Angelic Revelations—the Gospel of God’s Love
Chapter 19
Truths Concerning the Old Testament
Leytergus Wrote a Book Containing a Description of the Creation and Fall of Man
Moses Emphasizes the Importance of the Jews Learning the Truths of God as Proclaimed by Jesus
Daniel Writes of His Experience in the Spirit World and His Life on Earth
Samuel Recounts His Teaching and Experience When on Earth
Helen Affirms That Daniel and Samuel Wrote
Elias Was Not John the Baptist. Neither Was John a Reincarnation of Elias (Elias)
Elias States That the Divine Love was not Available During His Earth Life
Elias Makes Corrections to the Old Testament Story of His Life
Truths Concerning the Old Testament
Leytergus Wrote a Book Containing a Description of the Creation and Fall of Man
I am here, Leytergus
I was a native of Arabia and lived before the time of Abraham, the Jewish patriarch.
I come to you tonight to tell you that before the Jewish Testament was written, I had written a book containing a description of the creation and fall of man. The Book of Genesis was copied after my writings, which were founded on traditions older than were the descriptions of Genesis.
These descriptions of the creation of the world were not the works of men inspired by the angels or by any other instrumentalities of God, but were the results of the imaginations of the minds of men who lived long before I lived, and who left only tradition of their writings or teachings. I say all this to show you that the world has existed for many thousands of years longer than the account of its creation in the Jewish Scriptures would lead you to think.
I don't know when it was created, and I have not found any spirit in the spiritual world who does know. Of course, no spirit would know of his own knowledge, because in the natural order of things, man must have been created subsequent to the creation of those things which were necessary for his sustenance and comfort. I have never seen any angels who were not at one time mortals, hence I could not learn from them when the world was created; and I have never seen any angels or spirits to whom God has made this revelation. So I say, the creation of the world, or rather any account of it, is all a matter of speculation and tradition.
(question)
Yes, I have been informed as to the fall of man. My information is as follows: When man was created, he was made twofold - that is, there was a male and a female being, which God intended to make a perfect one, without the loss of any individuality on the part of either. Their names were not Adam and Eve, but Aman and Amen, which meant the male Am and the female Am - "Am" meaning "the exalted creation of God."
These beings were made perfect, physically and spiritually, but these souls were not possessed of all the Qualities of the Great Creator Soul. In those particulars, they were inferior to the Great Creator. But as regards this soul part of their creation, they were made in the image of their Creator. The physical or spiritual part of their creation was not in the image of their Creator, for He has no physical or spiritual body. Only their soul part was made in the image of their Creator - and not of the Substance.
But this image was given a potentiality of obtaining or receiving the Substance of the Soul Qualities of their Creator - this, provided that they pursue that course, in their existence or living, which would cause their souls to receive this Soul Substance, in accordance with certain operations of the laws which their Creator had prescribed. And only in obedience to these laws, or their operations, could this Substance of the Creator Soul be obtained.
Well, these creatures were not equal to the test, or rather, requirements; and after living awhile, they became possessed of the idea that they did not need to comply with these prescribed laws, but could obtain this Substance of their own will and power by doing that which they had been forbidden by these laws to do. And so, in their efforts to obtain this Substance, or Divine Love, they disobeyed these laws; and as a consequence these potentialities of obtaining the Substance of the Creator Soul were taken from them. They then became beings still possessed of the spiritual and physical forms, and continued as souls, but not possessed of these Great Potentialities. And this was the fall of man.
(Mr. Padgett asked about the significance of the apple in the Book of Genesis)
The story of the apple is a myth. No apple or anything else that was intended to be eaten formed any part of the fall. It was wholly the fall of the soul's potentialities.
The disobedience was the great, unlawful desire on the part of these two to obtain this Soul Substance before they were fitted, or in condition, to receive It in accordance with the operations of the laws prescribed; and as a consequence, they became disobedient. And being possessed of wills which were not in any way bound or limited by their Creator, they exercised these wills in accordance with their desires. And from this disobedience, the wills of men and women have continued to act in accordance with their desires, and in violation of the Great Laws of Truth which were made for the two creatures at the time of their creation, and which are the same, unchangeable laws of this time.
The soul substance that these two forfeited was the Divine Love of their Creator; which, had they by their obedience become possessed of, would have made them a part of His Divinity - and thence like Him not only in image but also in substance and reality.
The potentiality that was taken from them was the privilege they had to obtain this soul substance, or Divine Love, by complying with the obedience which these laws prescribed. So you see, the story of Genesis is merely symbolical.
I have nothing further to say tonight.
(Mr. Padgett asked where this spirit resided.)
I live in a sphere which is part of the Celestial Heavens. Through the Mercy of God, and His Gift, declared by Jesus, I have received this potentiality, and through it, the Soul Substance which our first parents forfeited.
