Angelic Revelations—the Gospel of God’s Love
Chapter 8
The Kingdom of the Perfect Natural Man—the Spiritual Heavens
Heaven is a Place as Well as a Condition of the Soul (A. G. Riddle)
John Affirms That Jesus Wrote on the Two Kingdoms
Esau Relates That Many Ancient Spirits Continue to Worship God as They Did When on Earth
The "Book of Revelation" is No Longer the Original Text That John the Apostle Wrote (John)
John Describes the Third Sphere and Also Affirms That Jesus Wrote "The Prayer"
The Kingdom of the Perfect Natural Man—the Spiritual Heavens
Jesus Describes the Way to the Kingdom of God on Earth and to the Kingdom of the Perfect Natural Man, or Spiritual Heavens
I am here, Jesus
I come tonight to write on the only way by which men can reach the Kingdom of God, or the way to the perfect man.
This is a subject that many men and teachers have endeavored to explain to mankind, and the ways described have been as varied and sometimes as contradictory as the thoughts and education of these men have differed; and all have sought to base their teachings and conclusions on the Bible. I mean, of course, those who profess to be Christians. As to other teachers and reformers (as they have been called), their teachings are based on the doctrines of the various sects to which they have belonged, or professed allegiance.
But the Kingdom of God is more peculiarly a phrase that is found in, and belongs to, the Christian Bible, and to some extent, in the Hebrew Scriptures.
In considering the subject of this message, it is first important to understand what is meant by "Kingdom of God." Some understand or conceive it to be a kingdom on earth in which the Will and Laws of God will be followed and obeyed by men in the mortal life, and others understand it to be that Kingdom of God which exists and will continue to exist in perfection in the spirit world; and some few, that Kingdom which will find its home, or place of existence, in the Celestial Spheres.
Now, the way to each of these Kingdoms is not the same, although in pursuing the Way to one (the Celestial Kingdom) the way to the Kingdom of the Perfect Natural Man must necessarily be followed; or in other words, he who follows the Way to the Celestial Kingdom pursues that course which, in its pursuit, will cause him to do those things, and obey those Laws of God that are necessary to establish the Kingdom on earth and in the spirit world. But he who pursues only the way that leads to the establishment of the Kingdom on earth, and in the Sixth Sphere of the spirit world, cannot possibly become an inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God on earth (or in the spirit world) may be obtained by man or spirit by obeying the Will of God in those essentials that will work a purification of his natural love, and cause that restoration of harmony with His Laws which affect and control man as mere man; that is, that will restore man to the condition of perfection that existed before the fall of the first parents. Many of my teachings when on earth (of which there are preserved a number in the Bible) were intended to instruct men into that way of life that would develop their moral qualities, and free them from the taint and destructiveness of sin in which they were then, and are now, living. By the observance of my teachings, and sincere obedience to these moral precepts, man will lose those things that belong to his appetites and passions and evil thoughts and desires, and he will realize that in their places will come a purer love, and more spiritual desires and thoughts which lead to a cleansing of his heart and soul. This means living and thinking in harmony with the will and laws of God. For God is All-Good, and all His laws require that man shall become good in order that this kingdom shall be established in the spirit world.
Naturally, and I mean according to his creation, man is good, and not the depraved creature that for so many centuries the teachings and doctrines of the church have declared him to be. And when he shall arrive at that state of goodness that was his in the beginning, he will merely have rid himself of those contaminating appetites, thoughts and desires that made him the sinful and inharmonious being that he now is.
So you will see from this that the work of man, in order to enable the Kingdom to become established on earth, is largely a work of renunciation. This truth was taught by prophets and teachers prior to the time of my coming to earth and teaching the Way to the Celestial Kingdom, and the same truth applies to the spirits that shall make up and establish the Kingdom in the spirit world.
In these Kingdoms of the purification and regaining of the perfected natural love, there will be nothing of the Divine Nature of the Father except, as may be generally said, all the objects of His Creation, by reason of being such objects, may partake of the image of the Divine. But this is not the Divine, in its true sense. The Divine is that which partakes of the very Essence and Nature of God, and not that which is merely the object of Its creation.
Man, in body, soul and spirit body, is only a creation of God; and as to the soul, an image of its Creator. But this creation was not made of any or the least part of the Essence or Substance of God; and if it so pleases the Father, this creation, in its composite and coordinated existence, can be utterly destroyed and reduced to the elements of which it was created, without in the smallest degree affecting the true Substance or Nature of God. So you will see that in truth there is in or of man nothing of the Divine; hence, when the Kingdom of God shall be established on earth, or in the spirit world, there will be nothing therein of the Divine - only the existence of the perfect creatures, living and thinking in harmony with the laws of God which control their creation and existence.
