May 10, 1920
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let me write for a short time upon a subject that will be of interest to you and to those who may read my messages.
What I desire to write upon tonight is the condition of those who think they have received the inflowing or baptism of the Holy Spirit, when the fact is that they have received only that advancement in the purification of their natural love and a harmony with the laws of their creation that causes them to believe that what they experience must be the result of a bestowal of the Love which the Holy Spirit brings to mortals.
In this mistake, so many humans indulge and in the satisfaction, or rather happiness which their experience, growing out of such an increase in the harmony brings to them, they fully believe that the Holy Spirit has taken possession of their souls and caused the happiness. But in thus concluding, they are deceiving themselves and will realize their mistake when they come to an awakening in the spirit life.
The Holy Spirit is that part of God's Spirit that manifests His presence and care in conveying to men's souls His Divine Love. This Love is the highest and greatest and most holy of His possessions and can be conveyed to men only by the Holy Spirit; and this appellation is used in contradistinction to the mere Spirit, which demonstrates to men the operation of God's Soul in other directions and for other purposes.
His Creative Spirit, and His Caring Spirit and the Spirit that makes effective His Laws and designs in the governing of the universe are not the Holy Spirit, though equally part of God's Soul, and equally necessary for the manifestations of His powers and the exercise of the energies of His Soul. These deal with the things of the universe that do not have interrelationship with the Soul of God and the souls of men, and whenever the Holy Spirit is spoken of, it should mean only that part of God's Spirit which transforms the souls of men into the Substance of the Soul of God in its Quality of Love.
I heard the preacher discourse Sunday night on the work of the Holy Spirit as portrayed in the contents of the New Testament, and saw that his conclusions from these contents were wholly erroneous and apart from the truth. As he said, the effects of the workings of the Holy Spirit are shown in more ways than one, and not everyone upon whom it is bestowed is filled with the same powers of displaying its presence and possession. Now in all these evidences of its existence in the experiences given, it must be understood that it is limited in its operations to those conditions and manifestations that have their source in the Divine Love of the Father, that was bestowed upon mankind at my coming in the flesh, and that those evidences of the existence that have no relationship to this Love are not evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
As mentioned in the New Testament, when it was bestowed upon my disciples at Pentecost, it came as with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, which has before been explained to you, that shook the room in which the disciples were assembled and filled them with its powers, which means only that this Divine Love came into their souls in such abundance that they were shaken in their souls to such an extent that they thought the building in which they were assembled was disturbed. But in this, they were mistaken, for the effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit is not to affect the things of inanimate nature, but is confined to the souls of men.
And the preacher must know that because men are possessed with powers to accomplish the mental or material things of their living, they are not necessarily possessed with the Holy Spirit. Much of the physical healing of mortals is caused by powers that are bestowed upon men, or some men that are not connected with or proceed from the Holy Spirit. That there is evidence of this, men will recollect that the Old Testament is full of instances where men were healed of their diseases, and other wonderful things performed, at the time that the Holy Spirit was excluded from man's possession. Yet these marvels, as then considered, were performed by men claiming to be endowed with the Spirit of God, which is working for the good and happiness of mankind, and which will continue to work until men shall become in harmony with themselves as first created.
I understand the object of the preacher in attempting to show and convince his hearers, that because they have not those powers that the Bible describes as having been possessed by my disciples after the bestowal of the Holy Spirit that, therefore, they must not believe and conclude that they, his hearers, have not this blessing. His intentions and efforts were commendable and arose from the desire that his hearers should not become disheartened and disappointed in their efforts to obtain the inflowing of the Love that the Holy Spirit brings to men; but on the other hand, his teachings were dangerous and misleading to these hearers, for the natural consequence of such teaching is to lead men into the belief or persuasion that they possess this power and Comforter, when they do not, and thus prevent them from seeking for an obtaining this Comforter in the only way in which it can be obtained.
The Holy Spirit, primarily, has nothing to do with great mental or physical achievements, and to say that because a man is a great inventor or philosopher or surgeon who does things without knowing where the inspiration or suggestion to do the things comes from, therefore he is possessed of the Holy Spirit, is all wrong and misleading.
All things, mediately or immediately, have their existence and operation and growth in the Spirit of God, and only in that Spirit, and which Spirit is evidenced in many and varied ways in men's experience; and hence, men say that they live and move and have their being in God, meaning only that they live and move and have their being in God's Spirit. This Spirit is the source of life and light and health and numerous other blessings that men possess and enjoy - the sinner as well as the saint, the poor man as well as the rich, the ignorant as well as the enlightened and educated - and are each and all dependent on this Spirit for their being and comfort. This is the Spirit that all men possess to a great or less degree, and the brilliant preacher or teacher or orator, possessing this Spirit to a greater degree than his less favored brother, depends upon the same Spirit. It is universal in its existence and workings, is omnipresent, and may be acquired by all men in this sense to the degree that their mental receptivity permits.
And this further demonstrates the fact that God, through and by this Spirit, is with men always, in the lowest hells as well as in the highest Heavens of the perfect man. It is working continuously, ceaselessly and always at the call of men, be that call mental or spiritual. It is the thing that controls the universe of which man's earth is an infinitesimal part. This is the Spirit of God.
But the Holy Spirit, while a part of the Spirit of God, yet is as distinctive as is the soul of man distinctive from all other creations of God; it is that part of God's Spirit that has to do with the relationship of God's Soul and man's soul, exclusively.
The subject of Its operation is the Divine Love of the Father's Soul and the object of Its workings is the soul of man, and the great goal to be reached by Its operations is the transforming of the soul of man into the Substance of the Father's Love, with Immortality as a necessary accompaniment. This is the great miracle of the universe; and so high and sacred and merciful is the transformation, that we call that part of God's Spirit that so works, the Holy Spirit.
So let not teachers or preachers teach, or their hearers believe that every part of God's Spirit that operates upon the heart's and thoughts and feelings of man is the Holy Spirit, for it is not true. Its mission is the salvation of men in the sense of bringing them into that harmony with God, that the very souls of men will become a part in substance and not in image merely of the Soul of God and without this working of the Holy Spirit men cannot become in such union.
I have written you before as to how this Holy Spirit works and the way in which it can bring men the Divine Love of the Father, and what is necessary for it's inflowing. The way described is the only way, and men must not believe and rest in the security of such belief, that every working of the Spirit of God, is the working of the Holy Spirit.
Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, and such attainment is possible only by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, preacher, upon whom a great responsibility rests, learn the truth and then lead men into the way of salvation. I will not write more now, but will come again and deliver another message. Believe that I love you and am
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Helen Writes of Praying that God Would Pour out His Holy Spirit upon Mr. Padgett
May 2, 1920
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, your own true and loving Helen.
Well, dear, I am so happy that you are in such good condition to receive the messages, and that you have again realized the presence of the Love in your soul, and have turned your longings and desires to the Father for an increase of His Love.
I cannot tell you how solicitous I have been for you and have prayed to the Father that He would pour out His Holy Spirit upon you and call you again to the work that you must do. How different you are when in the condition of Love from what you are when indifferent and cold and shut in, as it were, to your thoughts of the material. If you could only fully appreciate what it all means to be in this condition of indifference you would try with all the powers of your soul and mind to never let the condition come over you. There is nothing in all the universe that can possibly compensate for the loss of this feeling of the possession of the active Love in your soul, and you must realize it.
I am so glad that the Master wrote you as He did and hope that you will remember what he said and become in unison with him and the work that he has given you to do. Be true to him and to yourself and you will arrive at the state of will that will make and keep you very happy while on earth and give you the certainty of a home in the Celestial Heavens.
Well, dear, you have written enough for tonight, and I must stop. But believe that I love you with all my soul and want you to be very happy. Many spirits are anxious to write. So, good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, your own true and loving Helen.
Well, dear, I am so happy that you are in such good condition to receive the messages, and that you have again realized the presence of the Love in your soul, and have turned your longings and desires to the Father for an increase of His Love.
I cannot tell you how solicitous I have been for you and have prayed to the Father that He would pour out His Holy Spirit upon you and call you again to the work that you must do. How different you are when in the condition of Love from what you are when indifferent and cold and shut in, as it were, to your thoughts of the material. If you could only fully appreciate what it all means to be in this condition of indifference you would try with all the powers of your soul and mind to never let the condition come over you. There is nothing in all the universe that can possibly compensate for the loss of this feeling of the possession of the active Love in your soul, and you must realize it.
I am so glad that the Master wrote you as He did and hope that you will remember what he said and become in unison with him and the work that he has given you to do. Be true to him and to yourself and you will arrive at the state of will that will make and keep you very happy while on earth and give you the certainty of a home in the Celestial Heavens.
Well, dear, you have written enough for tonight, and I must stop. But believe that I love you with all my soul and want you to be very happy. Many spirits are anxious to write. So, good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Jesus Writes on the True Meaning of the Saying "Christ may be in you"
March 3, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I desire tonight to write you in reference to the way in which, as the preacher advises, "Christ may be in you."
I know that it is almost universal among preachers of the orthodox church to teach their hearers that the way to salvation is to get Christ in them and thereby they will be enabled to come into unity with the Father, and cease to remain subject to the effects of sin and evil. Well, this teaching is the true foundation of salvation for the Celestial Heaven, provided it be understood by the preachers and the people what the true meaning of "Christ in you" is, and unless this meaning be comprehended, the fact that preacher or people may believe that they have Christ in them will not work the results that they may suppose or desire.
Many, and l may say the most, of these professing Christians, have ideas of what this expression means in order to become effective that are not in accord with the true meaning of this condition of the soul. They believe that all that is necessary is to believe on Jesus as their saviour by his sacrifice and death, and that in so believing they have Christ in them, and that nothing else is required. They have no conception of the distinction between Jesus, the man, and Christ, the spirit of truth, or more correctly, the spirit that manifests the existence of the Divine Love in the soul.
Christ is not a man in the sense that he is Jesus the son of the Father, but Christ is that part of Jesus, or rather quality that came to him after he fully received into his soul the Divine Love, and was transformed into the very Essence of the Father in His Love. Christ is, thus, not a man but is the manifestation of this Love as bestowed upon Jesus, and made part of his very existence. And when men use the expression, "Having Christ in you," if they could correctly understand the true purport of the same, they would know that it, the expression, means only that the Divine Love of the Father is in their souls.
The indiscriminate use of the words, "Jesus and Christ," is the cause of much misunderstanding among these Christians as to a number of the sayings of the Bible. Jesus became the Christ only because he was the first to receive into his soul this Divine Love and to manifest its existence, and this Christ principle is one that all men may possess with the result that they will become at-one with the Father in His substance of Love and Immortality.
It would be impossible for Jesus, the man, to get into or become a part of any mortal, and it would be equally as impossible for Christ, as the man Jesus, even though perfect and free from sin, to become a part of anyone. No, the meaning of "having Christ in you" is to have this Love of the Father in your soul, which can only be obtained through the working of the Holy Spirit as the instrument of the Father in bringing this Love into the soul.
To many who hear the preachers' exhortations in this particular, the expression is only a mystery, which they accept merely intellectually and feel that by such acceptance they have the possession of this Christ, which is the only evidence of the truth of the Father's Love. Good night.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I desire tonight to write you in reference to the way in which, as the preacher advises, "Christ may be in you."
I know that it is almost universal among preachers of the orthodox church to teach their hearers that the way to salvation is to get Christ in them and thereby they will be enabled to come into unity with the Father, and cease to remain subject to the effects of sin and evil. Well, this teaching is the true foundation of salvation for the Celestial Heaven, provided it be understood by the preachers and the people what the true meaning of "Christ in you" is, and unless this meaning be comprehended, the fact that preacher or people may believe that they have Christ in them will not work the results that they may suppose or desire.
Many, and l may say the most, of these professing Christians, have ideas of what this expression means in order to become effective that are not in accord with the true meaning of this condition of the soul. They believe that all that is necessary is to believe on Jesus as their saviour by his sacrifice and death, and that in so believing they have Christ in them, and that nothing else is required. They have no conception of the distinction between Jesus, the man, and Christ, the spirit of truth, or more correctly, the spirit that manifests the existence of the Divine Love in the soul.
Christ is not a man in the sense that he is Jesus the son of the Father, but Christ is that part of Jesus, or rather quality that came to him after he fully received into his soul the Divine Love, and was transformed into the very Essence of the Father in His Love. Christ is, thus, not a man but is the manifestation of this Love as bestowed upon Jesus, and made part of his very existence. And when men use the expression, "Having Christ in you," if they could correctly understand the true purport of the same, they would know that it, the expression, means only that the Divine Love of the Father is in their souls.
The indiscriminate use of the words, "Jesus and Christ," is the cause of much misunderstanding among these Christians as to a number of the sayings of the Bible. Jesus became the Christ only because he was the first to receive into his soul this Divine Love and to manifest its existence, and this Christ principle is one that all men may possess with the result that they will become at-one with the Father in His substance of Love and Immortality.
It would be impossible for Jesus, the man, to get into or become a part of any mortal, and it would be equally as impossible for Christ, as the man Jesus, even though perfect and free from sin, to become a part of anyone. No, the meaning of "having Christ in you" is to have this Love of the Father in your soul, which can only be obtained through the working of the Holy Spirit as the instrument of the Father in bringing this Love into the soul.
To many who hear the preachers' exhortations in this particular, the expression is only a mystery, which they accept merely intellectually and feel that by such acceptance they have the possession of this Christ, which is the only evidence of the truth of the Father's Love. Good night.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Jesus Writes About the Great Abundance of Divine Love Inflowing Into James Padgett's Soul
January 6, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
Well my brother, I am glad to tell you that your communion with the Father tonight has been responded to. His Love has inflowed into your soul in great abundance. His Holy Spirit has been bringing the Love in wonderful abundance and your soul is now filled with it, and the influence of this Great Love is working in your soul, and you realize its presence.
If you will meditate and long for and pray to the Father as you have tonight, your soul will soon be so filled with this Love, that you will receive the knowledge that you have a near at-onement with Him, and you will be conscious of the possession of a part of His Divinity of which we have written you.
The Pentecostal Shower will come to you as it did to my disciples in the days that followed my departing from them; and I will be with you also just as I was with them and power and Essence Divine will be bestowed upon you so that you will be able to display the marvelous presence of this Love just as they were able.
So you must pray and long, and your experience tonight has given you some foretaste of what will come to you. There is nothing in all the world that can take the place of this Love in its power to draw you near to - and make you in at-onement with - the Father. All beliefs and faiths in any and every other thing will not suffice. Sacrifice and sorrow on account of sin and vicarious sufferings and mediators will not work the transformation, because it is solely a conjunction between this Divine Love and your soul that is capable of bringing you into this relationship to the Father, and the resultant consciousness that you have partaken of and possess, to some extent, His Divine Nature in Love.
Now you are in condition that makes my rapport with you complete, and I have that possession of your brain that enables me to write as I may desire, and I know that I could convey a message to you tonight in a most satisfactory way; but I will not do so, for I think it best to permit the rapport to become a little more intense, and thus enable me to write a long message without the probability of tiring you; for as you know these messages of deep truths, such as the ones on the "Soul" and "God," necessarily cause me to draw very intensely on your brain power.
But soon now, I will come and commence to deliver my messages and continue to do so if our rapport can be maintained. And it can be, if you will only meditate and pray as you have done tonight. I have been with you very much today, entering into your thoughts and endeavoring to influence the longings of your soul. I was with you at the spiritualist's meeting and sometime I will write you in reference to the claims of the speaker and the real facts as to how much of what she said was inspired, or as she claims, was spoken through her by a controlling spirit.
I now want you to think more than ever of the importance of your work and of the necessity for you putting all your energies and desires into the work. No one can conceive of what it means and, above all, you must realize its great importance and the place that you occupy in carrying it to a successful issue. I will be with you very often and I know that you will feel my presence and influence and, as you do, turn all your thoughts to the Father's Love and let all your longings go to Him.
Tonight, I will not write more, but will soon write as I have said. Have faith and know that you have been selected to do the work, and that upon you rests the responsibility that is upon no other man. With my love and the Father's blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
Well my brother, I am glad to tell you that your communion with the Father tonight has been responded to. His Love has inflowed into your soul in great abundance. His Holy Spirit has been bringing the Love in wonderful abundance and your soul is now filled with it, and the influence of this Great Love is working in your soul, and you realize its presence.
If you will meditate and long for and pray to the Father as you have tonight, your soul will soon be so filled with this Love, that you will receive the knowledge that you have a near at-onement with Him, and you will be conscious of the possession of a part of His Divinity of which we have written you.
The Pentecostal Shower will come to you as it did to my disciples in the days that followed my departing from them; and I will be with you also just as I was with them and power and Essence Divine will be bestowed upon you so that you will be able to display the marvelous presence of this Love just as they were able.