The name which I have given you was mine when on earth. It is Arabic and nothing else. You must know that many of the names of my time were incorporated and used in the nomenclature of other nations and races in succeeding centuries.
So, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
Leytergus
Moses Emphasizes the Importance of the Jews Learning the Truths of God as Proclaimed by Jesus
I am here, Moses, the prophet of God of
ancient days
I have been with you on several occasions when some of the ancient spirits wrote to you, and I was much interested. I am still the faithful servant of God, but in addition I am a believer in Jesus, who is the greatest of all the sons of the Father, and the only one of all God's messengers who brought Life and Immortality to light.
I could not have said this before his coming. I mean that I could not have said that other great reformers and teachers of the truths of God had not done this because I did not know what Life and Immortality meant before the coming of Jesus. No man or spirit before that time knew this Great Truth.
I am now in the Celestial Heavens with many of the old prophets and seers who have received this Great Gift of the Divine Love. And many who lived and died since Jesus' time are also Celestial spirits, partaking of Immortality.
I now see that many of my teachings were not true; that love did not enter into them, but rather the spirit of retaliation which is absolutely no part of the truths of the Father.
The Jews still look upon me as their great teacher and lawgiver, and many of them observe my laws literally. And I want to tell you this fact because I believe that when you publish the messages of the Master, should you publish also what I may write, many Jews will believe me; and also that I and many of those who taught my teachings are now engaged in showing the spirits of Jews who come into the spirit world the Truths as taught by the Master.
The Jewish nation is the most strict of all people in their beliefs in, and observances of, their religious doctrines, as set forth in the Old Testament. Consequently they will be among the last of all men to accept the Truths which I now understand and teach. But I hope that something which I may communicate to you will cause them to think, and become believers and observers of this New Revelation of the Truth.
They have fought and suffered for their religion in all these centuries, and they are still doing so. And the one great thing that, more than any other, has prevented them from accepting the teachings of Jesus, and believing in his mission to mankind is that his followers (or those who attempted to write his teachings, and those who interpreted the same) declare and maintain that Jesus is God, and that the true God is three instead of one, which, in the decalogue, I never declared. This has been the great stumbling block to the Jews; and when they read, as they may, that Jesus himself declared and proclaimed that he is not God, but only His son, and that they are also His sons, they will look upon his teachings with more tolerance. Many of them will be inclined to accept his truths and the truths of the Father. And Judaism, in its religious aspect, will gradually disappear, and the Jews will become a part of the one great religious brotherhood of men. And, as in our Celestial Heavens, there will be no more Jew and no more gentile on earth, but all will become one in their belief in the Father, and the mission of Jesus. He will be accepted as the messiah not only of the Jew but also of the whole world. Then, God's chosen people will not be a very small minority of God's children. Rather, the whole world will be His chosen people.
I will not write more tonight, but I feel that I must ask you to permit me to write again, as I have a mission to perform on earth, to undo a work which I so effectively performed when I was the leader of my people.
As Jesus is teaching and will teach all mankind the Way to the Father and Immortality, I must teach my people the way to get rid of these erroneous and false beliefs which are contained in the Old Testament.
So thanking you, I will say good night.
Moses
the lawgiver of the Jews
Daniel Writes of His Experience in the Spirit World and His Life on Earth
I am here, Daniel, the prophet of God
of the Old Testament
I am with you tonight because you have reason to believe that you have been selected to do the work of Jesus in transmitting his messages to mankind, and I want to add my testimony to that of the others who have preceded me.
I am a follower of the Master, although I lived on earth many years before he came to announce the rebestowal of the Great Divine Love of the Father, and to show the Way by which every man who so desires may obtain It.
I never knew what this Love was until Jesus came and declared it to man and to spirits, as he did. And when he came to the spirit world after his crucifixion, he preached to us, who were in the Spiritual Spheres, the great doctrine of God's Plan of salvation.
Men must not think that mortals are the only recipients of this Love, or that they are the only ones who had the privilege of learning the Way to this Love; for as I tell you, Jesus came to the spirits who lived in the Spiritual Heavens, and he made known this great Plan and taught the Way to Immortality.
Before his coming, I was a spirit who enjoyed the favor of the Father to the extent that my natural love was developed to the highest degree, and in that love I was comparatively happy. I also possessed great intellectual development, but as to the Divine Love, which I now possess, I knew nothing of It, nor did any spirit then living.
This may seem strange to you because, from my history as contained in the Old Testament, you would naturally suppose that I was in high favor with God, and so I was. But that favor extended no further than in receiving from Him a very great amount of the natural love, which He had bestowed on all mankind; and in knowing, by my spiritual perceptions and the power of a psychic nature which I possessed, that God was caring for me, and using me to convince the heathen nations that there was only one God, and that He Alone should be worshiped.
