaries; there you
shall see all kinds of animals: tigers, lions, panthers, hyenas,
wolves and bears. If such beasts were not kept in powerful cages,
what life should be safe in the vicinity? But what folly to cage also
the gentle lambs and pigeons?

[3] Hell of course requires most severe laws, coupled with the
most painful sanctions, but My kingdom, which is Heaven,
requires neither law, let alone any sanction.

[4] I have not come to educate you for Hell through the sanctioned
severity of the law, but for Heaven through love, meekness and
truth. If I now liberate you from the law by My new teaching from
the Heavens, showing you the new path through the heart to the
true, everlasting freest life, who do you want to live always judge
and condemned under the law without considering that it is better
to die a thousand times bodily in the freedom of love than to walk
in the death of the law just for one day?

[5] It goes without saying that thieves, robbers and murderers must
be caught and imprisoned, for they are like the wild, ferocious
beasts that as images of Hell live in holes of the Earth, day and
night on the lurk for prey. To properly hunt for these is even a duty
for the angels in Heaven, but no one shall destroy them. They must
be kept imprisoned to be calmed and tamed, and only in cases of
violent resistance shall they be wounded and, if quite unyielding,
their body may also be slain, for then a dead Hell is better than a
live one.

[6] But whoever will go on to judge and put to death an
imprisoned thief, robber and murderer will once have to face My
wrath, for the more severely men judge and punish their offenders,
the more cruel, careful, furtive and hard the still free criminals will
become, and when they break into a house at night they will not
only take whatever they find, but will also murder and destroy all
who could betray them.

[7] If, however, you abolish the severe judgment and wisely
suggest to all people to give the one who should ask someone for a
shirt also the coat, then thieves would still come to you asking for
this and that, but they will not rob or murder.

[8] Once men will out of true love for their brothers and sisters,
resulting from their love for Me, cease to amass the transient goods
of this Earth and instead imitate Me, then there will soon no longer
be any thieves, let alone robbers and murderers.

[9] Whoever thinks that through severe laws and increasingly
harsher judgment all offenders will eventually be eliminated is
grossly mistaken. Hell has never yet lacked those. What use is it to
you to kill a devil if instead of the one killed Hell sends ten, each
of whom is worse than ten of the previous kind would have been?
If the evil one when he comes finds that he is opposed again by
evil, he becomes enraged and turns into a complete Satan, but if he
finds nothing but love, meekness and patience, he desists from his
evil act and continues on his way.

[10] When a lion sees a tiger or another enemy approaching him,
he soon gets enraged, leaps at him with all force and destroys his
enemy, but he will allow a weak little dog to play with him and
becomes quite gentle. And if a fly comes and settles on his strong
paws, he will hardly look at it and let it fly away unhindered, for to
catch gnats and flies is beneath a lion. That will also be every
powerful enemys attitude towards you unless you oppose him
with force.

[11] Therefore, you should rather bless your enemies than catch,
judge and imprison them, and you will gather live coals over their
heads and thus prevent them from harming you.
[12] With love, meekness and patience you will succeed
everywhere, but if you judge and condemn people, who
notwithstanding their blindness are still your brothers, you will,
instead of the blessing of the gospel, sow only curse and discord
among men on this Earth.

[13] Therefore you have to be fully My disciples in word, teaching
and deed, if you want to be and become My servants in the
spreading of My kingdom on Earth. If you don’t want this
however, or if it seems too much effort or not right to you, then it
is better for you to return home; I nevertheless am able to raise
disciples from stones for Myself.