The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives. (cont.) Gospel of John, Chapter 8
- Chapter 183 -
The cause of the secondary suns.
Now the other disciples, except Judas Iscariot, came also, and together with them, Lazarus, Nicodemus and the innkeeper Jordan. When they saw Me, they asked immediately what was happening and what was the meaning of it.
2
And our Lazarus made the remark: "Lord, it is really very curious. Now 3 suns are shining very brightly and yet I sense a certain threatening gloominess in the air, and even stronger above the ground. The tops of the high mountains look very obscure and moreover, it is nasty cold, although 3 suns should give more light and more warmth than only 1 sun. How can that be?"
3
The Upper-Egyptian said: "Friend Lazarus, what you are saying about your natural observation is completely true, and I have experienced exactly the same 40 years ago with such a phenomenon in Upper-Egypt, of which I can give you the natural explanation, but not the deeper lying spiritual cause, and certainly not now that there are 2 secondary suns."
4
Lazarus said: "Then give me the natural explanation anyway."
5
The Upper-Egyptian said: "Look, friend, at certain times and in certain years a fine vapor is forming in the highest layer of the sky, which is reaching out at a height of average about 10 times the Lebanon above the surface of the Earth. And because this vapor has a high degree of stability, the sea of air above the Earth is set completely at rest, although not everywhere, as can be seen at certain times on the great ocean, on which then on a certain part of the surface of the sea a complete quiet mirror is forming, while oftentimes there will be waves around it. If then on the big surface of the sea of air there is also a partial rest, the image of the sun is reflected completely identical just like on a very quiet sea mirror, and for this reason we can see a secondary sun, entirely formed by natural causes. If now, on several places of the surface of the sea of air there is a complete rest as described above, then equally as many secondary suns will be seen as there are places of rest that have been formed on the surface of the sea of air, on condition that those are in such a position that the image received by it, falls in a straight line on a corresponding region where there is an identical rest. If the position of this place of rest is changing, then also the secondary sun will completely disappear for this region, or still a particular glow will be seen. And if the rest on such a place changes into a waving movement, then also, the secondary sun will be gone.
6
After such phenomena, which are formed as a result of the just now described fine vapor in the highest layer of air of the Earth and which are also the cause that there is less light and warmth, denser clouds will come soon, and after that, heavier ones, so that finally it also starts to rain.
7
And with this you have received in a few words the natural explanation of this phenomenon. Of course the real, pure spiritual cause, only the Lord knows and then the one to whom He wants to reveal it. I also have a suspicion of it, but it is still by far not clear to me, especially not that part which the future keeps firmly hidden. Did you understand that?"
8
Lazarus said: "Yes, my very respectable friend, this I have understood really good and clearly, and I cannot refrain from making here the not exactly unimportant remark that until now the Jews never did anything with regard to a pure discernment of the phenomena in the great nature and a fundamental understanding thereof. Maybe some people have discovered something here and there on their own, and did also discover the cause of many phenomena, but they kept it wisely for themselves and did not tell anybody. Because in the first place it made good money - namely among the more enlightened gentiles - and secondly they had to hide such knowledge and science for fear of the Pharisees, so that they would not be persecuted everywhere by them.
9
But I think the following thing: a good knowledge and evaluation of the thousands of different phenomena in nature would be the best way to keep the people from all kind of superstition with its destructive consequences. Therefore, it would be also very desirable when the people from now on would also in this respect receive a thorough education. Do You also agree on this, o Lord and Master?"
10
I said: "Nobody more than I, for man can never understand and completely perceive the deeper supernatural truths if he does not know the ground on which he himself as a natural man is standing and walking. And precisely for this reason I Myself have already explained to you so many things concerning the special phenomena in this natural world here. I have shown you in a practical way the form of the Earth and what is causing the day and the night there. I have shown you the cause of a solar eclipse and an eclipse of the moon and of the falling stars, and I have shown you the moon and the sun and all planets and the whole endless starry sky.
11
And I have also told you that man can only love God completely when he also comes to know Him continually better and purer in His numberless many works. And if I Myself have given you this advice, then it is obvious that I completely agree with your good opinion. And if Moses would not have considered it as highly necessary for the true and pure education of all Jews he would not have written a sixth and seventh book about the things and phenomena in nature and moreover still a prophetic supplement dealing with the science of correspondences between the natural and the spiritual world.
12
But already during the time of the kings this important branch of transfer of knowledge was neglected more and more. On the one hand by a section of the priests who became more and more greedy and darker in the knowledge of what is true, and on the other hand also by the kings themselves. And when the kingdom was divided already among the first descendents of Salomon, this branch of knowledge got lost in such a way that now you hardly know that, from Moses until the time of Samuel, such a science was intensely practiced by the Jews.
13
Therefore, I have explained already many things to you, and you understand now already quite a lot. But the most important is and remains the continual striving for the full rebirth of the spirit in the soul, for only thereby will man be initiated in all truth and wisdom, and will he have a complete and coherent discernment in everything from the earthly unto the purely spiritual heavenly. By this light, he will have eternal life, which means endlessly more than the science of all things in nature.
14
But to what advantage will it be for man if he would know very precisely all things and phenomena in the natural world from the greatest to the smallest and would be capable to evaluate these very sharply, but thereby will be so far away from the rebirth of his spirit in the soul as this Earth is from Heaven. Could these many sciences give him eternal life? Form an opinion about this and then tell Me what you think about it."
15
Lazarus said: "O Lord and Master, then it would be better if man had never been born on this world. Because a self-conscious living creature who can think, reason and can understand so much and accomplish, and who has often such a great pleasure for Your works which are making him happy, would be, without having a certain expectation of an eternal and perfect existence, to me many thousands of times more miserable than the most miserable naked worm in the very dirtiest and most stinking pool of the whole Earth.
16
And whoever would educate man from the cradle, to a clearer view, will commit the greatest crime to humanity. Because that will kill man double and still more, in the most miserable way, because by this he will make man the most miserable creature.
17
It is true that an animal lives also, but it certainly is only very vaguely aware of itself. It cannot think, does not know death, does not know to evaluate the worth of life and can therefore not possess any fear of death and is therefore happy.
18
But then, look at man who knows all too well the inestimable worth of life. If he would realize that with the death of the body everything is totally finished, he will be immediately confused, will curse and damn his existence a 1.000 times, and the greatest benefactor of humanity will be the one who will possess the might and the power to kill mankind on the whole Earth and also himself, and consequently to exterminate them. Or he should know the art to stun all men at once in such a way that they will not be aware anymore of themselves, what in fact will be the same as when he will kill them all.
19
If man has no further expectation or not even a founded hope for an eternal life, he firstly will curse God - if he would believe in Him - his life long, instead of glorifying and praising Him. He will curse Moses and all prophets as being the greatest enemies of man, and the one who will observe even only 1 jot of the law will be the greatest fool.
20
From all this it surely is clear that the striving of man for the rebirth of his spirit in his soul - once he knows the ways to it - is the first and uppermost necessity. Because without this rebirth he will cease completely to be a human being, despite his ever so clear science. Then he will be nothing more than an intelligent, knowledgeable and therefore all the more miserable animal in the form of a human being. Lord and Master, am I right in this or not?"