The Household of God
Volume 1
The early history of mankind
- Chapter 124 -
ADAM'S QUERY CONCERNING THE CHILDREN OF MIDNIGHT (29th July 1841)
Soon the patriarchs reached the midnight region where the children had their dwellings. As was customary, Adam blessed it and then all the children of the main line, whereupon they all settled down for a brief rest.
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When they had rested for about half an hour they began to wonder why during this time not one of the midnight-children had made an appearance. Then Adam summoned Enoch and asked him why this was so, saying:
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"Enoch, you who have been strengthened by Asmahael in the presence of all of us so that the 'Withered Earth-Hand' had to submit to the breath of your word, behold, there are no children here. Where are they?
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"Could they have been buried under the collapsing wall and all have perished? Or, if this is possible to you, tell us where they have gone and what has happened to all of them.
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"For behold, this region looks as if quite recently infamous death had held a general harvest-festival among them.
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"I would like to ask Asmahael (the Lord) about it, but I lack the courage, as is the case with some of the others. For when I think Who is hidden behind Asmahael and again what and who I am my tongue and lungs leave me in the lurch and I can hardly utter a word. Besides, my heart also tells me: 'What do you want to ask the omniscient God as if He did not know what is secretly happening within you? Has He not regulated your thoughts from eternity, long before He created you out of His endless love and mercy as a being capable of thinking?'
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"Look, dear Enoch, this makes it impossible for me to do what I so dearly want to do and therefore I ask you to do it for me. If you know something yourself out of Asmahael, do set my mind and that of all the others at rest. But if in your heart it looks as it does in mine, then turn to Asmahael and He will surely deliver us most graciously and mercifully also from this great perplexity and anxiety. Amen."
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When Enoch had heard this from Adam he bowed to him and was on the point of hurrying to Asmahael to tell Him of Adam's request as he, too, was greatly astonished at the deserted region. But before he had taken the first step, Asmahael had forestalled him and was already standing in their midst and said:
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"O Adam! Do you believe in your heart, wherein your very weakened spirit lives, that the Lord is like a king from the lowlands, or like you, where it needs a great deal of ceremony to approach Him? Behold, I do not need any guards nor doorkeepers or first-born children of the main line in an order of precedence through whom alone can somebody be introduced to Me. I also do not expect a person to lie on his face before Me for about an hour to render him worthy of rising and standing before Me, his God and Creator, but all I lovingly demand is a faithful, loving, humble and through remorse purified heart turned to Me. With such a heart no one needs a roundabout way since I surely am, and must be, at all times the closest to him. If this were not so, who could possibly preserve his life for even a fleeting moment since all life is directly out of Me and cannot ever be from anywhere else.
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"If you are afraid to ask the omniscient God about something, how come that the Omniscient does not hesitate to ask all of you many a thing for your own sake so that you may wake up?
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"But I am of the opinion that in a case of ignorance the uninformed has more cause to turn to the Omniscient than vice versa.
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"So if I ask you, who lack an answer, it will surely be right for you to ask Me about that which you do not know but would very much like to know.
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"Behold, Adam, I am well aware of your dilemma. You ask about the children of the midnight and are anxious to hear where they have got to. However, at this stage I shall not tell you, only that you must look for them and organize a search for them. And when you have not found anyone, only then may you come to Me and ask Me; and I will lead you to them. For what is lost must first be sought. Amen. "