So you must pray and long, and your experience tonight has given you some foretaste of what will come to you. There is nothing in all the world that can take the place of this Love in its power to draw you near to - and make you in at-onement with - the Father. All beliefs and faiths in any and every other thing will not suffice. Sacrifice and sorrow on account of sin and vicarious sufferings and mediators will not work the transformation, because it is solely a conjunction between this Divine Love and your soul that is capable of bringing you into this relationship to the Father, and the resultant consciousness that you have partaken of and possess, to some extent, His Divine Nature in Love.
Now you are in condition that makes my rapport with you complete, and I have that possession of your brain that enables me to write as I may desire, and I know that I could convey a message to you tonight in a most satisfactory way; but I will not do so, for I think it best to permit the rapport to become a little more intense, and thus enable me to write a long message without the probability of tiring you; for as you know these messages of deep truths, such as the ones on the "Soul" and "God," necessarily cause me to draw very intensely on your brain power.
But soon now, I will come and commence to deliver my messages and continue to do so if our rapport can be maintained. And it can be, if you will only meditate and pray as you have done tonight. I have been with you very much today, entering into your thoughts and endeavoring to influence the longings of your soul. I was with you at the spiritualist's meeting and sometime I will write you in reference to the claims of the speaker and the real facts as to how much of what she said was inspired, or as she claims, was spoken through her by a controlling spirit.
I now want you to think more than ever of the importance of your work and of the necessity for you putting all your energies and desires into the work. No one can conceive of what it means and, above all, you must realize its great importance and the place that you occupy in carrying it to a successful issue. I will be with you very often and I know that you will feel my presence and influence and, as you do, turn all your thoughts to the Father's Love and let all your longings go to Him.
Tonight, I will not write more, but will soon write as I have said. Have faith and know that you have been selected to do the work, and that upon you rests the responsibility that is upon no other man. With my love and the Father's blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Mother of Rev. Mitchell Writes that Her Son Preached of the Divine Love of the Father and the Work of the Holy Spirit
July 29, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Mrs. Mitchell.
Let me say only a word. I was present at church this morning and heard my son's sermon and was so happy that he preached of the Divine Love of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit. It made me think that the Truths of God's Love and man's redemption are becoming a part of his soul's knowledge.
There were many spirits present and many were affected by the sermon and turned their thoughts to this Love of the Father that had never before been preached to them.
I have great hope that my son will receive the truths that have been revealed to you in their fullness, and thereby receive to a greater degree of this transformation of his soul into the very Essence of the Father. I thank you for your kindness and will not write more. So with my love I will say good night.
Your sister in Christ,
Mother of Rev. Mitchell, Methodist
**********
Helen confirms that the preacher's Mother was very happy because her son will put away his dogmatic beliefs.
I am here, your own true and loving, Helen.
Well dear, you have received a message from the preacher's mother (Mrs. Mitchell) who was so anxious to write. She is very happy and believes that her son will have an awakening to the truth and put aside his dogmatic beliefs.
I was with you at church and was very happy, because I saw that you were happy. The Master was there as you realized in all his love and soothing influence and was pleased that the preacher delivered the sermon as he did. Many of the audience were affected by what was said and their souls responded to the truths told them by the preacher, and they experienced a feeling of Love that made them happy.
I see that you are sleepy and I will not write more. Only continue to think of these spiritual things and pray to the Father, and you will find the Love increasing more and more in your soul. So love me and believe that I love you. Good night, my dear one.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Mrs. Mitchell.
Let me say only a word. I was present at church this morning and heard my son's sermon and was so happy that he preached of the Divine Love of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit. It made me think that the Truths of God's Love and man's redemption are becoming a part of his soul's knowledge.
There were many spirits present and many were affected by the sermon and turned their thoughts to this Love of the Father that had never before been preached to them.
I have great hope that my son will receive the truths that have been revealed to you in their fullness, and thereby receive to a greater degree of this transformation of his soul into the very Essence of the Father. I thank you for your kindness and will not write more. So with my love I will say good night.
Your sister in Christ,
Mother of Rev. Mitchell, Methodist
**********
Helen confirms that the preacher's Mother was very happy because her son will put away his dogmatic beliefs.
I am here, your own true and loving, Helen.
Well dear, you have received a message from the preacher's mother (Mrs. Mitchell) who was so anxious to write. She is very happy and believes that her son will have an awakening to the truth and put aside his dogmatic beliefs.
I was with you at church and was very happy, because I saw that you were happy. The Master was there as you realized in all his love and soothing influence and was pleased that the preacher delivered the sermon as he did. Many of the audience were affected by what was said and their souls responded to the truths told them by the preacher, and they experienced a feeling of Love that made them happy.
I see that you are sleepy and I will not write more. Only continue to think of these spiritual things and pray to the Father, and you will find the Love increasing more and more in your soul. So love me and believe that I love you. Good night, my dear one.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Monday, April 7, 2014
Paul Writes About the Methodist Preacher Who Has Divine Love and Encourages Mr. Padgett to Tell Him the Truths of God and Salvation
July 3, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Paul.
Let me write a few lines, as I desire to say a word about the condition of the man to whom you were talking a short time ago on matters connected with your work and the messages that you are receiving. I mean the Methodist preacher. (Dr. Mitchell)
As you may judge from his conversation, his mind is open to the reception of the truth, and his beliefs in the dogmas of the Bible teachings are not such as to cause him to be unduly biased, so that if the truth be presented to him with any degree of reasonable force, he will give consideration to the same. Of course, he is an orthodox in the way of believing in the plan of salvation provided by God, as recognized and enunciated by the creeds of the churches, and to him Jesus is God, and his sacrifice and vicarious atonement are truths vital to the salvation of mankind; and that the man who does not believe in these necessary prerequisites cannot possibly become reconciled to God or be at-one with Him. To him, Jesus is God, and the only saviour of men, and without Him (Jesus in this sense) it is not possible for man to escape the great condemnation.
Now, while all this is true as regards the preacher's belief, yet he does not believe positively that the man who dies in his sins, as the churchmen term it, will be condemned to a separation from God for all eternity. His belief on this question is not fixed, and his love for mankind creates in him a hope that this may not be so, and that some means will be provided by which such an awful condemnation will not be imposed on men.
He has in his soul much of the Divine Love, without having the consciousness that this is a separate and distinct Love from the natural love that has been to some extent purified. In fact, he has no conception of any Love of God other than the love that was given to men at the time of the creation of the first parents, and which every human being born since that time has received, although it has become defiled by sin and error and the willfulness of man. He believes that man, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, is cleansed of this defilement of the love with which he was endowed, and by the atonement of Jesus is brought into a state of reconciliation with the Father, and no other or different love is necessary for the redemption of the fallen human. That Jesus, by his sacrifice, is all that is required; and when a mortal, by his belief and acceptance of that sacrifice, receives Jesus into his life and nature, he becomes a redeemed child of God.
Of course, he cannot fully understand just the method by which this change is brought about. He believes that there is something mysterious connected with the manner in which the resultant condition of goodness and purification and the change of the vile man into an angel, which flows from the sacrifice and acceptance and belief, yet the man is so changed, and the manner thereof is known to God, and it is not necessary for man to understand. This is a path which does not demand knowledge, a mystery of God which need not be inquired into; only: "Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and ye shall be saved." I say that this belief is his and is sufficient for him, and in it he rests securely.
Well, he is comparatively happy in his belief and is willing to retain it for, as he sometimes thinks, if he renounces it, where and unto what shall he go? He can see nothing to take its place, and he is wise not to give it up. For in Jesus is salvation, when Jesus is correctly understood; and as the preacher turns his thoughts to Jesus and sends forth his soul's longings to the Master and what he represents, his soul at times catches a true conception of the very Jesus, although this conception does not agree with and is not the same thing as his intellectual comprehension of the Jesus of the Bible as interpreted by the creeds.
I am glad that you had the conversation with him, and I believe that as he listens to the unfoldment of the truths, as contained in the messages, his mind will take on a new and true conception of the truth, and his soul open up to a greater inflowing of the Love that will make him at-one with the Father, and transform that soul into the very substance of the Father's Divinity in Love.
I would advise you to present these truths to him, for he is an important factor in the work of man's salvation, when it is considered that one soul is of more worth than the whole world. He has the opportunity to show the way to salvation to many souls by the preaching of the truth, and any personal sacrifice which may come to him as a result of learning and believing the truths is not to be considered. While his material happiness on earth is to be considered and not thrown away whenever it is possible to retain it in connection with the teachings of the truth, yet his soul's happiness and that of many other souls are of more importance than the mere material happiness that arises from ignorance of the truth, or the living in that ignorance. So I say, let him know the truth no matter what the consequences may be, for in the end happiness will come to him, even on earth, as well as in the great eternity.
I will not write more now. So, with my love, I will say good night, and God bless you and the preacher, for I am interested in him, and in the future may possibly sustain a closer relation to him than is now possible by reason of his false beliefs and the want of the necessary rapport with him.
Your brother in Christ,
Paul
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Paul.
Let me write a few lines, as I desire to say a word about the condition of the man to whom you were talking a short time ago on matters connected with your work and the messages that you are receiving. I mean the Methodist preacher. (Dr. Mitchell)
As you may judge from his conversation, his mind is open to the reception of the truth, and his beliefs in the dogmas of the Bible teachings are not such as to cause him to be unduly biased, so that if the truth be presented to him with any degree of reasonable force, he will give consideration to the same. Of course, he is an orthodox in the way of believing in the plan of salvation provided by God, as recognized and enunciated by the creeds of the churches, and to him Jesus is God, and his sacrifice and vicarious atonement are truths vital to the salvation of mankind; and that the man who does not believe in these necessary prerequisites cannot possibly become reconciled to God or be at-one with Him. To him, Jesus is God, and the only saviour of men, and without Him (Jesus in this sense) it is not possible for man to escape the great condemnation.
Now, while all this is true as regards the preacher's belief, yet he does not believe positively that the man who dies in his sins, as the churchmen term it, will be condemned to a separation from God for all eternity. His belief on this question is not fixed, and his love for mankind creates in him a hope that this may not be so, and that some means will be provided by which such an awful condemnation will not be imposed on men.
He has in his soul much of the Divine Love, without having the consciousness that this is a separate and distinct Love from the natural love that has been to some extent purified. In fact, he has no conception of any Love of God other than the love that was given to men at the time of the creation of the first parents, and which every human being born since that time has received, although it has become defiled by sin and error and the willfulness of man. He believes that man, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, is cleansed of this defilement of the love with which he was endowed, and by the atonement of Jesus is brought into a state of reconciliation with the Father, and no other or different love is necessary for the redemption of the fallen human. That Jesus, by his sacrifice, is all that is required; and when a mortal, by his belief and acceptance of that sacrifice, receives Jesus into his life and nature, he becomes a redeemed child of God.
Of course, he cannot fully understand just the method by which this change is brought about. He believes that there is something mysterious connected with the manner in which the resultant condition of goodness and purification and the change of the vile man into an angel, which flows from the sacrifice and acceptance and belief, yet the man is so changed, and the manner thereof is known to God, and it is not necessary for man to understand. This is a path which does not demand knowledge, a mystery of God which need not be inquired into; only: "Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and ye shall be saved." I say that this belief is his and is sufficient for him, and in it he rests securely.
Well, he is comparatively happy in his belief and is willing to retain it for, as he sometimes thinks, if he renounces it, where and unto what shall he go? He can see nothing to take its place, and he is wise not to give it up. For in Jesus is salvation, when Jesus is correctly understood; and as the preacher turns his thoughts to Jesus and sends forth his soul's longings to the Master and what he represents, his soul at times catches a true conception of the very Jesus, although this conception does not agree with and is not the same thing as his intellectual comprehension of the Jesus of the Bible as interpreted by the creeds.
I am glad that you had the conversation with him, and I believe that as he listens to the unfoldment of the truths, as contained in the messages, his mind will take on a new and true conception of the truth, and his soul open up to a greater inflowing of the Love that will make him at-one with the Father, and transform that soul into the very substance of the Father's Divinity in Love.
I would advise you to present these truths to him, for he is an important factor in the work of man's salvation, when it is considered that one soul is of more worth than the whole world. He has the opportunity to show the way to salvation to many souls by the preaching of the truth, and any personal sacrifice which may come to him as a result of learning and believing the truths is not to be considered. While his material happiness on earth is to be considered and not thrown away whenever it is possible to retain it in connection with the teachings of the truth, yet his soul's happiness and that of many other souls are of more importance than the mere material happiness that arises from ignorance of the truth, or the living in that ignorance. So I say, let him know the truth no matter what the consequences may be, for in the end happiness will come to him, even on earth, as well as in the great eternity.
I will not write more now. So, with my love, I will say good night, and God bless you and the preacher, for I am interested in him, and in the future may possibly sustain a closer relation to him than is now possible by reason of his false beliefs and the want of the necessary rapport with him.
Your brother in Christ,
Paul
Thursday, April 3, 2014
William Stone Writes that God's Love Has Flowed Into His Son Leslie's Soul in Great Abundance
June 21, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, William Stone.
I want to say just a word to my son (Dr. Leslie R. Stone). I have been with him a great deal of late, observing the presence of the Divine Love in his soul. I am justified in telling him that this Love, at times, has flowed into his soul in great abundance, and as John said, all the powers of the spirit world could not have prevented it from doing so. He must realize that earnest prayer and the longings of his soul are the only meditations between him and the Father and that this response is of that nature that - in order for him to be conscious of it - it is not necessary for some spirit to tell him. No, only he, and God, knows where the Love comes from and no spirit can possibly get between that God and the mortal soul.
Of course, we can see the effect of the possession of that Love by the soul of the mortal and spirit as well, but when it comes, only he can sense it. God is his only bestower and He alone can direct the Holy Spirit. I write thus, because I want to implant firmly in my son's mind and consciousness the fact that this Love needs no help from spirits to bring him its presence. My Father is always waiting to bestow the Love even though He, the substance, may not be present in His soul form; but His Love is never absent and never fails to respond.
I am happier than I can express over the fact that my boy has the opportunity to come into a knowledge of the way in which this Love can be obtained and the further fact that his soul consciousness has been so developed that he can sense its bestowal.
We are all present tonight and are praising and thanking the Father for His goodness and mercy and our prayers are ascending to Him for a greater and greater bestowal of this Love. While we are not unhappy over the fact that, if our other children would turn their thoughts to this Love and seek for it, we would be able to rejoice with a greater joy. We realize that life on earth is short and that very soon all our children will be with us and then they will learn the truth and turn their thoughts to things spiritual, and that we will be able to help them without the interference of the flesh and the allurements of the world; but how much better it would be if they would only start on their progress while they are surrounded by the temptations of the flesh. We are praying for them and constantly trying to impress them with our love and thoughts of things spiritual and have a lively hope that, before they come to us, the awakening may come to them.
I am progressing and the fact that my son sends us loving thoughts and attracts to him spirits of the high Celestial Spheres help us all so much for we get the benefit of the truths that they convey and the wonderful atmosphere of Love and the Divine Love that they bring with them.
I will not write more. All send their love and blessings, good night.
Your friend in Christ,
William Stone
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, William Stone.
I want to say just a word to my son (Dr. Leslie R. Stone). I have been with him a great deal of late, observing the presence of the Divine Love in his soul. I am justified in telling him that this Love, at times, has flowed into his soul in great abundance, and as John said, all the powers of the spirit world could not have prevented it from doing so. He must realize that earnest prayer and the longings of his soul are the only meditations between him and the Father and that this response is of that nature that - in order for him to be conscious of it - it is not necessary for some spirit to tell him. No, only he, and God, knows where the Love comes from and no spirit can possibly get between that God and the mortal soul.
Of course, we can see the effect of the possession of that Love by the soul of the mortal and spirit as well, but when it comes, only he can sense it. God is his only bestower and He alone can direct the Holy Spirit. I write thus, because I want to implant firmly in my son's mind and consciousness the fact that this Love needs no help from spirits to bring him its presence. My Father is always waiting to bestow the Love even though He, the substance, may not be present in His soul form; but His Love is never absent and never fails to respond.
I am happier than I can express over the fact that my boy has the opportunity to come into a knowledge of the way in which this Love can be obtained and the further fact that his soul consciousness has been so developed that he can sense its bestowal.
We are all present tonight and are praising and thanking the Father for His goodness and mercy and our prayers are ascending to Him for a greater and greater bestowal of this Love. While we are not unhappy over the fact that, if our other children would turn their thoughts to this Love and seek for it, we would be able to rejoice with a greater joy. We realize that life on earth is short and that very soon all our children will be with us and then they will learn the truth and turn their thoughts to things spiritual, and that we will be able to help them without the interference of the flesh and the allurements of the world; but how much better it would be if they would only start on their progress while they are surrounded by the temptations of the flesh. We are praying for them and constantly trying to impress them with our love and thoughts of things spiritual and have a lively hope that, before they come to us, the awakening may come to them.
