The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and the Priests of the Temple (John 5)
- Chapter 22 -
The false teachers of the Gospel.
The disciples now asked: "Lord, how will that be possible? For we will give it as we have received it, and those who hear it from us will not contaminate it. In addition Your divine help from heaven will help us with this the most!"
2
I say: "You do not understand it yet! There are in the earth, on the earth and in the air unfermented evil spirits, who are always strive to take control of human flesh. They are necessary offspring of the old judgment of the earth, always seeking to find their sort among the children of this world and creep into their senses. That makes the children of this world feel good and they then follow the secret temptations of such spirits.
3
Such children of the world however then seize everything that makes a sensation in this world. But since they do not have the true spirit, because they are children of this world, they arrange everything according to their spiritual blindness and according to their worldly intelligence with external pomp and external grandeur and majesty, whereby they imagine that they will gain many earthly goods, and by that also attract many, even better spirits, to themselves.
4
And see, that is then already a great and crude contamination of the otherwise pure teaching! And because the pure teaching offers only extremely few earthly advantages, but instead only spiritual ones, while the impure teachings provide next to the supposed spiritual blessings mainly great earthly advantages; because of this you can already halfway begin to understand how in time contamination of the purest teaching can take place.
5
Therefore be on your guard! For in time many false prophets and teachers will arise even during your earthly presence and will say with great and cheeky shouting: 'Behold, here is the Christ (Truth from God) and there He is!' and they will even perform great signs in a way like the Essenes do, even to such an extent that, if I allowed it, they could even enchant you chosen first disciples. But do not listen to them, but instead punish them through My name for their lies and advise them to be humble and to accept the truth from God, and so you and your true disciples will walk along a pure path!
6
The signs, by which you will very easily recognize them, are empty boasts, great and crude pretentiousness of divine powers which they never had and will never have in this world, then great shine, great splendor, a mystical pomp as among the gentiles and the greatest possible thirst for power, like a never-saturated greed for the greatest treasures and blessings of this world. Hopefully they will not be too difficult to recognize from these very nicely palpable characteristics."
7
Everyone, including the disciples, said: "Oh, we will recognize them indeed, as long as we are in the world; our future disciples may judge and indeed recognize them in the same way, and You will not leave Your true disciples!"
8
I said: "I will remain with them in the spirit until the end of this world! But that is enough of signs and teaching for today.
9
From now on, apart from the healing of the sick, I will not perform any other signs throughout the whole winter or give any instruction; for now you have more than enough with what you have already received. If you do not understand anything, I am with you. You, however, My disciples, during this time teach these new disciples occasionally!
10
Tomorrow and on the other days until the Sabbath we will rest here in this house; but on the Sabbath we will head towards Bethlehem and heal many sick there. Then we will spend some days with our innkeeper and then also with My Lazarus, and alternating in this way until half way through winter. We then will visit Kisjonah and come back here again before the Passover celebrations. Only then will we go to Galilee again with many companions and new disciples, where I will begin to teach anew and to perform miracles.
11
But now bring lights, and we will be cheerful with bread and wine and will also take our night's rest at these tables!"
12
This proposal suited everyone, but no-one felt any desire to sleep, and so almost until past midnight all sorts of things were discussed, which, however, neither have nor can have any obvious value for general humanity; for I Myself have often discussed many a thing with people who were dear to Me and given them advice in all sorts of domestic things, which of course do not belong in the gospel, and My disciples did likewise, which often made them very respected and popular among the people. For this is also love for one's neighbour, that one supports the suppressed and ignorant people in all sorts of good and useful things with good advice.
13
In the morning we were already on our feet half an hour before sunrise. Soon a small morning meal was consumed, and after same we went outside and discussed various things. And so it went until the Sabbath.
14
We also visited several neighbours of Lazarus', who took great joy in seeing and speaking to Me; but among these neighbours we did not find even one who had been a friend of the Temple.
15
But the twenty Greek Jews were not recognized, although they spoke a lot about the plague of the Temple and in this way made themselves very popular among the neighbours.