The Great Gospel of John
Volume 2
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the Vicinity of Caesara Philippi (Matthew 16)
- Chapter 230 -
Educating the primordial spirits.
Says Cyrenius: I now have a kind of thimbleful glimmer, and it seems as if I understand some of it; but there is no talk of any clarity yet. The thing seems to pass into such spiritual subtlety that quite a different insight is needed than the sum of two pears and two and pears being four pears. I am a long way from a clear insight; because the playing off of opposing forces is so subtitle that it is hard for a being like me to order the notion of their reacting within a being in such a way that it attains to a complete image of God, in every deed and omission.
2
This I think is something which newly-created beings like us could never accomplish on their own, and hence I don't believe they can be held responsible for developing within the order, fully or partly, if not completely contrary; for who could fully blame a person for violence if from birth he never had an opportunity to develop by the norms of an educated mankind?
3
But is it thinkable that primeval spirit-beings which had only just consolidated themselves as God's primeval thoughts and ideas, could also have already been imbued with the insight to develop in accordance with the Creator's order? The so-to-say personal, primeval being of Satan could not possibly have had the insight of a Michael, or it would have developed itself like Michael. In short, Lord, here I still dally between light and darkness, not knowing how to actually grasp the light. When I approach it too closely it seems to burn me like a flame, and if I move away, then of course it is dark again and I am standing on the same spot from which I came forth.
4
And so it shall be necessary for me to put a little more oil in my intellectual lamp on this subject, to make it somewhat more lucid. Because I seem like someone still half asleep in the morning. On the one hand lightless sleep is pressing the eyes, even whilst the light of day is working on the sleepy eyes to stop them from dropping back to sleep. Wherefore oh Lord, let you fully awaken my eyes, or it could yet happen that with all this morning light I fall asleep again, in spite of full recognition of the divine order in all wisdom and love!"
5
Say I: "Indeed, dearest friend, as I said to you beforehand, these things shall be hard to fully grasp! But since you are serious about gaining a deeper insight into this subject, I shall endeavour to get you a more vivid light, through symbolism and parables.
6
Only in one respect are you upon loose sand, in thinking that God left the created beings to their self-development, before they possessed the capacity to fully recognize the divine order within themselves, and to grasp it its full depth. Much education preceded this, and long time-periods passed between the first coming into being of the first-created order in the first beings, and the period when such spirits were handed over to their active self-development.
7
Think of the time period between Adam and you, and behold, this already quite long time until this hour is still filled with all kind of education from all sides!
8
And only after such lengthy preparation am I Myself finally here, showing mankind clearly the ways they have to go, out of their very own inner power, that so far had achieved the greatest possible development for the pro and contra (for and against). Only with this My presence is man given fullest free reign in his life-perfection, and with that a new commandment of love, which contains within itself in the proper divine fullness all other commandments and all wisdom out of God.
9
If henceforth a man lives in accordance with this new commandment, he shall also unmistakeably develop his life in accordance with God's order, and then soon thereafter be able to enter upon the fullness of the truest and freest eternal life. If however he does not accept such new life commandment and does not arrange his doings in accordance therewith, out of himself, then he certainly shall not attain the aim of true life-development.
10
No one shall then however be able to say: 'I was not aware of what to do'. And regardless of how far from there any man might still say: 'God's call did not reach my ears', he shall be told: 'From this hour on there is no man upon this entire earth who did not receive into his heart what is fully the right thing among mankind'.
11
In everyone's heart a warning voice will be placed which will indicate to him what is good and only true. Who will hear this voice and follow it, will attain the greatest light and it will illuminate to him all roads of the divine order."