Never did I know the reality of what the Divine Love was, or that I was not in a position that I might have been in had not that Love been taken from mankind when our great earthly father committed his fatal act of disobedience. In those times, before the coming of Jesus, no spirit could possibly progress higher than the sphere where this natural love and intellectual development existed in their greatest degree of perfection.
So you see, I was never a spirit possessed of this Divine Nature. And we who lived in the days of my earthly life were satisfied with, and expected only, the favors and gifts of God as they might affect our earthly prosperity and happiness.
I was a prophet, as it is written, and God spoke to me through His spirits about those things which I declared to the people. He also enabled me to foretell many things which would and did happen. But this great favor and gift did not bring to me the possession of the Divine Love or Nature of the Father; and when I came to die, I passed to the spirit world as a spirit possessed only of the natural love, and the great moral development which my communications from, and associations with the spirits of the Father had given me.
So man must not think that we of the Old Testament, no matter whether prophet or seer or the specially favored by God, ever had this Divine Essence of His while we lived on earth, or while we existed as spirits before the coming of Jesus.
Abraham, Moses or Elias never possessed this Divine Nature, although they were the specially chosen of God to do His Work in the particulars in which they were chosen. And they never understood that their lives after death were to be anything more than a mere existence in the spirit world as spirits, or as it was expressed, that they were to be gathered to the home of their fathers. Rest was then understood to be the great condition of the good men of God. And this rest meant a relief to them from all earthly troubles, and a happiness that would result from such freedom.
So, when the Master came into the spirit world and preached the Great Truth of the rebestowal of the Divine Love, the spirits were as much surprised as were mortals. And there was just as much unbelief among them as among mortals.
The Jews still believe in their doctrines which had been their rule of faith when in the flesh. And the laws of Moses and the declarations of the prophets control them as spirits, just as they had controlled them on earth.
Of course, after they became spirits, they learned many things which pertain to the spirit world, of which they had no knowledge as mortals. And among the laws which they learned as spirits was the great Law of Recompense. Of course, Moses had in a way taught the principles of this law, as instanced in his decree of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth"; but this was merely a shadow of what the Law of Recompense means in the spirit world.
This law was in existence then just as much as it is now, but spirits had only the natural love then to help them get out of their condition of suffering and darkness; and in many cases it required centuries and centuries for this love to work out their salvation.
And I must tell you also that, when this natural love had done its work, the spirit came into a condition of happiness and satisfaction - so much so that many of them remained contented, and some who lived on earth when I lived, and became spirits when I became a spirit, are still in that condition of happiness which this natural love, in a pure state, gives them. They did not awaken to the Great Truth that the Divine Love had been offered to them at the time of Jesus' coming to earth, just as many - yes, the large majority of men - have never awakened to this fact.
So you see, while God in His Goodness and Mercy has provided a Way by which all may become partakers of His Divine Nature, and of the corresponding great and never dying happiness, yet He has also provided a natural love which may become free from all sin and earthly grossness, and when so purified, enables the spirit to enjoy a happiness far beyond what mortals may conceive of. But this latter condition does not bring Immortality, and no spirit with only this natural love has any assurance that it is Immortal.
Well, I have written very much and must stop for this time.
(question)
Well, at the time Moses and Elias met Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, they had received a portion of this Divine Love, because they had learned of Its rebestowal on mankind previous to that date. And as they had developed their natural love to its supreme excellence, and were very near the Father in their soul development, so they were ready recipients of this Divine Love when It came again to man and spirits. But they were not so filled with It then as many spirits who were mortals in your time are now.
As I understand the meaning of the Transfiguration, it was to show to the disciples of the Master that, while Jesus was the possessor and embodiment of this Divine Love in the mortal world, so Moses and Elias were the possessors of It in the spirit world. In other words, Jesus' appearance showed that It had been bestowed on mortal man, and the appearance of Moses and Elias showed that It had also been bestowed on the spirits.
Sometime, I will come and relate to you my experience of finding this Love, of becoming convinced of the real mission and Truth of Jesus' teaching, and how this Love came into my soul and resulted in my becoming a Christian.
The sphere in which I live has no number. It is high in the Celestial Heavens, but not so high as that in which the apostles live. They have wonderful soul development, which means the possession of this Love to a great degree; and it is this possession of Love which determines their place of living.
Well, I am grateful that I could write to you tonight, and I feel that I am opening the way to my being able to do good to mortals by having done so. For we are now forming an army, as you would say, to make a great and successful onslaught on the powers of evil and darkness, as they now exist in the mortal world. Jesus will be the leader of this army; he is the greatest spirit in all God's Universe, and we who are his followers realize that fact, and follow him without question.
So my friend, I must stop. With the love of a brother who may seem ancient to you, but is very young, I will say good night.
