57. THE DEATH OF LAZARUS
[1] THEN the evening meal was finished I told those who belong to Me that I intended to leave very early in the morning, going deeper into Judea towards Jerusalem. [2] The disciples who were more close to Me were frightened for My sake, and they whispered among each other, till Peter turned to Me, because he made himself the spokesman for the others, and said: “Lord and Master, each time the Jews in Jerusalem wanted to stone You when You spoke to them, and now You want to go to them again?” [3] On this, I answered: “Are there not 12 hours in a day? Can anyone stumble when he walks during the day and stands completely in the light? I am standing completely in the light and know when My hour will come. So do not worry about Me. However, he who walks at night while it is dark around him and in him will soon stumble and can easily go to ruin. For you know that no one has power over Me unless I give it to him.” [4] Then the disciples were no more worried about My plan, and I further said to them: “You know that our friend Lazarus is sick and that his sisters sent someone out to Me. Would I now not grant their request out of fear of the Jews?” [5] John asked Me: “Lord, You know about everything. How is our friend Lazarus?” [6] I answered: “He sleeps, but I will go to him to wake him up.” [7] Then the disciples thought among themselves that I spoke about the physical sleep, and said: “Lord, if he sleeps, his sickness will soon leave him, because nothing is better than a healthy sleep for a sick person to bring back his strength.” [8] I answered: “You are right about this, but you still are mistaken, for Lazarus does not sleep the sleep of the body, but he died.” [9] The disciples were startled about this statement, moreover because it was not so long ago that they saw Lazarus fit and healthy. A loud murmuring of condolence arose among them and finally fearful questions whether it still would be possible to help, because he only might be apparently dead, and if My power would awaken him.
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Chapter 30 - The Magi Worship The Baby
WHEN THE GOOD JOSEPH heard all this, his oppressed heart became lighter, and since he heard that the captain would come to him, he prepared himself to receive him 2 The captain entered, greeted Joseph and said to him, 'Man in my highest esteem! 3 See, by a wondrous providence these visitors from the East now waiting outside have come here, and I have examined them strictly and found no malice in them. 4 They wish to pay homage to the Child according to the promise of their God, and I am of the opinion that you can let them enter without having the least fear, if it is convenient for you.' 5 Joseph replied, 'If that is the way it is, then I will praise and glorify my God, for He has again taken a heavy stone from my heart! 6 But a short time ago Mary became a bit terrified when the Persians began to encamp about this cave; therefore I will first have to see how matters stand with her, so an unexpected entry of these guests will not frighten her still more than she was already frightened of them.' 7 The captain agreed to Joseph's precaution, and Joseph went to Mary and informed her of everything that he heard from the captain. 8 And Mary replied in a happy mood, 'Peace to all people on earth who are of a good and faithful heart and allow their will to be led by God! 9 They are surely welcome when the Spirit of the Lord will indicate it, and shall reap the blessing of their faithfulness! For I am not in the least afraid of them. 10 But when they enter you will have to stand close by my side, for it just would not be proper for me to receive them in this tent by myself!' “Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
The Lord through Jakob Lorber: „He who wants to live properly may accomplish this in any church, because the main rule is as follows: examine everything and keep what is good. I will tell no one: become a Catholic, a Protestant, or an Orthodox! Instead, remain what you are if you so wish; but be an active Christian in spirit and in truth! Because anyone may have access anywhere to the pure word of God, if he so wishes.” (Earth and Moon, chp. 73) The Lord through Gottfried Mayerhofer: "So as to be on the safe side, believe only Me, listen only to My voice in your hearts, which does not deceive, and do not let yourselves be deluded by clever, sell-seeking interpreters of My Word. Here the word holds good: 'Examine what you hear and read; adhere to the good and eliminate the bad.'"(Secrets of life ) Here the Baby sat up and said: 'Joseph, every man may do good as far as the Sabbath is concerned.
