Angelic Revelations—the Gospel of God’s Love
Chapter 9
The True Kingdom of Heaven That Jesus Taught on Earth—the Celestial Kingdom
The Only Way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens (Jesus)
Jesus Recognizes Mr. Padgett's Grandmother's Capability in Writing the Truths of the Father
The Importance of Knowing the Way to the Celestial Kingdom. Divine Love Comes Only in Response to the Soul's Longings (Ann Rollins)
John Describes the Difference Between the Spirits of the Celestial and the Spirit Spheres
Abraham Lincoln's Description of the Glories of the Seventh Sphere
Mrs. Padgett Describes Her Home in the Celestial Spheres in Detail
Mrs. Padgett's Experience of Joy and Grandeur in the Third Celestial Sphere
The Celestials Must Work Until the Celestial Kingdom Will Be Closed (John The Apostle)
The True Kingdom of Heaven That Jesus Taught on Earth—the Celestial Kingdom
The Only Way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens
I am here, Jesus
I come tonight and desire to finish my message and hope that you may be able to receive it.
I have described the way to the Kingdom of God on earth and in the spirit world (see ch.8), and now I will describe: "The Only Way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens."
As I have written before, when man was created, in addition to having bestowed upon him those things that made him the perfect man, and in harmony with the Laws and Will of the Father, God also bestowed upon him the potentiality, or privilege, of receiving the Divine Love, provided he should seek for It in the only Way that God had planned for Its attainment. But instead of embracing this great privilege, man became disobedient and sought to exercise his own will, and did so in that manner that led not only to his fall from the condition of the perfect manhood in which God had created him, but also to the loss of the great privilege of receiving this Divine Love, which privilege was never rebestowed upon him until my coming and teaching that rebestowal and the true Way to obtain this Love.
Now, it had better be understood here what this Divine Love was and is, for It is the same today that It was when man was created in the image of God. This Love differs from the natural love of man with which he was endowed when created, which belongs to all men, and which they all possess in a more or less perfect condition, in this: that the Divine Love is that Love which belongs to or is a part of God, possessing His Nature and composed of His Substance, and which, when possessed by man to a sufficient degree, makes him Divine and of the Nature of God. And God intended that this great Love should be received and possessed by all men who should desire to receive It, and who would make the effort to obtain It.
It is the Love that contains in Itself, the Divine, which the natural love does not. Many, I know, write and believe that all men, irrespective of the kind of love they have in their souls, possess what they call "the Divine spark," which needs only the proper development to make all men Divine. But this conception of the state of man in his natural condition is all wrong, for man has not in him any part of the Divine, and never can have, unless he receives and has developed in him this Divine Love.
In all God's universe and creation of things material and spiritual, the only one of his creatures who can possibly have within him anything of a Divine Nature is he who possesses this Divine Love.
The bestowal of this Love was intended, in its operation and effect, to transform man from the merely perfect man into the Divine angel, and thus create a Kingdom of God in the Celestial Spheres where only that which is Divine can enter and find a habitation. And you must understand that, as it depends very largely upon man himself to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, or in the spiritual world, so it also depends largely on man to establish the Kingdom in the Celestial Heavens. God will not and does not establish this Divine Kingdom by any power that He may have. And if man had never received this Divine Love into his soul, there never would have been any such Kingdom brought into existence.
There is now a Kingdom in the Celestial Spheres, but not a finished one, for it is still open and in the process of formation. It is open to the entry of all spirits, and men must seek for it in the only Way that the Father has provided. No man or spirit will be excluded from it who, with all the longings of his soul, will aspire to enter that Kingdom.
I must also state that the time will come when this Celestial Kingdom will be completed, and thereafter, neither spirit nor man will be able to enter therein; for this Divine Love of the Father will again be withdrawn from man, as it was from the first parents, and the only Kingdom that will then be accessible to man will be the Kingdom that will exist on earth, or that which now exists in the spirit world.
Then what is the Way that leads to this Celestial Kingdom? The only Way? For there is but one!
The observance of the moral precepts, and the cleansing of men's souls from sin by following these precepts, will not lead to this Kingdom; for as it can be readily seen, the stream can rise no higher than its source, and the source of the souls of men in a merely purified state is the condition of the perfect man - that condition in which he was before his fall. Hence, the result of the observance and living of the merely moral precepts, and the exercise of the natural love in its pure state is that man will be restored to the condition of the perfect man - the created man in whom there is nothing of the Divine. But this restored condition of man will be so perfect, and so in harmony with God's Will and His Laws governing the highest and most perfect of His creatures, that man will be very happy. Yet he will continue to be only the created being, having nothing more than the image of his Maker.
So I say, living in harmony with the moral laws, and the exercise of this natural love in its highest and purest state towards God and towards his fellowman, will not lead man into the Way to the Celestial Kingdom. The greatest height of his attainment will be only the Kingdom on earth or that in the spirit heavens.
And the distinct and differing nature of these kingdoms from that of the Celestial Heavens will enable mankind to understand the difference between the missions of the great teachers and reformers who preceded me in their work among men, and the mission which I was selected to perform on earth. The former could not possibly have taught the way to the Celestial Kingdom, for until my coming, this Divine Love of which I write was not possible for man to obtain. Before that time, and after the first parents lost it, the privilege was not in existence, and there was no Celestial Kingdom in which men could find their eternal home.
