The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 28 -
About infinite space and eternity.
On this invitation of Mine, one of the Jewish Greeks, who we already know, stood up and said: "Lord and Master, out of Your mouth and with Your permission, also out of the mouth of Raphael we already have heard so many enlightened truths that I really cannot think about anything else which is unknown to me, and so it will be for each one of us difficult to ask You another question about which You still would not have given any explanation. And whatever You have explained to us, is explained in such a way that even a very simple mind should understand it very clearly. Therefore, there are no more questions left that we could ask You in order to receive a more clear light."
2
I said: "Hail your soul if he has absorbed now already so much light of life. However, if you cannot find any corners in yourself that are not enlightened, then there will certainly be someone else who still can perceive many dark spots in himself, and in course of time maybe you again also."
3
When the Jewish Greek heard that from Me, he bowed before Me and sat down again.
4
Then Lazarus said: "Lord and Master, I still have a few of those dark corners in myself. If ever You would like to be so merciful to enlighten these, that would be a great relief for my soul."
5
I said: "I already know for what you are thirsting, and I also could lay an enlightened answer in your heart, but because it here concerns the enlightenment of all who are present here, so that many a man among you would be aware if also in himself it is already a complete light, you should ask your question openly, then I also will give an audible and clear answer to everyone."
6
Then Lazarus continued: "Lord and Master. After what You have explained to us about the great spheres and heavenly bodies, about the shell globes and about the great Cosmic Man, it has become very clear in me concerning the overwhelming endless greatness of the eternal unlimited space. But soon after that, I discovered a very big dark abyss, over which even my most daring thought dare not to fly over.
7
Look, the fact that the space of creation is infinite and thus can have no end in any direction, is very clear to me and certainly also to everyone. But what is the actual eternity of it? Who has stretched out space so infinitely far, and how and when? What is actually eternity, and how, in time and space, is God Himself eternal and infinite in everything? Look, Lord and Master, that is for a mortal human being regarding You certainly a very improper question, but can a soul who has a need of light, help it if such thoughts come up in him?
8
I said: "You named it a very improper question regarding Me. I however, call this a very good and very proper question, and will give to all of you an answer that is as clear as possible.
9
Look, God, space and eternity are again equal to the concepts of Father, Son and Spirit. The Father is entirely Love and consequently an eternal striving for the most perfect existence by the power of the eternal will in that love. Space, or the Son, is also from that eternal striving of love the eternal resulting existence. Eternity, or the Spirit, as the endless initial power in the Father and the Son is the working of and accomplishment of the strivings of the love in the Son.
10
If space started from one point that expanded in all directions unto infinity, then firstly it was as little as infinite as the great Cosmic Man. Secondly, the question arises out of itself: what was that which undoubtedly surrounded that point endlessly far in all imaginable directions from which later the infinite space of creation expanded. Was it the ether without light, or was it the heathenish chaos, or was it a complete firm substance, or was it the air or water or fire?
11
If it was one of those named things, then how did that point in space have the power in itself to drive such endless large quantities of substances out of itself endless times into the infinite. And where did those substances end up if the eternal endless space came from this original point? Then there is no other possibility except that they have to be outside of the endless space, just like in the beginning when they were also outside of that point out of which the endless space would have come forth. However, if this could be somehow imaginable, then the space of creation would again be limited, and even if it would expand eternally farther and farther, then it still could never be infinite.
12
With this you can see that the space of creation was out of necessity eternally endless in all directions and can never have known a beginning. And since God, space and eternity are identical - just like I already have told you - then God, who unites all these concepts in Himself, is also without beginning, for a beginning of God is quite as inconceivable as the beginning of the existence of the endless space and at the same time of the eternal time. I believe that this is now made clear enough, so that everyone can understand this.
13
But I still can see a certain dark rock in you, and you still are not able to climb over it. Look, this rock exists of the fact that you are imagining the endless and eternal space as dead in itself and without any life intelligence. And therefore you also cannot understand how God as the only eternal life principle has found in a certain way Himself in the eternal and endless death and has recognized and understood Himself as the most perfect life.
14
Yes, if one has such an idea of the endless and eternal space of creation, then he can indeed very difficult or not at all understand how the infinite Spirit-God was able to find also in eternity His way in the eternal endless death as a perfect life.
15
Therefore, form yourself precisely an opposite idea of the eternal endless big space. Imagine that in it there is not a single little point that is without life and without intelligence, and that even that which is in your eyes dead and which seems to be completely without life, is not dead and without life, but only judged by God's almighty will, just like you yourselves can observe from a heavenly body or from its apparent lifeless elements.
16
However, if all heavenly bodies with their most divers elements are nothing else and also cannot be anything else except ideas and thoughts of Himself that are fixed by God's almighty will, then how can they be considered by men as dead and without any intelligence?
17
If God, who is identical with the endless space and its eternal time, is in Himself entirely the highest and most perfect Life, then how can that which wholly comes out of Him be dead, without life and without intelligence?
18
Consequently, that which exist and which seems to be dead in your eyes, is only judged by God in this way and can return to the complete free life as soon as God will unloose the firm bands of His will of such a judged thing.
19
You have seen something similar with Me and with My permission also with Raphael when stones were suddenly changed into their original ether, or when this ether became a firm stone of which the pillar along the way to Emmaus gives you a very tangible example.
20
Since all this is so and can impossibly be otherwise, you should, in order to really come to a true representation of God, completely ban from the endless space all that which is in relation to dead, and imagine nothing else than life and once more life and nothing else than intelligence and once more intelligence, for in the endless Being of God's intelligence and power no death can exist.