So, the way in which these two Kingdoms of the non-Divine can be established is by man pursuing that course of thinking and living that will enable him to renounce and get rid of those things, foreign to his true nature, which prevent him from coming again into the exact harmony with the Will of God, as expressed and made obligatory by the law of man's creation.
The observance of the moral laws will enable men to accomplish this end. The love with which man was endowed as the perfect man enables him, as it becomes purified and more harmonious, to love God and to love his fellowman as himself; for this natural love is one that is universal in its perfection and nature, and in its exercise, every man is his neighbor's brother.
The progressive qualities of this love, which every man may obtain, are truly and wonderfully set forth by Peter in one of his epistles as contained in the Bible (II Peter, 1:5-7: "...And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity..."). And if men will seek these successive steps in acquiring the purifying development of this love, they will obtain the great object sought for.
As I have written, the Bible contains many of my teachings which, if followed, will lead to this end, and men will realize the Kingdom of God on earth.
And let me correct here one mistaken belief or idea that has so long prevailed among mankind, and which, in its results, has delayed the coming of the Kingdom on earth. The correction is that God, by His mere Decree, or irrespective of the desires and workings of men's souls, will not establish this Kingdom. Its establishment depends upon men themselves. And until their loves become, and they become, in harmony with God's Will, this Kingdom will never be established.
I know that it is believed and taught and emphasized (and men place all their hopes and expectations of a heaven of bliss on the statement) that I will come at some time from the clouds of heaven to earth with a great shout, and by the power which they believe exists in me, I will establish the Kingdom of God - a kind of kingdom in which I will be the king and rule supreme, receiving as my subjects those who believe in and worship me, and sending those who do not into eternal damnation and outer darkness.
Well, this is pitiable, untrue, and all erroneous. This Kingdom will never be established in this way. For only man himself can call the Kingdom into existence, and only by becoming the pure, perfect man that originally existed when God's earthly Kingdom was first established. Man alone brought sin into the world, and man himself must destroy sin; and then harmony with the Father's Will will be restored, and also this Kingdom.
But from what I have written, it must not for a moment, or even in the slightest degree, be inferred that God is not taking and will not take any part in the reestablishment of this Kingdom; for it is a fact that He is working through His angels upon the souls and thoughts of men to bring this Kingdom on earth. But He will not force its establishment. It must come voluntarily on the part of men.
When God created man, He gave him a free will - the most wonderful of the natural gifts to man - and He will not arbitrarily control the direction of that will by the exercise of His Power. Where the human will is concerned, God leaves man supreme. Of course, while this is so, yet if man contravenes the laws of God in such exercise, man must suffer the consequences; for God never changes or sets aside His laws. Man may exercise his free will as he desires, and as his thoughts and appetites may influence him to do, but this freedom of exercise does not prevent the imposition of the penalties that the laws prescribe when the laws are violated. Thus you see that there is freedom without limitation, but every inharmonious exercise of that freedom necessarily invites the infliction of that which necessarily follows the violation of harmony.
God wants and is patiently waiting for the love of man, and He is always the Loving Father Who delights not in the suffering of His creatures. He wants their love to come voluntarily, and without constraint or fear of punishment or hope of reward, except that reward which must necessarily follow the blending of God's Love and the love of man.
Then I say, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is not the Divine Kingdom, and it does not have that which is necessarily Divine in it (except the love of God for His creatures to bless and make them happy). His Essence and Substance are not conferred upon them however; for if they were, men would not remain in the Kingdom of earth but would be, to a degree, in the Celestial Heaven, even while on earth (as I know that some men are in this Divine Heaven who are still mortals).
Now, what I have said with reference to the Kingdom of Heaven on earth applies with equal truth to the Kingdom of God in the spirit world. There the inhabitants are merely the spirits of men who have surrendered their physical bodies, and have become purified in their natural love and in harmony with the will and laws of God controlling their existence as perfect men.
While the Kingdom of God has not yet been established on earth, it has been in the spirit world. In the highest sphere of that world (the Sixth Sphere), the souls of men have become purified, and harmony has been restored; and the souls of men enjoy the supreme happiness that was bestowed upon them at the time of their first creation, which God pronounced "Very Good." Sometime, you will have the bliss and wonderful happiness of that Kingdom described to you. And I will not say that this is beyond all conception of men. It was established not by the mere Power and Will of God, but, after they became spirits, by the exercise of the wills of men in renouncing evil and sin, and having their thoughts and desires and souls purified and made harmonious in the natural love. And I must say here that all men who have ever lived, or who shall ever live, will at some time live in this Kingdom of God in the spirit world, or in the Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres; but the large majority will find their homes in the former Kingdom.
Man, with the help of the Father, must hew his own destiny; and the Father, without the effort of man, will not make a destiny for him that his condition of soul and love does not entitle him to.