Daniel
Samuel Recounts His Teaching and Experience When on Earth
I am here, Samuel, the prophet of God
of the Old Testament
I am the same Samuel whom the woman of Endor called from the spirit world to show Saul his doom. I come to you tonight as I came to her at that time, only my purpose is not the same, and I am not the same spirit in my qualifications.
I am now a Christian, and know what the Divine Love of the Father means, while then I did not. I was a spirit living in comparative happiness, existing in the consciousness that I had done my work on earth and was then enjoying the repose of the righteous; for as we understood that word then, in both the mortal and spirit worlds, I was a righteous man.
I come to you tonight because I see that you have been chosen to do the great work of the Master, in his efforts to redeem mankind from their lives of sin and error, and to show them the Way by which they may partake of the Divine Nature of the Father and obtain Immortality.
How much more mankind are blessed now, and spirits too, than they were when I was a mortal, and for a long time after I became a spirit. My God then and your God now are the same, but His Great Gift of Divine Love was not in existence then, as it is now. So you and all other mortals should realize the great privilege you have because of this Gift, and the gift of Jesus to explain and show the Way by which that Love may be obtained - freely and without mental exercise of a high order, but by merely the longings and aspirations of the soul in its desires to become a part of the Father's Divinity.
I tell you that the ways of God are wonderful and mysterious! While His plans may seem to be working slowly to us, yet they are working surely, and will be accomplished in His own fullness of time.
I never knew that God was such a God of Love and Mercy while I was on earth. He was our Jehovah and Ruler. He was a God of "anger" and "wrath," and a "jealous" God, as I thought, ever ready to punish those whom He thought to be His "enemies" with massacre and death. I obeyed Him and performed His Work, as I understood I should, more through fear than through love. In fact, to me love was never a "weapon" or instrument to be used in bringing the disobedient Jew to a compliance with what we thought was the Will of God. In such a method of procuring obedience the soul was never developed, and love was a minor factor in making the Jews obedient to the Father's Requirements.
Our principal desires were for the success of our earthly undertakings. And, when these were accomplished, we had no further use for our God, except to keep Him in reserve for occasions that might arise when, as we thought, we might need His Assistance.
I know that Moses commanded the Jews to love God with all their souls and minds and strength, and many of them thought that they were doing so. But in reality, their love was limited by the extent of their desires for worldly gain. And this I know; for when they had succeeded in obtaining what they wanted, they forgot to love God. Hence we prophets were required so often to instruct them, and we did call them so frequently to a recollection of God, and the danger they ran in forgetting Him and His Laws. But we seldom attempted to have them recall Him through love, but nearly always through threatenings and the portrayals of dire punishments that would be inflicted upon them, should they continue to forget Him.
And thus it was that Saul sought my help and advice. He thought that not only had God forsaken him, but also that he had forsaken God; and he expected the punishment that he thought would result from such neglect to serve and obey God. And as I was in the spirit world and probably very close to God, he thought that I would exercise some influence and have the great "threatened calamity" arrested. But he did not seek me through love of God, but through fear of his enemies, and dread that God would direct His "wrath" upon him.
So you see, fear was the ruling sentiment that actuated the Jews in my time in their dealings with God. And when that fear was allayed or forgotten, God was forgotten, and only remembered again when danger appeared. Of course, there were many exceptions to this class of Jews, for there were some who really loved God; and no fear of "wrath" or "anger" from Him formed a part of their love.
So you will see that the laws of Moses were not so much intended to regulate the spiritual or soul part of the Jews, but to control them in their dealings with one another in the practical affairs of life, and in their dealings with the heathens and strangers.
The moral laws thus taught were taught for the purpose of making them righteous between themselves; then as a consequence (so they thought), they would be righteous towards God. But the great essential to make them one with God - by obtaining the Divine Love - was missing, and never sought for. It could not then be found because It did not exist then for mankind.
I am now a Christian, and know that the Divine Love is a reality, and that all men may have it, if they will only seek for it.
(question)
Well, the woman of Endor was not a witch, and did not practice the black art. She was a good woman, possessed of powers to call up the "dead," as they were called. She did not engage in practices of doing harm to mortals, such as putting spells upon them or using charms, but she was a true medium. And while not possessed of much spirituality, yet she was a woman of good morals who had around her many spirits of the higher order, whose only desires were to do good to mortals. She was the one who was careful to have no evil spirits come and communicate, and her powers with the higher ones were very great. Had she been of what you call the lower class of mediums, I never would have responded to her call. But she was in rapport with me and other spirits whose thoughts were turned to the higher things of the spirit world; hence she had no difficulty in having us appear for the consolation of help to mortals when she desired it.
I had instructed and advised Saul when he was alive, and after I became a spirit and he needed help, naturally he would seek my advice.