The keeping of the Sabbath does not consist in idleness the whole day through, but much rather in the doing of good works. Moses to be sure taught that the keeping of the Sabbath was most necessary and in his Law characterized every unnecessary and menially paid-for labor as a desecration of the Sabbath, which is an abomination before God - but Moses never forbade the doing of God's will on the Sabbath. Nowhere in the Law does it state that one should allow a brother to perish on the Sabbath! 'And I, as the Lord of the Sabbath, say this: Always do good also on the Sabbath, and you will celebrate the Sabbath in the best manner! But if you, Joseph, do not trust yourself to only seemingly transgress the Law of Moses by the easy repair" of that ship, then My servants shall do so right away.' (The Childhood of Jesus, chap. 149) 45. THE TRUE CELEBRATION OF THE SABBATH [1] SO we all rested undisturbed until the morning of a Sabbath, which was however not especially important to these Jews, for they were more inclined to be a gentile than a Jew. Nevertheless, the eldest came already early in the morning asking for Me, to know if I and My disciples were strictly keeping the Sabbath, since it was appointed by Moses as a day of the Lord that had to be strictly hollowed. For if the greatest part of mankind will remain pagans and worshipers of idols after You as they did before You, for what purpose then is this Your descent to earth?
For what purpose is such degradation of Your infinite, eternal Holiness? Do you want to help only a few? Why not all?' Here the little Child answered, 'Oh Joseph, you really ask a lot of vain questions. Have you never looked at the starry heavens? See, each star which you behold is a world, is an earth upon which free human beings live as they do here! And there are countless numbers which no mortal eye has seen, and behold, this My descent to earth is meant for them all! But the how and why you will only be given to see in My kingdom in greatest clarity. So do not be surprised that I have made such a prediction to you concerning the inhabitants of this world - for I have inhabited worlds without end and number, and all these innumerable and endless hosts have need of this My descent and have need of it because My own eternal order needs it, from which this earth as well as all others without number and end have gone forth. [6] Actually, it is not good for man to know too much about what will definitely happen in the future, for this would bring men to despair or finally would make them very lazy and passive.
[7] On this Earth, where the children of God are educated, it is also impossible to predict the future with the same great certainty as can be the case on any other planet, for because of the complete freedom of will of men on this Earth it depends in the very first place on what men want themselves and how they act according to their knowledge and will. [8] If I would say now: ‘You can now know, will and act as you want, but with complete certainty it still will happen what I will and what I say to you.’ Yes, if this would be the case, then I really would have descended from the Heavens to you men completely in vain, and My whole teaching that I give to you would be useless. [9] Yes, I even will say it stronger: when from a moral and national point of view, only what I proclaim to you would happen actually unchangeably, then you men would not have a higher destination than the animals, and why would you then have your insight, your intellect and your love, and from that your perfect free will? I only can tell you beforehand that this or that will happen to you when you will want it and act like this or like that, but if I ever beforehand would say to a nation or only to a person as something completely definite that this or that will absolutely happen, then you would not be intended to become children of God and I would not be your Father in My Spirit. [5] From this time on I began to speak more seriously with My disciples about the fact that I would have to go to Jerusalem according to My Father‘s will and would suffer very much there from the elders, the high priests and scribes, would be killed by them, but that on the third day I would raise from the dead again I would then stand there as a victor over all death and over all
enemies of life for eternity, as I had already mentioned on Mark‘s mountain. [6] At this Peter became quite alarmed and, drawing Me aside, said in a commanding, admonishing tone: “Lord, this must never happen to You! You are obliged both to us and to all men to protect Yourself.” [7] But I turned around quickly and said in a very most serious tone: “Away with you, Satan; you are a stumbling-block to Me. You think as worldly men think, not as God thinks.” "Many are called, but few are chosen!"
