The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives. (cont.) Gospel of John, Chapter 8
- Chapter 61 -
The sustenance of angels. Reference to the sixth and seventh Books of Moses.
In the mean time the morning meal had been prepared, and Lazarus came to Me and invited us all to the morning meal. We immediately went and had breakfast.
2
During the meal Nicodemus was surprised, when he saw the angel also eat and drink with a great appetite, and asked Me, if the spirits of heaven also eat and drink like the material people on this earth.
3
Said I: "Firstly you will notice, that this spirit eats and drinks just as I do, where I am in My being the highest spirit. But since this spirit for the time of his presence here must also have a body, to be visible to you, he must, despite his body being of a very ethereal nature, feed it with the food of this earth, so that it stays visible to you, for as long as it is required; however, if it is not necessary anymore, then he himself will in the quickest moment dissolve his body and will not be visible to you as pure spirit any longer.
4
In the heaven of pure spirits there is also eating and drinking, but spiritually and not physically. Spiritual food, however, consists of pure love and wisdom from God. This penetrates the whole of infinity and feeds all the countless beings, first of all the spirits and through them all material creation, of which firstly the immeasurable space wherein countless myriads of suns and planets or earths swim like fish in the sea and like birds in the air. Out of the ether the world bodies get their necessary nutrition and from the world bodies also all the creatures on and in them. Regarding the world bodies first the air is fed out of the surrounding ether and only then the world body is fed by the air. - Have you also understood this well?"
5
Said Nicodemus: "Yes, Lord and Master, as well as a weak person can understand such a matter of Your boundless wisdom! Once I become more spiritually, then hopefully I will understand such spiritual matters more clearly; but now I still have many shortcomings, since I do not know what actually a pure spirit is, and what it looks like, and does also do not know what the difference is between ether and air, and equally do not have any perception what a sun actually is, how large its body is and how far away it is from earth. You also spoke of many suns, which Your wisdom of course will know. But how should I know these things?! But even if I were to know so well and clearly what is of this world, I could of course impossibly know anything of what is of a pure spiritual nature, because this is for our material senses not accessible and is therefore for our mind incomprehensible.
6
What is a spirit? What form does it have, and where and how does it live? These are questions which can never be answered sufficiently to any mortal. - Am I right or not?"
7
Said I: "O yes, there you have spoken completely right; since as long a person is mortal, he will not be able to understand any even the clearest explanation to your four questions. But if he by adhering to My teachings has reached the rebirth of the spirit and thereby immortality, then he will find the clearest answers to your somewhat odd questions in himself; since only the spirit penetrates himself and also the spiritual depths in God, as I have clearly shown to you last night. But since your memory is not one of the strongest, you again ask about things, which I have already explained clearly. But if you cannot comprehend and understand things of this earth, you shouldn't be surprised if you can comprehend and understand even less the spiritual and heavenly things and circumstances.
8
Why have you discarded, set aside and never read the sixth and seventh book of Moses and the prophetic appendix? Therein are written many things which would have given you a clear light regarding the starry sky and the world of the spirits and their existence?! Take these books and read them, and things will become clearer in your heart.!"