The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
From the Lord's years of youth
- Chapter 209 -
Teaching on the top of the mountain.
I was an old village located on a fairly high mountain. From the highest point and on a clear day the big sea was visible. The houses and stalls of our Greek were located a little above that little place. They were very ruinous and of course all of it had to be demolished and instead of it, other constructions had to be built.
2
When Joseph had taken a good look at it, he said to Me: 'My son, if we have to demolish this in a natural way and then construct it again, then we need much more than a year for this job.'
3
I said: 'Do not worry about that. What I have said will also happen. But not today and tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow everything will be entirely orderly finished.'
4
Now the Greek was asking: 'Tonight I would like to be your host but in this respect I also have a few difficulties. Regarding the fish as favorite dish of the Jews it is with us no better than with the innkeeper by whom we had taken our midday meal, because there is no brook of any importance here, no lake, and going to the sea is really a bit too far. But I do have chickens, eggs and lambs and calves, as well as leavened bread, salt and a good wine that I am cultivating myself in my many and big vineyards. It depends now on you what you will choose, then everything will be prepared at the right time.'
5
Joseph said: 'Then let a lamb be prepared, the rest will certainly be simply fine.'
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The Greek said: 'Very well, the best and fattest of my many lambs will be slaughtered and prepared. But now I am still wondering what we will do until it will be fully evening, so that the time would not seem too long for us.'
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I said: 'Then let us all go to the top of your mountain and from there look at this environment that is very beautiful. Then a few things could happen there that can give us a lot of topics to think about and come to conversation.'
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When I expressed that wish, everybody agreed. We went on our way and we quickly arrived on the mountain, more precisely on the highest top.
9
From there, we could soon see the big sea completely because it was a clear summer day. And we all were very pleased about this tremendous lovely sight.
10
And Joseph himself said very emotionally: 'Oh, if this Earth as a place of education for the children of God is already so beautiful that nothing more beautiful and lovely could be wished for, then how beautiful must be Heaven that is waiting for us after the death of this body and after the resurrection on the youngest day. Between this weary life in the body and that lovely resurrection there certainly must be a very long, lifeless dark night. But this is what I think: if someone has to stay a whole night awake, living in his body, this must seem very long to him. But if man continues to sleep the whole night long, in the morning it often will seem too short to him. And so I think that the long night will not seem too long for us at the day of the resurrection. Obviously the good God has arranged everything for the best, so that it will be for men's happiness and greatest well being when they are keeping His commandments and have the fullest faith in Him.'
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Also our Greek agreed with the opinion of the old Joseph, but he still asked Me what I had to say on that.
12
And I said: 'Yes, yes, these are really nice and wise sounding words. It was a very good image, but the only thing that is wrong with it, is that it is not as true as it sounds and as it is so nicely and solemnly expressed. But now that I am with you, why are you not asking Me how it will be with the life of the soul after the death of the body? I surely will know it better than you. However I know nothing about an almost centuries-old night of death of the soul after the falling away of the body. The moment that the heavy body will fall off from you, you will be immediately in the resurrection and will continue to live and work eternally, that means, if in the eyes of God you will leave this world as a righteous person.
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However, if in the eyes of God you die as an unrighteous person, then surely a very long night between the death of your body and your true resurrection will follow. But it is not as if you will not be aware of it. The soul is indeed aware of it, and that will be a real and long lasting death of the soul. Because a death where the soul has no knowledge of, would not be a real death for him. However, the death of which he will be aware in the kingdom of the impure spirits, will be a great pain and torment for him. Look, this is how it will be. And now that you know that, next time you should think and speak more clearly and more according to the truth. And if you know nothing about it, you should ask Me, so that by your words you should not fall into all kinds of wrong ideas. Remember this well, all of you.'
14
Then the Greek said: 'Yes, this is how it is and so it also must be, and at no time can it be different. But now that we are enjoying such a lovely view - and apparently this is only seen by our living and feeling soul through the eyes of the body as if through a pair of windows of his temporary living walking house, which we call body - and the soul himself thinks about it and is fully enjoying this loveliness, the question arises if the soul will also be able to see and evaluate this world and its beauty after the falling away of the body, that means if he would be somewhere on the face of this Earth. What can You, godly young Man, give as clarification?'
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I said: 'The soul of a complete and righteous person will not only be able to see this whole Earth thoroughly and entirely and be able to evaluate about everything very clearly and completely, but about endlessly much more, because this Earth is not alone in the endless space of creation. There are infinitely much more, and which are also much bigger, and there are also as many corresponding ones in the kingdom of the pure spirits.
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But man can only have a clear notion of it when he receives understanding from God's Spirit in the heart of his soul and has proceeded to a wider view.
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In short, the complete soul can do everything, but the incomplete soul, who is spiritually blind, will not be able to see anything else than the empty and absurd products of his proud fantasy. But if another soul, also in the other life, without body, will examine himself and possibly will become better, by that he will turn to a clearer view into greater truth, but by a way that lasts longer and is much more difficult than here. And now you also know that which is most necessary. Believe that it is so and not otherwise and keep the commandments, then you will become complete in your soul.'
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Then the Greek said: 'This I am now also believing, without any doubt, and I am convinced that it is so, but we Greeks are still lacking a correct and true picture of the shape and form of a soul. Could you perhaps also still tell us something about that?'
19
I said: 'Yes, of course. Whatever is good for you, I always like to do. Look, the soul has the same shape and form as his body, but much more complete. However, I am only talking here about a complete soul. He has everything what his body had, but of course and obviously for much different purposes. However, his spiritual body is not matter but pure substance.
20
And the substance is like the light that comes from the sun, which with respect to matter seems to be completely nothing, and still it is the raw material of matter, without being one and the same, because all primitive matter is free and unbound. And so, now you also know this.
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And in order that you would be able to have a much clearer idea of it, I am pointing out to you that you remember apparitions of deceased people, who at certain times you have often seen and even spoken to. Did they look different than during their life?'
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The Greek said: 'Yes, yes, only now I realize completely that in everything You have spoken the full truth. Very often I have had such apparitions, even talked to different deceased ones and was even instructed by them in many things, and I have never seen them differently than in a perfect human shape. Therefore, I thank you for this explanation.'
23
Also Joseph and James gave the same witness, which the same James who is here as My disciple can confirm now.
24
While the sun had gone down during My teaching, we all left happy and cheerful the beautiful height and went to the house of the Greek where already a well prepared evening meal was waiting for us, which we also then consumed with a good appetite. After that, we went immediately to rest, of which especially Joseph had great need.