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 77 -
The process of the inner transformation in man.
Upon My sign the angel stepped aside towards Lazarus and both went into the house to check on the preparations of the midday meal for the youths, who were enjoying themselves mainly inside the tents, and for us, from the sheep created by Raphael.
2
Agrikola now turned to Me and said: "No, Lord and Master, after this explanation I feel very strange, and I truly feel like being completely exchanged! I have heard and seen many and extraordinary things from You, - but I always felt at home; but with the angel I thoroughly became estranged to myself! How did this happen and what does it mean?"
3
I Said: "My friend, all this happened in perfect order! Since as long you are not in a certain manner becoming estranged to yourself, you are not very close to the kingdom of God; but once you start feeling odd to yourself, it is a sign that your spirit inside you has become a little stirred up and has progressed one step forward in your soul. And since you experience this for the first time in your life, it is the sign that your spirit inside you has started to move a little. And this you can always regard as a good sign. This will happen more often to you, but every time in a more pronounced degree.
4
But when you have such an experience, be very joyous and cheerful about it; since therein lies the main sign, that your inner spirit has started to strongly unite with your soul! For as long as you are staying in your daily and homely feelings, for as long you still belong to this world and have no ability in you to come closer to the kingdom of God; because once the pure spirit has awakened in man, and has started to penetrate the whole person with his life and light, in man a completely different and - say - a completely new life will begin which he was never aware of before. And therein lies the highest proof, that man after separation of the body from his soul, will begin a new life which he in his earthly life never anticipated and even less knew about.
5
Regarding the separation of the flesh from the soul of man, I do not want you to understand the full and actual death of the body, but only this state of a person, where he completely has banned his sensuous and worldly desires out of himself and has started to live entirely in the spirit.
6
The spirit then starts strongly to unify with the soul, and it then steps more and more into the environment of the only true life of the spirit world. But this life, previously not anticipated and not known, lies for the time being deep in the heart of man, similar like the pure, small spirit flame inside the bud shell of grain kernel.
7
For as long the seed kernel does not die and decay and dissolve in the earth, so that its earlier solid parts begin to transform to resemble the spirit, for as long the spirit stays inactive and hidden. But when the flesh of the seed kernel starts to soften and to dissolve in the earth, and its particles increasingly become ethereal and start to resemble the spirit living inside the bud, the spirit will start to arrange the particles resembling it, and penetrate them more and more, and an entirely new state of being begins to emerge, as you can observe this with every budding and growing plant. And what you can notice in a very small scale in one or the other plant, takes place in a wide and all encompassing scale with a person, if he destroys and dissolves all of his wants and desires of his soul and his body for the outside world by his serious will inside him, and starts to make them resembling the inner spirit more and more in everything aspect.
8
Now then, a person who for a long time has become used to all the world will certainly not feel very homely; but if he in time starts to feel more and more homely in his new, inner and only true living world, then in the same manner he will start to feel increasingly more uncomfortable in the outer world. Therefore, do not make anything of it, if My Raphael has stirred you up a little more than usual; since this is of great use to you.
9
He is in his being already a pure spirit and thus was able to act more directly on your spirit, as it would be possible for any other person no matter how awakened he would be, for as long he has not have reached the full spiritual rebirth. But this is not to the detriment of your soul, but has been permitted by Me as a great advantage to it. Therefore, as I already have told you, do not make anything of it, if you started to feel a little strange and unfamiliar! If this feeling strikes you more often, then rejoice in your heart; since this is an indication of an increasingly greater approach to the kingdom of God in the heart of your soul. - Have you understood this well?"
10
Said Agrikola: "I thank You, o Lord, for this Your most merciful explanation! The feeling is still there, - but it doesn't feel strange anymore, as it disconcerted me earlier. But now I only want to know, how the angel could have known about the animals adorning my old honorary shield; the shield is kept safely in Rome and we are here. How can he see that far?"
11
Said I: "This time it wasn't at necessary, because as a pure spirit he could see even the smallest detail of it in your soul. By the way, as a pure spirit it would also be possible for him to bring your shield from Rome to here in one moment!"
12
Said Agrikola: "This might prove a little difficult; even if a spirit can penetrate and dissolve all matter, as matter nevertheless, cannot penetrate matter. My shield is inside a stone cupboard locked with an iron lid. He must destroy the whole cupboard in order to remove the shield; and if he would make an infinitive quick movement through the air with the shield, the shield will be destroyed in the air!"
13
Said I: "You judge this matter the way you understand it; but the pure spirits understand this completely different. See, the angel does not even require to go from here to Rome; his will and his all penetrating realization is sufficient. He dissolves your shield in Rome completely, just as he dissolved the stone earlier, and puts it through his will - just as the stone which you still hold in your hand - in one moment here together in matter and form. And see, in this way nothing is impossible for a pure spirit! If you realize this, think about it, and it will become brighter in your soul! -
14
But now the two disciples are coming back from the temple, together with a few other men. We will now listen to them, so that they can tell us what is happening down there. Therefore let us rest until they arrive!"