In those days, mediums were more numerous than most people suppose. And because of their being so common and of such different kinds, and the most of them engaging in necromancy and evil arts, strict laws were passed against their pursuing their calling, or engaging in the practice of consulting spirits.
But not all were bad, and many of them did good in the world. And among these latter was the woman of Endor, notwithstanding that she has been so vilified and abused by the churches and preachers. You may be surprised when I tell you that she is now living high up in the Celestial Heavens, and is a redeemed spirit enjoying the Divine Love of God.
Well, I must stop. But I will come again sometime and tell you of the things that I know in reference to these higher spheres. I will say good night.
Your friend
and brother,
Samuel
Helen Affirms That Daniel and Samuel Wrote
I am here, Helen
Well, sweetheart, you must stop for tonight. You are tired and it will do you harm to write more.
(question)
They are powerful spirits, and look as young as the spirits of those who died recently and were very young. I mean they looked like young men, and they really are. They are very highly developed in their souls and intellects. Daniel is especially beautiful and also very powerful.
With all my love, I am
Your
own true and loving
Helen
Elias Was Not John the Baptist. Neither Was John a Reincarnation of Elias
I am here, Elias (Elijah of the Old Testament)
I also want to encourage you in the belief that you have the great work to do, and that you must not falter or delay the coming of the messages. For if you will only think for a moment, you will realize that there is no other way in which these Truths can be conveyed to mankind at this time.
You must not doubt, or rather, believe for a moment that the work has been imposed upon you as one not fitted to receive these truths. I know it is hard for you to believe at times that you have been selected to do this great work, or that you are fitted to receive these great spiritual truths that are to be given to the world, but you must not let such thoughts linger in your mind. For it is a fact that you have been selected to do the work, and you must not shirk it. If you do, mankind may remain a long time in ignorance of what the truth is, and of the Way by which they can take on the Essence of the Father, thus becoming His true children and partakers of His Nature - this, so that the very Essence and Divinity of the Father may become a part of the people.
The work must be done by you, and you must not doubt. You must have a firm conviction of its truth, and must try your best to receive the messages.
I merely wanted to say this much, as I am very interested in the work.
(question)
Yes, there are a great number present, and you have around you a wonderful spiritual influence which should cause you to believe that these spirits are present trying to help you.
I was Elijah of the Old Testament, and I actually lived and was a prophet among the Jews. I was not John the Baptist, nor was he a reincarnation of me, as some of earth's teachers claim. John was himself, alone. He was in the flesh only once, and was not a reincarnation of me or of anyone else.
I will not write more now. So good night,
Your
brother in Christ,
Elias
Elias States That the Divine Love was not Available During His Earth Life
I am here, Elias (Elijah of the Old
Testament)
I was the prophet of old, and am now an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens and an immortal child of the Father.
I have been present on several occasions when the high spirits were writing to you, and I have been much interested in the work which they and you are doing. You are doing a wonderful work in helping the dark spirits of suffering, and in bringing these spirits in close communion with the higher spirits who can show them the Way to the Father's Love.
I would like to write you a long message tonight upon the history of the times in which I lived, and upon the knowledge that we, who were looked upon and written about as prophets, had as to the relationship between God and man; also, what some of our experiences were with the spirits of the heavens who came to us and communicated some of the truths of the Father. And I will say that, in all our knowledge of truth, we never understood what the Divine Love of the Father was, as distinguished from the love that He bestowed on all men, irrespective of their seeking for His Love, and irrespective of the fact that they were sinful and disobedient to His Commands. As I know now, we could not have understood what this Divine Love meant or ever have possessed It, for in my time, and until the coming of Jesus, this privilege of men receiving It did not exist. The Father had withdrawn this privilege from humanity.
But we did receive spiritual knowledge of those things that would make man better in his moral nature and would bring him closer to the Father in his natural love. Our efforts were directed towards making people understand these things and the necessity of complying with the moral laws.
As I said, I should like to write you a long message, but there is another present who desires to write and I will stop. But I will come soon and deliver my message, and in the meantime, I will pray for you and try to help you in your soul development and in your work.
With all my love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
Elias
Elias Describes His Experience While on Earth and in the Spirit World. He Confirms That the Transfiguration on the Mount Was a Reality
I am here, Elias
I will write a short message tonight, as I promised.
While on earth, I was a prophet to the Hebrews and tried to warn them that God was not pleased with the manner in which they were living, especially in not obeying the Commandments as to their worship and the individual lives they were leading. I was not a man who knew the Attributes of God as I now know them; for then, to me, He was more a God of "wrath" and "jealousy" than of Love and Mercy. And most of my teachings were to warn the Hebrews of the wrath that would certainly fall upon them unless they were more obedient and followed the laws of Moses.