I am progressing and the fact that my son sends us loving thoughts and attracts to him spirits of the high Celestial Spheres help us all so much for we get the benefit of the truths that they convey and the wonderful atmosphere of Love and the Divine Love that they bring with them.
I will not write more. All send their love and blessings, good night.
Your friend in Christ,
William Stone
Friday, March 28, 2014
Priscilla Stone Writes to Encourage Mr. Padgett to do the Best He Possibly Can to Further the Important Work
June 16, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, mother of Leslie.
Let me write a line, as I am anxious to contribute my encouragement to what John has said, and I know that what he told you as to the powers that are working in this matter is all true.
While we do not pay much attention to "time," yet in the present case "time" is essential and every day is important in the furtherance of the work, and we know this to a greater extent than you possibly can. Do the best and the most that you can, until the time comes for you to have the surroundings that are so desirable to make the work easier of performance. You have the love of many high spirits and their powers are not to be underestimated.
You may think it strange that I write in this way, but you must understand that while I am not of those who inhabit the high Celestial Heavens, yet I am interested in the work, for I know what it means. The truths to be conveyed to you have saved me from the slow progression of the soul without the Divine Love and have also lifted my boy from the darkness of ignorance and false beliefs into the knowledge of the truth and the salvation of his soul; and what they have done for him, they will do for all mortals who receive the light and pray for the Love. And you can see that this Love is so great and of such a nature that we who have it to a degree want everyone of our brother mortals to know the way to obtain it.
So do not think that I, just because I am of little importance among the high spirits of the Celestial Heavens, may not help a little for I can and am endeavoring to do so. Tell my boy that his mother loves him with all her heart and soul and is praying for him, and that she knows, as regards his prayers, it does not depend upon the help of spirits to bring a response, for the Father answers directly and sends His Holy Spirit to bring to him the response. Oh, how I love the Father, and how His Love makes me happy and gives me a peace that only He can confer.
We are all present tonight with our love and influence and prayers. I must not write more now. So believe that I am a spirit who loves her boy with a true love that no earthly mother can know. Good night.
Your sister in Christ,
Mrs. Stone
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, mother of Leslie.
Let me write a line, as I am anxious to contribute my encouragement to what John has said, and I know that what he told you as to the powers that are working in this matter is all true.
While we do not pay much attention to "time," yet in the present case "time" is essential and every day is important in the furtherance of the work, and we know this to a greater extent than you possibly can. Do the best and the most that you can, until the time comes for you to have the surroundings that are so desirable to make the work easier of performance. You have the love of many high spirits and their powers are not to be underestimated.
You may think it strange that I write in this way, but you must understand that while I am not of those who inhabit the high Celestial Heavens, yet I am interested in the work, for I know what it means. The truths to be conveyed to you have saved me from the slow progression of the soul without the Divine Love and have also lifted my boy from the darkness of ignorance and false beliefs into the knowledge of the truth and the salvation of his soul; and what they have done for him, they will do for all mortals who receive the light and pray for the Love. And you can see that this Love is so great and of such a nature that we who have it to a degree want everyone of our brother mortals to know the way to obtain it.
So do not think that I, just because I am of little importance among the high spirits of the Celestial Heavens, may not help a little for I can and am endeavoring to do so. Tell my boy that his mother loves him with all her heart and soul and is praying for him, and that she knows, as regards his prayers, it does not depend upon the help of spirits to bring a response, for the Father answers directly and sends His Holy Spirit to bring to him the response. Oh, how I love the Father, and how His Love makes me happy and gives me a peace that only He can confer.
We are all present tonight with our love and influence and prayers. I must not write more now. So believe that I am a spirit who loves her boy with a true love that no earthly mother can know. Good night.
Your sister in Christ,
Mrs. Stone
Thursday, March 27, 2014
John Writes that the Holy Spirit is an Energy of God's Soul Which Conveys His Love into Our Soul
June 14, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John.
I merely want to say that your condition is improving and that in a few nights, we will be able to continue our messages, and then you will find yourself happier in more ways than one. I mean that you will feel better spiritually. I was with you tonight at the meeting (prayer meeting of Dr. Mitchell) and it did you good, for there were many spirits present who have the Love to a more or less degree and, of course, their influence was being exercised on and felt by the worshipers.
The preacher is a man with a considerable amount of the Divine Love in his soul, and if he only had the true conception of Jesus, he would find himself possessing more of this Love; and his idea of the Holy Spirit is such that it interferes with his receiving the effect of the work of the Spirit. He thinks and believes it to be an entity; in other words, a being of substance and thought and sentient capacity, whereas as you know, it is not, but merely the evidence of the working of God's own soul in bestowing upon mortals His Love and mercy. The Spirit is God's messenger for this purpose and is not a creation of His, as is Jesus and mankind. It is merely an energy of the Soul of the Father conveying His Love.
The Spirit could have no existence without the Soul of the Father and is entirely dependent upon the powers of that Soul for its existence, and only in the sense that it conveys God's Love can it be called the Comforter. And to grieve the Spirit, as the preacher said, means only that the Love of God is grieved, which is in fact not true for this Love is never grieved, as it is so great and so intense in its desire that men shall receive it, that it never becomes grieved, though it is often disappointed, as you may say, that men will not receive it. It is always present waiting for men to receive it, and by their longings and prayers, cause their souls to be opened up to its reception. And this remember: that this Love of the Father is so very great that the Spirit which conveys it to man cannot become grieved.
Well, I did not intend to write on this subject tonight and what I have said is merely fragmentary, but sometime I will come and write in detail. You must pray more and let your faith increase and you will find what the Holy Spirit is and how it operates. Your prayers will be answered, and a great inflowing of the Love, and also your desires will be realized. Keep up your courage and you will not be disappointed. Today may look dark and dreary, but tomorrow the sun will shine, and you will enjoy the sunlight.
I will not write more now. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John.
I merely want to say that your condition is improving and that in a few nights, we will be able to continue our messages, and then you will find yourself happier in more ways than one. I mean that you will feel better spiritually. I was with you tonight at the meeting (prayer meeting of Dr. Mitchell) and it did you good, for there were many spirits present who have the Love to a more or less degree and, of course, their influence was being exercised on and felt by the worshipers.
The preacher is a man with a considerable amount of the Divine Love in his soul, and if he only had the true conception of Jesus, he would find himself possessing more of this Love; and his idea of the Holy Spirit is such that it interferes with his receiving the effect of the work of the Spirit. He thinks and believes it to be an entity; in other words, a being of substance and thought and sentient capacity, whereas as you know, it is not, but merely the evidence of the working of God's own soul in bestowing upon mortals His Love and mercy. The Spirit is God's messenger for this purpose and is not a creation of His, as is Jesus and mankind. It is merely an energy of the Soul of the Father conveying His Love.
The Spirit could have no existence without the Soul of the Father and is entirely dependent upon the powers of that Soul for its existence, and only in the sense that it conveys God's Love can it be called the Comforter. And to grieve the Spirit, as the preacher said, means only that the Love of God is grieved, which is in fact not true for this Love is never grieved, as it is so great and so intense in its desire that men shall receive it, that it never becomes grieved, though it is often disappointed, as you may say, that men will not receive it. It is always present waiting for men to receive it, and by their longings and prayers, cause their souls to be opened up to its reception. And this remember: that this Love of the Father is so very great that the Spirit which conveys it to man cannot become grieved.
Well, I did not intend to write on this subject tonight and what I have said is merely fragmentary, but sometime I will come and write in detail. You must pray more and let your faith increase and you will find what the Holy Spirit is and how it operates. Your prayers will be answered, and a great inflowing of the Love, and also your desires will be realized. Keep up your courage and you will not be disappointed. Today may look dark and dreary, but tomorrow the sun will shine, and you will enjoy the sunlight.
I will not write more now. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Friday, March 21, 2014
John Writes on the Portraits of Jesus and Describes His Appearance
June 3, 1917
Received by James E. Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John.
I come to write a few lines on the display of what was supposed to be portraits of the Master and which you saw tonight. Well, the exhibits were quite interesting and showed the different and diverse conceptions of the artists during the centuries of what the Master looked like, but I must say that none of them is a correct likeness of him as he appeared on earth or as he appeared after his rising from the dead and made himself visible to his disciples and others.
I understand how the preacher and many others who were present at the church tonight love Jesus and enjoy the belief that, in looking at some of the portraits, they may get a conception of his appearance, and I only wish that his appearance might have been shown by some of the pictures, but as I said, none of them bore any resemblance to the Master whom I knew and associated with and saw after his resurrection from the tomb. None of them displayed the great spiritual light that shone from his countenance - even when he was suffering on the cross - and none of them gave a faint glimpse even of the spiritual beauty that was his when he associated with and helped sinners as well as his friends and disciples.
I never heard of any portrait having been painted of him while he lived on earth or afterwards by anyone who had seen him, and the oldest of these portraits that were presented tonight was not made until years after his death, and by men who could not have gotten a description of the Master from anyone who had seen him. I know that there was no original as the preacher supposed that must have given a suggestion to the artists who painted the ones that you saw, for there was never any original. No, the Master passed from earth without leaving behind him any representation of his appearance.
The portraits were the results of what the artists conceived in their artistic brains, if I may use the expression, of what the Master, who had displayed such wonderful qualities of heart and mind should look like, and as their conceptions of the spiritual and human qualities of the Master differed, so their portraits differed, and the only foundation for their pictures were their own spiritual or non-spiritual conceptions.
The Master, of course, like the rest of us who were his disciples, was a Jew, and it is quite natural to suppose that he had the features and hair and beard of the ordinary Jew; and as the Jews have continued to live ever since the time of the Master without much change in appearance or otherwise - I mean in his native land - the artists, who conceived him to be a Jew, based their supposed portrait of him upon the appearance of the Jew as they saw him at the time that they painted the pictures.
And while Jesus was a Jew, he was not what may be called a typical Jew in appearance any more than in other qualities, for he had in him that condition of soul that to a large extent determined and fashioned his appearance. His eyes were not dark or brown but a violet blue, and his hair was light and inclined to the auburn; his nose was prominent and somewhat long, and his beard was of the color of his hair, and worn not so long as was the custom of those days, and he never had a razor on his face. His forehead was not so very high or broad, but was well shaped and somewhat effeminate and indicated that there was not so great mental development as might be supposed, for I must say here that his knowledge was not so much the knowledge of the brain as of the heart and soul.
And as you know, and as all men may know who acquire the proper soul development, the soul has a brain (mind) of its own which is used for the disclosure of the knowledge of that which pertains to the spiritual truths. Mortals may not quite comprehend the meaning of this assertion, but I must tell them that in certain circumstances and conditions the brain or, to be more exact, the mind of the natural man becomes entirely absorbed in the mind of the soul.
So that, I say, it is not a correct conclusion to suppose that Jesus, because of having all the wonderful knowledge of the truths of God - his Father as he preferred to call God - must have had a large development of those portions of the brain that is ordinarily displayed by a large or prominent forehead. His head, in fact, was not very large, but compact and beautifully shaped. He wore his hair parted in the middle and reaching to his shoulders, and it was somewhat curly - a beautiful head of hair which seemed to be full of life.
No artist has had a correct conception of his appearance and no portrait or sculpture conveys a near likeness of him. But as the people realize how beautiful he was within, they can possibly in their own imaginations see a clearer conception of his appearance than any painted portrait gives to them.
I sometimes wish that there was on earth a true likeness of him, as he appeared during the time of his great work of love on earth, so that those who love him could have the further pleasure of realizing his physical appearance; but that may not be so, because as mortals naturally worship the pictures of the saints, and through the picture, worship the originals, the danger would be that if there was a picture of the Master, mortals would worship him even more than they do now; all of which worship is very distasteful and displeasing to him, and as he has said: "Blasphemy." The Master should be loved, and his presence longed for, as such presence has in it a wonderful love and influence to help and make happy those who are in condition to realize his presence; but he should not be worshipped.
Well, as I was with you tonight at the church, I thought that it might be interesting to you to have told you the truth in reference to the Master and his supposed portraits. Of course, it is not necessary that there should be any picture of him, true or otherwise, in order to enable mortals to enjoy his presence, for he is working among mortals today as he was when on earth, and his love goes out to them, and his desire that they become in at-onement with the Father; and when mortals sincerely long for his presence, sooner or later, as the laws of his limitations permit, he will be with them and will comfort and help them, if they will enable him to make the rapport. This is what is meant by his standing at the door and knocking. When the door is opened, the rapport is made and then his love and influence will be felt.
But the difficulty here is that mortals suppose it to be and confuse it with the great Love of the Father, when the fact is that this love of Jesus is the same Love, in quality but not in quantity, that the mortal himself may obtain by the earnest prayers and sincere aspirations of his soul. The love of Jesus can never transform a human soul into the substance of the Love of the Father, because this transforming Love can come from the Father only, and is bestowed through the medium of the Holy Spirit, as we have explained to you.
So let all mortals love Jesus with the fervor and fullness of their souls and crave for his love, but in doing so not forget or fail to know that in, thus, loving in order to become like Jesus, they must seek for the greater Love of the Father and give to Him all their soul's longings and desires for the inflowing of this Love into their souls; and the more they receive of this great Divine Love, the better able they will be to love their great brother, Jesus.
Well, I have written enough for tonight. I will come soon again and write you a formal message. So remember what I said to you a few nights ago, and believe and trust, and you will not be disappointed. With my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Received by James E. Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John.
I come to write a few lines on the display of what was supposed to be portraits of the Master and which you saw tonight. Well, the exhibits were quite interesting and showed the different and diverse conceptions of the artists during the centuries of what the Master looked like, but I must say that none of them is a correct likeness of him as he appeared on earth or as he appeared after his rising from the dead and made himself visible to his disciples and others.
I understand how the preacher and many others who were present at the church tonight love Jesus and enjoy the belief that, in looking at some of the portraits, they may get a conception of his appearance, and I only wish that his appearance might have been shown by some of the pictures, but as I said, none of them bore any resemblance to the Master whom I knew and associated with and saw after his resurrection from the tomb. None of them displayed the great spiritual light that shone from his countenance - even when he was suffering on the cross - and none of them gave a faint glimpse even of the spiritual beauty that was his when he associated with and helped sinners as well as his friends and disciples.
I never heard of any portrait having been painted of him while he lived on earth or afterwards by anyone who had seen him, and the oldest of these portraits that were presented tonight was not made until years after his death, and by men who could not have gotten a description of the Master from anyone who had seen him. I know that there was no original as the preacher supposed that must have given a suggestion to the artists who painted the ones that you saw, for there was never any original. No, the Master passed from earth without leaving behind him any representation of his appearance.
The portraits were the results of what the artists conceived in their artistic brains, if I may use the expression, of what the Master, who had displayed such wonderful qualities of heart and mind should look like, and as their conceptions of the spiritual and human qualities of the Master differed, so their portraits differed, and the only foundation for their pictures were their own spiritual or non-spiritual conceptions.
The Master, of course, like the rest of us who were his disciples, was a Jew, and it is quite natural to suppose that he had the features and hair and beard of the ordinary Jew; and as the Jews have continued to live ever since the time of the Master without much change in appearance or otherwise - I mean in his native land - the artists, who conceived him to be a Jew, based their supposed portrait of him upon the appearance of the Jew as they saw him at the time that they painted the pictures.
And while Jesus was a Jew, he was not what may be called a typical Jew in appearance any more than in other qualities, for he had in him that condition of soul that to a large extent determined and fashioned his appearance. His eyes were not dark or brown but a violet blue, and his hair was light and inclined to the auburn; his nose was prominent and somewhat long, and his beard was of the color of his hair, and worn not so long as was the custom of those days, and he never had a razor on his face. His forehead was not so very high or broad, but was well shaped and somewhat effeminate and indicated that there was not so great mental development as might be supposed, for I must say here that his knowledge was not so much the knowledge of the brain as of the heart and soul.
And as you know, and as all men may know who acquire the proper soul development, the soul has a brain (mind) of its own which is used for the disclosure of the knowledge of that which pertains to the spiritual truths. Mortals may not quite comprehend the meaning of this assertion, but I must tell them that in certain circumstances and conditions the brain or, to be more exact, the mind of the natural man becomes entirely absorbed in the mind of the soul.
So that, I say, it is not a correct conclusion to suppose that Jesus, because of having all the wonderful knowledge of the truths of God - his Father as he preferred to call God - must have had a large development of those portions of the brain that is ordinarily displayed by a large or prominent forehead. His head, in fact, was not very large, but compact and beautifully shaped. He wore his hair parted in the middle and reaching to his shoulders, and it was somewhat curly - a beautiful head of hair which seemed to be full of life.