So I repeat, all the moral teachings of the world's history could not show the Way to the Celestial Kingdom of God, and cannot now; for morality, as understood and taught by mankind and by the spirits and angels, cannot give to man that which is absolutely necessary in order to transform his soul into that state or condition that fits him for an entrance into this truly Divine Kingdom of the Father.
But the Way thereto is simple and single. Men were taught that Way by me when I was on earth, and could have been taught that Way during all the centuries since I left the human life. And I must say that some have been so taught and have found that Way, but comparatively few. The mortals whose ostensible and claimed mission and privilege was to teach that Way did not do so. I mean that the priests and preachers and churches neglected to teach the same. Although in earnestness, and realizing their allegiance to God and their obligations to mankind, these taught merely the way by which the observance of the moral precepts would lead men into the lower Kingdoms.
But neglect or incompleteness notwithstanding, the Bible, which most of those professing to be Christians believe contains my sayings, does set forth this Way to the Celestial Kingdom! The words are few and the Way is plain, and no mystery prevents men from comprehending the meaning thereof. When I said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God," I disclosed the only and true Way to this Kingdom. During my time on earth, there were some who understood this great Truth; since that time, there have been some who not only understood this Truth, but also found the Way, and followed it until they reached the goal, and are now inhabitants of this Kingdom. But the vast majority of men - priests, teachers, and people - have never understood, and have never sought to find the Way. To their spiritual senses, this great Truth has been, as it were, a hidden thing. And as they read or even recite the same to their hearers, it has no special significance. It is merely considered one of the moral precepts, such as "Love your neighbor as yourself," and with not as much importance to it as to some of these others.
And so, all down the ages since the Great Kingdom has been waiting for men, they, though in all sincerity and in love towards God, have sought for and found only the Kingdom of the Perfect Man (to a greater or lesser extent), and have neglected to seek for, and have missed, the Kingdom of the Divine Angel.
Then as I have said, this Divine Love of the Father, when possessed by the soul of man, makes him, in his substance and essence, Divine - like unto the Divinity of the Father; and only such souls constitute and inhabit the Celestial or Divine Kingdom of God. This being so, it must be readily seen that the only Way to the Celestial Kingdom is that which leads to the obtaining of this Divine Love, which means the New Birth. This New Birth is brought about by the Divine Love flowing into the souls of men, whereby they receive the very Nature and Substance of the Father, and wherefrom men cease to be the merely created beings, but become the souls of men born into the Divine Reality of God.
Then, the only Way to the Celestial Kingdom being by the New Birth, and that Birth being brought to men only by the inflowing and working of this Divine Love (and whether or not a man shall experience this Birth depending, in its initiative, on the man Himself), the question arises: "How, or in what Way, can a man obtain this Divine Love, and this New Birth, and the Celestial Kingdom?" And because the Way is so easy and simple, it may be that men will doubt the Truth of my explanation, and will continue to believe, and place all their hopes upon the orthodox doctrines of the vicarious atonement - the washing of the blood, my sufferings on the cross and bearing all the sins of the world, and my resurrection from the dead - doctrines as harmful to the salvation of mankind as they are without truth or foundation in fact or effect.
The only Way then, is simply this: That men shall believe with all the sincerity of their minds and souls that this Great Love of the Father is waiting to be bestowed upon each and all of them; and that when they come to the Father in faith and earnest aspirations, this Love will not be withholden from them. And, in addition to this belief, that they pray with all the earnestness and longings of their souls that the Father will open up their souls to the inflowing of this Love, and that then may come the Holy Spirit to them to bring this Love into their souls in such abundance that their souls may be transformed into the very Essence of the Father's Love.
The man who will thus believe and pray will never be disappointed, and the Way to the Kingdom will be his, as certainly as that the sun shines by day upon the just and the unjust alike.
No mediator is needed, nor are the prayers or ceremonies of priests or preachers, for God comes to man, Himself, and hears his prayers, and responds thereto by sending the Comforter (the Holy Spirit -ed.), which is the Father's Messenger for conveying this Great Divine Love into the souls of men.
I have thus explained the only Way to the Celestial Kingdom of God, and to the Divine Nature in Love, and there is no other way whereby it is possible to reach this Kingdom, and the certain knowledge of Immortality.
So I implore men to meditate upon these great Truths, and in meditating, believe; and when believing, pray to the Father for the inflowing of this Divine Love into their souls. In doing so, they will experience belief... faith... possession... and ownership... of that which can never be taken from them - no, not in all eternity.
And so it is with man to choose and fix his destiny. Will that destiny be the perfect man, or the Divine angel?
I will not write more now. With my Love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your
brother and friend,
Jesus
Why the Divine Love of God is Necessary for Man to Possess in Order That He May Become At-One with the Father and an Inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom
I am here, Jesus
Tonight I wish to write upon a subject that is of interest to all mankind, and I hope that we will be able to communicate and that you will receive the message correctly.
I desire to write on the subject of: "Why the Divine Love is necessary for man to possess in order that he may become at-One with the Father and an inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom."
Already I have written you what this Divine Love is, in contradistinction to the natural love, and how it is necessary to save men from their sins so that they may become inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom. Also, I have explained that nothing but this Love will make a man at-one with the Father, and that no mere ceremony, or belief in me as the savior of men will effectuate that end. And now I will try to show you why this Divine Love is necessary, or, as your learned men might say, show you the philosophy of the transformation of the mere man into the Divine angel, which every man becomes who receives this Love into his soul.
