The Lord against the Phariseic church - ceremonies - Nimbus and other divine signs
To demonstrate My might, I had to prove their spiritual ideas false through My words, and I had to eliminate physical diseases by acts. And so you see how I and My disciples often acted contrary to the prescribed religious ceremonies in order to draw people's attention to the fact that the literal observance of the laws of the temple was not yet religion in the sense that Moses, the Prophets and I meant it to be. In this way, I endeavoured to reduce all the misinterpreted ceremonies to their true value so as to make room for My pure spiritual teaching. That is why I said: "They that be whole need not a physician, only they that are sick!" - "I will have mercy and not sacrifices!" - "I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance!" - and to the objections regarding fasting: "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they shall fast." - "No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment!" - "Neither do men put new wine in old bottles!" – and so on. From all this you may see how I fought against the old prejudices in various ways, through words and parables, so that My teaching might be recognized as spiritual and people might understand that it cannot be replaced by ceremonies and the running into the temple, and that these words might come true: "Who ever worships Me, must worship Me in spirit and in truth!" (The Lord’s Sermons, chap. 44)
0 Comments
The heathenish Orthodox Christianity (XIXth Century Russia) and advantage of a real monarchy13] See how it looks here—especially in the northern parts—as if eternal peace had established its seat there;
14] but appearances cannot be trusted. Even here, there are many storms in the minds of the northern inhabitants. It is not only that they remain behind in cultural development to the rest of the people in Europe, but they also remain behind Europe in so many other circumstances. The reason for this is that the government has still done too little; it has even done too little to at least let that certain Christian light illuminate in a more intensive way, which is in general so characteristic in this empire. 15] This named strife is more or less a moral strife, rather than a political strife. Given that, in regards to the spirituality of a person there can be no condition more uneasy than some tiny sparks of Christianity connected with a whole fire stream of the dirtiest superstition, because it is easier to make the pitch-dark heathens—both here as well as in the hereafter—accessible to the pure truth, than such heathenistic Christians. 17] However, the overall situation in this empire is nevertheless one where the truth still has unhindered access under certain conditions: 18] because, wherever a [supreme] emperor rules a country, and always seeks within his own big effect-sphere117, in all situations to unite his empire as much as possible, such a emperor is so much more [worthy], yes, I tell you, undoubtedly more, [as is the case] whereas in any other highly educated country a monarch is merely a ruler by name only and his subjects are granted constitutions upon constitutions, in order to avoid being ousted from his much-loved throne 118. 19] Truly, such an emperor is not much better than a criminal in prison, since his blindness is not allowing him to see into what kind of slave-chains his constitutionalised people have cast him in. 20] He cannot see that he is a prisoner in the golden chain. The golden chain is also a metal chain, and with such massive links often tenfold heavier than the one made of iron for a criminal. - (12 Hours – Tenth Hour – Europe) 117 From the German word “Wirkungssphaere” meaning: His own sphere of action. 118 In brief: A sovereign must first unite his country within himself—his heart, before ruling his people; or he, like other more educated sovereigns becomes a puppet and appeases his subjects with one constitution over another [he gives the people what they want] for fear of losing his throne. Spiritual understanding of the lie. Not acting according to the recognized Word. External ceremonies3/9/2019 [6] See, it's the same with the spirit. By virtue of such a device he is capable of accommodating two things, namely the external pictorial and the intrinsically essential reality.
[7] In this double vision lies the secret of the free will. [8] Every human being, be it purely spiritual or still enveloped in matter, naturally hangs between the external and the internal through this ability. He can therefore always see a countless number of external forms, but he can simultaneously absorb just as much of the inner, purely Divine truth. [9] With the light from the outside, he grasps nothing of all that is seen, but merely the external form, and thus can be the creator of his thoughts in himself through the reception of these forms. [10] With these thoughts, he can also set his freely disposable will in motion, as and when he wants. [11] If he does not use the other eye of the inner Divine light, but is merely content with and deals only with forms, then he is a man who evidently deceives himself; for the forms are empty appearances for him as long as he cannot grasp them in their depths. [12] But if a man who simultaneously also possesses the inner light he received from the Lord and beholds it, perceives the interior of the forms, but disguises it and testifies only to the outer forms differently than he does about its great importance which he perceives with the inner spiritual eye, which is the ear; see, this is when he gives a false testimony to the externally perceived forms. [4] I said: “O, with these meaningless excuses of yours you will achieve nothing with Me. You are lacking nearly completely faith and a real living trust in God, and therefore God does not answer your prayers and does not pay attention to your sacrifices. Why actually do you not pray yourself with full faith and trust? Because this seems too uneasy for you. That is why you have in the congregation certain people who pray and beg for you, who are authorized by the temple and whom you pay, so that they would beseech for you this or that from God. If you can give your faith and trust to these hypocrites, who are always letting themselves be well paid for their pretended effort and whose praying and begging have never given you any help, then why do you not prefer to put your faith and trust in God the Lord and Father Himself?