No artist has had a correct conception of his appearance and no portrait or sculpture conveys a near likeness of him. But as the people realize how beautiful he was within, they can possibly in their own imaginations see a clearer conception of his appearance than any painted portrait gives to them.
I sometimes wish that there was on earth a true likeness of him, as he appeared during the time of his great work of love on earth, so that those who love him could have the further pleasure of realizing his physical appearance; but that may not be so, because as mortals naturally worship the pictures of the saints, and through the picture, worship the originals, the danger would be that if there was a picture of the Master, mortals would worship him even more than they do now; all of which worship is very distasteful and displeasing to him, and as he has said: "Blasphemy." The Master should be loved, and his presence longed for, as such presence has in it a wonderful love and influence to help and make happy those who are in condition to realize his presence; but he should not be worshipped.
Well, as I was with you tonight at the church, I thought that it might be interesting to you to have told you the truth in reference to the Master and his supposed portraits. Of course, it is not necessary that there should be any picture of him, true or otherwise, in order to enable mortals to enjoy his presence, for he is working among mortals today as he was when on earth, and his love goes out to them, and his desire that they become in at-onement with the Father; and when mortals sincerely long for his presence, sooner or later, as the laws of his limitations permit, he will be with them and will comfort and help them, if they will enable him to make the rapport. This is what is meant by his standing at the door and knocking. When the door is opened, the rapport is made and then his love and influence will be felt.
But the difficulty here is that mortals suppose it to be and confuse it with the great Love of the Father, when the fact is that this love of Jesus is the same Love, in quality but not in quantity, that the mortal himself may obtain by the earnest prayers and sincere aspirations of his soul. The love of Jesus can never transform a human soul into the substance of the Love of the Father, because this transforming Love can come from the Father only, and is bestowed through the medium of the Holy Spirit, as we have explained to you.
So let all mortals love Jesus with the fervor and fullness of their souls and crave for his love, but in doing so not forget or fail to know that in, thus, loving in order to become like Jesus, they must seek for the greater Love of the Father and give to Him all their soul's longings and desires for the inflowing of this Love into their souls; and the more they receive of this great Divine Love, the better able they will be to love their great brother, Jesus.
Well, I have written enough for tonight. I will come soon again and write you a formal message. So remember what I said to you a few nights ago, and believe and trust, and you will not be disappointed. With my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Jesus Writes Further About "Who and What is God?"
May 25, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I have been with you as you prayed and joined in your prayer to the Father for the inflowing of His Great Love into your soul in great abundance; and I know that His Holy Spirit is present and that His Love is flowing into your soul, and that you are becoming in at-onement with the Father. His Love will always come to you when you pray as you have tonight, and His listening ear is always open to the earnest aspirations of His children who come to him with the true longings of the soul.
You have the secret of reaching the Father's Love, and on all occasions when you feel that you need that Love, or desire a nearness to the Father, use the secret and you will not be disappointed.
You are in better condition tonight in your soul development and perceptions and can receive my message which I have desired for some time to communicate and to do which I was waiting only for you to be in a complete rapport with me.
Well, you will remember that in the early stages of our writings, I communicated to you my knowledge and conception of: "Who and what God is," and that I have recently told you that I desired to rewrite the message, as your condition is now so much better to receive these truths than it was when the message was written; and so, tonight, I will deliver the message and will take a more complete possession of your brain and control of your hand than I was able to do at the time mentioned.
Then the question is: Who and What is God?
In dealing with this question, you must realize that it is not so easy to describe in language that mortals can comprehend the Essence and Attributes of God, and I feel the limitations that I am under in endeavoring to give you a satisfactory description of the only and true God; not because of the paucity of knowledge and conception on my part, but because of the fact that you have not the required soul development to enable me to form the necessary rapport with you in order that through your brain may be expressed the exact truth as to who the Father is.
Well, to begin, God is Soul and Soul is God. Not the soul that is in the created man, but the Soul that is Deity and self-existent, without beginning or ending, and whose entity is the one great fact in the universe of being.
God is without form, such as has been conceived of by man in nearly all ages, and especially by those who believe in the Bible of the Hebrews, as well as in that of the Christians. But nevertheless, He is of form, which only the soul perceptions of the soul of a man, which has arrived at a certain degree of development, that is taken on the Divine Nature of the Father and, thus, become a part of the Soul of God can discern and realize as an entity. There is nothing in all nature with which men are acquainted or have knowledge of that can be used to make a comparison, even in the spirit perceptions, with this Great Soul; and, hence, for men to conceive of God as having a form in any manner resembling that of man, is all erroneous; and those who, in their beliefs and teachings deny the anthropomorphic God are correct.
But, nevertheless, God is of form such as to give him an entity and Substance and seat of habitation, in contradistinction to that God which, in the teachings of some men, is said to be everywhere in this Substance and entity - in the trees and rocks, and thunder and lightning, and in men and beasts, and in all created things, and in whom men are said to live and move and have their being. No, this concept of God is not in accord with the truth, and it is vital to the knowledge and salvation of men that such conception of God be not entertained or believed in.
To believe that God is without form is to believe that he is a mere force or principle or nebulous power and, as some say, the resultant of laws; which laws, as a fact, He has established for the controlling of His universe of creation, and which are expressed to men by these very powers and principles, that to some extent, they can comprehend.
The child has asked: "Who made God?"
And because the wise men cannot answer that question, in their wisdom, they conclude and assert that there can be no real God of personality or soul form and, hence, only force, principle or evolved laws can be God; and in their own conceit think that they have solved the question.
But the child may not be satisfied with the answer, and may ask the wise men: "Who made principle and force and laws that must be accepted as the only God?"
And then, the wise men cannot answer unless they answer: "God," which they do not believe, but which let me say, is the true and only answer.
God is back of force and principle and law, which are only expressions of His being, and which without Him could not exist; and they are only existences, changeable, dependent and subject to the will of God, who only, is Being.
God then, is Soul, and that Soul has its form, perceptible only to Itself, or that of man, which, by reason of the sufficient possession of the very Substance of the Great Soul has become like unto God, not in image only, but in very Essence. We spirits of the highest soul progression are enabled by our soul perceptions to see God and His form. But here, I use the words "see" and "form," as being the only words that I can use to give mortals a comparative conception of what I am endeavoring to describe.
When it is remembered that mortals can scarcely conceive of the form of the spirit body of a man, which is composed or formed of the material of the universe, though not usually accepted to be of the material, it will be readily seen that it is hardly possible for me to convey to them a faint idea even of the Soul form of God, which is composed of that which is purely spiritual - that is, not of the material, even though to the highest degree sublimated.
And although I am not able, because of the limitations mentioned, to describe to men that form which they may glean a conception of the Soul's form - as such form can be seen only with the soul's eye, which eyes men do not possess - it must not be believed that because men cannot understand or perceive the truth of the Soul's form, therefore, it is not a truth. A truth, though not conceived or perceived by men, spirits or angels, is still a truth, and its existence does not depend upon its being known; and even though all the mortals of earth, and the spirits and Angels of Heaven, save one, could not perceive the existence of that truth, yet its existence perceived by that one irrefutably proves its reality.
But, as I have said, the truth of God's form - the Soul's form can be testified to by more than one of the Celestial Spirits of men passed from earth; and the possibility is before mortals of the present life, in the great future, if their souls have become possessed of the Divine Substance of God's Love in sufficient abundance to perceive God as I have attempted to explain.
The created soul of man has its form, it being made in the image of God, yet man cannot see that form, although it is a fact and can be testified to by many in the spirit realms. And here it needs to be said that when in our message we speak of God as being without form, we mean any such form as men have or think they have conceived of, and our expressions must not be considered as contradictory to what I have tried to explain as the form of God.
Well, in addition to the form, God has a personality, and this is expressed and made known to man by certain attributes, which to the consciousness of man is existent in the universe; and to some philosophers and scientists and wise men these attributes are their impersonal God himself, and to them the only God. They make the created, the Creator, not realizing that behind the expression must be the Cause; and that greater than the attribute must be that from which the expression of the attribute is projected or, as they better like to say, evolved.
And here, I, who know, desire to say that these manifested attributes or forces and powers and principles and laws and expressions do not, all together, constitute or be that from which they flow or in which they have their source. God is Himself, alone. His Attributes or expressions manifested to mortals or spirits, are only the results or effects of the workings of His Spirit, which Spirit is only the active energy of His Soul - Himself. And, hence, the form of God is not distributed over the whole universe of creation where His attributes may be, or because they are everywhere manifested.
No, as was said by Moses of old, and as was said by me when on earth: God is in His Heavens. And although it may be surprising and startling to mortals to hear, God has His habitation, and God the Substance, the Self-existing and Soul form, has His locality, and men do not live and move and have their existence in God; but in His emanations and expressions and spirit they do.
As you are somewhat exhausted, I think this a good place to stop. I am pleased that you are in such good condition. So be prepared for an early resumption of the message.
With my love and blessings, I will say, good night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I have been with you as you prayed and joined in your prayer to the Father for the inflowing of His Great Love into your soul in great abundance; and I know that His Holy Spirit is present and that His Love is flowing into your soul, and that you are becoming in at-onement with the Father. His Love will always come to you when you pray as you have tonight, and His listening ear is always open to the earnest aspirations of His children who come to him with the true longings of the soul.
You have the secret of reaching the Father's Love, and on all occasions when you feel that you need that Love, or desire a nearness to the Father, use the secret and you will not be disappointed.
You are in better condition tonight in your soul development and perceptions and can receive my message which I have desired for some time to communicate and to do which I was waiting only for you to be in a complete rapport with me.
Well, you will remember that in the early stages of our writings, I communicated to you my knowledge and conception of: "Who and what God is," and that I have recently told you that I desired to rewrite the message, as your condition is now so much better to receive these truths than it was when the message was written; and so, tonight, I will deliver the message and will take a more complete possession of your brain and control of your hand than I was able to do at the time mentioned.
Then the question is: Who and What is God?
In dealing with this question, you must realize that it is not so easy to describe in language that mortals can comprehend the Essence and Attributes of God, and I feel the limitations that I am under in endeavoring to give you a satisfactory description of the only and true God; not because of the paucity of knowledge and conception on my part, but because of the fact that you have not the required soul development to enable me to form the necessary rapport with you in order that through your brain may be expressed the exact truth as to who the Father is.
Well, to begin, God is Soul and Soul is God. Not the soul that is in the created man, but the Soul that is Deity and self-existent, without beginning or ending, and whose entity is the one great fact in the universe of being.
God is without form, such as has been conceived of by man in nearly all ages, and especially by those who believe in the Bible of the Hebrews, as well as in that of the Christians. But nevertheless, He is of form, which only the soul perceptions of the soul of a man, which has arrived at a certain degree of development, that is taken on the Divine Nature of the Father and, thus, become a part of the Soul of God can discern and realize as an entity. There is nothing in all nature with which men are acquainted or have knowledge of that can be used to make a comparison, even in the spirit perceptions, with this Great Soul; and, hence, for men to conceive of God as having a form in any manner resembling that of man, is all erroneous; and those who, in their beliefs and teachings deny the anthropomorphic God are correct.
But, nevertheless, God is of form such as to give him an entity and Substance and seat of habitation, in contradistinction to that God which, in the teachings of some men, is said to be everywhere in this Substance and entity - in the trees and rocks, and thunder and lightning, and in men and beasts, and in all created things, and in whom men are said to live and move and have their being. No, this concept of God is not in accord with the truth, and it is vital to the knowledge and salvation of men that such conception of God be not entertained or believed in.
To believe that God is without form is to believe that he is a mere force or principle or nebulous power and, as some say, the resultant of laws; which laws, as a fact, He has established for the controlling of His universe of creation, and which are expressed to men by these very powers and principles, that to some extent, they can comprehend.
The child has asked: "Who made God?"
And because the wise men cannot answer that question, in their wisdom, they conclude and assert that there can be no real God of personality or soul form and, hence, only force, principle or evolved laws can be God; and in their own conceit think that they have solved the question.
But the child may not be satisfied with the answer, and may ask the wise men: "Who made principle and force and laws that must be accepted as the only God?"
And then, the wise men cannot answer unless they answer: "God," which they do not believe, but which let me say, is the true and only answer.
God is back of force and principle and law, which are only expressions of His being, and which without Him could not exist; and they are only existences, changeable, dependent and subject to the will of God, who only, is Being.
God then, is Soul, and that Soul has its form, perceptible only to Itself, or that of man, which, by reason of the sufficient possession of the very Substance of the Great Soul has become like unto God, not in image only, but in very Essence. We spirits of the highest soul progression are enabled by our soul perceptions to see God and His form. But here, I use the words "see" and "form," as being the only words that I can use to give mortals a comparative conception of what I am endeavoring to describe.
When it is remembered that mortals can scarcely conceive of the form of the spirit body of a man, which is composed or formed of the material of the universe, though not usually accepted to be of the material, it will be readily seen that it is hardly possible for me to convey to them a faint idea even of the Soul form of God, which is composed of that which is purely spiritual - that is, not of the material, even though to the highest degree sublimated.
And although I am not able, because of the limitations mentioned, to describe to men that form which they may glean a conception of the Soul's form - as such form can be seen only with the soul's eye, which eyes men do not possess - it must not be believed that because men cannot understand or perceive the truth of the Soul's form, therefore, it is not a truth. A truth, though not conceived or perceived by men, spirits or angels, is still a truth, and its existence does not depend upon its being known; and even though all the mortals of earth, and the spirits and Angels of Heaven, save one, could not perceive the existence of that truth, yet its existence perceived by that one irrefutably proves its reality.
But, as I have said, the truth of God's form - the Soul's form can be testified to by more than one of the Celestial Spirits of men passed from earth; and the possibility is before mortals of the present life, in the great future, if their souls have become possessed of the Divine Substance of God's Love in sufficient abundance to perceive God as I have attempted to explain.
The created soul of man has its form, it being made in the image of God, yet man cannot see that form, although it is a fact and can be testified to by many in the spirit realms. And here it needs to be said that when in our message we speak of God as being without form, we mean any such form as men have or think they have conceived of, and our expressions must not be considered as contradictory to what I have tried to explain as the form of God.
Well, in addition to the form, God has a personality, and this is expressed and made known to man by certain attributes, which to the consciousness of man is existent in the universe; and to some philosophers and scientists and wise men these attributes are their impersonal God himself, and to them the only God. They make the created, the Creator, not realizing that behind the expression must be the Cause; and that greater than the attribute must be that from which the expression of the attribute is projected or, as they better like to say, evolved.
And here, I, who know, desire to say that these manifested attributes or forces and powers and principles and laws and expressions do not, all together, constitute or be that from which they flow or in which they have their source. God is Himself, alone. His Attributes or expressions manifested to mortals or spirits, are only the results or effects of the workings of His Spirit, which Spirit is only the active energy of His Soul - Himself. And, hence, the form of God is not distributed over the whole universe of creation where His attributes may be, or because they are everywhere manifested.
No, as was said by Moses of old, and as was said by me when on earth: God is in His Heavens. And although it may be surprising and startling to mortals to hear, God has His habitation, and God the Substance, the Self-existing and Soul form, has His locality, and men do not live and move and have their existence in God; but in His emanations and expressions and spirit they do.
As you are somewhat exhausted, I think this a good place to stop. I am pleased that you are in such good condition. So be prepared for an early resumption of the message.
With my love and blessings, I will say, good night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Monday, December 9, 2013
Helen Writes that Many Spirits Were Present at the New Year's Eve Church Service
December 31, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Helen.
Well, we are here in great numbers and all wish you and the Doctor (Leslie R. Stone) a very Happy New Year, and one that will bring to you not only prosperity and happiness in your material affairs, but also a great and abundant inflowing of the Divine Love of the Father, which will bring you a happiness that no earthly prosperity can possibly bring.
We were with you tonight at the (New Year's Eve) church services and tried to throw around you our influence of love and peace - the peace that passeth all understanding - and when this peace came to you as it did to a degree, we all rejoiced.
The Master was present, for there were many souls there that were longing for this love, although they associated it with Jesus in the way that they believed it came from him as the fountainhead; but notwithstanding this error, their souls were right and the Holy Spirit responded, and the Love was present and many a worshipper felt its influence.
I suppose that you and the Doctor would like to know who were present, and I should like to tell you but to do so would require more paper and more time than you have at your disposal tonight. But this I will say, that, in addition, to the Master there were present your special guardians. I mean John and James, and also Mary and the Doctor's parents and sisters, and your parents and, of course, myself.
We all felt that as this is the night that brings into your lives a new year with the great possibilities that will be yours, we should become a little human and bring to you our love and wishes, and the fact that there are surrounding you the spirits of those who once loved you so much when they lived on earth and had nothing more than faith. Now they come to you with knowledge, and with some of them the knowledge that they are Angels, and redeemed children of the Father, and inhabitants of His Celestial Kingdom - the kingdom which Jesus has been and is establishing for the eternal homes of all who may receive the New Birth.