In the first place, man, as you have been informed, is a special Creation of God, and is no greater than the component parts that enter into his creation, either in their individual or aggregate qualities. And these parts are merely what God, in His act of creation, designed them to be.
It must not be assumed that any of these parts are a part of God, or of His Essence or Qualities, for they are not. They are as separate and distinct from Him and His Qualities as are the lower creations of His Will, such as animals, vegetables, and mineral substances. The only difference is that man is of a much higher order of creation and, in one particular, made in the image of God. No other of His creatures has this image in its creation. But nevertheless, man is no part of God. He is merely a distinct creation and, in his best and purest state, only a man having simply those qualities which were created in him at the time of his coming into existence.
There are certain qualities which man possesses, such as love and wisdom and the reasoning faculties, which may be said to resemble God's Attributes; and so they do. Yet they are not a part of God's Essence or Qualities. And when men assert that man is Divine, or that he has in him a Divine nature or even a portion of the Divine Essence, they are wrong; for the qualities in them that appear to be of this Divine resemblance are merely those which were created for the purpose of making the human a perfect man.
And because of this conception of man as to his inherent qualities, he has, and does, and will lose the opportunity of becoming possessed of the Nature or Essence of the Father, which he may obtain if he will pursue the proper and only method that God has provided for him in order to be at-one with Him.
The universe of man can and will continue to exist, even though man may never become a partaker of this Divine Nature of the Father. And man will live and enjoy the happiness that was bestowed upon him at the time of his creation, and he will not lose the perfect condition of this creation after he shall have been separated from sin and error - his own creatures. But he will not be anything more than the perfect man, and in the time to come, will not be anything less. Yet he will always, as long as he exists, remain distinct from the Nature and Essence of the Father, just as he was at the time of his creation, unless he obtains this Divine Nature and Essence of the Father in the Way that I mentioned.
The highest endowment of man, either in soul or heart or intellect, is merely that which belongs to him as a part of his creation, and is not the smallest part of the Divine Nature and Qualities of the Father. No part or portion of Divinity enters into man's creation, no matter how divinely constituted man may appear to be, or how godlike he may seem to be in the greatness of his intellect or in the extent of his love nature.
So you see, man is as distinct from God and from His Divinity as is the animal - the brute - from man. And he must forever remain so, unless he follows the only Way the Father has prescribed for him to obtain a portion of this Divinity.
Now all this shows that man, no matter how highly he may develop his intellect, or to what extent he may develop his moral and love nature, cannot become more than the mere man that he was in the beginning - perfect in every particular (for he was, in the beginning, perfect in every particular). And as I have said before, God never makes a mistake as to the perfection of His creatures - even though in the case of man, it may appear that He did, in giving him the great power of free will, which in its wrongful exercise has caused sin and evil to appear in the world of man's consciousness.
Man was made finite, and his capacity for exercising any and all of his qualities is limited, beyond which he cannot possibly go. His intellect is bound by limits as determined as the law of God which controls it. His capacity for loving, and for the enjoyment of his happiness is also limited. And though he may live for all eternity, either as man or spirit, he cannot possibly extend or pass beyond the boundary lines of his creation. He cannot enter into the Realm of the Divine, where the capacity for receiving knowledge, wisdom and love is not limited, and where progression advances toward the very Fountainhead of God, Himself.
Then, such being the nature and limitation and capacity of man, it is apparent that, by virtue of his creation and the qualities which he possesses, he can never become a partaker of the Nature and Essence of God, unless he receives something in addition to these qualities. And he must receive this something from without. It will not do to say that there is within him, as an inherent part of him, that which, when developed, will make him of a Nature Divine and a part of the Essence of the Father, for this is not true. There is nothing in man of this Nature, and it is impossible to produce an Essence Divine unless there be something from which it can be produced that, in some degree, has the Nature of this Essence. It would be the equivalent of producing something from nothing, which even God does not attempt to do.
Then, as man is thus limited, all that flows from the qualities and attributes which he possesses is necessarily limited. The enjoyment of his intellect, the pleasures of his love, the satisfaction of his reasoning powers, and as a sum total, his capacity for happiness has its bounds. And besides, the consciousness of Immortality can never be his, either as spirit or mortal, even though he may wish it to be.
When man takes on the Divine Nature and becomes absorbed in the Essence of the Father, he then becomes like the Father. And whatever his image to the Father may have been when he was mere man, now he becomes the real substance; and limitations of possibilities become removed. Love sees no ending, and intellectual development no boundaries; happiness has no limitations, and Immortality becomes a thing of knowledge; and the soul becomes a New Creature, having the Divine Essence of the Father.
And until this New Creation has taken place and the Transformation becomes a thing of reality, and the soul is made at-one with the Father, man cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven - then no longer man, but now an angel.
Now as I have written you before, all this can be accomplished only by the operation of the New Birth - that is, the inflowing into the soul of man of the Divine Love of the Father. This Love contains the Essence of God's Divinity. And when man obtains It, he is then of the same Essence as the Father, and for the first time becomes a part of the Divine, and fitted to inhabit the Celestial Heavens. In no other way can man partake of this Nature, and it does not require much reasoning to show the logical truth of this statement. Man, in his earthly affairs, and in his material experiments in producing compounds from elements, applies the same principle that I assert in my statement, "The dough cannot be leavened unless leaven is placed in the batch."
