Sunsets Into Sunrises
Bishop Martin - The Progress of a Soul in the Beyond
- Chapter 27 -
BISHOP MARTIN'S PECULIAR EXPERIENCE WITH HIS PROTEGES. - HE WANTS TO ENLIGHTEN BUT IS HIMSELF BEING ENLIGHTENED.
We now go to the first thirty people whom Bishop Martin had brought to the palace. As we enter, they prostrate themselves, crying: "O Lord, o Lord, almighty God in Jesus Christ, do not come to us, for we are great sinners, unworthy of any mercy! Your nearness, Most Holy, is too overwhelming for us!"
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Bishop Martin looks around to all sides, wondering where the thirty might have seen Jesus. But, still not seeing anything, he asks Me: "Dear friend, whatever is the matter with these poor people? Are they out of their minds? Or did they, maybe, have some wine, fell asleep, and are now having either a Lutheran or a Roman nightmare?"
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(Say I): "Oh, no, nothing of the kind. They are taking Me for Him, and that is why they are crying like that!"
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(Bishop Martin): "So it is a sort of mental weakness after all. But, in my opinion, they are quite right to praise you, their present greatest benefactor, as representing the Most High. For, as I see it, every benefactor like you has in him a considerable portion of the actual deity, and by praising him, the deity in him is also praised. What should be done now with these poor people?"
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(Say I): "We shall honor their wish. We'll leave them to their notion and go and see the others. For if they, at this stage, believe not to be able to bear My nearness, we should not torture them. Eventually, things will come right!"
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(Bishop Martin): "I'm sure that will be the best! Such things should not be rushed. So let us go quickly to the ones we saved from the fire. I am looking forward to seeing them."
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We now quickly go to the others. At the door, I say to the bishop: "Brother, do go in first and tell them that I and Peter are coming. If they want to see Me, I shall go inside, but if they don't, which you will soon gather from their words, come back without delay and we shall turn to some other task."
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Bishop Martin does as directed by Me, goes to the fire victims and addresses them with a somewhat pathetic air, like that of an official: "Dear friends, the Lord and Master of this house is willing to visit you if it suits you. If it shouldn't suit you just now, let me know and he will not come. But I, as your friend, would like to point out that he is a very good and mild master, and you should really want to see him. However, you are free to decide for yourselves. So, let me know what you think."
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The fire victims, however, ask the bishop: "Do you know at all who the master of this house is?"
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(Bishop Martin): "Not really, but this is not necessary in the spirit-world. I know from experience that he is an exceptionally good and wise man. To want to learn more would be foolish. Therefore, you, too, should be satisfied with what I have truthfully told you. And now let me know what you want to do."
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(One of the victims): "But friend, why are you so insidious and want to hold back from us the Most Holy and Highest?
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For behold, the Lord and Master of this house is also the sole Lord, Creator and eternal Master of the heavens and all the solar systems of the whole of infinity, as well as of all men and angels in Jesus Christ!
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How then can you say you don't know Him? Are you blind that you have not noticed His pierced hands and feet, which we saw at the first glance?
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Behold His mild earnestness, His great love and wisdom, and lay your hand in His pierced side; surely you will then understand, even clearer than we, what is behind your Lord and Master!
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As if we didn't wish in our hearts that He, the Most Sublime and Most Holy would come to us in this chamber of His mercy. But we are all such great sinners and absolutely unworthy of His visit! We are his lowest creatures who, in the world, so often disregarded His love and patience!
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Therefore, you most fortunate friend of your God and Lord, Whom you do not know, or do not want to know, tell Him our hearts are always yearning for Him but our sins have rendered us so ugly, filthy, and naked, that we cannot even wish He would come to us.
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We are already ashamed and humiliated to find ourselves in this house where He is staying, and where He bestowed His mercy upon us sinners. But where could we hide if He actually came to us?
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Therefore, you most fortunate man, ask Him to spare us unworthy creatures. However, His most holy will, and not ours be done!"