The Household of God
Volume 2
Rise and spiritual prime of the first world empire Hanoch
- Chapter 60 -
THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE IS JUSTIFIED. TRUTH, THE FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT. LOVE, THE FUNDAMENT OF ALL TRUTHS
When Sehel had heard what Abedam had said concerning the signs he was glad and looking forward to becoming acquainted with them; but, as far as the war to be revealed by the evil time was concerned he could not understand it, not being able to grasp why, besides the revelation of the signs, he should not also have the meaning of the vision of the said war revealed to him.
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He was so engrossed in this searching and brooding that he even forgot to give due thanks.
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After several such silent moments Abedam asked him: "What is all the useless stuff you allow your heart to be filled with? What will it benefit you?
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"Will you become more alive if your insatiable thirst for knowledge is satisfied?
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"Since you are already so concerned about some of what may come over the earth, having seen something, - what, then, would you do if you had had Kenan's visions and beheld within you the ten pillars?
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"I tell you: Go to Kenan and let him tell you about the ten pillars; but pay special attention to the last one. This will give you much light; but the light will make you sad. For there the Father Who is now telling you this will change into an unrelenting judge, and your eye will try in vain to penetrate the great darkness; but My countenance you will seek in vain.
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"For wherever you will turn your eyes and ears, you will find nothing but My great wrath.
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"So, if you want to learn about this in great detail, hurry to Kenan and make him tell you what he saw; however, understand this well, if you will! Amen."
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After this admonition Sehel promptly fell down before Abedam beginning to cry, weep and entreat Me to save him for all times from such revelations; for, instead of being without Me, the most holy, most loving Father, for even one moment, he would rather utterly perish for all Eternities of eternities.
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And I, as Abedam, thereupon said to him: "Now look, My dear Sehel, then everything is all right. Since I am more important to you than the terrible revelation, stay with Me; and verily, I tell you, you shall not ever be in need of seeking, or missing, Me, your most loving, holy Father, Who is also the most loving, holy Father of you all!
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"But as far as your thirst for knowledge is concerned, I will not regard it as unreasonable and unjust; for it is with every human the first indication of a higher spiritual life.
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"Whoever is without any thirst for knowledge is still like a tree-stump in which there is no life other than that of decay; it consumes and finally destroys everything surrounding it, like a clumsy polyp somewhere on the muddy floor of the ocean, which consumes everything around it with its many clumsy arms, each of which has its own mouth, and, eating until it is dead, turns again into mud itself which at the utmost serves as an ugly substratum for some similar voracious eater.
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"Yes, I tell you all: A man without a thirst for higher knowledge is in the real sense of the word not human as yet, but merely an animal in human form, having no other interest but to feed and, when it has eaten its fill and is otherwise healthy, either to sleep or to mate, and is only concerned about the carrying out of its natural functions and its creature comforts, such as having a good and soft spot to lie on and dream in its sleep, either about eating or mating.
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"Yes, it is not good to be with such a man, for in him there lives only a real animal soul which does not wish to relinquish its pre-existential state having always fared better while eating than while performing a work for the future awakening of its immortal spirit within.
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"Behold, such a man is a purely worldly man to whom nothing is sacred save his belly!
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"However, although all this speaks in favor of the thirst for knowledge, in another respect I am violently opposed to it, and this for the best reason of the world and of all stars, suns, moons and all the endless heavens.
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"This best of reasons is as follows: Behold, whenever someone is thirsty for knowledge, with him the spirit is already awake, just as is awake an infant sucking its mother's breasts! But what does the awakened infant want? What does the crying and screaming mean?
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"Behold, it wants food; it wants to be appeased!
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"The spirit, awakened from its long sleep, wants this, too; it indicates its hunger through its thirst for knowledge.
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"But tell Me in your heart and answer My question: Will the infant perhaps be appeased should the mother instead of offering the milk filled breast put a finger in its mouth to suck on, or other things devoid of nutriment?
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"I tell you: Instead of the breast, she may put thousands and thousands of the softest fingers in the mouth of the infant, but with all the futile finger-sucking the infant will nevertheless unfailingly perish since it cannot possibly be appeased with nothing, and will lose its life with such spurious nourishment.
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"Do you understand this truth? - You shrug your shoulders; ah, behold, you shall at once come to the bottom of the matter.
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"Is not the milk a true nourishment for the infant and therefore a full truth for the infant's hungry, demanding stomach yearning for food? - I reckon no one will doubt that.
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"Does not the mother press the infant to the same breast in which her boundless love for the infant burns in the brightest flames on whose fire this sweet fare is actually prepared?
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"Behold, now we have already everything; thus also the spirit wants truth, it wants faithful, fullest truth for food.
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"If, however, you want to appease your spirit with the help of empty knowledge which is often devoid of a single true dewdrop, tell Me how far then will the spirit progress?
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"Just as the mother's love is the basis for the infant's true nourishment, thus also love is for the spirit the basis of all endless truths, all of which are a very true, good, eternal fare for the spirit.
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"But Who and where is this love? - Look at Me, at this breast here; behold, here there is milk in endless abundance!
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"So stay here; for it is better here to suck than to try to fathom the meaning of visions, at the same time starving in the spirit and, finally, perishing along with the revealed visions.
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"Do you now understand the difference between true and false nourishment and the meaning of the word "thirst for knowledge'?
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"Since you now understand it, act accordingly and you will have eternal life. Amen."