This is the contents of the parable, but in order to comprehend it in its spiritual sense, we have to examine all the circumstances mentioned until we discover the actual spiritual meaning of this parable and its application to that time as well as to the present and future. You must always keep in mind that there is a much deeper meaning in My words than the listeners at that time suspected and many readers now and in the future will suspect. Let us begin with the form of this parable so that you may see how everything has its deep spiritual meaning if put - spiritually illuminated - before the inner eye of the mind. I compared the Kingdom of Heaven with a king who wanted to give a marriage feast for his son. Well, in the highest sense this comparison refers to the future marriage or complete unification of the material with the spirit-world, or the dissolution of matter and liberation of the spirit imprisoned in matter in order to realize its unification with that which is higher. The first picture - a wedding - denotes the unification of two to one spiritual being, even if separated in two bodies. The wedding represents the great or sublime time when that which is congenial meets and jointly performs what would not have been possible to the individual. To this unification or marriage, which usually on earth is celebrated with a wedding feast, all those who were considered worthy of taking part were invited; but the parable says that those invited refused to come. Behold, this wedding feast denotes the entire period from the creation of man to the deluge. The earth, adorned in its wedding garment, invited all men to spiritual unification. It wanted to invite to this feast men, spiritual beings, as the material image of the joyful evolution-process of all creation. These, however, paying homage rather to the physical world and its pleasures than to the spiritual, ignored the invitation and challenge to strive upwards, but preferred to take the opposite direction. Only few keep My Word in their hearts, notwithstanding difficulties, struggles and suffering, tend it with care and also act according to it. As I once said that many were called to gain for themselves, with the help of the seed of My Divine Word, a lasting beatitude in the beyond after this short earthly existence, among the many called only few are chosen to receive the palm of victory, which I Myself once won through the cross and on the cross as a man. (Sermons of the Lord. chap. 11)
LOOK, this statement has to be considered and understood this way: all men on this Earth are called and predestined to light and life, but not everyone can be chosen to be a teacher of men, because this would also not be good at all for men. Would it be good for men – whose main destiny it is to serve one another – if they possessed everything and were capable to make everything? Thereby men would not need each other anymore and neighborly love would be nothing but an idle and meaningless word, as I have explained to My disciples already many times. Then men would not even need a language anymore. What would be the use of it if nobody would need anything from the other? [2] I tell you that with such a sameness in men’s talents and their abilities and appearance, their places to live, and their possessions, and having the same enlightenment, that they would still be on the level of animals, and actually even below of that. [3] In order that human beings may be human beings and not animals, everything has been distributed among them in a great variety. One has this, the other one that, and therefore one has to come to the other to be for him a teacher or a helper in one thing or another. [4] And so also in the sphere of recognition of the inner light of life there must be a few special elect ones to show the true light of life to the many called ones, and the called ones should then listen, believe and act in accordance with what they are taught by the chosen possessors of light. [5] If however, the called ones faithfully accept what they are taught, they are in quite as good a position as the elect and often even better, for an elect who carries the living light within him but does not live in accordance with it, will later on be summoned to a stricter account of his badly used talents than the one who was only called and had only to listen, to believe and be willing to act. [6] Look, the chosen ones are My helpers and the called ones are My servants and children. [6] But actions exist twofold: actions for the world out of selfishness, and true actions in the world out of true love for God and out of love for the neighbor. From the first action man yields the judgment and easily everlasting death, but from the second action the love and mercy of God and the everlasting life of the soul.
[7] By that I do not say that someone should not work the earth with all diligence, and that he should not be thrifty: since I Myself recommend to everyone all diligence and a justified thriftiness. But all this, one should do to have a justified supply, to support at every opportunity the poor. Since what someone does to the poor in My name, I will accept as if he did it to Me, and I will bless Him here and there; however, who works and provides only for himself and his children, and is also not shy to collect unjust goods, should not expect any blessing from Me, and he will not last in the beyond in front of My judge-chair, but will be expelled to the dungeons of extreme darkness. There will be a lot of howling and crunching of teeth, and such a soul will not that easily ever attain the full view of God. [8] Who however, will cross over from his selfish thriftiness to full stinginess, is already here a devil in human form, who always opposes the spirit of God, which is pure love, and therefore is forever excluded from any bliss. For as certain as there is a heaven, there also exists a hell, whose worm never dies, and whose fire never extinguishes. Who goes in there by his very own will, will never come out by his very own will, and this is the true, everlasting death of the soul. Remember this well, and be careful not to fall into selfishness, self-love, jealousy, stinginess and haughtiness of the world! Since all other sins a person can get rid of more easily than those just named. [9] Look now at our Lazarus, who is now one of the richest persons of the whole of Judea, but he is not rich for himself, but for thousands of poor people, who always find work with him and a justified good accommodation; therefore he is blessed and even if he dies with regard to his body, I will still awaken him, so that he can keep on living for the poor for a long time to come. And he shall not see, feel or taste death, but he will have a free choice to leave his body and enter My kingdom which is always open to him. In the dwelling where I reside forever, also he will reside forever! |
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