So you see, without this Divine Love entering into the soul, it will be impossible for the natural man to become the Divine angel. Beliefs and creeds and doctrines and sacrifices cannot work this transformation. And even though the beliefs may be without doubt, and the creeds and doctrines satisfactory, and the sacrifices without end, yet they will all be futile to change the soul of the mere man into the soul of the Divine angel. And all this, in part, is why man should seek to obtain the Divine Love, and become an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres.
I have written enough for tonight, and I am pleased at the way in which you received it.
So, with all my Love and blessings, I am
Your
brother and friend,
Jesus
Jesus Recognizes Mr. Padgett's Grandmother's Capability in Writing the Truths of the Father
I am here, Jesus
I merely want to tell you tonight that you are so much better in your condition for writing my messages and for receiving the Love of the Father in your soul.
You took my message last night in a very satisfactory way, and I am pleased with the manner in which you caught my meaning. So very soon we will have another message - and a very important one.
I am with you in your hours of lonesomeness, trying to help and comfort you, and lead you to the Love of the Father.
Tonight I will not write more, as I desire that another shall write who will give you a message that will interest you very much. I mean your grandmother. She is a very capable spirit in discussing things pertaining to the spirit. I mean those things which reveal to men the Truths of the Father as she has learned and understands them - not merely in a mental sense, but in the way of her soul perceptions. So you will receive much benefit from what she may write, and you will realize that she is a wonderful spirit in the knowledge of all these things that tell of God's Love and of His Care and Mercy towards mankind.
With my Love and blessings, and those of the Father, I will now say good night.
Your
brother and friend,
Jesus
The Importance of Knowing the Way to the Celestial Kingdom. Divine Love Comes Only in Response to the Soul's Longings
I am here, Your grandmother
You are now in condition to receive our messages, and I wish to write for a while on the importance of knowing the Way to the Celestial Kingdom. We have written to you of this before, but I wish to add to what you have received. You have been told that the only Way to obtain that Kingdom is by the Divine Love coming into your soul and changing it into a Divine thing which partakes of the very Essence of the Father, Himself. Well, this is a correct explanation of the operation of this Love on the soul; but in order to get this Love, there must be earnest supplication on the part of the seeker. A mere mental desire for the inflowing of the Love will not suffice.
This is a matter that pertains to the soul, alone; and the mind is not involved, except, as you might say, to start the soul's longings and prayer. When you think that you are longing for this Love, and have a mere mental desire for its inflowing, the Love will not come - because it never responds to the mere mind, but must always be sought for by the soul's longings. Many men have the intellectual desire for the Love of God, and they rest upon that desire. They believe that they have the Love, and that there is nothing further for them to do; but they will find themselves mistaken. Instead of possessing this Love, they have only awakened the natural love and, in a way, started it towards its goal of the purified soul that the first parents enjoyed before their fall. But they will not experience the transformation that comes with the possession of the Divine Love.
It is no easy matter to have these longings possess the soul. And men should not remain satisfied with these mere mental desires, for they will not be benefitted by such desires, except, as I may say, in the way of having their natural love purified. The longings of the soul come only from a realization that this Love is waiting to be bestowed, and that the soul must become active and earnest in its endeavor to have this Love come into it. Then the transformation takes place.
You will see from this how utterly impossible it is for mere devotees of the church to experience this Love. The longings of the soul are not aroused by the observance of the church's sacraments and the duties which they impose. They may be ever so zealous in their attendance upon the church services, and in their complying strictly with its prescribed requirements; however, it is all a mental process with them - the soul is not affected. They may think that their desires are from the soul and that a response will come, but they are mistaken in this; the soul remains unaffected. Only when the soul's longings are started into activity are prayers of the worshiper answered.
So you will see that a man may be apparently devout and full of zeal for his church and the teachings of his creed; yet he will not be benefitted insofar as the progress of the soul is concerned.
Let not your desires originate from only the intellect, but try to bring the longings of the soul into being. And do not rest satisfied until a response shall come - as it will certainly come - and you will know that the Love is present and working Its transforming power upon the soul.
This is all I desire to say tonight.
I am pleased that you are now in condition to receive our messages, and I hope that your excellent condition will continue.
With my love, I will say good night.
Your
loving grandmother,
Ann Rollins
John Describes the Difference Between the Spirits of the Celestial and the Spirit Spheres
I am here, John
I come tonight to write a short time about the truths of the Celestial Spheres in which I live and enjoy the happiness which my Father gives me.
As you may know, these Celestial Spheres are above the Spiritual Spheres, and they are inhabited only by spirits who have received the New Birth, and who believe in the Truths as taught by Jesus. No other spirits are permitted to enter these spheres, and no other spirits could possibly find any happiness in them; for in them Divine Love is so developed in the souls of the spirits who live there that any spirit not having that Love would find that he is in an atmosphere that is entirely foreign to his qualifications, and he would be most unhappy. But, as I say, no spirit who has not that Divine Love which we tell you about can possibly enter into these spheres. The walls of demarcation are just as solid and forbidding as are the walls of demarcation in your prisons on earth from the outside world.
I live in a city inhabited by spirits who have a wonderful soul development, and who are capable of understanding the deep Truths of God which are not given to mortals or spirits to understand in the Spiritual Spheres.