But there is a Kingdom greater and different and unlike these Kingdoms of which I have been writing, and that is the Celestial Kingdom of God. And only those who receive the Divine Essence can become inhabitants of this Kingdom. The souls of men must become transformed into the very Divine Nature of God, and the natural love of man must be changed in all its qualities and elements into the Divine Love of the Father.
I have written that many of my moral teachings are recorded in the Bible; and that my acceptance by the Father as His beloved son, and the reception of His Divine Love into my soul qualified me to teach the way to the several Kingdoms. And as was said in that book, what was lost by the disobedience of the first man was restored by the coming of the second. This only means that, by reason of the knowledge that came to me of truth and of the laws of harmony that govern God's Universe, I was enabled to teach men the way to a return to the purity and development of their souls in natural love that existed before the great loss caused by the disobedience of the first man. I was not to bring about this restoration by any great power or godlike qualities of omniscience that I might be supposed to possess, but rather by merely teaching men to love God and their brothers, and to have them pursue that course of living and thinking that would necessarily enable them to renounce sin and evil, and come into a state of harmony with the laws of their creation.
Now while I taught these moral truths, I also taught the great spiritual Truths that show men the Way to the Celestial Kingdom; for in my communions with the Father, there came to me not only the Divine Love, which transformed my soul into the Substance of the Father in its Love Qualities, but also the knowledge by which this Divine Love might be acquired, and the certain Way to the Celestial Kingdom, even though only to a degree while still in the flesh.
But my spiritual teachings that show the Way to the Celestial Kingdom were not so well understood by my hearers - and not even by my intimate disciples, but more so by John; consequently they were not preserved in the Bible as were my moral teachings. And, as to the Bible, the original manuscripts were not written until many years after my death, and even in these manuscripts not many of my teachings as to the Way that leads to this Celestial Kingdom were contained. And afterwards, when these manuscripts were copied and the copies recopied, these important Truths were not preserved - scarcely any - although the fundamental ones, namely: "God is Love," and "except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven," were retained.
As time went by, and the recopying continued, fewer and fewer of my precepts were preserved, and men came to know less and less of these higher Truths. Consequently the mere moral teachings became better understood, and these were used by the teachers and instructors of the masses to lead men to the Spiritual Kingdom of God.
And in addition to this, these leaders changed even these moral truths and the interpretations of the early writers in such a way as to enable these leaders to attain to wealth and power and control over the common people in their beliefs and observances of worship. The God of Love then to a large extent became a God of "hatred" and "wrath," inflicting punishment upon those who dared to disobey those injunctions that the hierarchy of the church placed upon them as the "demands" and "will" of God.
But these matters have been written upon more fully elsewhere, and I will not enlarge further upon them. But I will now disclose the true Way that leads to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens. (See ch.9)
I am pleased that you are in so much better condition, and I feel that we can now proceed more rapidly with our messages. Remember this: that my promises will be fulfilled, and you must have faith. I am with you very often, and love you, as you know; and I will continue to pray to the Father for you. So trust me, and be assured that I am helping you in your desires. Good night, and God bless you.
Your
brother and friend,
Jesus
Heaven is a Place as Well as a Condition of the Soul
I am here, A. G. Riddle
Let me write a short time tonight, as I see that you are anxious to hear from some of your friends in the spirit world. I have not written for a long time, though I have been desirous to do so, and tonight will say only a few words in reference to my progress and happiness in my condition as a Celestial spirit. For I am now in the Celestial Heavens, and know the Truth of many things that have been written to you.
It is a little difficult for me to recite to you the wonders of these heavens, and the perfect happiness that is enjoyed by those spirits who have found their home and abiding place in the many mansions that Jesus spoke of while in the flesh. You must know that heaven is a place as well as a condition, notwithstanding the fact that so many of the Spiritualists teach that it is only a condition or state of the soul. No, this is not all of the truth, but is a great part of the truth; for the condition of the soul determines just what heaven it shall occupy and find its harmony and happiness in. But the All Loving Father has provided that the soul shall have a place, corresponding to its condition, in which it may live and progress. If heaven were only a state of the soul, then it would not be a real, existing thing, with the substance and reality that the soul, even in its state of bliss, must have as a necessary accompaniment to the enjoyment of what the Father has provided for its true condition of living.
Heaven, as a place, is real and independent of the state of the soul, though it is necessary for the soul to be in a corresponding state in order that it may enter into this heaven, and fully realize that it has a home suitable for its condition and enjoyment.
If it (I mean heaven) were not a real, objective and perceptible place, then the soul would be limited by its own very narrow condition, as I may say, and confined to the limits of its own state. It would be separated from the states of other souls, without the social intercourse that makes heaven a place of such happiness and contentment. Every soul would then be in the condition of the ascetic in human life, and introspection and contemplation would be the source and only means of possible bliss. And knowledge of those things that are spoken of as beyond the heart of man to conceive of, and which are truly and certainly provided by the Father's Love for the continuous and never ending progress of the soul towards higher and greater enjoyment, would have no real, conscious existence in that soul.