[5] I say to you: this is because of your own laziness. You are earthly wealthy possessors of goods, and already since your youth you are used to let your helpers and maids work for you for a meager salary, and with that you like to play as severe lords, and you also believe that those prayers and beggars must also work for you with God successfully because you pay them well for that. But then God turns His face away from you and will never listen to the disgusting, senseless and spiritless bawling of the lips of your hypocritical servants of God. And that is then also the reason why God cannot, will and may not help you. For if God would do that, then He as the highest, eternal wisdom, love and power, would let you sink down even deeper into full ruin, which is only caused by your laziness. [6] Therefore, awaken your faith in God and the real, inner love for Him and firm trust in Him. Pray and beg yourself in spirit and in truth to Him, then He certainly will hear you. Thus, pray yourself without ceasing, do real penance and endure also the suffering, which has come over you for good reasons, with patience and true dedication to the godly will, as you can learn from the patience of Job, then God will help you out of every distress, as far as this will be good for the salvation of your souls. [7] Although you have begged Me now yourselves to deliver you from your distress, because you think that I am a prophet to whom God has given a great power, and look, I can and will hear and help you as less as God Himself, for I and God – whom you do not know, for which reason you also do not believe in Him – are one in spirit, one in will and one in mind. What you can never achieve with your manner of praying and begging to God, that you will also not achieve with Me. Therefore, do first what I have advised you, then I will help you also, even if I will not stay overnight with you. (GGJ Book 20, chap. ) BUT when we had left the village already quite far behind us, the disciples asked Me: “Lord and Master, why actually did You not help these Jews at all, while they still asked You very explicitly and have sent no one to pray and beg You?” [2] I said: “Did I have to strengthen them even more in their old laziness and in their unbelief and superstition than they are in already now since a long time? I only have shown them the way they have to go. If they will do it, they also will be helped at the right time, but if they will not do it, then they also may remain as they are and build their houses on sand. It will not really confuse us, for if a person, against the advice of wisdom, wants to harm himself, no injustice is done to him. [3] With these people, whose request I did not grant, an affliction with all kinds of distress and suffering is necessary, for through this they will wake up from their old laziness and be trained in patience, and their hearts will become softer and more merciful than it has been the case until now. For I am not always a helper, but wherever this is necessary, also a righteous judge. 12] Then the innkeeper said to Me: “O, how many thanks do I still owe You now for the fact that in one time You have freed me from a lot of enemies by Your very wise advice, which I will
always keep from now on very strictly. But now I would like to bring up something different before You, and also concerning this You certainly will give me the best advice. [13] Look, Lord and Master, as You know all too well, we are all Greeks, and thus gentiles. But still, the more we read through Moses and the prophets, the more we honor your old doctrine. That is why we already took the decision several times to firmly and unbreakably join your faith, and consequently to life and to act according to its basic principles and laws. However, this was not as easy as we thought. [14] Concerning the pure teaching itself, everything would be all right for us, and so we have also spoken several times about this with a local rabbi. But that one talked nonsense to us about a lot of difficult transition ceremonies, which to my opinion are completely unnecessary and are lacking every better and reasonable meaning, and, in case we would not let them perform on us, about a big amount of exemption money according to the laws of the temple. And that is why we, up to this moment have still remained Greeks, and this all the more because we still have never heard any special constructive and attractive testimony of your priests. CHAPTER 13
The swing at her corresponding image. Ceremonial religion cult and the worldly life. [1] You must have already more than once have seen such a monotonous garden airship, very well known to you by the name of 'swing'; you would also have taken part in such a repetitive journey. What have you felt when such an airship was diligently pushed to and fro by an artful taskmaster? You say: We felt anything but pleasant and when we left the vessel, we almost vomited due to the terrible swinging journey! For this reason, we also lost any desire to ever again take part in such an airborne journey. [2] I say: your description is very good and we will be able to use it very well for our purpose. Have you ever questioned yourselves what would become of such a swing if it would be brought into rapid motion by the enthusiastic pusher? You say: oh yes, then she would tip over, with the result that it fares badly with the airborne travelers. I say: good, also this tale we will be