This may seem a little strange to you, but it is true; for it would be utterly impossible for the spirits of these lower spheres, or for mortals, to understand these higher Truths. They cannot be comprehended with what you call the intellectual faculties or the mind, but can be understood only by the soul's perceptions, developed to such a degree that nothing that partakes of the purely material can have an abiding place in that soul.
The mind must stop in its progress at the Sixth Sphere. And after that, only the soul can progress. But this does not mean that the spirit who makes such progress in the Celestial Heavens does not increase in knowledge and understanding, for he does - to a greater extent than it could be possible for the mere mind to progress. But this progress of a spirit in knowledge and understanding is a progress of the soul perceptions of which I speak. The faculties of the soul are as far superior to and above the faculties of what you call the mind as are the heavens above the earth.
So you see, the soul does not merely embrace the affections and love of a spirit, but also qualities which enable it to understand and develop the qualities of knowledge at a place where the progress of the mind ceases. It is hard to explain this to you, or for you to comprehend its meaning; but this you will understand: that as the soul progresses in its development of its perceptions, knowledge and understanding of all things pertaining to the Celestial World increases. When you properly consider this, you will find that it is a wonderful provision of the Father's Love and Grace.
What an important thing to both mortal and spirit is the soul! It can be starved on earth and also in the spirit world; on the other hand, it can be developed on earth as well as in the spirit world. If mortals would only understand that, as regards eternity, the soul is the great thing which they possess, and that it should be given more care and development than any and all other parts of man's being.
I may come again soon and deliver a more comprehensive statement concerning the soul and its functions and importance.
With my Love and blessings, I am,
Your
brother in Christ,
John
Abraham Lincoln's Description of the Glories of the Seventh Sphere
I am here, Abraham Lincoln
I am your friend in Christ and desire to write a few lines, but it will not be about religious matters; for I heard what the Master said, and he knows what is best.
Well, I am in the Seventh Sphere and am very happy, and enjoy all the delights of a soul redeemed. And I am progressing to the higher spheres where some of your band live. How beautiful their homes must be, because when they come to the lower spheres they have such beauty and are so filled with the Father's Love that I know they must live in homes of transcendent beauty, where happiness is supreme.
I am not one who knows all that there is provided in the heavens by the Father, but I know enough to say, "...no eye of man has seen and neither has his heart conceived of the wonderful things that the Father has prepared for those who love Him and do His Will." In our sphere, the glory of our habitations and surroundings that we have is beyond all conceptions of mortals, and beyond all the powers which we have to describe. Your language is poor indeed when we attempt to use it to describe our homes and our happiness.
There is never a sigh or a thought tainted with the slightest flavor of unhappiness or discontent. All our wishes are gratified, and Love reigns eternally and without stint. When on earth, never did I conceive that one man could love another as one spirit here loves his brother spirit. The "mine" and "thine" are truly the "ours," and no spirit is so happy as when he is doing something to make another spirit happier. Also, love between the opposite sexes is so pure and glorified.
My home is not in any of the cities, but in the country among beautiful fields and woods where the purest waters flow in silver streams of living light; and the birds of paradise, in all their glorious plumage, sing and make merry the echoes of the hills and rocks. For we have hills and rocks, as well as plains and beautiful meadows, and placid lakes and shining waterfalls, all praising God for His Goodness.
So, why will not every mortal try to attain to this heavenly condition of Love and happiness when it is so easy for them to do so? The Divine Love is waiting for all and needs only the seeking and the believing in order to make the mortal an heir to all the glories of this heavenly place.
But the mind of man, in its superimposed importance, and in the conceit of the wonderful powers of his reasoning faculties, keeps the simple, childlike faith from making him a child of the Kingdom.
Oh, I tell you, if mortals only knew what is here and ready for them to obtain and make their own, they would not let the supposed greatness of their minds, or the cares and ambitions and desires for earthly possessions, keep them from seeking this great and glorious inheritance which is theirs by merely claiming it in the Way made known by the Master.
And he, what can I say of him - the most glorious and beautiful and loving of all the spirits in God's Universe? When on earth, I looked upon him and worshiped him as God, sitting on the right hand of the Father, way up in the high heavens, and waiting for the coming of the "great judgment day", when he would separate the "sheep" from the "goats", and send each to his eternal place of habitation - whether to hell or heaven, only he knew. And I did not, and could not know of my fate until the great judgment should be pronounced. But now, when I see him as he is, and know that he is my friend and elder brother and a spirit such as I am, with only love for his younger brethren, be they saints or sinners, and that he has a great longing that all may come and partake of the feast which the Father has prepared, I feel that this loving brother and friend is more to me, and my happiness is greater, than when I looked upon him as the "God of judgment," having his habitation away off beyond my vision or reach.
He is so loving and so pure and so humble! Why, his very humility makes us all love him almost to adoration! And if you could only see him, you would not be surprised that we love him so much.
Well my friend, I have written a little more than I intended, but I am so filled with Love, and so happy in having such a friend as the Master, that I can hardly restrain myself.
I will come again sometime and write to you upon some spiritual truth which I so much want you to know.
When on earth, I was not an orthodox to the full extent. But I did not succeed in getting rid of my early belief that Jesus was a part of the "Godhead," although my mind often rebelled at the thought. The early teachings of my mother lingered with me, and maturer thoughts and development of mind could never entirely eradicate this belief in Jesus as being part of God. Some have said and thought that I was almost an infidel, but this is untrue. For I always believed firmly in the Father and, as I have told you, in Jesus.
