The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 152 -
The different kinds of people who commit suicide and their states in the afterlife.
1
(The Lord:) "However, there are different kinds of suicide. The worst kind is when someone takes his own life because his great pride has been too much humiliated by someone else, and there is no possibility for him to take revenge. Such kind of suicide can never be completely amended in a soul. It requires thousand times thousand of years for a soul to be brought to a point where its withered, loveless phantom-bones can at least be clothed with some thin skin, let alone an incarnation (Here in the sense of a full wrapping of the soul skeleton with spiritual 'flesh') of its whole being; since the incarnation is actually a product of love and, in turn, awakens love.
2
If somebody looks at a maiden, who is very completed in the form sphere of her flesh and is full of voluptuousness, he is immediately through and through seized by such figure, and his heart will immediately express a love-glowing desire, to call this maiden his own. Yes, why is this the case? Because the maidens' fully developed physical appearance is a product of a lot of love! The material which forms the basis of love, can and must also arouse in the fellowman, what itself is.
3
If we however are going to another maiden, who is terribly thin, and I say to you, that she will not turn on anyone's heart in a passionate manner; secretly one will feel sorry for her, but it will be quite difficult for anyone to fall in love with her. Why is this the case? Because her bones are covered with too little of the material, which is purely a product of love!
4
A soul that already here has been pure love appears in the beyond immediately most appealing, luxuriant and absolutely perfect where its form is concerned. An avaricious and very selfish soul, however, appears very thin in the beyond. But there is still some flesh and blood left because such a soul has at least love for itself, whereas a self-murderer is also completely bare of this love, and his soul must necessarily appear as a skeleton in the beyond. The only question is, whether as a human or some animal skeleton.
5
We have already mentioned that there are several kinds of suicide, and I have dealt in detail with the worst cases. Well, a suicide of the worst kind does not appear in the beyond in the form of a human skeleton, but as the skeleton of a dragon, a serpent or some other wild, ferocious animal. Why? That you can easily think for yourself! Such a soul will never be able to fully attain its life's perfection.
6
Then there are those who committed suicide out of jealousy because of a virgin who, without her own fault, preferred another to the jealous fellow who, whenever they met, tormented her with all kind of reproaches, accusing her of infidelity which she never even thought to commit. Such a self-murderer arrives in the beyond as the skeleton of a wolf, dog or rooster, because the inner nature of these animals guided the mind and will of such a jealous fool, since as pre-creatures they are representing the actual main traits of the soul. Also these kind of self-murderers will someday find it very difficult to attain even to some degree the perfection of life.
7
Then there are still other suicides who have secretly committed a bad crime which they know is punishable by a disgraceful and painful death. They know that their crime must come to light. What does then usually happen? Driven by his terrible fear and his justified pangs of conscience, such a furtive criminal sinks into the fullest and deepest despair and kills himself. Such a soul appears in the beyond in the shape of the skeleton of its pre-creatures such as, for instance, salamanders, lizards and scorpions, which are all huddled together in a heap and surrounded by a glowing wall, usually in the shape of a glowing giant serpent. Also the glowing wall is part of the pre-creatures of one and the same soul and forms an intelligence-element of the same.
8
In short, once a soul, on account of a bad upbringing, has become devoid of all love, even of selflove, the whole soul is permeated by hell as the worst enemy of life. The soul in itself then becomes an enemy of its own life and being and always endeavours to destroy the same in some painless manner. Being thus inimical to life, in the end life itself must fall apart, and such a soul cannot possibly appear in the beyond other than dissolved into its individual primordial life-forms, and even then only in their fleshless skeletons which carry their necessary judgment within.
9
With both man and animal, bone is that part which is under the most judgment and most devoid of all love. Since in bones, just as in stone, no love can exist, these remain in the end, even though only as substantial soul development particles, in which there can never be any love. But it is still easier for human bones to clothe themselves with life than it is for animal bones, let alone for the skeletons of insects and the gristle, cartilage and bones of amphibious animals.
10
Now you can imagine what will happen when such a suicide, as described, appears in the beyond and what a difficult and long-drawn-out process it will be before such a soul can even begin to assume the shape of a human skeleton and clothe itself with a skin and even with some flesh.
11
But, inwardly, you are now asking whether such a soul will also suffer any pain. And I tell you, at times the worst and most burning pain, and at other times none at all. When the soul is, as it were, stirred up by approaching spirits intending, if possible, to bring it back to life, it feels a terrible, burning pain in all its parts; but as soon as it comes to rest again, it has neither feeling nor consciousness and does, therefore, not feel any pain.
12
There are still many more kinds of suicide which are not so detrimental for the soul as the two just described. However, no act of suicide has any good consequences for the soul.
13
The case described by Mathael was still one of the better kind, and therefore the resuscitation and rescue of that soul proceeded quite easily and quickly. Nevertheless, there will always remain a leak in such a soul, consisting therein that such a soul can hardly ever attain the full childship of God. A suicide soul can hardly ever reach the first, outer most and thus lowest heaven, not even its borderland.
14
For the most part only souls from all other worlds attain to the first or wisdom heaven, and from this earth the souls of those wise heathens who have lived a decent and just life, yet also in the beyond do not wish to hear of My person. If, however, they in time accept some of this knowledge, they can certainly enter into the second, the higher or middle heaven. But they cannot ever enter into the third, the inner most and highest heaven, the true heaven of love and life. For there only those will enter who have already attained to the full childship of God."
15
I think that also these kind of deaths as told by brother Mathael, have been explained sufficiently; if, however, something is still not clear to someone, he or she is free to ask. There are only two hours left before the sun will appear above the horizon, and then we all will undertake something completely different. Who therefore wants something, should speak!"
16
Say all: "Lord, everything is clear to us; since with such living manner of explanation nothing can be unclear to anybody!"