I now know that the "wrath" of God is not a thing to be feared, and that His so-called "wrath" is not a thing of reality. When men disobey His laws and neglect to worship Him in truth and in spirit, His feeling towards them is one more of pity and sorrow than of wrath, and instead of punishment, He extends to them His Mercy and Love.
In my time, the God of love was not known to the people in any practical way (although He was written of as a God of love); and the people were not looking so much for love as to avoid His "wrath." Thus it was only by threatening them with His "wrath" that they could be made to realize that they were disobedient and aliens from Him.
They had not that soul development that comes with love, and their aspirations were almost wholly for the possession of the things of life, and for a happiness that such possession could give to them, as they thought. They expected a Kingdom of God on earth, and such kingdom was to be one that should rule and govern the earthly affairs of men. Of course, they believed that sin and the troubles of life would be eradicated when such kingdom should be established, and that all the world would be subject to the dominion of such kingdom.
Their hopes and aspirations were in the nature of national hopes and aspirations, and not in those of the individual. The individual was swallowed up in the nation, and happiness was to be a national one instead of an individual one, except so far as the national happiness might be reflected upon and partaken of by the individuals.
I myself knew nothing of the Divine Love, and could not possibly have known, for It was not open to man's seeking then, as It had not been restored by the Father.
But I knew of a higher development of the natural love than most of the people did, and I realized what increased happiness such development would give to the individual who might possess it. I also knew that prosperity and power of the nation, as such, would not bring the happiness of love, but only the pleasures and satisfaction which increased possessions would naturally create.
The Jews were a carnally minded race, and the development of the spiritual side of their natures was very slight. Their acquisitiveness was large, both as individuals and as a nation; and when they were prosperous, they lost their sense of dependence on God, and resorted to those practices and that manner of living that would enable them, as they thought, to get the most enjoyment out of their possessions. The future (that is, the future after death) did not enter very much into their consideration of existence - they lived emphatically for the present.
If you will read the biblical history of those times, you will find that most of the warnings of the prophets came to them when they were most prosperous as a nation and, as they thought, independent of God - or at least not compelled to call upon Him for help and succor.
What I have said shows the characteristics of the Jews; and they still have these characteristics - although since the coming of Christ and the teachings of his doctrines that have become so widely known, the spirituality of the Jews has been increased and broadened.
At times they would heed my warnings, and at other times they would not. Sometimes they considered me as a friend, and sometimes as an enemy.
(Mr. Padgett asked a question)
Well, I was psychic, and frequently heard voices of instruction and admonition from the unseen world; and as was our knowledge in those days, I supposed that such voices were the "voice of God", and so proclaimed this to the people. But now I know that such voices were those of spirits who were trying to help the people and bring them to a realization of the moral truths which Moses had taught.
When Jesus was born into the flesh, there came with him a rebestowal of the Divine Love; and through his teachings, that fact became known to men. We who were in the higher spirit spheres also came to know of that Gift; and while none of us received It to the degree that Jesus did, yet we received It and became pure and holy spirits - free from sin and error, and partakers of the Divine Essence of the Father, and possessors of Immortality.
And so at the time of the Transfiguration on the Mount, some of us possessed that Love to such a degree that our appearances were shining and bright, as described in the Bible. But Jesus was brighter than Moses or myself, for he had more of this Divine Love in his soul, and could manifest It to the wonderful degree that he did, notwithstanding his physical body.
Our appearance and his appearance on the mount was to show mortals and spirits that the Divine Love had been rebestowed and received by both mortals and spirits. This was the cause of our meeting. And while accounts of that event have been disseminated in the mortal world ever since its occurrence, so also has that fact become known in portions of the spirit world, and many spirits as well as mortals have sought for and found that Love, to their eternal happiness. Its existence was a fact then and it is a fact now, and the Love is open to all mankind as well as spirits.
The voice that the apostles heard proclaiming that Jesus was the well-beloved son was not the voice of God, but that of one of the Divine spirits whose mission it was to make the proclamation.
This incident was not a myth, but an actual fact that formed a part of the Plan of the Father to assure man of his salvation.
I will not write more now, but will come later and write you further on this subject of the rebestowal of the Love and of my experience in receiving It.
So with my love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
Elias
Elias Makes Corrections to the Old Testament Story of His Life
I am here, Elias
I come tonight to write a short message on the subject of the truth of the Bible as to the things that are contained in the Old Testament. By this, I do not mean that I will discuss this portion of the Bible in all the views and declarations that are contained therein, but only as to that portion which has to do with the times in which I was supposed to have lived.
In the first place, my entrance on the scene of Jewish life and history was very abrupt, and little was written about my antecedent life. In fact, nothing was written except that I was a Tishbite who lived in that portion of Palestine where the acts and doings of the prophets and men of the Hebrew race are very seldom referred to, and little is known of these people.