I was also a Spiritualist to some extent; that is, I believed in the communications of spirits with mortals, as I had such communications on numerous occasions and had acted on advice that I received through them. But I never learned from any of these communications any of the higher Truths which I now know, and which are so important for mortals to know; and which, if men only knew and taught these higher Truths, would make their religion a live, virile, all-pervading and satisfying religion.
We are all interested in your work, and are co-workers with you in revealing these great Truths.
May God bless and prosper you, and may He cause you to see the realities of the Great Divine Love. This is the prayer of,
Your
brother in Christ,
Abraham Lincoln
Mrs. Padgett Describes Her Home in the Celestial Spheres in Detail
I am here, Helen
I am now going to write you about my home, as I promised, and you must not think I am not in condition to write if I should not be able to describe it as you may think I should. The only reason for my failure will be that I cannot find words to express myself.
Well, my house is a beautiful white one of a substance that you might think of as alabaster, and two stories in height, and rooms on each side of a wide and beautiful hall. The rooms are very large and filled with the most beautiful furniture that you can conceive of. The walls are all hung with satin coverings, and between are lovely pictures. The parlor, as you would call it, is filled with the most exquisite and comfortable couches and chairs, and with beautiful tables and bric-a-brac, and also many pictures of landscapes and fruits and flowers. I don't know who painted them, but they are there and give me much delight, and satisfy my love for paintings and pictures to so great an extent. There are also many little curies that would make the heart of an aesthetic person rejoice and feel glad. My music room has instruments in it of various kinds, and wonderful in sound and construction. I play some of them and also sing in my weak way, as you say on earth; but I enjoy the music more than I can tell you, and so do many spirits who call to see me.
I have other rooms, such as repose rooms, library, and a room for meditation and prayer. My library is full of books dealing with subjects that are now so congenial and necessary to me, for they tell me of God's Love and Care for His children. There are also books that deal with the laws of the spirit world and of the other parts of the universe. But I do not read these latter much. For my whole study is so given to the laws pertaining to our own spirit world and its relationship to your world, and to the Love of God and the love that should exist among mortals and spirits, that I do not find time for these other studies; in fact, I have not the inclination.
There are books that you might call fiction, but really are not, for they describe the actual experiences of spirits in such a vivid and interesting way that, if they were portrayed in your earthly books, you would think it fiction.
Not all the books in my library deal with the higher or more substantial things of this spirit life, for we have our recreation for the mind in the way of variety in reading that you do on earth, and we are the stronger and happier for it. So you see, if you were here, I know that the library would be your place of rest from your work, although I know you like music very much.
We have a dining room also. But we do not need kitchens, as nothing is cooked, and everything is eaten just as we get it from the trees and vines. We do not eat meat or bread or potatoes or things of that kind. Our food is principally fruits and nuts, and such fruits you never saw and never will until you come with me. The fruits are mostly pears and grapes and oranges and pomegranates - of course, not just the same as you know them on earth. I merely use these words of description to give you some idea of what they are like. We have them in great variety and always fresh and ripe. The nuts, too, are of many kinds and qualities. None need nutcrackers for them to be broken in order to be eaten. There are no cakes or candies or anything of that nature.
We do not actually eat these things with our teeth and palate, or use intestinal organs as you do, but we "inhale," as it were, the delicious flavors and aromas of the fruits. And strange as it may seem to you, we are just as much satisfied as mortals in doing so, and probably more so than you when you eat them with your physical organs. I cannot explain to you more fully just how this thing is; but as we say, we "eat" the fruits and nuts.
We "drink" pure water, and nothing else. And spirits who say they have wines and other beverages tell what I have never seen or heard of since I have been in the spirit world. Of course, I do not know every single thing or what exists in all parts of this great world of spirits. But this water is so pure and satisfying that I cannot imagine any spirit would want anything else to drink. Yet, as I say, I do not know as to this.
We do not actually drink the water, for we have not the internal organs that you have in the physical body, but we seem to absorb it in our system in some way that gives all the delight and satisfaction that you enjoy when you drink water.
We often have our "teas," as your fashionable women on earth might say, and very many of our spirit friends attend and help make the gatherings enjoyable and happy ones. Of course, the male spirits attend, for I must tell you that in this life there are no clubs or businesses that keep the sexes apart, as in your life. I mean that the two sexes are more together, and enjoy the society of each other to a far greater degree than in your earth life. Of course, I do not mean that these spirits have all found their soulmates, for that is not true; but each enjoys the company of the others as friends and spirits having similar desires and aspirations.
My companions are very similar in their Love for the Father and in the development of their souls, and in their thoughts and desires for spiritual things. We discuss many questions pertaining to the soul and its progress, and to the Love of the Father and to the love of spirits and mortals. While we are joyous and happy beyond compare, yet we do not indulge in frivolities or thoughts that have not a tendency to elevate us to higher things.
We have music and dancing, but our dancing is different from yours. We merely exercise ourselves in graceful and artistic movements, without any contact of spirit bodies or the embracing of each other. Of course, we hold hands as we dance, but no familiarity, as you would say, is indulged in.
Well, I have a room for repose where, after working long and to some extent feeling tired, I rest on these couches that I tell you of. We do not sleep, but sometimes we go into a kind of dreamy state that gives us much refreshment and vigor. I am now resting from some hard work that I have been doing in your earth plane. I mean that when I am not writing to you, I am resting. So you see, we are not enjoying one continuous condition of feeling, as that might become monotonous.
