The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the region of Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 191 -
Raphael's teaching about the feeding of Israel in the desert.
Raphael said: "Yes, my friend, it really happened that way, and this for a very wise reason, for if God wanted to educate the people for a higher light, when in Egypt they sank down completely into the most dirty worldly things, He had no choice but to keep them - after the people had received the laws of life - for 40 full years in the bare and unfruitful desert in all possible soberness, to bring them in this way to a higher light. That people submitted to, on the one hand wrangling, and on the other hand excessive saving because of all kinds of privation, and because of that, came greediness and terrible stinginess, in such a way that it was very difficult to completely exterminate such vices and sins with the people. Cheating, stealing, robbing and murder, lying and all kinds of prostitution and committing adultery, especially with the pagan Egyptians, became a second nature with the people of God despite all warnings and chastisements.
2
Under the known pharaoh, who oppressed too violently and cruelly this otherwise zealous people, and persecuted them everywhere, they listened again to God's warnings, and they gave up for a great part their many vices and sins. And God awakened Moses as savior of that people in the manner as you know from the books.
3
Now the people came into the severe desert, with no fields, no gardens, no pastures, no milk, no bread and no flesh pots, about which the people became very sad, and they complained and grumbled because the provisions which they took along were soon empty, and the fishes of the Red Sea were not sufficient to feed the people.
4
Then God had mercy on the people and gave them the daily bread from the Heavens. When the people received it very abundantly from the Heavens, the old, bad spirit of exaggerated saving and wrangling became all too soon active again. But God gave them precepts with sanctions, directly through Moses to the people as to how the gift of the food from the Heavens had to be gathered and used. And the one who would not observe that precept was then immediately and precisely chastised according to the precept.
5
And look, this soon suffocated that evil spirit of worldly attitude with the whole people, for with the gathering of a provision of manna there never seemed to be any profit, and so the people observed the precept.
6
That the manna, which was gathered on Friday for the Sabbath, stayed fresh and good also on the Sabbath, was the will of the Lord, so that the people would still observe 1 day in the week with the purpose to refrain on that day from any useless work and would be concerned with God and His teaching and will. Because the people in Egypt had completely forgotten the day of the rest in the Spirit of God, because they constantly gathered, worked and bought and sold every day. And a people without any spiritual teaching will all too soon pine away and become wild to a level that is lower than that of the animal kingdom, and they would then hardly be capable to raise themselves up to a higher light by the might and will of their own reason.
7
If you consider all that together in a right, merely human, intelligent manner, you surely will already very clearly recognize the bright shining love and wisdom of the Lord.
8
Of course this occurrence has also a deep spiritual and heavenly meaning for the people of Israel.
9
The bread that the Lord let rain from the Heavens for the people in the natural desert - which also corresponds to the inner, spiritual desert of the people of Israel - to feed them physically, corresponds with the Lord Himself who came down now as the living bread from the Heavens in the true spiritual desert of men. His word, His teaching and His deeds of love are the true, living bread from the highest Heavens. The one who actively will eat of this bread will never die again for what his soul is concerned, but will have the eternal life within him.
10
A lot of those who ate the old manna have died, not only what concerns their body, but regrettably also what concerns their soul. And up to this hour they have still not risen to life. However, those who actively in the spirit eat of this living manna have already risen within themselves to eternal life. Look, this is the spiritual meaning of the former manna.
11
The natural manna of which the Israelites were not allowed to take provision corresponds also with the fact that the people should not gather any treasures that can be destroyed by rust and moths, but only the treasures of the Sabbath for the soul and spirit that remains eternally. Do you understand this now?"
12
The doctor acknowledged very thankfully, and they were all surprised about this speech, for also My disciples did not understand this before.