able to use very well. Give us regarding this yet a third question, namely: how far do the travelers in such an airship travel? Answer: after hours of moving to and fro, they have come so far that they get off at the same point they started out from. What kind of journey is that? Answer: An imaginary journey, for you, are in fact put in motion, but do not progress any further than the swinging length of such a ship and one would have to succumb to be even laughed at by a snail, whom, even with an incomparable slow creeping motion, would make more progress in a few hours than the full length of the swing's furthest reach. Likewise, do we see in the sphere of our hospitable friend how a multitude of people let themselves be wildly swung to and fro in great swings. Have a look: if the swing still swings with moderation, the swingers calls out to the commander: swing harder, harder! But when the swing reaches almost half a circle, all are screaming: stop, stop, otherwise the swing might top over and then we are lost! [3] Do you not yet see something in this strange image? O it stands so clear before you as a sun before the eyes! If you would just have a look at the ceremonial religious cult, you will immediately understand our image. [4] A child, born and baptized in such a ceremonial church are spiritually seen, already put in such a swing and when he lays in it, the swing is gradually put into increasing motion. Because of the motion, the person thinks that he is making heaven knows how great progress and he is going forward! At first glance can anyone see how far such a journey will go! This airship hangs between two pillars. The one means the so-called rock of faith doctrine, the other though, the necessity of state and politics. Both are planted as solidly as possible and connected by crossbeams. As such continues the journey between these two pillars and no man can move himself any further as the length of the rope onto which this meaning full airship hangs. Some swingers quickly become nauseous and jump off at the very first repose by which they can benefit. A very few leave such a transport device for good. Only those having vested interest in such a device stays in it pro forma, allows themselves for appearance's sake to be restfully pulled to and fro and praises and exalts such a device, whose movement is, according to them, exceptionally beneficial for your health. By that they also attract strangers and tell those so foolish, to get into the traveling device: would you want to fully experience the enjoyment and perfect satisfaction of such a journey, you must let yourselves be blindfolded. Since that then deceives many to go and sit in such a device blindfolded, it happens that they enthusiastically begin to call out: Yes, only now we begin to understand how much secrets are kept behind the monotony, for the going to and fro have stopped and we are flying through infinite space. This just must be a wonder! Who would ever have dreamt that there would be something so great, behind something so monotonous? 57
The importance of knowing evil It is difficult to fight an enemy that you see and know; how much more difficult would it be to fight an enemy that you neither see nor know? That is why it is necessary to explore such an enemy, so that you know how to deal with him in order to be victorious in the forthcoming battle. That is why it is of great importance for the eternal life of the spirit to know Heaven and Hell thoroughly. It is not the purpose of angelic spirits and of human beings to cleanse and care for Heaven, but only that which was, from time immemorial, unclean. That is why it is much more important to know the place of filth more thoroughly than the place of cleanliness. Only the place of filth must be cleansed; when it is clean, Heaven will make its appearance on its own. It would be absolutely foolish if you were to ask someone constantly to point out and praise only his good characteristics, and never to think about his bad characteristics, nor to exercise self‑criticism. Goodness does not require praise, because it stands out by itself. But it is absolutely necessary that every human being go after his evil thoughts and desires, and work to eliminate them.[1] It is much better if you say, “Lord, be lenient and merciful with me, a miserable sinner!” than to say, “Lord, I thank Thee that I am not like other people, such as the customs officials and all the other sinners!” Judge for yourself which is the more important of the two: to know the ground you walk on, or to know the firmament on which no one has yet hurt himself. The ground carries us; therefore you must know how firm it is, whether there be chasms, and how you may avoid them. Whosoever wants to avoid evil must know it first; otherwise, he remains an immature child. That is why it is very important to explore evil thoroughly, so that each may easily recognize it within himself. [4] When you will go to someone in My name, and he listens carefully to you, and believes also what you tell him about Me, but after accepting My teaching he does not say to you from his heart: ‘Stay with me, dear friends, and eat together with me’, then do not stay there. For I will also be scanty with My blessing to the one who is scanty with you, while you were not scanty with My Word which is of the greatest value for the life of his soul. Because faith in Me becomes alive and active by the works of love.