If you could have seen all the glorious spirits that were present, and the love and beauty that surrounded you, you would have thanked God with all the powers of your soul that you were so blessed, and we all said and prayed to the Father: "God bless you," and what it meant only we knew, though, you could receive its benefits.
Well, I am happy, and Mary is happy, and all the spirits who love you so much are happy. What a blessed thing the Love of the Father is! As the preacher said, this Love makes your soul a new thing, not as a new creation only, but in the important element of being new in quality and consistency. I hope that you may continue to increase in your realization of the abundance of this Love that will surely be yours, if you continue to pray to the Father in earnest and longing desire.
I will not write more tonight except to say that Mary wants to tell the Doctor that, as the hours go by, she feels that she is getting closer and closer to him in the holy love that is theirs, and that can never be taken from them. She is anxious that he feel this growing love and increased rapport, and that some day she may become as real to him in his conscious recollections, as he is to her.
So repeating our wish that you both may have a Happy New Year with increasing love and joy as the year grows older, I will say with all my heart's love, good night. We both want our kisses.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Helen.
Well, we are here in great numbers and all wish you and the Doctor (Leslie R. Stone) a very Happy New Year, and one that will bring to you not only prosperity and happiness in your material affairs, but also a great and abundant inflowing of the Divine Love of the Father, which will bring you a happiness that no earthly prosperity can possibly bring.
We were with you tonight at the (New Year's Eve) church services and tried to throw around you our influence of love and peace - the peace that passeth all understanding - and when this peace came to you as it did to a degree, we all rejoiced.
The Master was present, for there were many souls there that were longing for this love, although they associated it with Jesus in the way that they believed it came from him as the fountainhead; but notwithstanding this error, their souls were right and the Holy Spirit responded, and the Love was present and many a worshipper felt its influence.
I suppose that you and the Doctor would like to know who were present, and I should like to tell you but to do so would require more paper and more time than you have at your disposal tonight. But this I will say, that, in addition, to the Master there were present your special guardians. I mean John and James, and also Mary and the Doctor's parents and sisters, and your parents and, of course, myself.
We all felt that as this is the night that brings into your lives a new year with the great possibilities that will be yours, we should become a little human and bring to you our love and wishes, and the fact that there are surrounding you the spirits of those who once loved you so much when they lived on earth and had nothing more than faith. Now they come to you with knowledge, and with some of them the knowledge that they are Angels, and redeemed children of the Father, and inhabitants of His Celestial Kingdom - the kingdom which Jesus has been and is establishing for the eternal homes of all who may receive the New Birth.
If you could have seen all the glorious spirits that were present, and the love and beauty that surrounded you, you would have thanked God with all the powers of your soul that you were so blessed, and we all said and prayed to the Father: "God bless you," and what it meant only we knew, though, you could receive its benefits.
Well, I am happy, and Mary is happy, and all the spirits who love you so much are happy. What a blessed thing the Love of the Father is! As the preacher said, this Love makes your soul a new thing, not as a new creation only, but in the important element of being new in quality and consistency. I hope that you may continue to increase in your realization of the abundance of this Love that will surely be yours, if you continue to pray to the Father in earnest and longing desire.
I will not write more tonight except to say that Mary wants to tell the Doctor that, as the hours go by, she feels that she is getting closer and closer to him in the holy love that is theirs, and that can never be taken from them. She is anxious that he feel this growing love and increased rapport, and that some day she may become as real to him in his conscious recollections, as he is to her.
So repeating our wish that you both may have a Happy New Year with increasing love and joy as the year grows older, I will say with all my heart's love, good night. We both want our kisses.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Jesus Writes on the Subject: What Men Can Do to Eradicate War of Nations and Evil From Their Souls
December 24, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I desire to say that I was with you tonight at the church and listened to the preacher's (Dr. Mitchell) sermon and was somewhat surprised that he should have declared that all the wars and persecutions and outrages that, in the manner described, have been perpetrated on mankind since my coming can be ascribed to my coming and my teachings.
I, of course, can only resent the imputation and declare that the preacher has misconceived the cause of these wars and persecutions, and to charge that they are due to my truths, or the truths that I taught, is not only an injustice to me, but a great injury to the truths and objects of my mission to mankind. Never did I attempt by force or constraint to compel a human soul to believe in my truths or to became a follower of me, in or out of the church.
My mission on earth was to show men the Way to the Father's Love and to declare to them the Great Gift of this Love, and also to break down and destroy the erroneous beliefs and ignorance that then existed among men as what was necessary in order to seek for and obtain this Love of the Father and their own salvation. And so far as the truths, moral or spiritual, which I taught antagonized the false beliefs and practices of men, there was - and necessarily would be - a conflict in the thoughts and lives of those who followed me and those who persisted in their existing beliefs. To this extent, I brought a sword into the world, but it was not the sword that called for bloodshed and murder and persecutions; it was the sword that pierced men's souls, where this great conflict should and must be fought to the end.
No nation can be more spiritual in its government, or in its treatment of other nations, than are the individuals composing it, spiritual. The nation cannot be greater than or different from the individuals who control it, be such control centered in one or more individuals, or in a secular or religious head. The ruler, if he be not a real follower of me, although he may claim to be, cannot in his acts or deeds attribute to me the results of the carrying into action his thoughts and desires and ambition.
The present war, of which the preacher spoke with such horror and lamentation, is not due to my coming into the world as an iconoclast or destroyer of sin and error, but to the fact that men refused to be controlled or persuaded by my doctrines of peace and acted because of the sin and evil desires and immoral ambition that they possessed and permitted to control them. The sword, which he claims I brought into the world, did not cause these sinful and inhuman desires and ambitions to manifest themselves in the form of war and all the evils that follow it. No, this war is not a part of my warfare or the plan of the Father to bring salvation to mankind.
The cause is this and only this: The exercise by men in control of the nations of their desires for increased power and territory and subjugation of nations, together with their sinful cravings for what they call glory and unsatisfied ambition. Had they understood my warfare, each of there men would have found his enemy in himself and nowhere else, and the great war would be a war of the soul and not the war of nations.
Each nation claims that its war is right, and that God is on its side, and prays to that God to assist it in overcoming its enemies. But I want to say here, and it may astonish those who believe that if they conceive that they are in the right and pray to God for success that their prayers will be answered, that God hears only the prayers of the righteous, or of the sinner who prays for mercy and salvation. Never in all the history of mankind has God responded to the prayers of men or nations to assist in the destruction of other men or nations, and this, notwithstanding the accounts in the Old Testament of the many times that he was supposed to have helped the Jews to destroy their enemies.
If men, for a moment, will think that God is a God of Love and that all people are His children, the equal recipients of His Love and Care, they will realize that His Love would not permit Him to sacrifice the happiness or well-being of one class of His children to satisfy the desires of revenge or hatred or outraged justice as they conceive it, of another class of His children. In all the beliefs of this kind, men have misconceived God and His Nature - with men like other creatures, His powers are governed by God's immutable Laws, and those laws are no respecters of persons. Man was given a free will, which he could exercise righteously or sinfully and God does not forcibly control such exercise, but the same exercised rightly or wrongly is subject to Law, which imposes penalties or rewards according as the Law is violated or obeyed.
This war, which so many mortals believe and declare is a punishment inflicted on men because of their sins and disobedience - that is, that it was specially caused by God because of such condition of men - and some expounders of the Bible teach that it was prophesied centuries ago - this war, I say, is solely the result of the sinful conditions and workings of men's souls and thoughts and the natural effect of the causes that men themselves created and the exact workings of the Laws that such causes brought into operation. And in a similar condition, where the same causes exist, Laws will invariably operate - wars will occur and recur until the possibility of the causes cease to exist.
God never ceases to love and care for mankind and always He desires that men shall be happy and at-one with Himself, and that they shall exercise their wills in accordance with His Will and His Laws; but just as certainly does He never - by compulsion or force - endeavor to compel men to exercise their wills in a manner that is not voluntary with them. Should He do this, men would cease to be the greatest of His Creation and incapable of giving Him that voluntary love and obedience which only is acceptable to Him.
But from what I have said, it must not be inferred that the Father is indifferent to men's sufferings and the calamities that wars bring upon mankind, for He is not; and, if, in His Wisdom, He saw that it would be for the lasting good of the men who are engaged in the present war, that He should intervene by the mere force of His Powers and end the war, He would do so. But in that Wisdom, He sees that there is a good which men should have, greater and more eternal than their mere physical and material good, and that greater good cannot be obtained by them through His suddenly bringing this war to an end without regard to their souls, and thoughts and desires. The Law of Compensation must work as well for nations as for individuals even though, apparently, the innocent suffer as well as the guilty.
On earth, as men are now constituted, that is, in their condition of sin and disobedience to the Laws of their being - exact justice cannot be expected and is not received, because this justice is the subject of men's dispensation and not that of God. A man is influenced by his desires which, in turn, control his will and results in his acts and deeds, which must of necessity, bring their results. These results can be avoided only by absence of deeds, and these by a different exercise of the will and this by the change of desire. So when a man so desires and wills, God will not set aside the Law of Compensation and cause results to follow that are not the consequences of such desire and will.
But God is always willing that these evil results shall have no existence, and through the influence of His Love and Holy Spirit is calling men to learn the way to wholly prevent the possibility of these results coming to them, either as individuals or as nations. He has provided the Way and is teaching men the knowledge thereof, through and by which the causes that produce these harmful results may be utterly destroyed and prevented from ever arising to bring to them the deplorable results, such as are manifested in the present war.
God will not interfere by His mere fiat to cause the one side or the other of those who are engaged in this war of bloodshed and carnage to become victorious. The Law of Compensation must work and as the leaders of the respective nations have sown, so must the nations reap and in this, the innocent must suffer in this reaping, because as conditions are, the Law could not work its fulfillment unless all within the scope of its workings should feel its operation. But the Father and the hosts of His angels and the spirits of men are working to bring this terrible catastrophe to an end.
You have written long, and it is late, so I will postpone the further consideration of the subject to another time. Believe that I am with you and love you and will sustain you in your desires to do my work.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I desire to say that I was with you tonight at the church and listened to the preacher's (Dr. Mitchell) sermon and was somewhat surprised that he should have declared that all the wars and persecutions and outrages that, in the manner described, have been perpetrated on mankind since my coming can be ascribed to my coming and my teachings.
I, of course, can only resent the imputation and declare that the preacher has misconceived the cause of these wars and persecutions, and to charge that they are due to my truths, or the truths that I taught, is not only an injustice to me, but a great injury to the truths and objects of my mission to mankind. Never did I attempt by force or constraint to compel a human soul to believe in my truths or to became a follower of me, in or out of the church.
My mission on earth was to show men the Way to the Father's Love and to declare to them the Great Gift of this Love, and also to break down and destroy the erroneous beliefs and ignorance that then existed among men as what was necessary in order to seek for and obtain this Love of the Father and their own salvation. And so far as the truths, moral or spiritual, which I taught antagonized the false beliefs and practices of men, there was - and necessarily would be - a conflict in the thoughts and lives of those who followed me and those who persisted in their existing beliefs. To this extent, I brought a sword into the world, but it was not the sword that called for bloodshed and murder and persecutions; it was the sword that pierced men's souls, where this great conflict should and must be fought to the end.
No nation can be more spiritual in its government, or in its treatment of other nations, than are the individuals composing it, spiritual. The nation cannot be greater than or different from the individuals who control it, be such control centered in one or more individuals, or in a secular or religious head. The ruler, if he be not a real follower of me, although he may claim to be, cannot in his acts or deeds attribute to me the results of the carrying into action his thoughts and desires and ambition.
The present war, of which the preacher spoke with such horror and lamentation, is not due to my coming into the world as an iconoclast or destroyer of sin and error, but to the fact that men refused to be controlled or persuaded by my doctrines of peace and acted because of the sin and evil desires and immoral ambition that they possessed and permitted to control them. The sword, which he claims I brought into the world, did not cause these sinful and inhuman desires and ambitions to manifest themselves in the form of war and all the evils that follow it. No, this war is not a part of my warfare or the plan of the Father to bring salvation to mankind.
The cause is this and only this: The exercise by men in control of the nations of their desires for increased power and territory and subjugation of nations, together with their sinful cravings for what they call glory and unsatisfied ambition. Had they understood my warfare, each of there men would have found his enemy in himself and nowhere else, and the great war would be a war of the soul and not the war of nations.
Each nation claims that its war is right, and that God is on its side, and prays to that God to assist it in overcoming its enemies. But I want to say here, and it may astonish those who believe that if they conceive that they are in the right and pray to God for success that their prayers will be answered, that God hears only the prayers of the righteous, or of the sinner who prays for mercy and salvation. Never in all the history of mankind has God responded to the prayers of men or nations to assist in the destruction of other men or nations, and this, notwithstanding the accounts in the Old Testament of the many times that he was supposed to have helped the Jews to destroy their enemies.
If men, for a moment, will think that God is a God of Love and that all people are His children, the equal recipients of His Love and Care, they will realize that His Love would not permit Him to sacrifice the happiness or well-being of one class of His children to satisfy the desires of revenge or hatred or outraged justice as they conceive it, of another class of His children. In all the beliefs of this kind, men have misconceived God and His Nature - with men like other creatures, His powers are governed by God's immutable Laws, and those laws are no respecters of persons. Man was given a free will, which he could exercise righteously or sinfully and God does not forcibly control such exercise, but the same exercised rightly or wrongly is subject to Law, which imposes penalties or rewards according as the Law is violated or obeyed.
This war, which so many mortals believe and declare is a punishment inflicted on men because of their sins and disobedience - that is, that it was specially caused by God because of such condition of men - and some expounders of the Bible teach that it was prophesied centuries ago - this war, I say, is solely the result of the sinful conditions and workings of men's souls and thoughts and the natural effect of the causes that men themselves created and the exact workings of the Laws that such causes brought into operation. And in a similar condition, where the same causes exist, Laws will invariably operate - wars will occur and recur until the possibility of the causes cease to exist.
God never ceases to love and care for mankind and always He desires that men shall be happy and at-one with Himself, and that they shall exercise their wills in accordance with His Will and His Laws; but just as certainly does He never - by compulsion or force - endeavor to compel men to exercise their wills in a manner that is not voluntary with them. Should He do this, men would cease to be the greatest of His Creation and incapable of giving Him that voluntary love and obedience which only is acceptable to Him.
But from what I have said, it must not be inferred that the Father is indifferent to men's sufferings and the calamities that wars bring upon mankind, for He is not; and, if, in His Wisdom, He saw that it would be for the lasting good of the men who are engaged in the present war, that He should intervene by the mere force of His Powers and end the war, He would do so. But in that Wisdom, He sees that there is a good which men should have, greater and more eternal than their mere physical and material good, and that greater good cannot be obtained by them through His suddenly bringing this war to an end without regard to their souls, and thoughts and desires. The Law of Compensation must work as well for nations as for individuals even though, apparently, the innocent suffer as well as the guilty.
On earth, as men are now constituted, that is, in their condition of sin and disobedience to the Laws of their being - exact justice cannot be expected and is not received, because this justice is the subject of men's dispensation and not that of God. A man is influenced by his desires which, in turn, control his will and results in his acts and deeds, which must of necessity, bring their results. These results can be avoided only by absence of deeds, and these by a different exercise of the will and this by the change of desire. So when a man so desires and wills, God will not set aside the Law of Compensation and cause results to follow that are not the consequences of such desire and will.
But God is always willing that these evil results shall have no existence, and through the influence of His Love and Holy Spirit is calling men to learn the way to wholly prevent the possibility of these results coming to them, either as individuals or as nations. He has provided the Way and is teaching men the knowledge thereof, through and by which the causes that produce these harmful results may be utterly destroyed and prevented from ever arising to bring to them the deplorable results, such as are manifested in the present war.
God will not interfere by His mere fiat to cause the one side or the other of those who are engaged in this war of bloodshed and carnage to become victorious. The Law of Compensation must work and as the leaders of the respective nations have sown, so must the nations reap and in this, the innocent must suffer in this reaping, because as conditions are, the Law could not work its fulfillment unless all within the scope of its workings should feel its operation. But the Father and the hosts of His angels and the spirits of men are working to bring this terrible catastrophe to an end.
You have written long, and it is late, so I will postpone the further consideration of the subject to another time. Believe that I am with you and love you and will sustain you in your desires to do my work.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Monday, November 18, 2013
John Writes About the Glories of the Third Heaven (Third Sphere)
December 8, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus.
I desire to finish my comments on the preacher's (Dr. Ratcliff) sermon on Heaven.
