THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the region of Caesarea Philippi. (cont.) Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16
- Chapter 72 -
The explanation of the word S HE OU LA (hell). On clairvoyance.
Says Roklus: "Lord and Master, I have now seen that Your wisdom and exceedingly thorough insight into all things is of an unfathomable profundity, and I must here openly confess that unless You had, where Your Spirit is concerned, been deeply involved in all creation, You could not possibly, as a mere human being, have known and recognized this, - and many things for which previously I have had no explanation have now become clear, and even exceedingly clear, to me. Since You have been good enough to explain such extraordinary things to me, I beg You to throw a little more light on the expression `Sheoula' and on eternal death; for I am not quite certain about these as yet. That is, I understand the issue in a pinch, that is for sure; but that I could claim that I am quite at home in it, then I would be lying to myself! Explain to me therefore these two things that I have mentioned a little closer!"
2
I say, "Well then, listen! She', also 'shei' or 'shea', means 'it thirsts'; 'oul' or 'voul', the person who depends on himself, one could say 'an animal person' (ox); a: 'according to the consistency of what dictates the inner wisdom and cognition'.
3
The shape of the ancient Egyptian pyramids proves that this is the way the letter A has to be understood. The pyramids are large-scale copies of the brain pyramids and, as their name and their inner structure implies, used to serve the people as wisdom schools. For the meaning of Pira mi dai is obviously: `Give me wisdom!' Their inner structure was such that it forced the man who was completely isolated from the outside world to contemplate his within, thus finding his innermost life-light. This is why it was always pitch-dark in the wide inner passages of such a pyramid, and not until man began to light up everything with his inner life-light did it become light.
4
All this may sound strange to you, but it is nevertheless true. For as soon as the inner vision of man's heart is opened, there is no longer any night and darkness for him on earth. A downright proof, so to speak, is all the very sensitive people and those who are in an ecstasy. These are able to see with their eyes closed far more than a thousand people possessing the best, soundest and keenest eyes; for they see through the most solid matter, see easily through the whole earth, and they, the ecstatic (magnetic) people, can even penetrate the stars which are not beyond their reach.
5
The way in which men could achieve the blissful state of ecstasy - and that finally whenever they want it - was taught and very actively practiced in the interior of the pyramids.
6
Since the pyramids were serving that purpose, they were given the very appropriate and significant name of She' oul a. From this the ancient Hebrew derived his abbreviated Sheol, the Greek his schole, the Roman his Schola and the Persian as well as the Indian his Schehol.* (My footnote: Surely also the German his `Schule': [school] Jakob Lorber)
7
The ancient sages well knew from their ecstatic visions that the very material souls who loved the world and themselves beyond measure, after the shedding of their body had to live in the beyond under very deplorable conditions, and they used to call this very lamentable state also She oul a, or hell.
8
It is certainly true that, compared to the state of life of a truly wise man living within the divine order, such a state can be called 'death'. Since this is an everlasting and necessarily immutable and permanent attribute of all that is called 'world' and 'matter,' it becomes quite clear why it has been named `eternal death'.
9
A soul that remains in such a condition, either here or in the beyond, obviously is in a state of eternal death from which it is exceedingly difficult to become free. For many a soul it may take an eon of time before it will achieve anything out of itself. Tell Me whether you now understand!"
10
Roklus says, "Yes, Lord and Master above all, now even that is truly fully clear to me; but now there is another little question, and this consists of this: how in fact a person can get to the ecstatic, all-seeing condition! If only I knew that, only the path there, I would give up everything thinkable in order to achieve such a certainly highest blissful condition myself from time to time! Lord and Master above all things, have the goodness and give me a few tips about this as well!"
11
I say, "The schools of Egypt have passed away and have not existed in that form and way for a long time; for in the days of Moses it began to be in short supply very much in it. Even then they began to only convey an external lesson, and Plato and Socrates were more or less the last who had even a slight idea of the inner school of life.
12
I have taken on the flesh of this world so that I could give you a still better life-precept which will enable everyone to attain to the highest wisdom of life. This precept, in short, is: 'Love God with all your might above all and your neighbor as yourself.' Whoever does and practices this to the fullest is like I am; and for this reason he will be led into all wisdom and its power and might.
13
For in him who is full of love for God, God is present with His infinite and unlimited love and its most exalted light. Then the soul and its spirit revel in all the wisdom-light out of God, and the soul must behold and recognize everything the -light of God sees and recognizes. And since God's eternal omnipotence consists in this very love which is so unlimited and infinite, everything the soul wills in this divine love with the will of the love of the Divine Spirit ruling within it will happen forthwith. - This is as clear and true as anything can be in this world.
14
However, it is by far not enough to know this and believe it ever so firmly; one must do it also under the most difficult circumstances of life and practice it at all times, for only through incessant, diligent practice does the disciple become a master."