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 87 -
On the gold and gemstone jewelry of the rulers.
1
(The Lord) "Such a characteristic and effect could also be achieved with other bodies, if they could be brought to an extraordinary smoothness; but since such a thing is certainly not possible with the other bodies because of their too little hardness, only Thummim and Urim can be used for this. The old Egyptians knew very well about this and used both these stones also for this purpose. Therefore the old wise men and Pharaohs always wore such stones on their breast and in a golden ring around their heads.
2
Whoever in those days wore such stones was always considered to be a patriarch and a wise man by the people. In those days a piece of regal jewellery therefore had a genuine and true reason. But in these days it is nothing more than a vain display of earthly wealth, arrogance, and therefore also the love of splendor, selfishness and domineeringness which are damnable above all else. The emperors, kings and princes and generals are indeed still decorated with these old insignias of wisdom; but where is the old, true reason?! "Therefore that which was once a main virtue for the elders has now become a main vice!
3
So in the old days even ruling was a main virtue; for firstly there were never too many truly wise and experienced people in a country, and he who took on the burden of leading the whole people always had a sour standing and always had to be the leader and advisor of thousands!
4
No-one tore their hair out to gain such a position. The people, convinced by the need for such a wise leader, built him the most magnificent home and decorated the rooms with all sorts of jewels, with gold, pearls and valuable shells, and covered the leader with everything that he could ever have needed for a pleasant life, and every word was law for the people. Then the great reputation of the leader was built on this for the present days "yet with a great difference:
5
In those days the ruler did not need any weapons; his word was already all-in-all. Whatever he advised, and whatever he wanted to have, was put to work with united strength, and everything with great love and joy. Whoever found some treasure or otherwise created something particularly artistic, brought it to the leader of the people. For there was the wise custom among the ancient people to judge thus: Whatever serves to raise the leader's wisdom must be given to him, for the leader's wisdom is the order and happiness of the people!
6
But now all that has gone to the grave and instead of the old virtue now a true sin of sins has come to humanity. Where are the patriarchs? Oh, Babel, you great whore of the world, you have infected the Earth! But now I have come in order to release humanity from the old inherited evil, to lay a curse on all the treasures of the Earth and to bless the hearts that have a good will.
7
From now on My word will be the first jewel to the people and true and purest gold My teachings and a true, living palace and a temple in every human heart, which will be filled with the pure love for God and from it to the neighbor, and he will be a true king in My kingdom, he whose heart is filled the most with love!
8
Therefore: No clinking metal and no shining diamond will serve you any more as the crown of life, but instead My word and the action according to the word! For from now on no matter shall have any value for your hearts, but instead alone My word and the free, self-motivated action according to My word.
9
Emperors and kings may well decorate themselves with the old jewellery, but if they want to be wise and powerful, they must nonetheless place no value on them, but instead only on My word! Those who do not do that will soon be surrounded by many enemies!
10
But whoever lays already value on jewels and on gold, should lay it on the particular characteristics founded in their nature, which are a true reality, but never on the imagined value which is a lie!
11
If a prince let his home be tiled with shiny and well-polished gold through and through in order to enter into a prophetically state of vision through the influence of the purer natural spirits, who constantly gather in greater numbers on the gold, which comes from the light, and namely on its bright shining surface, in which he could foresee some things in his difficult business of leading the people, which otherwise no spy no matter how clever could find out, then he would act well; for the pure gold has certainly such an effect quite decidedly, and the value of this metal lies also one and alone in this.
12
But certainly such a set-up would then have to be established on a pure and insightful recognition, but never on pure hearsay, that is, fully superstitious; for man has received understanding from God so that he might check everything before and recognize well the true reason, and only then keep the good and useful in an always best intention for the individual as well as in general. Whoever does that, acts correctly in My order and will not stray on the path of any of his deeds down any side-tracks.
13
But if someone, simply through hearsay and blind faith, which is actually superstition, makes such a set-up and would even feel some effects of the same, but does not know wherefrom they are, which effect they have in a natural way, how far this extends and where it has its necessary limits, such a person, who may possess very easily the sensitivity for such subtle influences thanks to his first basic education in life, will easily see his foolish, material fantasies and imagination of all sorts and types as effects of naturally spiritual impressions and thereby rise to a terribly false prophet and cause much damage, particularly if he has the reins of force in his hands as a powerful prince; and then even a thousand of the most dubious sidetracks are possible."