God's New Bible

The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1

Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
In Cana in the valley

- Chapter 215 -

Archiel speaks about the Lord's Incarnation. Philopold's timidity, and his being summoned to the Lord.

Philopold again asks the angel, 'But who will show us this most mysterious order?'
2
Says the angel, 'The very self-Same Who referred you to me. Go to Him, He will tell you what He has already told you. Because to live as He teaches already is that divine life-style, through which alone one can attain to the childhood of God!
3
And He also is the very Self-Same One on Whose account you and many others have spiritually left Akka, and for the Lord's sake were incarnated on this earth, into the flesh of this earth.
4
But throughout all of Creation, and that upon all celestial spheres inhabited by intelligent beings in human form, the Incarnation of the Lord has been proclaimed by us; but only a few spirits from a small number of worlds were allowed to enter the flesh of this world. For the Lord is familiar with the nature of all the worlds in endless space, together with the nature and capacity of their inhabitants and spirits occupying one or the other such world; and He therefore knows best as to what spirit is capable of entering upon the flesh of this earth.
5
Whatever was fit anywhere, also has been transferred here, and the number transferred here is not much over ten thousand.
6
But among these you are one of the most fortunate, because if you so desire, then you can be accepted by the Lord as a disciple, like those who arrived with Him here.'
7
Says Philopold, 'My Archiel! Since you have already done me such great favours, please do me also the favour of taking me over to the Lord, for now that I have recognised Him, I lack the courage to go over to Him again. If it were left to me alone, I would rather run away as fast as possible and hide so that no man would find me. But since I am here now, and everybody knows me only too well, I can't do so, for the entire valley would be filled with laughter. Hence be so good and take me to the Lord, as my advocate.'
8
Says the angel, 'It is not necessary to do so, as the Lord knows what we have need of. Hence go to Him yourself, and He shall not pull your head off your trunk!'
9
Upon these words of the angel, Philopold plucks up courage and comes to Me with thoughtful gait, saying from some thirty paces away, 'Lord, will You let me approach You? If not, then I shall make my retreat!'
10
But I say, 'He who wants to come, let him come; for no man has advanced while hesitating.'
11
Hearing this, Philopold hastened his steps and is therefore quickly by My side, achieving what many hesitate doing and hence frequently don't achieve, as they are not to be moved from the spot they occupy, in spite of being called.
12
For so long as someone, with all his toing and froing, does not direct his steps to Me in a straight line, all his doings and standing is to no avail to his life. And were he to win the whole world but not Me, then the whole world is of no avail to him. If however, in this time of revealing the Gospel, I call to someone, saying, 'Come', yet he does not come, same shall be overtaken by spiritual death! And for this reason, Philopold is a good example that everyone should follow. He who calls after Me, let him not hesitate once called. For I shall not remain henceforth in Cana (signifying: filled with grace in this world) but shall move on, turning My eye and ear away from all who hesitate upon My 'come'!

Footnotes