As man's condition of soul in his earth life determines his heaven, the soul being provided with those surroundings and material things that are intended to make him happy, so in the heavens are material things provided to enable the soul of man to better enjoy its own condition. The things of heaven are not all spiritual, as conceived by so many men, but are partly composed of the material of the universe. They are so constituted and formed as to supply the desires and wishes of the soul with that which will satisfy the soul's longings for beauty and harmony and perfect enjoyment. In the several heavens are homes, real and substantial, suited to the states of the souls, and differing as those states differ in their requirements.
These material things are not subjective, as so many mortals teach, but are as objective as are the things of earth; and they are the objects of sight and touch and of the other spiritual senses.
When I desire to go into a city and indulge my desires, I find a city with streets and avenues and houses and other things that belong to a city, just as you mortals of earth do when you visit your cities. This is also so when I desire to go into the country and enjoy the fields and hills and streams and gardens. They are all here, real and existing, and are not the subjects of mere thoughts or a reflection of the state of my soul. And when I am absent from city or country, that city or country continues to exist in all its beauty and magnificence just as truly as when I am present.
Men must know that the soul requires these material things in its heavenly life, and has them, just as a soul requires the material things of earth when enveloped in a body of flesh. While the condition of the soul determines its place of living, yet that place is also existing and real, and awaits the coming of that soul in a condition of harmony. In these heavens, there is nothing nebulous or impalpable, or only a reflection or image of the soul's condition; but everything is real and substantial, and as lasting as the eternal hills. And when the soul finds a habitation, it is not the effect of its own condition, but a place already prepared for the habitation of that soul in accord with its true condition. Otherwise, heaven would be a place of confusion and of appearances and disappearances, with no stability or abiding qualities; and the many mansions, spoken of by Jesus as existing in his Father's House, would have no real, permanent being, but would be dependent for their creation and existence upon the mere state of the soul. The mansions are there and do not change; and whether or not they shall have occupants depends upon the harmony of souls in their correspondence with the harmony of God's laws creating these mansions.
I have written you this short description of the heavens, as based upon my knowledge and experience, devoid of speculation or metaphysical musings.
I am glad that I could write you again. I am very happy, and know that the Divine Love of the Father is a real and transforming thing, and the all-sufficient thing to create in the souls of men and of spirits that state which will enable them to have and enjoy the mansions of the Father in the highest heavens.
I will not write more now. Good night,
Your
friend and brother in Christ,
A. G. Riddle
John Affirms That Jesus Wrote on the Two Kingdoms
I am here, John
I will not write much, but I desire to say that you had a wonderful message from the Master tonight, and that he was very anxious that you should receive it as correctly as possible. And I must tell you that he was very well satisfied with the way in which he was able to express his thoughts.
It is a wonderful disclosure of the two Kingdoms that may, and will, be established. The Kingdom in the spirit world has already been established, for there are many spirits who have the purification of the natural love in that degree that makes them the perfect men, as were the first parents.
Well, he will come soon and describe the greater and more important Way to the true Kingdom of the Father, and I hope that you will be in condition to receive this part of the message in as correct a manner as you have received what has been written tonight. What a Jesus of knowledge and love he is! Can you doubt that he is the very Christ and the savior of mankind who showed men the only Way to the Celestial Kingdom?
There was a great concourse of spirits present tonight, and many who heard his message were astonished and, I know, benefitted thereby. The higher spirits were here in great numbers, and also many who have learned the Way and are now progressing. And if you could have seen the expressions of love on their countenances, you would thank the Father with all the gratitude of your soul that you have been selected for this work.
Oh, my brother, let not doubt come into your soul as to your mission, and as to the work that you are doing.
Your bands were here, both the higher and those who are progressing, and they were so thankful that the Father is so good and blesses you so much.
I will not write more, but in closing, repeat: pray and believe, and the Love will come to you in greater and greater abundance.
With my Love and the Blessings of the Father, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
John
The Condition of Spirits That Are Below the Celestial Heavens: Their Experience, Beliefs, and Affiliations Explained
I am here, James (Brother of John)
Let me tell you a few things concerning the spirit world - that is, the world that is below the Celestial Heavens, of which John wrote.
In the several spheres, which are seven in number, are many planes inhabited by spirits of many nations and races of mankind. And to a certain extent, these various races have the customs and beliefs that they had when on earth. The lines of demarcation are just as strictly drawn as are those of the several nations on earth. The result of this is that many spirits who live in this exclusive manner never learn anything other than what their own leaders tell them, and what their various sacred books may teach them.