When I came into notice, as portrayed, I was not very widely known. To the writers of the Scriptures, it appeared as if I had come out of the unknown, where God had taken special pains to instruct and communicate the truths of His laws to me, and also the acts of disobedience of those Jews among whom I appeared. But a very great deal of the accounts of my appearing and the things that I declared and did are imaginary, and the result of the workings of the minds of those who produced the stories of the lives of the Jews at those times, as told in the Bible.
I was a real, existing person of the prophet class, who warned the kings and rulers of the "wrath" of God that was impending upon them, and of the evils of their manner of living. I was listened to by these kings, who sometimes heeded my warnings, and sometimes did not. And some of the consequences were suffered by them in a way similar to that described in the Bible.
But I never claimed to have direct communication with God, or to have delivered any messages that He had directed me to deliver by His Own "word of mouth." Nor did I claim that I had ever seen God or knew Who or What He was.
I was a man who lived a rather secluded life, and who was versed in the teachings and beliefs of the Israelites as they were known at the time. I was also given to much meditation and prayer, and possessed much of the religious instinct - in fact, to such a degree that I really believed that the thoughts and perceptions of truth that came to me were actually the messages from the unseen world. And possessing the knowledge of the moral truths as declared in the Decalogue and as taught by the rabbis of the Temple, I could readily discern and understand the acts and doings of the kings and of the people to be violations of these moral truths. And so when I learned of these violations, I appeared to these rulers and people and denounced their acts and doings, and I threatened them with the "wrath" of God if they did not cease their acts of disobedience and return to the worship of the One True God that the Hebrew race distinctly declared and worshiped. Sometimes I was received as the true prophet of God, and sometimes I was not. And as a consequence my messages were received and believed in at times, and at other times they were not.
The foundation stone of my belief and office was that there was only One God, and that He was the God of the Hebrews. All other gods that were believed in and worshiped by a part of the Jews and by the Gentiles were false gods that should not have obeisance made to them or be worshiped. Hence when I appeared to Ahab and denounced the gods of Belial, I believed I was performing the duties that my God had imposed upon me, and which were so necessary to cause the turning away of the people from their false beliefs and worship to an acknowledgement of the One True God.
(Mr. Padgett asked a question.)
Well, there are many things related in these writings that never occurred. The one that is often referred to and accepted as proof of the superior power of my God over the god Ba-al - that is, the consuming by fire of the offerings at the altar by the Power of God, after the priests had called upon their false god to answer their prayers and he neglected to respond - never occurred. This was the result of the endeavor of some Jewish writer to demonstrate to his people the wonderful Power and Activity and Closeness of that God with His prophets. However such an incident never took place, and there are many other occurrences related to the presumed powers that I possessed as the prophet of God that never had any existence.
While I considered and believed myself to be a prophet of God, yet I never had any of the supernatural powers, nor were any such ever displayed by me as recorded in the supposed history of my life as a mortal.
There is one other instance to which I desire to refer, and that is my supposed ascension into heaven in a chariot of fire, in the presence of Elisha. This is merely a tale; as I may say, well told, but it never had any existence in fact. I did not ascend in my physical body, nor did any other mortal that I have ever heard of - not even the Master; for it would be against the laws of God that such a thing should take place. And God never violates His laws for the purpose of demonstrating His power to mortals, or to display the greatness of any of His followers, or for any other purpose.
No, I died as other mortals died. I was buried, as was necessary for me to be buried, having friends and relatives with me at the time of my death. And since that time, my physical body has never been resurrected, and never will be.
I ascended into the spirit world in my spirit body, as has every other mortal at the time of the death of his physical body since the world of human existence began. And in the future, the spirits of men will so continue to ascend, and their physical bodies will go to the elements out of which they were composed.
It may be supposed that, because I was versed in the teachings of the religious laws of the Hebrews and the precepts of the Decalogue, and believed myself to be a prophet and especially delegated by God to denounce the sins and evils of the kings and people that had forsaken the beliefs and practices of their fathers, I went into the heaven of perfection and into the supreme happiness that the obedient child would enter when in perfect harmony with the Laws of God. Well, if I had been such a child, I might have done so. But not being such, I went merely into the spirit world and found my place just where the condition of my soul, in its harmony with God's laws and His truths, fitted me for and determined that I should be placed.
The condition of soul determines the destiny of the spirit. No mere belief in self-righteousness, or the conviction that I (the individual) have been specially favored by God to do His work, or that I am closer to God and more deserving of His special Mercy and Favor, or that a special dispensation is exercised in my behalf, can ever place me in different surroundings or conditions or degrees of happiness from what the actual harmony of the qualities of my soul with the laws of God, and the workings thereof, entitle me to.
The Law of Fitness works invariably and under all circumstances, and the conditions and qualities of the soul in the spirit world can never be hidden nor counterfeited. Then, it is seen face to face; and the law, in its application and effect, never makes a mistake so that the soul not having the fitness can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven by crying, "Lord, Lord, did I not prophesy in Thy Name?", etc.