I am now trying to help some of the spirits who have recently come over from your city, and who were acquaintances of yours on earth. I will tell you of them when next I write to you.
I am tired now and must stop. So, with all my Love, I am
Your
own true and loving
Helen
Mrs. Padgett's Experience of Joy and Grandeur in the Third Celestial Sphere
I am here, Your Helen
I am here, your Helen, and ready to write, as I promised you today. And you must not think that I will not tell you of what is so dear to me, and should be to you.
It has been a long time since I wrote very much to you in detail about myself, and you do not know what has taken place in my soul progression for some time past.
Well, I have been praying and trying to get more Love of the Father in my soul, and have succeeded to such an extent that I am now in the Third Celestial Sphere where your grandmother and mother are also. And, my dear, if I could only tell you of the joys and grandeur of this sphere, I should be most happy. But I have not the words at my command to give you any satisfactory idea of what the appearance and conditions of this sphere are. I have described my home to you in the Second Celestial Sphere, though very inadequately. But that sphere cannot compare with what I have now, and I cannot better describe it than to say it is beyond all possible conception of what you can possibly have of beauty and grandeur and love. I am only in the lower planes of this sphere, but these are so filled with the Father's Love that it almost seems impossible that there can be any spheres where there is more of this Love. But of course, as Jesus and all the apostles, and some others who write you have their homes in these higher Celestial Spheres, and nearer to the Fountain of Love, consequently there must be more Love where they are.
I am so happy that I can scarcely tell you of what this happiness means. But at any rate, I must say that there is never the slightest thing to interfere with my happiness or to make me think that I am not an accepted child of the Father, partaking of His Love to an extent that makes me Immortal and never again subject to death.
This happiness is not such as satisfies for a while, but is one continual source of living, free from all that might enter into the feelings or lives of spirits that know not that they are one with the Father and a part of Him in Love and Beauty. I am only wanting one thing now to make my life complete, and that is to have you with me. But from this, you must not think that I am not perfectly happy and contented, for I am. But, as you have been told, I am only one half of the complete one, and the other half must come and join the half that I am before the perfect one can become completed.
So, my dear Ned, you must try now harder than ever to get this Great Love in your soul in more abundance, and you may if you will only pray and have faith; for the Master says that you can, and he knows.
Yes, I have my individual home here, just as I had in the lower spheres, and it is just as real, and more so, as any home which you have on earth. My garments are the same in appearance as to form, but oh so much more beautiful and shining white; and my countenance, too, is more beautiful and full of expressions of Love.
So you see, I have a greater love for my Father, and a greater love for you. For as my love for the Father increases, my love for you also increases. And I know that when you come over, this love will be so great that you will wonder that such love could exist.
I do not think that I had better write more tonight, as I do not feel like telling you of other things. I only want to enjoy this Great Love - free from communication about other matters. However, at another time, I shall be pleased to do so.
So, sweetheart, think of me as I am now, filled with this Great New Love that is possessing my whole being. And now, dear, you are the object of this love, outside of that which is the Father's.
I will not write more, but will say that I am yours now and for all eternity, and am waiting, oh so longingly, for the time to come when you can be with me!
I will stop writing.
Your
own true and loving
Helen
How All Mankind Can Become Divine Angels, and How Erroneous Beliefs Prevent This Consummation
I am here, Your grandmother
I will tell you tonight of a Truth that may be of interest to you, and I know that it is of importance to all who may long for happiness in the future life.
As you know, I am now in the Celestial Spheres in a place higher than the Third Celestial Sphere, and where there are no special lines of demarcation separating it from what you may call the higher planes.
In my place, the inhabitants are those who have received the Divine Love in their souls to an extent that makes them know that they are of a nature that is divine and in at-onement with that of the Father. Of course, those who have entered the First Celestial Sphere have the knowledge of having partaken of the Divine Nature, but they are not so filled with this Love as are we who live in the sphere that I am in.
It is not possible for me to tell you of the extent of our happiness because you have no words in your language that can possibly convey a faint conception of this happiness, and I will not attempt to describe it. But if you will combine all the emotions of joy and happiness which you have received or experienced in all the years of your life, you would not be able to realize the meaning of our happiness in the faintest degree. I merely recite this truth to show you and all mankind what is possible for you and them to obtain, if you will only pursue the course that the Father has provided and that the Master has pointed out in his messages to you.
The Great Instrument that causes this great happiness is Love. By this, I mean the Divine Love of which we have so often written, and without which it is impossible for a soul to obtain this condition, or to become a dweller in the Celestial Heavens. Man, as you have been instructed, was not created with this Love. He could only obtain It by his own longings and aspirations being exercised in the Way that the Father had provided. In no other way could these desires for this Love be realized. But the great pity is that the first of the human race declined, or rather refused, to pursue this Way, and thought that they were wise enough to know a better way. And in attempting to pursue this way, they brought about their own fall and the loss of the privilege of obtaining this Love. In all the long years until the coming of Jesus, no man (after the first created) had the privilege; hence it was not possible for them to find any greater happiness than that which might come from their natural Love.