The Mohammedan is a Mohammedan still, and likewise the followers of Zoroaster, and also those of Buddha and of Confucius and of all of the various founders of religious sects. Sometimes, in their wanderings, these spirits will meet spirits of races other than their own, and they will interchange thoughts. But very rarely do they discuss matters pertaining to their respective beliefs.
There are undoubtedly truths in the sacred writings and beliefs of all these races of spirits, and these spirits are benefitted to the extent that these truths are taught and understood. I am now speaking of spiritual truth because, as to the mere truths pertaining to the natural or material world, all have the same opportunity to investigate and understand them. There are no race or creed or doctrinal beliefs and teachings as to these truths affecting the material; and by this I mean material as it exists in both the spiritual and earthly worlds.
But as I say, each of these races or sects has its own ideas and doctrines of the truth, and each can progress no further than the limits of these ideas permit it to progress.
No founder of any race or sect has ever taught the New Birth, or the inflowing of the Divine Love, in contradistinction to that of the natural love. And the teachings of Jesus are the only ones that reveal to man the existence of this Divine Love, and how to obtain it. So you see the importance of this Truth coming to man. I must say here that without the possession of this Love no spirit can enter the Celestial Spheres.
The teachings of the other founders will show men the way to a life of happiness, and to what they may suppose is a continuous existence. But the teachings of Jesus are the only ones that declare and lead men to a realization of the true Immortality of the soul.
I have written too long already and must stop.
Your
brother in Christ,
James
(Mr. Padgett asked a question)
Yes, I am that James. The word "Saint" is only used as a means of identification; it has no significance in our spirit world.
Esau Relates That Many Ancient Spirits Continue to Worship God As They Did When on Earth
I am here, Esau, son of Isaac
I was the son of isaac and the brother of Jacob, and the one whom the Jews regarded as having sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. But I was misrepresented in this regard, as I did only that which necessity compelled me to do.
But all that is long past. I am now an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens, for all things are made right in the world of spirits. And I became a possessor of the Divine Love after I had received knowledge of its rebestowal at the coming of Jesus.
Many of the characters of the Old Testament have never yet realized this great transformation because, in their conception of self-righteousness, they are content in that conception. They worship God as they did on earth, although they have ceased to offer sacrifices of animals (because they have none in spirit life to offer). Yet they still have the belief that sacrifice is necessary, and in their imaginations they offer what is symbolic of the offerings that they made in the earth life.
(Mr. Padgett interrupted to ask a question.)
Yes, that is quite a natural supposition, but you must know that the mind and beliefs of mortals continue with them when they become spirits. Their beliefs will not permit them to be convinced of the errors of their conceptions of Deity, and many of these spirits of old are in that condition now. They refuse to believe, or even listen to, the truths of existence and their relationship to God, just as they did when on earth.
They have eyes, but they see not; and ears, but they hear not. And enveloped in the darkness of their beliefs, they decline to let in the light or to permit the truths that are so apparent to others to illuminate their souls. A mind that is shut in by bigotry and intolerance is just as persistent after the mortal becomes a spirit, even though a change in its surroundings (what you might call its physical existence), and in its possibilities for learning the truth, has occurred. Many of these spirits, therefore, absolutely refuse to recognize any change or possibility of change in their spiritual condition.
It is not surprising that you may not understand how it is possible that these spirits of the kind mentioned could live all this great period of years, as you estimate time, in this condition, surrounded by spirits who have found the Truth and who display that possession in their appearances and happiness (and especially by some of their old associates who have entered into the light), and yet not be influenced by these appearances and the experiences of these associates. Nevertheless, it is true. And the difficulty of converting these bigoted spirits seems to grow the greater as they advance in their progression of mind and natural love.
They are happy in a relative sense, and content in their estimate that they could not conceive of any other belief or cause of progress that could bring greater happiness to them. Besides, they are firmly convinced that they are doing the Will of God in their manner of worship and in their symbolic sacrifices.
These ancient spirits, as you call them, but who are young as compared to many in the Spiritual Spheres, have their synagogues and temples of worship. They also have their rabbis and servants and worshipers according to their old beliefs. And the ceremonies attending their gatherings for worship are very little different from what they were on earth. They have all their vestments and attire and other accompaniments that distinguished them on earth from the common people. They say their prayers in public and delight in appearing as holy spirits, the specially chosen of God, just as they did on earth. And as they are developing more and more in their natural love, and taking on the condition of perfection, so far as the perfection of the first parents as they existed before the fall is concerned, they may remain in this condition of belief as to their relationship to God, and as to their proper and only way to worship Him, throughout all eternity.
They decline to receive the knowledge of the Truth of the New Birth. And as that is a thing that is optional with them, and Its rejection does not prevent them from becoming the perfect man, as you have had explained to you, they think that there is no absolute necessity that they should be born again in order to enable a restoration of the harmony of that condition and relationship that they may have with the Father.