Many of these stories of the Old Testament may be profitably used to draw a moral or adorn a tale, but when the question arises as to what shall determine the destiny of the human soul, then the truth never changes, and only the truth will decide the question. Only a pure, perfect soul can find its home in a Divine Heaven - this heaven being the home of the soul that possesses the Divine Love of the Father to that fullness that the created qualities of the soul have disappeared, and have been replaced by the Divine Substance.
So, we may be prophets and preachers, wise in the intellectual knowledge of religious truths, "saints" on earth, and apostles and disciples, yet not having the purification of the soul, or the Divine Essence, we cannot enter the home which the one or the other of these possessions will fit us for.
Let the prophets of old, the sacrifices and the blood and the vicarious atonement rest in the memory of forgetfulness. Seek and obtain the inflowing of the Divine Love of the Father, and the home of the soul will then truly and certainly be the Heavens Celestial where only things Divine can exist.
Well, I have written enough for tonight. I hope that you will find my message both interesting and helpful. It is true, and you can believe that it is. And in its truth rests the certainty of what the destiny of your own soul may be.
Your
brother in Christ,
Elias (Elijah)
Lot Adds His Testimony and Experience in the Spirit World
I am here, Lot of the Old Testament
I come to you because I am now a follower of the Master. I want to add my testimony to that of others of olden times who have written you that Jesus is alive and the ruler in the Celestial Heavens, and that he is now working among men and spirits to show them the Way to eternal life and the Divine Love of the Father.
I am not a Hebrew who would have denied him had I lived when he came to the earth, for in my thoughts and belief, I expected the coming of the Messiah. And to me Jesus was that Messiah in all the qualities and spiritual possessions that I expected him to have.
Of course, when I lived, we had not the privilege of knowing what the Divine Love of the Father meant. We only knew that there was a God, and that God loved us, as we thought, as His chosen people; also that He wanted us to live correct lives on earth, and thereby receive His Blessings and all the rewards that an obedient life might bring to us as mortals. But as to this Greater Love which makes angels of us all who possess It, we had no knowledge, nor had we ever been taught by our seers or prophets that such a Love existed; and as I know, the privilege of obtaining It did not then exist. Only with the coming of Jesus came that Love again to man and to spirits.
But God gave us a natural love, in contradistinction to the Divine Love. And we had a love for Him which, when fully purified, would make us spirits with a happiness that is beyond all conception of human happiness. But we were not even taught of that happiness, and we only had glimpses in the teachings of our prophets that such happiness might exist in the future life.
I was a lover of God, as I then understood what God was, but such love was not that which arose from my conception of Him as a tender, loving Father, but more as a stern, "wrathful" God - one of"jealousy", and always watchful and ready to punish for disobedience to His commands. And yet we also learned that He would reward us when we obeyed Him and did His Will.
So you see, the God of my days and the God of the present, as we now conceive Him to be, are not similar. And all men should now understand and believe that Jesus Christ brought to light (and by that I mean to the knowledge of men) the possibility of their knowing the true God of Love and Mercy. Also they should now understand that, because of God's great Mercy in rebestowing upon mankind the possibility of men becoming possessed of His Divine Love, they now have the opportunity of becoming at-one with God, and certain of Immortality.
It was long years after Jesus came before I received this Divine Love or believed the great Truths which Jesus taught. I was so satisfied in my happiness as a spirit possessing merely this natural love, which had been purified and freed from sin and error, that I thought there could be no greater love or no greater happiness. But in the course of time, I had reasons to think that there might be another (if not greater) love in operation in the spirit world, because of the wonderful beauty and brightness of some of the spirits that I met at times. And I started to make investigation of the matter, and as a result I learned of this Divine Love, and at last I sought for and found It. And what a Treasure I found!
I am now so filled with It that my happiness is beyond all conception of not only man but also of spirits who live in lower spheres than I do.
I must not write more tonight, but I will tell you that I am one of the many Celestial spirits who are now interested and engaged in doing the great work for the redemption of all mankind. Jesus is our leader, and we are all following him in the effort to redeem the world. And by that, I mean the individuals who comprise the world; for you must know that redemption is an individual matter, and not one that can be accomplished in the way of redeeming a nation or a race as a whole.
So you see, back of this work is the great power of the Celestial as well as of the Spiritual Heavens.
I have written enough for tonight.
(Mr. Padgett asked a question)
Well, the incident of my wife turning into a pillar of salt is like a great many others related in the Old Testament. These incidents are mere figures of speech used to illustrate some moral or spiritual truth. My wife was never turned into salt, but died a natural death, and her remains were buried where mine were buried. She is now in the Celestial Heavens also.
So my dear brother, I must say good night.
Lot
