The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Aphek
- Chapter 106 -
About the elimination of paganism.
When we and the Roman priests were sufficiently strengthened with the morning meal, the priests thanked Me loudly for this miraculous meal, and then they said: "O almighty Lord and only true God, we all believe now completely in You without any doubt, and we also have taken up the firm will to convert the other gentiles to this faith. But we see also that this will not be an easy task because especially the common people are still much adhered to the pagan gods, and they worship and honor their images.
2
Here in this city, you can hardly find a house that is not completely filled with protecting spirits of the house and a thousand other complete and demigods to which also partly belong those protecting spirits of the house as a name patron if they belong to the name of a family, and they are also worshipped as such.
3
Well now, to remove all those images of the dark paganism at one stroke by our speeches and teachings about You, will be very hard to us. But for You, o Lord, Lord, it would be easy, because You only have to will it, and then all those meaningless images of idols of the whole city, no matter of what material they are made, will at once be no more there, and then it will be easy for us to bring the people on the right track of light and life."
4
I said: "I could of course do that, but then your work for Me and My Kingdom on this Earth will not be easier but only much more difficult, because a very hard and extremely darkened mind and the free will of men are not so easily broken by new signs and wonders as you think. For if My signs that I have performed in Jerusalem had accomplished that, then all the Pharisees and scribes, together with the high priest would be already with Me, and they would be My disciples. But they are too darkened and hard, and they hate and persecute Me everywhere as an agitator and deceiver of the people.
5
I also could destroy the temple and their ways of delusion in one moment, but that would not improve the dark and hard people in the least but will make them more stubborn in their great maliciousness. And so I will let the temple remain for some time and I will let the pride and imperiousness of those that live there and their worshippers remain until they will turn against Rome, and that will be the end of Jerusalem, its temple and its inhabitants.
6
Therefore, you also should let remain what is old with the otherwise kind-hearted inhabitants of this city and environment, just as long as they themselves will be enlightened by the light that you have received from Me, and until they themselves will realize that their images of idols are meaningless. And then those who are enlightened will be the ones themselves who will destroy the old deceptions, because for the moment it is sufficient that only the images in the mind of the people are terminated and destroyed. When that is accomplished, the rest will follow by itself.
7
But to first destroy the old monuments of faith and to only afterwards enlighten the extremely startled and shocked minds and hearts with the new light would be the same as when someone would let completely break down and destroy his old house before he made a plan for himself of how the new house will look like.
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Where does he has to live in the mean time till the new house is ready? But once the new house is built, it will be easy for him to break down the old one and to let it disappear.
9
If I now would destroy all your images of idols in one moment by the power of My word and will, it would, even this same day, inevitably cause a revolt of the people which you hardly would be able to suppress, no matter how loudly and sharply you would preach in all the alleys and streets about the great wrath of the insulted gods. Because the people would finally very angrily ask how they could have sinned so much against the gods - while they continuously were showing the same readiness to make offerings and were virtuous - that they even took away their images which the people have always highly honored.
10
The people would finally accuse you of greed - which is something that they very well know about you - and the people would say: 'Listen you priests, not the gods but you have done this. Bring us back the gods, or else you will fall a prey to our justified wrath.'
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And look, under such circumstances you hardly will be able to spread My teaching and the faith in Me among the gentiles.
12
So first build a new house for them, then they will help you to destroy the old one completely. But for what concerns the gods in your houses which are mostly made of noble metals like gold and silver, melt them, sell the metal and divide the money among the poor who will then certainly not despise you.
13
My Kingdom that I establish now on this Earth, is a Kingdom of peace and not a kingdom of discord, persecution or war. And so you should also spread it in peace among the people, and by that not make use of a sword.
14
But once My teaching will be spread among the nations with the sword, it soon will look very miserable on this Earth. The blood will flow in streams, and all the seas will take on a sad color. Therefore, be all peaceful workers in My name and avoid all dispute and quarrel. Work only by My love in your hearts, for in love lies hidden the greatest power and might.
15
Remember that although your paganism is an old, molded and lifeless tree, it still has so many strong wooden parts and almost stone roots that it will not let itself be cut down in one blow of an axe. But in time, with the right wisdom, patience and perseverance it nevertheless will have to yield by the many blows of the axe. The sharp axe, which I am giving to you now, is called wisdom. Even the darkest and hardest resistance will finally have to yield to that axe.
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This is My will. Act accordingly, then by My love in you, you will reap golden fruits for My Kingdom.