The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives (John Chapter 8)
- Chapter 175 -
Lazarus' doubts about the divine guidance of mankind.
Said Lazarus: "Yes, at least I have understood it well! Frankly said: the whole history of mankind does not look very cheerful! Basically the people are not predominantly responsible for being so evil but rather the circumstances under which they are procreated, born and educated. Therefore every judgement is nevertheless 'n highly wilfully and tyrannical act by Him who has the power to judge the people.
2
It is of course said: God provides for every person a right recognition of true and false and of good and evil; but when does this take place? According to my experience only then, when man has firmly acknowledged himself in everything false and evil to such an extend, that no other pure teaching is of any use anymore. When people have lived for several hundred years without any noticeable divine influence, in time they necessarily start to forget about God, make for themselves own laws and life prescriptions, by which however, even if followed so strictly, cannot achieve salvation for man. When mankind finally really got lost, only then come, initially only very weakly, revelations through awakened people. And if they are fruitless, only then appear the more stronger revelations. And if also they are fruitless, then the judgement arrives. Lord, why this has to be so, I still do not grasp by a long shot.
3
From Adam to Noah and especially with the descendants of Cain, there was only little or no talk at all of any revelation. During the times of Noah all kinds of signs and revelations did occur, but too late since especially the people of the lowlands had totally gone over to the devil. The people then of course did not paid any attention to it and kept on living in their own frenzy; but then also the most terrible judgement occurred.
4
Later it continued up to Abraham in which long period of time nearly no revelations took place. With Abraham the divine revelations started again; but on its heels already the judgement followed over Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding ten cities.
5
From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob it went on until Moses. During the times of this prophet extraordinary things came from the heavens to the people. For the first time they became specific laws according to which they had to arrange their lives; but the judgement was also extraordinary. The Egyptians had to die by the hundred-thousands and the freed Israelites were afterwards not much better off for forty years in the desert. All of them, the Egyptians and the Israelites had for too long heard nothing of any particular revelation and in time became more tepid. The earlier, living faith turned into a lazy and traditional faith, which nearly is not much better than no believe at all. In the same way their faith was constituted, also the following of life principals were executed!
6
If the revelation pause continues for too long, people losing all faith in a true God and make for themselves god's to their own desire and thereby fall into complete idolisms. Pure rationally seen, can one accuse them of self-guiltiness? According to my always very rationally humane opinion truly not!
7
Under the judges and also later under the kings, for us Jews quite a few prophets were awakened, - but always only then if they already had sinned themselves to death; but then also the judgement followed immediately, which exterminated the sinners.
8
Now, You o Lord, are here Yourself. Now surly the very biggest revelation to mankind takes place; but then judgement will also not have to wait too long. Only after a few hundred years the people will be even in Your teaching not by one hair be better than the clerics down there! The converted heathens will again become heathens and the Jews will become even more darker than they are now, and thereby it will never get properly illuminated and good on this earth. I therefore think that from now on bright revelations should not be absent for too long, otherwise will the descendants, who can not be present during this current revelation, fall into the old night blamelessly.
9
The Philistines were destroyed because of their godlessness and, as far as I know, have never received any revelation; likewise the old Phoenicians, also the Trojans, the Babylonians, the Ninivites and also some other nations, which according to my knowledge have also not received a particular revelation.
10
Yes, why this so unfavourable play with the people of this earth? See, no person can help it, that he exists! However, once he is there according to Your almighty will, he then is already very unfortunate from the cradle to his grave and must endure one judgement after the other. Yes, why so?"