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 204 -
Messiah and salvation.
I say, "I am quite in agreement with your opinion as regards the main issue, but cannot wholly accept it when you attack the way in which such a teaching is founded, spread and preserved, although in a certain respect your view also has something going for it.
2
As regards the sifting of men and all their worldly works of culture, such a sifting at Noah's time visited most parts of the then inhabited earth with small exceptions the way Moses described it, though in metaphors. But a truly wise man familiar with the science of correspondences can easily discover from them the historical facts.
3
But how was humanity, although descending only from the extremely pious and wise Noah, after only a few hundred years?
4
Already at the time of Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, with the other ten cities, were on account of their great depravity destroyed by fire and brimstone from above, including all the people and livestock, so much so that no trace was left of them. Where once these cities stood you now have the Dead Sea, in which to this hour no animal can survive, and even the birds avoid crossing it.
5
At the time of Moses the depraved Egypt was sifted for years through the well-known seven plagues so that two thirds of the people and livestock perished and the Israelites, who were the best workmen of that kingdom and had initially migrated there as the brothers of Joseph a few hundred years earlier out of poverty and who were suffering great suppression and persecution under the cruel Pharaoh, were led out of the country, so that the whole kingdom sank into the greatest poverty and anarchy. But it gradually recovered and became rich and mighty, and when it became too mighty it was again punished through war, famine and pestilence. Look at it now, and you will find it to be like the rest of the world.
6
From these few true facts presented here you will comprehend that a sifting of sinful mankind does not have by far such a beneficial effect as you imagine, for the moral deterioration of a human being, or a whole generation of men, is not so much due to a fundamentally evil volition on the part of men as you think, but rather to the vital susceptibility of the soul, that is, to the indolence to move earnestly along the recognized paths of light.
7
But because the soul likes rest and inactivity so very much, it seeks helpers and servants who work for it or at least help it. Thereby it soon becomes wealthy, rich and mighty and begins to rule for its own benefit, gives laws and passes all sorts of decrees which bring it some advantage. And behold, in this way it usually turns into a refined soul that is not inclined to activity. This is the reason why the moral condition of whole nations has deteriorated, so much so that the nations more and more abandon the spiritual for the material.
8
Thus the lethargy or the ever-increasing desire for idleness is and remains the root of all evil, and this characteristic of the human soul is that most evil spirit which the Scriptures call 'Satan'. Therein consists the original sin from which all men suffer and from which no one can free them except a true Messiah who comes from the heavens of the fullest life and its highest activity.
9
All the sages living in the known parts of the world already have seen and recognized that there is an original sin among the people of this earth, but they have not been able to fathom in what it consists and how it can be fought. And exactly this will be the task of the Messiah, to redeem forever through precept and deed the people from this evil, whose outcome is the death of the soul.
10
But man's redemption will be true and effective for him only if he follows the given directions strictly and faithfully, - otherwise after the arrival of the Messiah he will be exactly the same sinful man he was prior to it. For the Messiah from the heavens will redeem from his original sin only the one who lives in every respect exactly according to His teaching. No one should hope for any particular magical and wonderful effect from Him as regards the salvation from the mentioned hereditary sin!
11
To be sure, the Messiah will work great miracles to testify that it is He, but the miracles as such will benefit men's souls only insofar as they will awaken the faith and activate the soul into putting the given teaching into practice.
12
Therefore, the Messiah is like a wealthy and good landlord and innkeeper who prepares a great feast and sends his servants to all the hamlets, roads, streets and lanes and kindly invites all to come and take part in the great feast. Poor and rich, small and great, weak and strong, insignificant and mighty alike, they all will hear the voice of the messenger inviting them. Those who come will have their hunger satisfied, but those who do not want to come shall not be forced. Whether or not they come will make no difference to the innkeeper; yet only those following the invitation will receive the blessing of the great feast.
13
The great feast will be the very teaching of the Messiah. Whoever listens to it and acts accordingly will be a true participant in the great feast and receive the blessing in its fullness. However, for him who listens to the precept without fully putting it into practice it will be like a well-laid table is for someone who does not eat of all the good food, and so it will be all the same whether or not he comes to the feast, although he is invited. Well, there you have the Messiah as He is, will be and shall remain. - What do you think now of such a true Messiah?"