The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 106 -
About the life in the beyond.
Agricola said: "Yes, Lord and Master, now everything is indeed clear to me, and we all thank You from the deepest of our heart for this lesson that You have given us in such a loving and merciful way."
2
When the Roman had spoken out these thanks, it was already dawning in the east with a golden light, and the nature came fully to life. The birds started to sing, each one in its own manner. The fresh morning winds blew stronger and the beautiful water level of the not insignificant pond waved up and down as if it took pleasure in the caresses of the morning wind. So also, the grass came to life and the morning wind blew the blue and hazy smoke from the chimneys of the houses asunder into all kinds of special forms and turnings in the air, and so this produced a really beautiful and cheerful lively morning scene.
3
When we all were watching these morning scenes for some time with very much pleasure and joy, and when there was more and more light, a large group of turtledoves came flying from the east, which also alighted around the pond and drunk water.
4
That was pleasing to the Roman, and our Marcus thought and said: "Lord and Master, look, when around this time large groups of those kind of birds are coming from the east, then this would be for our soothsayers, who are certainly not incompetent, be the sign of an early winter, although of a short duration. But already in the month of January there should be a long-lasting spring. Well now, this seemed already several times to be correct, and there were more times when it did happen than when it did not happen, but You as Lord of the whole nature will certainly be able to tell us something better about it. And this would also be good for us, so that we at home on the ground of true knowledge could fight many misconceptions and will be able to replace it by the pure truth. What do You think about the meaning of this flight of birds which I have indicated?"
5
I said: "Friend, we will not spend much words on that. All those interpretations of signs are indeed derived from old experiences, and here and there something can be probable, but already with the Greeks and more specifically with you Romans, they are already so much distorted with all kinds of additions of fantasy that now almost not one word is true anymore.
6
But here the flight of those turtledoves means nothing else except that the doves are usually flying with many together to this pond in order to drink water from it, so that they can have more strength to fly around, for without water, no bird would finally be able to fly anymore.
7
But why every bird needs water in order to fly, this by far you still cannot understand. However, the people in future times will slowly also understand these secrets. Look, now these birds have quenched their thirst and ascend and fly mostly again from where they came from. Just let them fly."
8
When Marcus heard that from Me, he did not ask anymore for the meaning of signs and watched cheerfully to the scenes of the beautiful morning.
9
When we were all cheerfully watching the beautiful morning scenes, which liveliness was still increasing because the shepherds guided their sheep to the pastures, and other people went to the field to their work. At the horizon a few so-called sheep-clouds were forming, and being brightly illuminated by the light of the almost rising sun, it produced an extremely beautiful sight.
10
Then the Roman Marcus said: "Lord and Master, really, this morning is so beautiful that I cannot remember ever to have seen one which was more beautiful. One could almost say: in Your real Heavens it cannot look more beautiful and more lovely."
11
I said: "O My friend, you are now very glad and enthusiastic in your soul and you make a comparison with the true, eternal Heaven by making it equal with this transitory morning beauty, and you easily will be forgiven for that, because on this Earth you do not have the slightest idea of the endless, imperishable beauty and glory of God's Heavens. If I would now move you into it in spirit for only one moment, you would not be able to live anymore on this Earth, because the indescribable great beauty of the Heavens, the light, the friendliness and the highest feeling of well being of life would destroy your flesh in one moment and weaken and anaesthetize the sense organs of your soul in such a way that he would even fall down and would lie there as if dead and completely unconscious. I will then have to take away completely his memory of what he has seen and experienced, otherwise an existence would absolutely not be possible anymore, no matter where outside of the Heavens. But therefore, every soul must be guided and led step by step and become clean and pure as the purest gold, so that he then is capable to enter the endless joys of God's Heavens.
12
Look, the light of the earthly sun is, compared to the light of the Heavens, really like a total darkness, and still you cannot look into it with the eyes of your body. If you would do that for only half an hour you would go blind. How would your eye, which is not used to look into the brightest light and which is not arranged for that, react at the sight of the brightest and most powerful light if it would be allowed by Me to see it?
13
Therefore, My dear friend, your joyful excitement at the view of this beautiful and clear morning is certainly very good, and someone who feels the same as you, has certainly a good heart and can generally already be considered as better and more noble, but to think that the Heavens of God can hardly offer anything more lovely than this beautiful morning, that would be a big mistake. But besides that, I am very satisfied with how you can feel it."
14
Then Marcus said: "Lord and Master, when we were together with You during the first days after our arrival on the Mount of Olives, for a few moments You have shown to the group the numberless many angels who were floating in a kind of shining air and were moving among each other and they testified of You. Was that still not the actual Heaven?"
15
I said: "O yes, friend, but quite as concealed and covered as the archangel Raphael shows himself to you. If you could see him in his heavenly glory and beauty, it would kill your body immediately and anesthetize your soul for a long time. That is why his inner being is enveloped with a kind of bodily garment, so that those with whom he is dealing and speaking in My name can bear his personal presence. That is why I have also told you that no human eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no human sense organ has ever felt what kind of joys and happiness God in the Heavens has prepared for those who love Him truly above all.
16
Look, because you are bodily very close to Me, and also spiritually by your faith in Me and by your love for Me, all of you are now indeed in the supreme and most perfect Heaven, but of its sight you still cannot be aware of anything because as long as you are still not entirely reborn in the spirit such a sensation would kill your bodies. But when you will be entirely reborn in the spirit, you also will be able to perceive the sight of Heaven, which will proceed from your spirit like a tree proceeds from the germ of a grain of seed. But now our sun will rise immediately above the horizon, and we will look at it very attentively."
17
When I had finished this conversation about the sight of Heaven, the sun rose in its full majesty above the distant horizon while already half an hour ago its rays gilded the high mountaintops. We quietly looked at the beautiful sunset until the sun stood totally above the horizon and enlightened also the valleys with its rays.