The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 87 -
The false sun.
But I say, "You are truly still very inexperienced children and ask for something that is not at all allowed to occur in the way that you understand it and mean it; for you see, the sun does not go down, but always stands still over the Earth! Truly the sun also makes great movement, but that affects the Earth as little as a speck of dust on your tunic cares for your movement from one place to another.
2
But what gives you the day and the night is the Earth moving in a very rapid revolution around its own axis; for I have explained to you at times that the earth is a great ball and turns from evening to morning[west to east] and therefore one part constantly turns after another towards the sun. Thus there is always morning in some place on the whole Earth, at the same time in an earlier place it is midday, at the same time in a place lying even further towards the east it is evening and ever more to the east it is midnight, and these four named points push unstoppably forwards, so that within 24 hours on any place on the Earth it is morning once, midday once, evening once and midnight once. That is an order which, as far as its movement is concerned, everything on the Earth must not change an inch, under danger of complete destruction!
3
For should I now let the sun in full truth shine for another hour over this area, I would have to hinder the whole Earth in its revolution for a moment - which is so large in the great circle of its circumference that a few moments would already cover a distance from here to Jerusalem. Thereby all the free bodies, however, which are not too securely connected to the Earth, would get such a hefty push that not only all living things like people and animals, along with all their houses and huts and palaces for hours around would be thrown towards the east with the greatest strength, but also such a push would also drive the sea out of its depth over the mountains, and the mountains would fly over each other like starlings!
4
For these very natural reasons I have now given you, I cannot listen to your plea; but I can, as in the days of Joshua, set up a false sun for a few hours which will shine just as much as the genuine natural one. But this sun will then naturally disappear again after a few hours because it will only be a pure mirage.
5
Therefore now pay good attention all of you! When the true sun goes down, the false one will rise in the west and then will remain shining for a full two hours over the horizon.
6
But even for the appearance of this discussed false sun no extraterrestrial means come into use, but instead very natural ones, although animated and brought forth through extraordinary powers from the sphere of heaven through My innermost will. Do you understand what has been said at least a little?"
7
Cyrenius says, "I at least understand it completely; for still I possess the wonderful orange from Ostracine! Lord, you understand me!? But whether all the others present here will understand it, I would almost doubt!?"
8
I say, "That doesn't matter! Whoever doesn't understand that, will understand it later; for the salvation of the human soul does not depend on it at all. People who know the Earth very well in time get too much desire to travel the whole Earth in all areas - which anyway will not remain - and thus pull their souls too much to the outside; these become very material and profit-seeking.
9
Thus somewhat less knowledge about the nature of the material Earth, but more knowledge of one"s self is better.
10
For whoever knows his inner self fully, will also soon enough reach knowledge not only of the whole earth, but of all the planets in the endless creation materially and spiritually, of which the latter is alone of significance and of the greatest importance, but the simple outer knowledge of the nature of this Earth will not lead the way to immortality for any soul.
11
But now pay attention; immediately the natural sun will go below the horizon and the false sun will step into its place in a moment!"