As I said, these apocalyptic writings (Book of Revelation) were made for the purpose of encouraging the people of those days to believe that God would intervene in their behalf and save them from their sufferings and persecutions, and in the one case establish a Messiah's kingdom on earth that would cause the Jews to become the ruling nation of the universe and, in the other, to establish a Kingdom in Heaven where the Christians would find rest and happiness in becoming inhabitants of that Kingdom and children of the Father, and participants in the glories of Christ's reign as king and priest. Well, as the subject of the sermon was that Kingdom or Heaven and the preacher endeavored to tell his people what that Heaven is, I will consider that subject.
In the first place, as I have said, that Heaven is not one universal place where all the Christians, irrespective of their soul development go, but in that Heaven are many Heavens or spheres in which the spirit of mortals will find homes and also happiness according to their soul development or their spiritual development. And in order that there may be no misunderstanding, I must say that the soul development comes only through and by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual development involves only the result of the correct workings of the moral faculties of a man and the purification of his natural love which, of course, comprehends the development of his soul so far as the same may be developed by this purifying process. The results of each operation is very different and lead to a perfection and relationship to the Father, which is in harmony with the laws controlling the respective Heavens - for the place of final habitation of each may be called Heaven.
But my object tonight is to describe to you the appearance and condition of one of these Heavens, and as mortals have heard more about the "Third Heaven," which we in our information to you have called the "Third Sphere," than of any of the other Heavens, I will confine my description to that place.
Well, it is occupied by the spirits of mortals who have received considerable of the Divine Love, as well as by those who have progressed to a great extent in the purification of their Natural Love and the expansion of their minds and intellects, though the latter do not remain very long in this Heaven, but progress to the Fourth where there are more opportunities and more instructions in those things which have to do with the mind's advancement. While those who have made progress in the soul development and those in the intellectual are all in the Third Heavens, yet they occupy different and distinct planes in that Heaven, for those things that attract the one class do not attract the other, and there is very little intermingling of these spirits except that those who know that the Divine Love is real sometimes attempt to show those who do not the desirability of obtaining it and the happiness that it brings to spirits.
As we have already told you, the condition of the soul - not of the mind - to a large degree makes the Heaven of the spirit, and in the providence of the Father, He has made the surroundings and the appearances of the environment suitable to the condition of the soul and fitted to increase the happiness of those spirits who may, because of their soul progress, be attracted to the particular places in which they find themselves - their homes.
The appearance of this Heaven to those who have this Divine Love in their souls is far excelling the capacity of your mortal language to explain, even if I had the ability to describe the same. But in one general statement I may say that for these spirits there is everything to make them happy to the extent of their capacity to receive and enjoy. There are trees and flowers, and hills and dales, and rivers and lakes, and beautiful landscapes, and above all the wonderful atmosphere, as I may express it that is created by this wonderful Love of the Father, and a glorious light that illuminates and gives life to all who live in it, which comes from this Love of the Father. It is the sun, moon and stars, and sunrise and sunset, and summer clouds, and evening shadows and morning glories. Your material sun and moon and stars do not appear in this Heaven for the effulgence of the light from the Father's Love eclipses and eliminates the light of these material creations of the mortal world.
And then there are homes of the grandest splendor and beauty suited to the conditions of the various spirits, which have in them everything that will tend to cause happiness and joy to their occupants and visiting friends: musical instruments and books, and paintings, and furniture of every kind fitted to bring to the spirits contentment and joy, and a realization of peace and rest from the cares that you mortals have with you all through your earth life. And above and more important than all, a wonderful atmosphere of Love which makes all these spirits realize that they are the children of the Father and brothers of one another and lovers of all humanity.
And, in addition, the social life is beyond all conception. The spirits have their times of visiting as well as those of staying in their homes; and many pleasures as well as of work and helping spirits and mortals; of singing and music and laughter as of prayer and contemplation of deep spiritual truths. Yes, in the lighter social pleasures as well as in the solitary meditations and aspirations of the soul's progress, there is happiness and enjoyment and freedom from those things which defile or make inharmonious the thoughts and heart's desire of these spirits. All is gladness and there are none who have solemn downcast countenances, that many of earth imagine portrays the truly righteous and redeemed of mortals. No, Love knows no sadness, and as the soul speaks, its condition by the appearance of the spirit body's countenance, the soul being so full of gladness and joy, the countenance can express only those emotions of the soul. This is the result of the law which declares nothing can be hidden, and every spirit must show forth the truth of its condition.
There are no walled cities or streets of gold or pearly gates or other of the material things, which the book ascribes to me sets forth, so that man can get some conception of what Heaven is. These things in Heaven would not be gold or pearls or diamonds or jasper, for when they are compared to the real beauties of the things which it contains, they are as the faint light of the candle compared to the light of your noon day sun. Truly the mind of man cannot conceive of the glories that await the lovelit soul when it comes to its Heavenly home.
There is another misconception that the preacher had following the teachings of Revelation, and that is that the Kingdom of Heaven is a walled city, the New Jerusalem, in which all the spirits of the redeemed live, singing their loud hosannas to God. There are cities of which your earth cities may be called correspondences, but there are also villages and hamlets and homes in the country, as you would say, surrounded by green fields and shady vales through which run rivers and streams of silvery hue and clear as crystal, and also placid lakes, which afford the pleasures of boating and sailing and other amusements. For each spirit is provided the place that is most attractive to him and it is optional with him where his home shall be. But all love and worship the Father and endeavor to make their neighbors happy and help the development of the soul towards a progression to the Heavens, which are higher yet. All spirits are controlled by law, but that law is the Law of Love, and that love is the Love Divine: the essence of the Father's Divinity.
I have written enough for tonight, and I hope from what I have said that you may catch some faint conception of what the glories of this Third Heaven is for those who have found, to some extent, this Love and possess it; and then, when as you must know there are many Heavens above this, each successively possessing increased glories and happiness and beauties of place as well as beauty of spirit, you may imagine what the Master meant when he said, "In my Father's house are many mansions."
I know that my attempted description may be unsatisfactory to some mortals, but it is the best that I can do, because mortal words cannot convey and mortal thoughts cannot conceive the realities; and man in his imaginings may better get a spiritual view of these things. I will not write more tonight.
I am with you quite often, throwing around you the influence of my love, and endeavoring to help and encourage you. Let your faith in us and in our communications increase, and believe above all that the Master wrote you the prayer, which you received a few nights ago. Study it deeply and grasp its spiritual meaning, and let your longings and aspirations go out to the Father as suggested by the prayer, and you will find a wonderful and satisfactory response to them. We are praying for you and your friends, and you must believe that the Love is coming into your souls. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus.
I desire to finish my comments on the preacher's (Dr. Ratcliff) sermon on Heaven.
As I said, these apocalyptic writings (Book of Revelation) were made for the purpose of encouraging the people of those days to believe that God would intervene in their behalf and save them from their sufferings and persecutions, and in the one case establish a Messiah's kingdom on earth that would cause the Jews to become the ruling nation of the universe and, in the other, to establish a Kingdom in Heaven where the Christians would find rest and happiness in becoming inhabitants of that Kingdom and children of the Father, and participants in the glories of Christ's reign as king and priest. Well, as the subject of the sermon was that Kingdom or Heaven and the preacher endeavored to tell his people what that Heaven is, I will consider that subject.
In the first place, as I have said, that Heaven is not one universal place where all the Christians, irrespective of their soul development go, but in that Heaven are many Heavens or spheres in which the spirit of mortals will find homes and also happiness according to their soul development or their spiritual development. And in order that there may be no misunderstanding, I must say that the soul development comes only through and by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual development involves only the result of the correct workings of the moral faculties of a man and the purification of his natural love which, of course, comprehends the development of his soul so far as the same may be developed by this purifying process. The results of each operation is very different and lead to a perfection and relationship to the Father, which is in harmony with the laws controlling the respective Heavens - for the place of final habitation of each may be called Heaven.
But my object tonight is to describe to you the appearance and condition of one of these Heavens, and as mortals have heard more about the "Third Heaven," which we in our information to you have called the "Third Sphere," than of any of the other Heavens, I will confine my description to that place.
Well, it is occupied by the spirits of mortals who have received considerable of the Divine Love, as well as by those who have progressed to a great extent in the purification of their Natural Love and the expansion of their minds and intellects, though the latter do not remain very long in this Heaven, but progress to the Fourth where there are more opportunities and more instructions in those things which have to do with the mind's advancement. While those who have made progress in the soul development and those in the intellectual are all in the Third Heavens, yet they occupy different and distinct planes in that Heaven, for those things that attract the one class do not attract the other, and there is very little intermingling of these spirits except that those who know that the Divine Love is real sometimes attempt to show those who do not the desirability of obtaining it and the happiness that it brings to spirits.
As we have already told you, the condition of the soul - not of the mind - to a large degree makes the Heaven of the spirit, and in the providence of the Father, He has made the surroundings and the appearances of the environment suitable to the condition of the soul and fitted to increase the happiness of those spirits who may, because of their soul progress, be attracted to the particular places in which they find themselves - their homes.
The appearance of this Heaven to those who have this Divine Love in their souls is far excelling the capacity of your mortal language to explain, even if I had the ability to describe the same. But in one general statement I may say that for these spirits there is everything to make them happy to the extent of their capacity to receive and enjoy. There are trees and flowers, and hills and dales, and rivers and lakes, and beautiful landscapes, and above all the wonderful atmosphere, as I may express it that is created by this wonderful Love of the Father, and a glorious light that illuminates and gives life to all who live in it, which comes from this Love of the Father. It is the sun, moon and stars, and sunrise and sunset, and summer clouds, and evening shadows and morning glories. Your material sun and moon and stars do not appear in this Heaven for the effulgence of the light from the Father's Love eclipses and eliminates the light of these material creations of the mortal world.
And then there are homes of the grandest splendor and beauty suited to the conditions of the various spirits, which have in them everything that will tend to cause happiness and joy to their occupants and visiting friends: musical instruments and books, and paintings, and furniture of every kind fitted to bring to the spirits contentment and joy, and a realization of peace and rest from the cares that you mortals have with you all through your earth life. And above and more important than all, a wonderful atmosphere of Love which makes all these spirits realize that they are the children of the Father and brothers of one another and lovers of all humanity.
And, in addition, the social life is beyond all conception. The spirits have their times of visiting as well as those of staying in their homes; and many pleasures as well as of work and helping spirits and mortals; of singing and music and laughter as of prayer and contemplation of deep spiritual truths. Yes, in the lighter social pleasures as well as in the solitary meditations and aspirations of the soul's progress, there is happiness and enjoyment and freedom from those things which defile or make inharmonious the thoughts and heart's desire of these spirits. All is gladness and there are none who have solemn downcast countenances, that many of earth imagine portrays the truly righteous and redeemed of mortals. No, Love knows no sadness, and as the soul speaks, its condition by the appearance of the spirit body's countenance, the soul being so full of gladness and joy, the countenance can express only those emotions of the soul. This is the result of the law which declares nothing can be hidden, and every spirit must show forth the truth of its condition.
There are no walled cities or streets of gold or pearly gates or other of the material things, which the book ascribes to me sets forth, so that man can get some conception of what Heaven is. These things in Heaven would not be gold or pearls or diamonds or jasper, for when they are compared to the real beauties of the things which it contains, they are as the faint light of the candle compared to the light of your noon day sun. Truly the mind of man cannot conceive of the glories that await the lovelit soul when it comes to its Heavenly home.
There is another misconception that the preacher had following the teachings of Revelation, and that is that the Kingdom of Heaven is a walled city, the New Jerusalem, in which all the spirits of the redeemed live, singing their loud hosannas to God. There are cities of which your earth cities may be called correspondences, but there are also villages and hamlets and homes in the country, as you would say, surrounded by green fields and shady vales through which run rivers and streams of silvery hue and clear as crystal, and also placid lakes, which afford the pleasures of boating and sailing and other amusements. For each spirit is provided the place that is most attractive to him and it is optional with him where his home shall be. But all love and worship the Father and endeavor to make their neighbors happy and help the development of the soul towards a progression to the Heavens, which are higher yet. All spirits are controlled by law, but that law is the Law of Love, and that love is the Love Divine: the essence of the Father's Divinity.
I have written enough for tonight, and I hope from what I have said that you may catch some faint conception of what the glories of this Third Heaven is for those who have found, to some extent, this Love and possess it; and then, when as you must know there are many Heavens above this, each successively possessing increased glories and happiness and beauties of place as well as beauty of spirit, you may imagine what the Master meant when he said, "In my Father's house are many mansions."
I know that my attempted description may be unsatisfactory to some mortals, but it is the best that I can do, because mortal words cannot convey and mortal thoughts cannot conceive the realities; and man in his imaginings may better get a spiritual view of these things. I will not write more tonight.
I am with you quite often, throwing around you the influence of my love, and endeavoring to help and encourage you. Let your faith in us and in our communications increase, and believe above all that the Master wrote you the prayer, which you received a few nights ago. Study it deeply and grasp its spiritual meaning, and let your longings and aspirations go out to the Father as suggested by the prayer, and you will find a wonderful and satisfactory response to them. We are praying for you and your friends, and you must believe that the Love is coming into your souls. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Robert Ingersoll and Helen Padgett Confirm that Jesus Wrote the Prayer for Divine Love
December 2, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Ingersoll.
I am here, and desire to say with all the emphasis of my words and soul that the Master wrote you and gave you the Prayer, which he said is the only prayer that is needful to bring into the souls of men the Divine Love.
He was glorious, and it is not surprising that you felt the influence of his presence and Love, and I, who have so recently experienced what this Love is, tell you that your feelings were real and that that Love is present, and that we spirits feel it, as well as you two mortals.
Astonishing to us, as to you, is the power of this Love and the greatness of the Master, for with him seems to come the influence of the very Father, Himself. How ever thankful I am that I found the way to this Love, and it found its way to my soul! What a loving Father and what a tender Master to teach us of this Great Gift!
I could not restrain myself from writing, as the opportunity came to testify of this Love and of the Master, and I felt that, as I had so often declared on earth that there was no such thing, I must now and always when the opportunity arises declare the truth of the Divine Love and the Holy Spirit, and the glorious Jesus.
I must not write more tonight. So believe that it is I who write, and that I can with all the certainty of Love declare that I am your brother in Christ,
Ingersoll
**********
Affirmation by Helen Padgett
Well, I will and I am glad that you have even one page more.
I am happy tonight, for I see that you have had an experience that has caused your soul to open up to this wonderful Love of the Father.
Oh, my dear, it has been a glorious evening and the Master seemed to breathe out the fullness of the great Love that he possesses.
Your own true and loving
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Ingersoll.
I am here, and desire to say with all the emphasis of my words and soul that the Master wrote you and gave you the Prayer, which he said is the only prayer that is needful to bring into the souls of men the Divine Love.
He was glorious, and it is not surprising that you felt the influence of his presence and Love, and I, who have so recently experienced what this Love is, tell you that your feelings were real and that that Love is present, and that we spirits feel it, as well as you two mortals.
Astonishing to us, as to you, is the power of this Love and the greatness of the Master, for with him seems to come the influence of the very Father, Himself. How ever thankful I am that I found the way to this Love, and it found its way to my soul! What a loving Father and what a tender Master to teach us of this Great Gift!
I could not restrain myself from writing, as the opportunity came to testify of this Love and of the Master, and I felt that, as I had so often declared on earth that there was no such thing, I must now and always when the opportunity arises declare the truth of the Divine Love and the Holy Spirit, and the glorious Jesus.
I must not write more tonight. So believe that it is I who write, and that I can with all the certainty of Love declare that I am your brother in Christ,
Ingersoll
**********
Affirmation by Helen Padgett
Well, I will and I am glad that you have even one page more.
I am happy tonight, for I see that you have had an experience that has caused your soul to open up to this wonderful Love of the Father.
Oh, my dear, it has been a glorious evening and the Master seemed to breathe out the fullness of the great Love that he possesses.
Your own true and loving
Helen
Friday, November 8, 2013
Goliath of the Philistines Writes There is No Reincarnation After the Death of the Mortal Body
November 25, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Goliath.
I have been present for some time and have listened to your conversations on the various sects who are expecting a great teacher, and others who look for a reincarnation. And if it were not so serious to the welfare of mankind, it would be very humorous. But the matter is too serious to deal with in a humorous vein and I will say a few words as to the utter falsity of both of these beliefs.
There will appear no such great teacher as is expected. Of course, many may appear on earth claiming to be such a teacher and they may declare some moral truth that may be beneficial to mankind but these teachings will not be such as these people may expect a great teacher to make known and the result will be that if the world had to depend on such teachings, it would be very little, if any better, than it now is.
For there is only one course of truth, and in order for any great teacher to teach such truths, he necessarily will have to have a knowledge of such truths. And here I want to say that there is only one means of learning such truths and that is through the help of Jesus Christ and his followers, who know these truths and the Holy Spirit that speaks to all men if they will open their souls to its silent voice of truth and love.