Of course, until the day of the Consummation of the Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres, they will have the opportunity to become recipients of the Divine Love, and transformed into redeemed angels. But it is doubtful if very many of them will ever elect to accept this great privilege.
I am glad that I could write to you tonight, as it is a new experience with me, but one that gives me great satisfaction. And I will come again, if agreeable to you, and write further.
In closing, I wish to say that I know the difference between the spirit who has the Divine Love in his soul and one who has not, and that the mere time of a spirit's existence in the spirit world does not necessarily indicate that the spirit possesses the Divine Love. As Jesus said when on earth, "the first shall be last, and the last shall be first." And I may add that some will never be first or last, but only the reminders of what might have been.
I will not write more.
Your
brother in Christ,
Esau
The "Book of Revelation" is No Longer the Original Text That John the Apostle Wrote
I am here, John
I was with you tonight and heard the sermon of the preacher on heaven and what it is. And as his text was founded on some expressions in a book of the Bible ascribed to me (and which I did write, though not just as is contained in the Bible) I thought it meet that I should come and write to you as to the truth of the sermon, and as to the value of the book as descriptive or suggestive of what heaven is, and what its appearances are. Also, what the spirits of the redeemed are doing in what the preacher designated as service.
Well, I first want to say that, while I did write a book of the nature of the one in the Bible named Revelation, yet this one does not contain my writings to any great extent, nor are my ideas set forth or followed in this Book of Revelation. As you may now know, in my time, and for a long time previous, the Jewish writers, because of the great troubles and persecutions their nation was undergoing, were accustomed to writing books in the nature of the one contained in the Bible, and called them "Revelations." It was for the purpose of encouraging their people to believe that all the wrongs that they were suffering would be "avenged" by God, and that their enemies would be made to suffer and would be destroyed; and that in the end, their nation would be rescued from its condition of servitude and sufferings, and would become the ruling nation of the earth. And these writings were accepted by the Jews as having the authority of Divine inspiration, and of conveying to their nation the truths of God, and the promises of His intervening in their behalf. The writings were always ascribed to some prophet, seer, or man of God who had the special privilege of coming in contact with God, or some of His angels, through the mysterious and sacred means of visions.
Of course, these writings were merely intended to encourage the Jews to establish their faith in God, and in the belief that He would send them a Messiah who would have the power to redeem them from the punishments and thralldom that they were undergoing as a result of the tyranny and strength of their heathen captors and persecutors. These writings were always prophetic, and held forth promises for the future, without ever attempting to fix a time for their fulfillment, or for the ending of the nation's woes and the coming of its deliverer. So as time went on, and the promises were not fulfilled, hope continued to exist and the belief of the Jews was not lessened; and non-fulfillment was explained by the further belief that the time for the consummation of their eagerly wished for expectations had not yet arrived. It was accepted that God was All-Knowing as well as All-Powerful and careful for their race, and that He, and He Alone, understood just when the proper and fitting time should arrive.
This hope upon hope was a wonderful force in keeping up the beliefs and expectations of the Jews; it was so effective that to this day the Jews remain a nation, or rather a race, in belief and expectation of this coming Messiah. But alas, as they did not recognize and accept him when he did appear, they will never again see his appearance. For he will never come as their Messiah, as expected of old, but will come only as the great teacher and redeemer, not only of their race but also of all the peoples of the earth. He has already come as such a redeemer, and he is working now to lead men to the true and only Way to Life and Happiness and Immortality. But never will any Messiah come to the Jews to establish them on earth as a great and chosen nation, as nearly all of them believe and still look for.
Thus as I say, many books or manuscripts were written by the claimed Jewish prophets, holding forth to the Jews the results of visions claimed to have been experienced by these writers. But as the prophecies have never been fulfilled in the sense that the Jews understood them, neither will they be fulfilled in the future, for their value has no reality.
This custom, as I may call it, continued from these early times down to the time in which I lived and wrote. And my book of prophecy was written by me, not with the purpose of establishing the Jews as a nation on earth, or causing them to believe that their hopes or longings would be fulfilled, but for the purpose of encouraging the Christians to believe that, notwithstanding their persecution and sufferings and martyrdom, they would find joy and peace and heaven in the future life, when they should meet the Master and the "saints." And in my writings, nothing was said about the "wrath" of God being visited upon the persecutors of the Christians, or of such persecutors having to go into a hell of "fire and brimstone" so that, from that fact, the happiness of the redeemed would be increased.
My writings have been added to, and all kinds of grotesque imagery interpolated, so that the whole design and purpose of my writings was changed and destroyed. The present Book of Revelation is only a mere allegory of some one or more writers who were gifted with some knowledge of the Christian teachings, and who had exotic imaginations.
