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 236 -
The Lord's spiritual omnipresence. The first shall be last. Cautioning against jealousy and arrogance.
Said Philippus: "Yes, Lord, when You always stay with us like now, it would be alright; but according to Your repeated announcement You will only stay with us for a short while, and then it will not be so effective anymore, than when working visible among us!"
2
Said I: "I will leave you physically, which means with this being of this My personality, since such must happen, so that I can prepare for you as well as for all who will believe in Me through you, an everlasting most blissful dwelling; however, with My spirit who fills eternity, I stay with you until the end of the world, and this more effective than now, and you will effectuate even greater things than I Myself now.
3
Who stays with My teaching, thus My light and thus the everlasting truth, in him also My strength and My powers stays. What do you want more?"
4
Said Philippus: "Lord, You Yourself, since we love You above all!"
5
Said I: "Also this will be granted to you; since truly I say to you: Wherever one or two gathered seriously in My name, I will be among them, and this either visibly or discernibly active in the spirit, and this will surely also be My being?!
6
See, during later times, when the people will be more advanced regarding all kinds of sciences and arts, than they are now, I will only very seldom appear visibly among them, however, the more concise I will be effectuating through My spirit. And I say to you: These people will become even more blissful, because this, what you see now, they will not see, but nevertheless believe undoubtedly and live accordingly! You love Me because you see Me; however, those of future times, will love Me without having seen Me. How much will they love Me, once they are going to see Me in My kingdom! Therefore I already have shown you a picture, where it said: And as such it can easily happen that the first become the last and the last, the first! Since truly, it takes more, not to see and still to believe and act according to the believe, than to see everything and only then start to believe and act accordingly! - Are not all of you of the same opinion?"
7
Said now Lazarus: "This is certain; than to see nothing, however still to believe exceedingly firmly, has obviously greater merit, than to see all the many signs and to hear the many speeches and teachings from the pure divine mouth, and only then believe because it forces one with irresistible power to believe. And as such the weakest in the believe to You, o Lord, and still act conscientious accordingly, will rather clearly deserve the highest heaven than one of us, who has the strongest believe and deserves the lowest heaven. O, at least to me, this is very clear!"
8
Said here the disciple Andrew: "Not to me! Can we help it that we are here on this earth at this very point in time? We will, during this first very critical time, have to carry quite a load and heat, and for that we should be the last without our fault? This really sounds somewhat strange!"
9
Said I: "This only sounds strange to him who still hasn't understood My words! Is it then so bad if those people are seen like you the first and you first are not more than those who are the last?! Or, once you will be blessedly in My heaven, will you therefore be somewhat less blessedly, if the last will be just as blessed as you are? See, how blind you still are!
10
I say to you: Jealousy unfortunately takes place on earth, - but there will forever not appear anything of it in heaven; since a jealous will never can get there.
11
In heaven only he will be the first and the biggest, who will regard himself as the least and smallest; for this will be your fame, that all of you will become like children in your souls! Who will not become in his soul like a child, will not be able to enter the kingdom of God; since the road to heaven is quite narrow and is covered with all kinds of thorns. The greatest thorn obstacle however, remains haughtiness and a whole legion of its varieties.
12
Therefore everyone should watchout for ambition, because it is the father of jealousy, selfishness and finally, if found the right nourishment, the thickest haughtiness, which has its primordial home in hell! - Have you, My disciple, understood this?"
13
Said Andrew: "O yes, and I thank You, o Lord, most fervently for this Your so salutary instructions!"
14
Said I: "Everything is alright again. Who will act accordingly, will harvest the everlasting life."