At the coming of Jesus, men again had bestowed upon them this great privilege, and a possibility of obtaining the knowledge of the Way in which this privilege could be exercised. This was not declared to all men, for the territory in which Jesus taught and proclaimed this important Truth was very limited. Thus the great majority of men died without knowing that this Gift had been rebestowed. But in His Goodness and Love, God did not restrict the bestowal of this Love to those who might be fortunate enough to learn of It from Jesus and his apostles, but rather sent His Holy Spirit to implant It in the souls of all men who might be in such condition of soul aspiration and longing as to permit this Love to enter their souls.
When spirits became possessed of this knowledge, they commenced the work of trying to influence men in such a way that there arose in them a longing for a closer unity with God and an opening up of the soul perceptions. As a result, many men received this Love in their souls in various parts of the world without knowing that It was this Divine Love. But It was, and when these men entered the spirit world in their spirit forms, they soon found that they were possessed of this Love to some extent. It was not difficult for them to listen to the explanations and teachings of those spirits who had received It as to the Truth of Its existence.
Now all this may not appear to be of much importance to present man, and hardly worth attention, but my great object in writing in this manner is to show that God had no special or peculiar people, and that it was not even necessary that all peoples should learn from Jesus the fact of this Gift. For in such a case, the great majority of mankind could not possibly have heard of this Love while they were yet mortals. No, this was not a necessity; but the knowledge which came to mortals through Jesus enabled those who possessed and believed it to more rapidly pursue the Way to obtaining this Love.
Many spirits had received the benefit of the rebestowal of this Love, or rather the privilege of seeking for and obtaining It, before Jesus came to the spirit world. Yet they understood that the greater extent of the possession of this Love was in Jesus, and no spirit now possesses It to the degree that he does.
But whether the souls of mortals or spirits received the knowledge of this Truth from Jesus, or from the workings of the Holy Spirit in Its ministrations, they all know that the seeking for and getting this Divine Love is the only means by which the soul may become an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens.
I realize that what I have written conflicts with the orthodox belief that it is only through the death and blood of Jesus that men can be saved from their sins and become children of God and at-one with Him. If this belief were true, then by Jesus' sacrifice, all men would be saved, irrespective of their obtaining this Divine Love; or, only those would be saved who had heard of Jesus and accepted him as their savior. Neither of these propositions is true.
Without this Divine Love entering into the soul of a man, it would be impossible for him to partake of the Divine Nature of the Father and become fitted to occupy a home in the Celestial Spheres. This Love in the soul, whether it is a result of the workings of God's ministering spirits helping to increase the strength of soul longing in a man, or a result of the man's unassisted soulful efforts toward activating the Holy Spirit to convey this Love, is what makes the man of a Divine nature and a redeemed child of God.
Now from what I have said, it must not be inferred that the mission of Jesus and his work on earth and in the spirit world are not the great things connected with man's redemption, for they are. It was not until Jesus' coming that this Great Gift was rebestowed. And it was not until his declaring this fact and teaching the Great Truth of the New Birth that either mortals or spirits could receive this privilege. The ministering spirits could not influence the souls of men to seek for the inflowing of the Divine Love until they had first received It and understood Its existence themselves. And here, let me declare a fact: when Jesus preached to mortals on earth the necessity for the Second Birth, myriads of spirit beings heard these teachings and also became possessed of this knowledge.
Today, men are attended by hosts of spirits of all kinds, and the sayings and teachings of men are heard by more spirits than men. And the influence of such teachings has its effect upon spirits just as upon men. For the spirits of men which are existing in the earth planes are the same spirits, substantially, that they were when on earth. Also, an earthly friend frequently has more influence upon them than do other spirits, no matter how high their condition may be.
I am so happy to be able to write to you again, and to let you know that I have not forsaken you. I am with you quite often and am trying to help you. Pray more to the Father, and exercise more faith, and you will grow in soul development and happiness.
I will not write more now. So with all my love and blessings, I am,
Your
grandmother,
Ann Rollins
The Celestials Must Work Until the Celestial Kingdom Will Be Closed
I am here, John the Apostle
We are Celestial spirits of the highest order, but this fact does not prevent us from realizing the necessity for the salvation of man. And even though we have to come to earth to bring about this salvation, in work and association with the spirits of the earth plane, yet it is a labor of love, and humility is the touchstone that brings happiness to us in our work.
No, we are with you often and in close association; and we would not be fellow workers with the Master if for one moment we should have the feeling that, because of our high estate, we should not come in rapport and helpful association with sinful mortals. And so long as the Father requires His Great Truths to be taught, and men's souls to be saved from the effect of the great fall, and made angels of Divinity, our work will continue. But sometime our work on earth, as well as in the spirit spheres, will cease. And then our homes in the Celestial Spheres will be our only places of labor and love.
The Kingdom will be completed, the door of the heavenly Kingdom will be closed, and the angelic laborers will become separated from the spiritual, or perfect, man. Such is the decree.
And as the Father desires all men to become at-one with Him in His Divinity of Love, we must work until the great day of the consummation of the Kingdom arrives; and spirits who have not on the wedding garment shall suffer the doom of the second death.
And when Jesus said, "Work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work," he meant that, while the Kingdom is open for men to enter therein, we must work. For when its doors shall be closed, the work of the angelic laborers must cease, and man and spirits will be left to an eternity in the spiritual spheres.
And so we work - and so must you work until the time of the separation. And as the Master said, the wheat and the tares must be permitted to grow together until the great time of the harvesting shall take place.
But until then, we must mingle and work and pray without ceasing.
Your
brother in Christ,
John