So I say that these people who are expecting some earthly teacher to arise and come to them with a knowledge of truth will be greatly disappointed, for it is impossible that any man will ever come in some mysterious and godlike way be endowed with this knowledge. The souls of these people are longing for the truth and not having a knowledge as to how it may come about are willing to conjure up in their minds some being that may possibly burst on the world and enlighten them in those truths for which their souls are longing and wishing. No, they will never in all time and eternity learn what they so anxiously desire from any great teacher of the kind that I have named and they expect.
As to the others who are equally misguided and who believe that their salvation or future condition of happiness and perfection depends on reincarnation, I must say that they are now, and will be, disappointed just as will the first class that I mention. This doctrine of reincarnation is a false and misleading one and will never enable any man or spirit to live the second time in the body as a mortal.
It is so utterly absurd that it is astonishing that men can believe that such a thing can be and besides, if they will only think seriously for a moment, they will realize that there is no necessity for man to live again on earth, for the surroundings and things that prevent the progress of man to perfection are so detrimental to his progress that it would not assist him one particle in acquiring such progress to have to undergo a second incarnation.
When the spirit leaves the body, its possibility for progress then becomes greater than ever existed on earth, though some spirits for long ages do not take advantage of such possibilities, yet they exist, and earth life can afford no means equal to them for making this progress towards what these people call "Nirvana." Some day the truths will become so plain and easily understood by mortals that these beliefs will of their own weight, and I mean weight that absurdity gives them, that they will cease to exist.
You may be somewhat surprised that I write on these subjects, but you must know that I am an Angel of the Celestial Heavens and have a work to do, and being present, I requested the privilege of writing and it being granted, I did so.
I know what Divine Love means and what progress means, as I came from the lowest Hells and found no necessity for reincarnation, and you may be assured that if my condition of suffering and darkness could have been gotten rid of by reincarnation, I would have reincarnated centuries before I was relieved of my awful condition. I have met spirits who said they believed in the doctrine, but strange to say, none of them had ever been able to reincarnate, though they persisted that they felt assured that other spirits had who were just in that condition that permitted it, and that they would when they became in a condition that was suitable, but I have noticed that these spirits never got in that suitable condition, but progressed in the spirit world and now say that they were mistaken and are thankful that there is no such thing as re- incarnation. Well, the race will die and a new race will arise on earth, but in the new race there will not be any who have been reincarnated.
I want to stop now, so thanking you, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Goliath of whom men may think a mythical person. but who really lived and died, even though he may not have been killed by a slingshot of David as the Bible relates, but yet a real living mortal who followed the ways of other mortals in sinning and dying and gone through hell and is at last redeemed.
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Goliath.
I have been present for some time and have listened to your conversations on the various sects who are expecting a great teacher, and others who look for a reincarnation. And if it were not so serious to the welfare of mankind, it would be very humorous. But the matter is too serious to deal with in a humorous vein and I will say a few words as to the utter falsity of both of these beliefs.
There will appear no such great teacher as is expected. Of course, many may appear on earth claiming to be such a teacher and they may declare some moral truth that may be beneficial to mankind but these teachings will not be such as these people may expect a great teacher to make known and the result will be that if the world had to depend on such teachings, it would be very little, if any better, than it now is.
For there is only one course of truth, and in order for any great teacher to teach such truths, he necessarily will have to have a knowledge of such truths. And here I want to say that there is only one means of learning such truths and that is through the help of Jesus Christ and his followers, who know these truths and the Holy Spirit that speaks to all men if they will open their souls to its silent voice of truth and love.
So I say that these people who are expecting some earthly teacher to arise and come to them with a knowledge of truth will be greatly disappointed, for it is impossible that any man will ever come in some mysterious and godlike way be endowed with this knowledge. The souls of these people are longing for the truth and not having a knowledge as to how it may come about are willing to conjure up in their minds some being that may possibly burst on the world and enlighten them in those truths for which their souls are longing and wishing. No, they will never in all time and eternity learn what they so anxiously desire from any great teacher of the kind that I have named and they expect.
As to the others who are equally misguided and who believe that their salvation or future condition of happiness and perfection depends on reincarnation, I must say that they are now, and will be, disappointed just as will the first class that I mention. This doctrine of reincarnation is a false and misleading one and will never enable any man or spirit to live the second time in the body as a mortal.
It is so utterly absurd that it is astonishing that men can believe that such a thing can be and besides, if they will only think seriously for a moment, they will realize that there is no necessity for man to live again on earth, for the surroundings and things that prevent the progress of man to perfection are so detrimental to his progress that it would not assist him one particle in acquiring such progress to have to undergo a second incarnation.
When the spirit leaves the body, its possibility for progress then becomes greater than ever existed on earth, though some spirits for long ages do not take advantage of such possibilities, yet they exist, and earth life can afford no means equal to them for making this progress towards what these people call "Nirvana." Some day the truths will become so plain and easily understood by mortals that these beliefs will of their own weight, and I mean weight that absurdity gives them, that they will cease to exist.
You may be somewhat surprised that I write on these subjects, but you must know that I am an Angel of the Celestial Heavens and have a work to do, and being present, I requested the privilege of writing and it being granted, I did so.
I know what Divine Love means and what progress means, as I came from the lowest Hells and found no necessity for reincarnation, and you may be assured that if my condition of suffering and darkness could have been gotten rid of by reincarnation, I would have reincarnated centuries before I was relieved of my awful condition. I have met spirits who said they believed in the doctrine, but strange to say, none of them had ever been able to reincarnate, though they persisted that they felt assured that other spirits had who were just in that condition that permitted it, and that they would when they became in a condition that was suitable, but I have noticed that these spirits never got in that suitable condition, but progressed in the spirit world and now say that they were mistaken and are thankful that there is no such thing as re- incarnation. Well, the race will die and a new race will arise on earth, but in the new race there will not be any who have been reincarnated.
I want to stop now, so thanking you, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Goliath of whom men may think a mythical person. but who really lived and died, even though he may not have been killed by a slingshot of David as the Bible relates, but yet a real living mortal who followed the ways of other mortals in sinning and dying and gone through hell and is at last redeemed.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Jesus Writes on How the Soul of a Mortal Receives the Divine Love
November 10, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come tonight to tell you that you are in a better condition than you were last night and, in fact, have been for some nights past. I desire to write you a message on the question of: "How the soul of a mortal receives the Divine Love, and what its effect is, even though subsequently his mind may indulge in those beliefs that may tend to prevent the growth of the soul - what is a lost soul?"
As you know, the inflowing of this Love is caused by its bestowal by the Holy Spirit in response to sincere prayer and longings. I mean prayer and longings for the Love Itself, and not prayers in general,for the material benefits that men more often and more naturally, as they believe, ask for and desire. The prayers of mortals for these things that may tend to make them successful and happy in their natural love are answered also, if it be best that they should be, but these are not the prayers that bring the Divine Love or cause the Holy Spirit to work with men.
As the prayers of the sincere, earnest soul ascend to the Father, that soul becomes opened up to the inflowing of this Love, and the soul's perceptions enlarge and come more in rapport with the conditions or influence that always accompanies the presence of this Love and, consequently, its entrance into the soul becomes easier and its reception more perceptible to the soul sense. The more earnest the prayer and sincere the longings, the sooner faith comes and with this faith, the realization that the Divine Love is permeating the soul.
When once the Divine Love finds a lodgment in the soul, it, to the extent that it receives the Love, becomes as it were a changed substance, partaking of the Essence of the Love; and as water may become colored by an ingredient foreign to itself, and which changes not only its appearance but its qualities, so this Divine Love changes the appearance and qualities of the soul, and this change of qualities continues ever thereafter. The natural qualities of the soul and the Essence of the Love become one and united and the soul is made altogether different in its constituency from what it was before the inflowing of the Love, but this only to the extent of the Love received. As this Love increases in quantity, the change and transformation becomes correspondingly greater, until at last the transformation may and will become so great, that the whole soul becomes a thing of this Divine Essence, and partakes of its very Nature and Substance, a being of Divinity.
When once this Love enters and truly possesses the soul and works the change mentioned, It, the Love, never leaves nor disassociates Itself from the soul - its character of Divine Essence never changes to that of the mere natural love, and so far as It is present, sin and error have no existence, because it is just as impossible for this Essence and sin and error to occupy the same parts of the soul at the same time as it is for two material objects to occupy the same space at the same time, as your philosophers say. Divinity never gives place to that which is not of the Divine. Man is working towards the attainment of the Divine, when he pursues the way provided for obtaining the Divine Nature, and as he advances and obtains a portion of this Divine, no matter how small, he can never retrace his steps to the extent of ridding himself of this transforming Essence, and again become without its presence.
But this does not mean that a man may not lose the consciousness of the existence of this Essence within his soul, for he frequently does. The indulgence of his carnal appetites and evil desires will place him in the condition that he may cease to have a consciousness of the existence of the Divine Love in his soul, and to himself, he will be as if he had never had any experience of the change that I speak of.
And while this Love can never be eradicated by the evils that man may indulge in or by the mental beliefs that he may acquire, yet the progress of this Love in his soul may be checked and become stagnant, as if the Love were not, and sin and error may appear to be the only dominant elements of his life and being. But yet, when once possessed, the Love cannot be crowded out of his soul by sin and error, no matter, how deep and intense they may be. I know that this may seem strange and impossible to man's intellectual thinking, and that it is not in accordance with what has been attributed to me as teaching that a soul may be lost, nevertheless, a soul that has once received this Divine Essence cannot be lost, though its want of realization of the presence of this Love and its awakening from its dormant condition caused by sin and error and its misdirected beliefs may delay its manifestation of life and existence for a long time, and much suffering and darkness may have to be endured by the soul that is in such condition. And I must not be understood by this, as meaning that a soul cannot be lost, for it can, and many have been and will be, and many will realize the fact when too late.
Now, what is a lost soul? Not one that a man may actually lose in the sense of being deprived of it, separated from it actually, or even as regards his consciousness of not having a soul, for while, at times, he may believe that he has lost his soul in the sense of not having any, yet he is mistaken, for the soul, which is the man, can never be separated from himself, and as long as he lives in the physical body or in the spiritual body, his soul will be with him. And yet he may have a soul, consciously or not, and at the same time have lost it. This may seem a paradox to the mortal intellect or to the intellect of spirit, but it is true.
Then what is a lost soul? When God gave to man a soul, that soul was made in the image but not in the Substance of its Maker, and at the same time there was bestowed on him the privilege of having that soul become of the Substance of the Father, and to an extent, Divine, and entitled to and capable of living in the Celestial Kingdom of the Father, where everything is of the Divine Essence and Nature. When the first parents by their act of disobedience forfeited that privilege their souls lost the possibility of becoming of the Divine Nature and at-one with the Father in His Kingdom, and they thereby lost not the natural soul, which was a part of their creation, but the soul having the possibility of obtaining the Essence of Divinity and Immortality as the Father has Immortality.
As I have said, heretofore, with my coming this great privilege was restored to mankind, and the lost soul became again the object of man's recovery, and now he has that privilege as did the first parents before the fall; but also men may lose it as did they. As with them their souls were lost until they received into it the Divine Essence of the Father, so with men now, their souls are lost until and unless they receive this Divine Essence therein. As the first parents by their disobedience and refusal, forfeited their privilege of having their souls become a living, Divine Substance, so now, men by their disobedience and refusal will forfeit their privilege to save their souls from separation from the Divine Unity with the Father. The lost soul is as real as the verities of the Father's immutable laws, and only by the operation of the Divine Love can the soul lost, become the soul found.
Men may believe and teach that within them is a part of the Divine that will cause their souls to progress and develop until it reaches the condition of Divinity that will make it a part of the Divinity of the Father. But in this they are all wrong, for, while man was the highest creation of God, and the most perfect, and made in his image, yet in man is no part of the Divine, and having no part of the Divine, it is wholly impossible for him to progress to the possession of the Divine. He, of himself, no matter what his development may be, can never become greater or more perfect or of a higher nature, than he was at his creation.
The Divine comes from above and when once planted in a man's soul, there can be no limit to its expansion and development, even in the Celestial Heavens. Let all men seek this Love and there will be no lost souls; but, alas, many will not do so, and the Spiritual Heavens will be filled with lost souls not having the Divine Essence of the Father.
I have written enough for tonight, and I am pleased at the way in which you received my message. Continue to pray to the Father for more and more of His Divine Love, and your prayers will be answered, and you will realize with the certainty of conscious possession of the Divine Essence, that your soul is not lost and never will be. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night and God bless you.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come tonight to tell you that you are in a better condition than you were last night and, in fact, have been for some nights past. I desire to write you a message on the question of: "How the soul of a mortal receives the Divine Love, and what its effect is, even though subsequently his mind may indulge in those beliefs that may tend to prevent the growth of the soul - what is a lost soul?"
As you know, the inflowing of this Love is caused by its bestowal by the Holy Spirit in response to sincere prayer and longings. I mean prayer and longings for the Love Itself, and not prayers in general,for the material benefits that men more often and more naturally, as they believe, ask for and desire. The prayers of mortals for these things that may tend to make them successful and happy in their natural love are answered also, if it be best that they should be, but these are not the prayers that bring the Divine Love or cause the Holy Spirit to work with men.
As the prayers of the sincere, earnest soul ascend to the Father, that soul becomes opened up to the inflowing of this Love, and the soul's perceptions enlarge and come more in rapport with the conditions or influence that always accompanies the presence of this Love and, consequently, its entrance into the soul becomes easier and its reception more perceptible to the soul sense. The more earnest the prayer and sincere the longings, the sooner faith comes and with this faith, the realization that the Divine Love is permeating the soul.
When once the Divine Love finds a lodgment in the soul, it, to the extent that it receives the Love, becomes as it were a changed substance, partaking of the Essence of the Love; and as water may become colored by an ingredient foreign to itself, and which changes not only its appearance but its qualities, so this Divine Love changes the appearance and qualities of the soul, and this change of qualities continues ever thereafter. The natural qualities of the soul and the Essence of the Love become one and united and the soul is made altogether different in its constituency from what it was before the inflowing of the Love, but this only to the extent of the Love received. As this Love increases in quantity, the change and transformation becomes correspondingly greater, until at last the transformation may and will become so great, that the whole soul becomes a thing of this Divine Essence, and partakes of its very Nature and Substance, a being of Divinity.
When once this Love enters and truly possesses the soul and works the change mentioned, It, the Love, never leaves nor disassociates Itself from the soul - its character of Divine Essence never changes to that of the mere natural love, and so far as It is present, sin and error have no existence, because it is just as impossible for this Essence and sin and error to occupy the same parts of the soul at the same time as it is for two material objects to occupy the same space at the same time, as your philosophers say. Divinity never gives place to that which is not of the Divine. Man is working towards the attainment of the Divine, when he pursues the way provided for obtaining the Divine Nature, and as he advances and obtains a portion of this Divine, no matter how small, he can never retrace his steps to the extent of ridding himself of this transforming Essence, and again become without its presence.
But this does not mean that a man may not lose the consciousness of the existence of this Essence within his soul, for he frequently does. The indulgence of his carnal appetites and evil desires will place him in the condition that he may cease to have a consciousness of the existence of the Divine Love in his soul, and to himself, he will be as if he had never had any experience of the change that I speak of.
And while this Love can never be eradicated by the evils that man may indulge in or by the mental beliefs that he may acquire, yet the progress of this Love in his soul may be checked and become stagnant, as if the Love were not, and sin and error may appear to be the only dominant elements of his life and being. But yet, when once possessed, the Love cannot be crowded out of his soul by sin and error, no matter, how deep and intense they may be. I know that this may seem strange and impossible to man's intellectual thinking, and that it is not in accordance with what has been attributed to me as teaching that a soul may be lost, nevertheless, a soul that has once received this Divine Essence cannot be lost, though its want of realization of the presence of this Love and its awakening from its dormant condition caused by sin and error and its misdirected beliefs may delay its manifestation of life and existence for a long time, and much suffering and darkness may have to be endured by the soul that is in such condition. And I must not be understood by this, as meaning that a soul cannot be lost, for it can, and many have been and will be, and many will realize the fact when too late.
Now, what is a lost soul? Not one that a man may actually lose in the sense of being deprived of it, separated from it actually, or even as regards his consciousness of not having a soul, for while, at times, he may believe that he has lost his soul in the sense of not having any, yet he is mistaken, for the soul, which is the man, can never be separated from himself, and as long as he lives in the physical body or in the spiritual body, his soul will be with him. And yet he may have a soul, consciously or not, and at the same time have lost it. This may seem a paradox to the mortal intellect or to the intellect of spirit, but it is true.