This present book is of no value. On the contrary, it is doing much harm to the cause of the Truth as taught by the Master, as we who are in the Celestial Heavens and who have knowledge of things heavenly as well as things earthly know to be the fact. It should not be accepted as a Truth or the revelation of Truths, nor should it be believed in for any purpose. It has led many good men and honest and earnest seekers after the Truth astray, and it has caused them to believe and teach false doctrines that have resulted in much darkness and stagnation in the development of human souls in their longings for the Truth. So I say, let men entirely discard its teachings, and any and all lessons that the preachers, or others who think that they can understand its meaning, attempt to teach.
The writings that I gave to my people, of the kind mentioned, have long ago served their purpose. And the writings called Revelation contain in them no truth that will help mankind to the Heavenly Kingdom, or to their eternal happiness and at-onement with the Father. Let them die the death of a falsehood, born out of time.
I also was interested in the struggle of the preacher to explain what heaven is, and what his people, who may consider themselves to be redeemed children of God, will find when they become inhabitants of that heaven.
Well, he spoke truly when he said heaven is a place as well as a condition. For it is inconceivable that any condition of the spirit of a mortal could exist unless there were a place where that spirit could find a habitation. All space in the Universe of God is a place, or space that contains places where things of existence must find localities. There is no such thing as a vacuum in God's Economy. All parts of space are fitted with something having substance, either material or spiritual; and wherever such substance is, there is a place for its abiding. Yes, heaven is a place, or a number of places. The preacher is far from having the true conception of heaven when he supposes it is one large place where all believers go after death, irrespective of their condition of soul and moral perfections. As I say, there are many heavens and many places, all real and substantial, as are the different stories and rooms in your homes of earth. And the partitions, if I may so call them, between these different places are just as impassable for spirits who have not the proper qualifications to pass through, as are the partition walls between the various rooms in your earth homes for you mortals to pass through. These places are distinctive; and the many mansions that the preacher referred to are situated in many heavens, or more correctly, many spheres of the heavens. Strictly speaking, there are two heavens in God's Spirit Universe; namely, the heavens of the redeemed and transformed soul by the Divine Love, called the Celestial Heavens, and the heavens of the restored, perfect man, called the Spiritual Heavens. Each and all of them are places of real perfection and substance.
As one star differs from another star in glory, so these several heavens within heavens differ from one another in glory and appearance, and in those things which help to make the mansions of their inhabitants beautiful and attractive and glorious.
It would take too long for me to attempt to describe any of these heavens, for they each and all excel any conception that the mortal is capable of having. But I will say this: that there are no streets of gold or pearly gates, or suns or stars in any of them. Only the Light of God's Love and Mercy illuminates them.
I will postpone my further writing, but will come very soon and complete what I intended to say about the sermon of the preacher. I will also attempt to describe the real appearances of some of the heavens, and what service the redeemed children of God render when they come to the spirit world.
So my dear brother, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
John
John Describes the Third Sphere and Also Affirms That Jesus Wrote "The Prayer"
I am here, John the Apostle
I desire to finish my comments on the preacher's sermon on heaven.
As I said, these Apocalyptic writings were made for the purpose of encouraging the people of those days to believe that God would intervene in their behalf and save them from their sufferings and persecutions; and in the one case, establish a Messiah's kingdom on earth that would cause the Jews to become the ruling nation of the universe; and in the other, to establish a Kingdom in heaven where the Christians would find rest and happiness in becoming inhabitants of that Kingdom, children of the Father, and participants in the glories of Christ's reign as king and priest.
Well, as the subject of the sermon was that Kingdom of Heaven, and the preacher endeavored to tell his people what that heaven is, I will consider that subject.
In the first place, as I have said, heaven is not one universal place where all the Christians go, irrespective of their soul development. But in that heaven are many heavens, or spheres in which the spirits of mortals will find homes and also happiness - according to their soul development or their spiritual development. And in order that there may be no misunderstanding, I must say that the soul development comes only through and by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual development involves only the result of the correct workings of the moral faculties of a man and the purification of his natural love - which, of course, comprehends the development of his soul, so far as the same may be developed by this purifying process. The results of each operation are very different, and lead to a perfection and relationship to the Father which is in harmony with the laws controlling the respective heavens - for the place of final habitation of each may be called Heaven.
But my object tonight is to describe to you the appearance and condition of one of these heavens. And as mortals have heard more about the Third Heaven than of any of the other heavens, which we in our information to you have called the Third Sphere, I will confine my description to that place.
Well, it is occupied by the spirits of mortals who have received a considerable amount of the Divine Love, as well as by those who have progressed to a great extent in the purification of their natural love, and the expansion of their minds and intellects (though the latter do not remain very long in this heaven, but progress to the Fourth where there are more opportunities and more instructions in those things which have to do with the mind's advancement).
While those who have made progress in the soul development, and those in the intellectual are all in the Third Heaven, yet they occupy different and distinct planes in that heaven; for those things that attract the one class do not attract the other. And there is very little intermingling of these spirits, except that those who know that the Divine Love is real sometimes attempt to show those who do not the desirability of obtaining It, and the happiness that it brings to spirits.