[5] The one who will love you for the sake of My name, will also love Me, and I will love him in return, and My blessing will from then on be over him. However, the one who will hate and persecute you, will also hate and persecute Me in you. But it will be in vain that he will kick against the prick1, and will harm himself so terribly that by these wounds he will come into the death and the ruin of his soul. [6] For the sake of My name and My Word, you should not ask for yourselves any honor or reward from no one, but the one who will dishonor you and will harden his heart against you, will do that also against Me, and I will also be like that against him. [7] What I give to you for nothing, give that also for nothing to others. But that which is offered by the love of enlightened people, accept it, and thank Me for it. For it is only My love in the heart of men who will give it to you. And thus do also not despise the smallest gift. [8] However, never seek earthly gain for the sake of My name and word, neither any worldly kingdom of worldly rulers. For firstly, My Kingdom is not of this world, and secondly, by receiving the earthly gain that you sought to receive, and having received a kingdom of this world, you would have already received the reward of life for your soul, and then you should not expect any further reward from Me from the Heavens. "[1] All of them said: “Yes, truly most wise Lord and Master. Thus the true and perfect penance is and remains the only real cure for the soul (sacramentum), and all the rest is nothing and has no value for life. This we all can see now well and very clear. But what do You, o Lord and Master, think about the strict penance in sack and ashes? Are the sack and ashes necessary for a strict penance?”
[2] I said: “These are quite as unnecessary as it was unnecessary from your side to ask Me about this, since I have already told you clearly wherein the true and for Me valuable penance of a sinner consists. What kind of sanctification can a sack and ashes offer man for his soul? A sack and ashes were instituted by the elders as symbolic images under which the right penance has to be understood, because the sack stands for the outer humility and the ashes for the true inner humility of the soul. But only the carrying of a sack and the strewing of ashes on the head has given man quite as less sanctification as fasting and castigating. Like a soldier who creeps away in a safe hole out of fright and fear for the enemy instead of courageously accepting the fight against him, will most probably not be crowned with a crown of victory. [3] For this reason: away with sack and ashes, away with castigating and fasting, and away with the sacrificing of goats, and away with all the other temple sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, for those do not have the least of value for life for Me. However, instead of this, one should display a firm and inflexible will for a true inner improvement of life, as well as a living love for God and fellowman, and the full faith in God and His incarnation in Me, for only this sanctifies man and makes the soul strong, giving him to live entirely in My Spirit that prevails in him. [4] Remain with this, and teach it also to all other nations, then you will save Me from sending the threatened judgment over all the heathens in later times. However, you should not shudder and tremble before the people, but with a good and courageous will you should proclaim to them openly the full godly seriousness of the truth. And even if you should not be able to oppose effectively and successfully all the heathens in a short time, the pure truth will very well be able to do that in future times. Because the great judgment over the kingdom of the lie that I have announced, consists in the victory of the truth. And that will not be a different truth than what I am proclaiming to you now. "[10] Therefore, you also should in future times not build any temples and altars for Me, for I will never live in the temples that are made by human hands, and I will not let Myself be honored on altars. He who loves Me and who will keep My simple commandments, is My living temple. And his heart, full of love and patience, is the true and living offering altar to My honor, which is the only thing that is pleasing to Me. All the rest is judgment, death and ruin." (34. The Lord gives rules of conduct for the faithful - GGJ – IX 133 – X18)
«2. Say I: ‘Friend, that which is the right thing for you and mankind at large I have already made known to you on the mountain today. 3. But for the keeping of same it requires neither the old House on the Mount, and still less a new one in town, but only your believing hearts and a firm and good will.[…] 9. [...] Whoever is offended - well, let him be offended and climb his mountain! Once he no longer finds anything there, he will start thinking of something better. 10. Do not in future build houses of prayer for Me but guest houses and refuges for the poor who can not pay you! 11. In the love of your poor brothers and sisters shall you be My true worshipers, and in such houses of prayer I shall be frequently among you, without you necessarily becoming aware of it; but in temples built for worshiping Me with the lips, as it has been till now, I shall henceforth dwell no more than man's intellect would in his little toe. |
NEW REVELATION ExcerptsFundamental Teachings
Categories
All
Archives
March 2019
|