Then what is a lost soul? When God gave to man a soul, that soul was made in the image but not in the Substance of its Maker, and at the same time there was bestowed on him the privilege of having that soul become of the Substance of the Father, and to an extent, Divine, and entitled to and capable of living in the Celestial Kingdom of the Father, where everything is of the Divine Essence and Nature. When the first parents by their act of disobedience forfeited that privilege their souls lost the possibility of becoming of the Divine Nature and at-one with the Father in His Kingdom, and they thereby lost not the natural soul, which was a part of their creation, but the soul having the possibility of obtaining the Essence of Divinity and Immortality as the Father has Immortality.
As I have said, heretofore, with my coming this great privilege was restored to mankind, and the lost soul became again the object of man's recovery, and now he has that privilege as did the first parents before the fall; but also men may lose it as did they. As with them their souls were lost until they received into it the Divine Essence of the Father, so with men now, their souls are lost until and unless they receive this Divine Essence therein. As the first parents by their disobedience and refusal, forfeited their privilege of having their souls become a living, Divine Substance, so now, men by their disobedience and refusal will forfeit their privilege to save their souls from separation from the Divine Unity with the Father. The lost soul is as real as the verities of the Father's immutable laws, and only by the operation of the Divine Love can the soul lost, become the soul found.
Men may believe and teach that within them is a part of the Divine that will cause their souls to progress and develop until it reaches the condition of Divinity that will make it a part of the Divinity of the Father. But in this they are all wrong, for, while man was the highest creation of God, and the most perfect, and made in his image, yet in man is no part of the Divine, and having no part of the Divine, it is wholly impossible for him to progress to the possession of the Divine. He, of himself, no matter what his development may be, can never become greater or more perfect or of a higher nature, than he was at his creation.
The Divine comes from above and when once planted in a man's soul, there can be no limit to its expansion and development, even in the Celestial Heavens. Let all men seek this Love and there will be no lost souls; but, alas, many will not do so, and the Spiritual Heavens will be filled with lost souls not having the Divine Essence of the Father.
I have written enough for tonight, and I am pleased at the way in which you received my message. Continue to pray to the Father for more and more of His Divine Love, and your prayers will be answered, and you will realize with the certainty of conscious possession of the Divine Essence, that your soul is not lost and never will be. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night and God bless you.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Luke Writes About the Mystery and the Truth of the Holy Spirit
November 5, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. Luke.
I come tonight to write you a message upon the truth of: "What the Holy Spirit is."
I know that the orthodox generally believe and classify it as a part of the Godhead, being one with and the equal of God, the Father, and not merely a manifestation of the Father, as spirit and, hence, necessarily identical with the Father, though having a different and distinct personality. In this belief and in this classification is included Jesus having a distinct personality.
The orthodox preachers and theological writers teach that it is a fact that these three are one, co-equal and existing, and that fact is the great mystery of God, and that men should not endeavor to fathom the mystery, because the sacred things of God are His own, and it is not lawful for men to enter into these secrets. Well, this declaration and admonition are very wise as men's wisdom goes and saves the expounders of these doctrines of mystery from attempting to explain what they cannot explain, because it is impossible for them to unravel that which as a fact, has no existence.
Men of thought all down the ages have sought to understand this great mystery, as they called it, and have been unsuccessful, and as the early fathers met with the same defeat in their endeavors to understand the mystery and, then because of such defeat, declared the explanation of the doctrine to be a secret of God, not to be inquired into by men, so all these other investigators of the church when they became convinced of the futility of the search adopted the admonition of the old fathers that God's secret must not be inquired into, for it belonged to Him alone, and sinful man and the redeemed man also must respect God's secret.
And, thus, from the beginning of the established church, after the death of Jesus and his apostles, was declared this doctrine of the trinity - one in three and three in one, yet only one - and made the vital foundationstone of their visible church's existence. Of course, from time to time, there arose men, both in the church who, having more enlightenment than their brothers in the church, attempted to gainsay the truth of the doctrine and declared and maintained that there was only one God, the Father.
But they were in the minority, and not acting with the more powerful, their views were rejected; and the mystery became the church's sacred symbol of truth, unexplainable and therefore more certain and entitled to more credence. And it seems to be the tendency of men's minds, or at least of those who believe in the Bible as the inspired word of God, to welcome and encourage as the more wonderful and important and the more to be cherished those things which savor of the mysterious, rather than those which a man may read and understand as he runneth. (Habbakuk 2:2).
Nowhere, not even in the Bible is there any saying of Jesus to the effect that God is tripartite, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and, as a fact, never did Jesus when on earth teach any such doctrine, but only this: that the Father is God and the only God, and that he, Jesus, is his son and the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead, and that the Holy Ghost is God's messenger for conveying the Divine Love, and as such, the comforter.
I know that in some of the Gospels, as now contained in the Bible and adopted as canonical, it is said, in effect, that the Godhead consists of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost - these three are one - but such Gospels do not contain the truth in this respect and are not the same Gospels that were originally written. These original Gospels have been added to and taken from in the passing of the years and in the copying and the recopying that occurred before the adoption of the same.
They, the adopted ones, were compiled from many writings, and as the compilers in those early times differed in their opinions as men do now respecting religious truths, the more powerful of these having authority to declare what should be accepted, according to their interpretations of those manuscripts that were being copied, directed the copies to be made in accord with their ideas, and I may say, desires, and announced and put forth such productions to be true copies of the originals.
And as these copies were successively made the preceding ones were destroyed and, hence, the earliest existing manuscripts of these Gospels came into being many years after the originals from which they were claimed to be compiled were written and destroyed.
And I, Luke, who did write a gospel and who am acquainted with the present gospel ascribed to me, say that there are many vital things and declarations, that I never wrote and that are not true, contained in it; and many truths that I did write are not contained therein - and so with the other gospels.
In none of our Gospels did the mystery of the Godhead appear, and that for the reason that there was not and is not, and we did not teach that there was any Godhead, composed of three personalities. Only one God, the Father. Jesus was a son of man in the natural sense, and a son of God in the spiritual sense, but he was not God or a part of God in any sense except that he possessed the Divine Love of the Father, and in that sense was a part of His Essence. The Holy Spirit was not God, but merely His instrument - a Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
As you have been informed, the soul of man existed prior to man's creation in the flesh and was the only part of man that was made in the image of God. It existed in this pristine state without individuality, though having a personality, and resembled the Great Soul of the Almighty, which Soul is God Himself; though the soul that was given to man was not a part of the Great Soul, merely a likeness of it.
Some of you mortals have said that man's soul is a part of the "Oversoul," meaning the Soul of God, but this is not true, and if in any of our communications it has been said that the soul of man is a part of the Soul of God, and I mean while it existed before its incarnation, our saying must not be so interpreted. The ego of God as may be said, is the Soul, and from this Soul, emanates all the manifested attributes of God, such as power and wisdom and love - but not jealousy or wrath or hatred, as some of the writers of the Bible have said, for He possesses no such attributes. The ego of man is the soul, and in his created purity and perfection from his soul emanated all the manifested attributes belonging to him, such as power and love and wisdom; and neither were jealousy nor hatred nor wrath attributes of his before his fall.
It is said that man is composed of body, soul and spirit, and this is true. From your life's experience, you know what the body is, and I have told you what the soul is, and now the question arises, what is the spirit? I know that there have been for centuries great differences of opinion among theologians and other wise men as to what the spirit is; some contending that it and the soul are the same thing, and others, that the spirit is the real ego of man and the soul something of less quality and subordinate to the spirit, and others having other views, and all wrong. For as I have, said the soul is the ego, and everything else connected with man and forming a part at his creation when he was pronounced to be "very good," is subordinate to the soul, and only its instrumentality for manifesting itself.
As Jesus has told you, the spirit is the active energy of the soul and the instrumentality by which the soul manifests itself; and this definition applies to the spirit of man while a mortal as well as when he becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. The spirit is inseparable from the soul, and has no function in the existence of man, except to make manifest the potentialities of the soul in its activities. Spirit is not life, but it may become an evidence of life - it is life's breath.
And as man was created in the image of his Maker - and as spirit is only the active energy of the soul, by the application of the principle of correspondences, which one of your former psychics declared to exist, it may be assumed and it is truth, that the Holy Spirit is the active energy of the Great Soul of the Father and, as we know from our experiences and observations, is used as the messenger of the Father to convey to mankind His Divine Love. And I do not mean to restrict the mission of the Holy Spirit to mankind in the flesh, for it also conveys and bestows this Great Love upon the souls of the Father's children who are spirits without the bodies of bone and flesh, and who are inhabitants of the spirit world. And so, it is a truth that the Holy Spirit is not God and no part of the Godhead, but merely His messenger of Truth and Love emanating from his Great Soul and bringing to man Love and Light and Happiness.
So you see there is no mystery of the Godhead, and no secret that God does not wish man to know and understand, and no truth that it is contrary to God's Laws and Will that man shall search for and possess. It is said that God is Spirit, and it is true; but spirit is not God, only one of his instruments used to work with mankind and the spirits of men. To worship the instrument is blasphemy, and only God alone must be worshiped. Jesus must not be worshiped as God, the Holy Spirit must not be so worshiped, and the sooner men learn this Truth and observe it, the sooner they will get in at-onement with the Father, and please the Master who, as some may not know, is the greatest worshiper of the Father in all his universe.
I have written longer than I expected, but I hope from my message many mortals may receive the truth, and believe that the Holy Spirit is not one of the Godhead, and that the mystery of the Godhead is a myth, without body, soul or spirit, and that there is no truth in all God's universe that man is not invited to search for and understand and possess.
I will now stop and in doing so will leave you my love and blessings, and will pray the Father to send the Holy Spirit to you with great abundance of the Divine Love. Good night and God bless you until I come again.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. Luke.
I come tonight to write you a message upon the truth of: "What the Holy Spirit is."
I know that the orthodox generally believe and classify it as a part of the Godhead, being one with and the equal of God, the Father, and not merely a manifestation of the Father, as spirit and, hence, necessarily identical with the Father, though having a different and distinct personality. In this belief and in this classification is included Jesus having a distinct personality.
The orthodox preachers and theological writers teach that it is a fact that these three are one, co-equal and existing, and that fact is the great mystery of God, and that men should not endeavor to fathom the mystery, because the sacred things of God are His own, and it is not lawful for men to enter into these secrets. Well, this declaration and admonition are very wise as men's wisdom goes and saves the expounders of these doctrines of mystery from attempting to explain what they cannot explain, because it is impossible for them to unravel that which as a fact, has no existence.
Men of thought all down the ages have sought to understand this great mystery, as they called it, and have been unsuccessful, and as the early fathers met with the same defeat in their endeavors to understand the mystery and, then because of such defeat, declared the explanation of the doctrine to be a secret of God, not to be inquired into by men, so all these other investigators of the church when they became convinced of the futility of the search adopted the admonition of the old fathers that God's secret must not be inquired into, for it belonged to Him alone, and sinful man and the redeemed man also must respect God's secret.
And, thus, from the beginning of the established church, after the death of Jesus and his apostles, was declared this doctrine of the trinity - one in three and three in one, yet only one - and made the vital foundationstone of their visible church's existence. Of course, from time to time, there arose men, both in the church who, having more enlightenment than their brothers in the church, attempted to gainsay the truth of the doctrine and declared and maintained that there was only one God, the Father.
But they were in the minority, and not acting with the more powerful, their views were rejected; and the mystery became the church's sacred symbol of truth, unexplainable and therefore more certain and entitled to more credence. And it seems to be the tendency of men's minds, or at least of those who believe in the Bible as the inspired word of God, to welcome and encourage as the more wonderful and important and the more to be cherished those things which savor of the mysterious, rather than those which a man may read and understand as he runneth. (Habbakuk 2:2).
Nowhere, not even in the Bible is there any saying of Jesus to the effect that God is tripartite, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and, as a fact, never did Jesus when on earth teach any such doctrine, but only this: that the Father is God and the only God, and that he, Jesus, is his son and the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead, and that the Holy Ghost is God's messenger for conveying the Divine Love, and as such, the comforter.
I know that in some of the Gospels, as now contained in the Bible and adopted as canonical, it is said, in effect, that the Godhead consists of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost - these three are one - but such Gospels do not contain the truth in this respect and are not the same Gospels that were originally written. These original Gospels have been added to and taken from in the passing of the years and in the copying and the recopying that occurred before the adoption of the same.
They, the adopted ones, were compiled from many writings, and as the compilers in those early times differed in their opinions as men do now respecting religious truths, the more powerful of these having authority to declare what should be accepted, according to their interpretations of those manuscripts that were being copied, directed the copies to be made in accord with their ideas, and I may say, desires, and announced and put forth such productions to be true copies of the originals.
And as these copies were successively made the preceding ones were destroyed and, hence, the earliest existing manuscripts of these Gospels came into being many years after the originals from which they were claimed to be compiled were written and destroyed.
And I, Luke, who did write a gospel and who am acquainted with the present gospel ascribed to me, say that there are many vital things and declarations, that I never wrote and that are not true, contained in it; and many truths that I did write are not contained therein - and so with the other gospels.
In none of our Gospels did the mystery of the Godhead appear, and that for the reason that there was not and is not, and we did not teach that there was any Godhead, composed of three personalities. Only one God, the Father. Jesus was a son of man in the natural sense, and a son of God in the spiritual sense, but he was not God or a part of God in any sense except that he possessed the Divine Love of the Father, and in that sense was a part of His Essence. The Holy Spirit was not God, but merely His instrument - a Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
As you have been informed, the soul of man existed prior to man's creation in the flesh and was the only part of man that was made in the image of God. It existed in this pristine state without individuality, though having a personality, and resembled the Great Soul of the Almighty, which Soul is God Himself; though the soul that was given to man was not a part of the Great Soul, merely a likeness of it.
Some of you mortals have said that man's soul is a part of the "Oversoul," meaning the Soul of God, but this is not true, and if in any of our communications it has been said that the soul of man is a part of the Soul of God, and I mean while it existed before its incarnation, our saying must not be so interpreted. The ego of God as may be said, is the Soul, and from this Soul, emanates all the manifested attributes of God, such as power and wisdom and love - but not jealousy or wrath or hatred, as some of the writers of the Bible have said, for He possesses no such attributes. The ego of man is the soul, and in his created purity and perfection from his soul emanated all the manifested attributes belonging to him, such as power and love and wisdom; and neither were jealousy nor hatred nor wrath attributes of his before his fall.
It is said that man is composed of body, soul and spirit, and this is true. From your life's experience, you know what the body is, and I have told you what the soul is, and now the question arises, what is the spirit? I know that there have been for centuries great differences of opinion among theologians and other wise men as to what the spirit is; some contending that it and the soul are the same thing, and others, that the spirit is the real ego of man and the soul something of less quality and subordinate to the spirit, and others having other views, and all wrong. For as I have, said the soul is the ego, and everything else connected with man and forming a part at his creation when he was pronounced to be "very good," is subordinate to the soul, and only its instrumentality for manifesting itself.
As Jesus has told you, the spirit is the active energy of the soul and the instrumentality by which the soul manifests itself; and this definition applies to the spirit of man while a mortal as well as when he becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. The spirit is inseparable from the soul, and has no function in the existence of man, except to make manifest the potentialities of the soul in its activities. Spirit is not life, but it may become an evidence of life - it is life's breath.
And as man was created in the image of his Maker - and as spirit is only the active energy of the soul, by the application of the principle of correspondences, which one of your former psychics declared to exist, it may be assumed and it is truth, that the Holy Spirit is the active energy of the Great Soul of the Father and, as we know from our experiences and observations, is used as the messenger of the Father to convey to mankind His Divine Love. And I do not mean to restrict the mission of the Holy Spirit to mankind in the flesh, for it also conveys and bestows this Great Love upon the souls of the Father's children who are spirits without the bodies of bone and flesh, and who are inhabitants of the spirit world. And so, it is a truth that the Holy Spirit is not God and no part of the Godhead, but merely His messenger of Truth and Love emanating from his Great Soul and bringing to man Love and Light and Happiness.
So you see there is no mystery of the Godhead, and no secret that God does not wish man to know and understand, and no truth that it is contrary to God's Laws and Will that man shall search for and possess. It is said that God is Spirit, and it is true; but spirit is not God, only one of his instruments used to work with mankind and the spirits of men. To worship the instrument is blasphemy, and only God alone must be worshiped. Jesus must not be worshiped as God, the Holy Spirit must not be so worshiped, and the sooner men learn this Truth and observe it, the sooner they will get in at-onement with the Father, and please the Master who, as some may not know, is the greatest worshiper of the Father in all his universe.
I have written longer than I expected, but I hope from my message many mortals may receive the truth, and believe that the Holy Spirit is not one of the Godhead, and that the mystery of the Godhead is a myth, without body, soul or spirit, and that there is no truth in all God's universe that man is not invited to search for and understand and possess.
I will now stop and in doing so will leave you my love and blessings, and will pray the Father to send the Holy Spirit to you with great abundance of the Divine Love. Good night and God bless you until I come again.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
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