As we have already told you, the condition of the soul - not of the mind - makes the heaven of the spirit to a large degree. In the Providence of the Father, He has made the surroundings and the appearances of the environment suitable to the condition of the soul, and fitted to increase the happiness of those spirits who, because of their soul progress, may be attracted to the particular places in which they find themselves - their homes.
The appearance of this heaven to those who have this Divine Love in their souls is far excelling the capacity of your mortal language to explain, even if I had the ability to describe the same. But in one general statement I may say that for these spirits there is everything to make them happy to the extent of their capacity to receive and enjoy. There are trees and flowers, and hills and dales, and rivers and lakes, and beautiful landscapes. And above all this wonderful atmosphere (as I may express it) that is created by this wonderful Love of the Father, is a glorious Light that illuminates and gives life to all who live in it, which comes from this Love of the Father. It is the sun, moon, and stars, and sunrise and sunset, and summer clouds, and evening shadows and morning glories. Your material sun and moon and stars do not appear in this heaven, for the effulgence of the Light from the Father's Love eclipses and eliminates the light of these material creations of the mortal world.
And then there are homes of the grandest splendor and beauty, suited to the conditions of the various spirits, which have in them everything that will tend to cause happiness and joy to their occupants and visiting friends. There are musical instruments and books and paintings and furniture of every kind, fitted to bring contentment and joy to the spirits, and a realization of peace and rest by them from the cares that you mortals have with you all through your earth life. And above and more important than all, there is a wonderful atmosphere of Love which makes all these spirits realize that they are the children of the Father and brothers of one another and lovers of all humanity.
In addition, the social life is beyond all conception. The spirits have their times of visiting as well as those of staying in their homes; of many pleasures as well as of work and helping spirits and mortals; of singing and music and laughter, and of prayer and contemplation of deep spiritual Truths. Yes, in the lighter social pleasures as well as in the solitary meditations and aspirations of the soul's progress, there is happiness and enjoyment, and freedom from those things which defile or make the thoughts and heart's desires of these spirits inharmonious. All is gladness, and there are none who have the solemn, downcast countenances that many of earth imagine portrays the truly righteous and redeemed of mortals. No, Love knows no sadness; and as the soul speaks its condition by the appearance of the spirit body's countenance, the soul being so full of gladness and joy, the countenance can express only those emotions of the soul. This is the result of the law which declares that nothing can be hidden, and that every spirit must show forth the truth of its condition.
There are no walled cities or streets of gold or pearly gates, or other of the material things which the book ascribed to me sets forth. In order that man can get some conception of what heaven is, these things in heaven would not be gold or pearls or diamonds or jasper; for when they are compared to the real beauties of the things heaven contains, they are as the faint light of a candle compared to the light of your noonday sun.
Truly the mind of man cannot conceive of the glories that await the love-lit soul when it comes to its heavenly home.
There is another misconception that the preacher had, following the teachings of Revelation, and that is that the Kingdom of Heaven is a walled city - the New Jerusalem - in which all the spirits of the redeemed live, singing their loud hosannas to God. There are cities, of which your earth cities may be called correspondences, but there are also villages and hamlets and homes in the country, as you would say, surrounded by green fields and shady vales through which run rivers and streams of silvery hue, clear as crystal, and also placid lakes which afford the pleasures of boating and sailing and other amusements. Also, each spirit is provided with the place that is most attractive to him, and it is optional with him where his home shall be.
But all Love and worship the Father, and endeavor to make their neighbors happy. All also help with the development of the soul towards a progression to the heavens which are higher yet.
All spirits are controlled by law, but that law is the law of Love; and that Love is the Love Divine - the essence of the Father's Divinity.
I have written enough for tonight, and I hope from what I have said that you may catch some faint conception of what the glories of this Third Heaven are for those who have found this Love and possess It to some extent. And as you must know that there are many heavens above this, each successively possessing increased glories and happiness, and beauties of place as well as beauty of spirit, you may imagine what the Master meant when he said, "In my Father's House are many mansions."
I know that my attempted description may be unsatisfactory to some mortals, but it is the best that I can do. Mortal words cannot convey, and mortal thoughts cannot conceive, the realities; but man may get a better spiritual view of these things in his imaginings.
I am with you quite often, throwing around you the influence of my love, and endeavoring to help and encourage you. Let your faith in us and in our communications increase, and believe above all that the Master wrote you the prayer which you received a few nights ago. Study it deeply and grasp its spiritual meaning. Let your longings and aspirations go out to the Father, as suggested by the prayer, and you will find a wonderful and satisfactory response to them. We are praying for you and your friends, and you must believe that the Love is coming into your souls.
So, with my Love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
John
