THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the region of Caesarea Philippi. (cont.) Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16
- Chapter 171 -
The nature of Satan and matter. Gospel of Matthew 16:24-28.
Here I turned again to Peter in the friendliest way and said, "I have not disparaged you in the least if I have shown you in the sharp speech your human side! Everything that is human in this world in a person "his flesh and its various needs from pure earthly considerations "is under judgment, therefore hell and Satan, who is the epitome of all judgment, death, night and falsehood, for the whole so-called life of matter is merely a phantom-life and of no value at all.
2
He who sinks back into some aspect of matter is also Satan, insofar as he seeks his salvation in matter and its phantom-life.
3
If anyone wishes to break free of Satan in his flesh, let him deny himself and take up this cross that I already carry in spirit and follow Me! (Matt. 16:24) For I say to you: Whoever wishes to save his (earthly) life will lose it (spiritually); but whoever loses his (earthly) life for My sake shall find it (spiritually) ! (Matt. 16:25)
4
For what will a man gain by winning the whole world with all its treasures while at the same time he loses his soul? Or what can a man give that will free his soul from the bonds of matter, judgment and death? (Matt. 16:26)
5
For indeed it will come to pass that I, now the Son of Man, shall at some future time return in the glory of the Father with all the angels, whose power you know. But then, as now, He will only be able to help and reward every man according to his own works. Whoever will be found dead will remain dead until such time when all those who have remained in the graves of judgment will be raised, too. Even then, every man's judge will be forever his love, will and conscience. (Matt. 16:27)
6
But those who live according to My words and do deeds of true self-denial and inner free love will never see or feel death. Verily, to My great joy and yours I can say to you that there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste or feel death and shall be witnesses of everything until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom with whom they will reign forever! But for that much love for God and for one's fellow man is required." (Matt. 16:28)
7
Truly, if there is any father or mother here who only care about looking after their children well in this world, and do not pay attention to the higher value of the life of the soul of their children, have dug themselves and their children a grave for eternal death; for whatever is of the world is also of Satan, thus of judgment and the death of matter!
8
Truly all matter is determined to be awakened through the power of an other-worldly pure spirit to be resurrected from the long judgment; but then matter must transform according to its well-engrained free intelligence into the correct form and wisdom of its other-worldly spirit, which is a light from God. If this does not happen by the matter, the other-worldly spirit returns to its source and the matter that should have been awakened for ever falls back once again into its old judgment and will have to wait there until once again an other-worldly spirit awakens it to a new test life.
9
But because things are that way and not otherwise, nor can they be, I came Myself from above to you people of this Earth and am now showing you all the full truth of all forms in life and its good or bad conditions. And you, My Peter, will hopefully now be clear about why I have just said to you: 'Away with you, Satan!' "Now forward into the great bay!"