The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
On Mount Morgenkopf near Kis
- Chapter 168 -
About culture and schools. Priorities. The Pharisees' sadness at mankind's straying. The Lord's hints about His Word, the world and mankind. Man's relationship with God.
Here a Pharisee steps up closer to Me and says, 'Lord and Master! This all is very nice, good and true and not capable of contradiction. But if men do not gather all those materials which the earth offers them so abundantly, to process them skilfully, then the earth shall be like a desert and there shall be no sign of any culture. Do there not have to be dwellings and schools of all kinds? Take that away and mankind shall in the shortest time be reduced to a condition of animality. Hence the world cannot be set aside, so long as one is an inhabitant of matter?'
2
Say I, 'Your schools are fit for killing all spirit in the tender feelings of children already and hence their complete disintegration would do no harm; for verily I say unto you: if your teacher be the world, what do you want to learn from it spiritually?
3
He who is not taught by God in his heart remains in the night of the world, and the light of life shall remain remote from him eternally!
4
But he who is not shone upon by the true light of life emanating from God is dead, were he to have learned from the world all the wisdom of the angels! How long shall it serve him?
5
Hence remain in Me and I shall remain in you, and the wisdom of the heavens shall eternally fill your hearts! Do you grasp and comprehend this?'
6
When the Pharisee had received such instruction out of My mouth, he spoke gravely and with a serious countenance: 'Oh great, holy and vivid truth! How glorious, how great are you! How happy all men could be on earth if they were imbued with such holy truth and adjusted their life-style accordingly! But, oh Lord, an immense 'but', so long as one drop of this earth remains, or the earth is inhabited by men, there shall be among them greed, envy, meanness, arrogance and the all-destructive domineering, - all those things from the bottom of hell; and upon such ground this truth, undoubtedly from the heavens, shall nevertheless never take root and will be persecuted to the last letter by the thousands times thousands of hell's disciples! Of what use then such celestial wisdom?!
7
To expect fruit fit for heaven, the greatest part of mankind has to be eradicated from the earth and a new one put on earth and brought up in this truth from the cradle on; but the way mankind is right now, it is too evil for hell, not to mention for such truths from the highest heavens.
8
Even if You intended founding a small community, which is to endure and grow within this heavenly wisdom and truth, it nevertheless shall everywhere find itself among voracious wolves who, if not able to harm it spiritually, nevertheless shall constantly harass and intimidate it physically, and it shall never be able to maintain itself in its purity; and who but God knows what, after lengthy periods, the descendants of the pure communities shall look like?!
9
Men are and shall remain men; angels today, devils tomorrow, and hence even the best are not to be trusted!
10
Did not Jehovah of a truth visibly lead the children out of Egypt; they saw Him day and night. In the desert where He gave them the Commandments He fed them miraculously for forty years. There it rained wonders upon wonders! Look up history and then glance at the present life, religions and social condition, and behold the erstwhile children of God, and no trace shall be found of what they once were!
11
Thence I say and maintain, without wishing to pre-empt Your love and wisdom: what everlasting waste for such wisdom and deeds of Yours; because they shall never be worthy of them! Fire and brimstone from heaven yes; of that they are worthy, but not everlastingly of such grace! I speak thus, confident of no betrayer lurking here. But once we get down there again, I shall be silent as a graveyard! Tell me, oh Lord and Master, am I right? Is it thus or not!'
12
Say I, 'Terrestrially you are quite right; it is so and shall also become so. But all this must not hold Me back from proclaiming to the world the truth from the heavens!
13
Because if the world is to be judged, then it has to be first given that which of itself shall judge and must judge it, namely: the truth from the heavens, which now is coming through Me into the world and shall remain so, even if persecuted.
14
Your opinion is a good one and right in respect of the evil world; but most exceptional relationships prevail between God and the men of this earth, known by none save the Father alone and he to whom the Father reveals it.
15
But now no more about it! Evening is upon us, - and it shall be cold at this height; hence we shall turn in at the huts! Let it be!'