The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 137 -
Raphael makes himself known as a spirit.
But how can man already in this world come to this condition of life?
2
Man should accept at a certain moment with a joyful, thankful and willing heart and mind the Word of God in which He faithfully reveals His will to man. By that he already lays the true grain of life in the fertile soil.
3
But after that, he should also immediately begin to act according to God's will. This acting is then the life bringing rain by which the godly Spirit is moved to pass over into the soul of the grain of life. Now one should in the first place turn into himself by true humility, by patience, meekness, by true love for fellowman and by real mercy. If man will accept these tasks with all his heart and great zeal, he will by that also go into the depths of his own life and delves the spiritual nourishing roots of life into the soil of the godly power, which will eagerly suck up such roots in order to then push up the stalk of life to the godly light, to develop it and to complete it. In this condition, the soul passes more and more into the already more lively becoming love for God, and this in the same measure as his spirit keeps passing more and more actively into the soul.
4
When man's stalk of life has in this manner grown to the ear, and the soul is completely in the love for God, in his light of life and warmth of life, then with that he himself begins also to pass into his spirit and unites completely with it. In this happy condition, the life's ear of grain becomes completely visible on top of the stalk and will now quickly bloom in the pure godly light. And then the bloom shows the full union of love and life with his spirit and thus also with God.
5
Then from this union comes the true fruit of life of which the ripening in God's full light of life is superior to all earthly things. The fact that man is in this case in the clearest vision and the clearest awareness of everything in the whole spirit world as well as in the whole material creation, will surely not be doubted by anyone who thinks now with a certain attention about what I have explained in the caparison with the order in which a plant grows. And now I have spoken and you have the right to respond to that."
6
Then the captain, being full of amazement said: "Listen, my young, good friend, you certainly started already in the body of the mother to go on this way of life, otherwise it is not conceivable that a person of your young age can develop himself to such a level in life. But no matter how, it is sufficient that you are in a complete life completion. But when you once will also lay off this body of yours, will you then be able to associate as a pure spirit with the people of this Earth?"
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Raphael said: "Most certainly, but only with such people who by their way of life according to the teaching of the Lord will have lifted up themselves to that condition of which they will be capable."
8
The captain said again: "Do you now also have no fear at all for the death of the body?"
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Raphael said: "How could I ever have it in the least, since I have already passed completely into the eternal life of the Spirit out of God, thus having also my body in my power? I can change it myself when I want, and can create it again how and when I want. Can you believe that of me?"
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The captain said: "That would be great. I have never heard anything like it. Can you also give me a tangible proof of it? Then I will praise you more for that."
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Raphael said, friendly smiling: "Oh, I surely can be of service to you with that. Just take my arm and feel if it has flesh and bones."
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The captain did that and said: "My young friend, your arm is strong and complete and as strong as that of a grown-up person. You have firm muscles and strong bones."
13
Then Raphael said again: "But to show you now and let you experience that a person who is on the highest and lightest level of vision is also completely lord over his own body, you should now again take me by the arm and tell me if my muscles are still as firm and my bones still as hard as before."
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The captain did that, but he grabbed as if completely through the arm of Raphael as if it was completely air.
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Then the captain was frightened and said: "Just listen, you are a rare creature. I begin to feel now very uncomfortable. I can still see you just as before and you have no more body, but you are now a form out of pure air and are like a phantom standing before me. Ah, that is great, that is unheard of. It was already heard that at a certain time there were magicians who could make themselves invisible, but by that they still retained their bodily firmness, for in their invisibility they still were able to move heavy things from one place to another. But you are still visible as a complete human being, and still, in a certain way you are not. And now the question comes up if you, as a pure form of air could still lift up that pillar."
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Raphael said: "Just as faultless as the first time. But to show you that I am now capable to do more than the first time, I will not touch the pillar with my arms at all, but I will only lift it up with my will, leave it freely in the air for awhile and put it then back on its place."
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As soon as he said it, there was the pillar freely floating in the air, and the captain became even more frightened. He did not know anymore what to say, looked with full amazement once at the floating pillar in the air and then again at Raphael.
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Only when Raphael put back the pillar again on its old fixed place, the captain and also his companions recovered again from their amazement, and he said: "No, now I am at the end of my speech. For where all natural thoughts and imaginations of man fall short, also words and a sensible language are lacking. If you could also make yourself now completely invisible, I certainly would become a silly fool."
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Now Raphael said: "That I could do also if I wanted, but in order to keep you from becoming a fool, I will stay a bodily human being again. But I only wanted to show you that a person, once he is in the third and highest degree of vision and being, he does no more have to expect death, but is completely perfected and is in all aspects a free independent lord over his life and consequently also over his body and the death thereof. But men on this Earth can indeed extremely seldom and very difficultly have it in the measure as me now, because most of them became too worldly and so they have too little firm and persistent will and a living unshakable faith. But once they will have put off their unbelief, then they will, as pure and completed spirits, be able to do and accomplish what I do and accomplish."
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Now the captain said quickly again: Are you then already a pure and completed spirit?"
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Raphael said: "Most certainly, for an uncompleted spirit cannot do and accomplish what I do and accomplish."
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The captain, who was now completely confused, said again: "Yes, but can all the completely pure and completed spirits eat and drink as you do? For what is this necessary when they do not have to maintain a body with this earthly food?"
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Raphael said: "Does the supreme Spirit of God not live completely in our Lord and Master, taking also the food of this Earth? If it is possible for you to take earthly food, then why should it not be possible or perhaps be senseless for a completed spirit, who certainly is also a human being, to take also the food of this Earth and to transform it into its substance?
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Is not everything that serves man for food, God's word and God's will? If you, who are still a natural human being, saturate your body with natural food, the soul absorbs also the substantial spiritual part of it and uses it to strengthen his form. And if the unperfected soul does it - even if it happens unconsciously - then a very clearly conscious completed spirit will be able to do this all the more since he is capable to dissolve suddenly all matter and change it into its original spiritual state. Do you understand that?"
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The captain said: "O my very exceptional and mysterious friend, in order to understand all that, there is more needed than the intellect of a Roman captain. But for me it is already sufficient that I am now completely convinced that the soul of man continues to live after the death of the body, and that I now know the way on which one can surely come to the ever clearer spiritual completion. All the rest is for me now of less importance.
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Even if you now still have a bodily or even an already since long pure, mighty spirit without body, that is for me of little importance. But what is important to me is that I, by a right conduct of life, can become also that what you are now, and that it was certainly easier for you at the side of the Lord and Master to become what you are now than I will be able to be. But I also do not want to reach your level, and I will be already completely satisfied with much less. For it surely is not given by God to every person to work himself up to your level, but everyone should thank God for what He has given him.
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And I thank you now for your love, patience and the effort you took to teach me, and with a great gratitude I give you the full assurance that I am completely satisfied with what I have now received from you."
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Now Raphael said: "And I am now also very satisfied together with you, and I want to offer you and your companions my services if someone still wants something. If someone still has something else, let him then come forward and tell it in the presence of all."