John Writes About the Truth of "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, etc."

September 17, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus.

I want to say only a few words in reference to what the man said to you about my gospel or rather the gospel attributed to me. His reference to the opening words of the Gospel that, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, etc.," is without any force, to prove that Jesus is God, or one of the Godhead, for it was never written by me or at my dictation and does not state a truth.

The "word" in the sense referred to in that Gospel can mean only God, for He, and He alone, was in the beginning and made everything that was made. As we have often told you, Jesus was the son of a father and mother - the same as you are a son of your father and mother - and was not begotten by the Holy Ghost in the sense ascribed to his birth in the account thereof.

He was born of the Holy Spirit as his soul opened up to the inflowing of the Divine Love and was the first of mankind to receive this Divine Love and the Father's Essence of Divinity and, hence, was the first fruits of the rebestowal of this Love and, as a consequence, was the first fitted to declare the truths of the Father and show the way. As his soul became filled with this Love, and he grew in wisdom and knowledge of the truths of the Father, it may be said that he was sent by the Father to declare the truths and explain the way to the Celestial Heavens and the at-onement with the Father.

Undoubtedly, this Love commenced to flow into his soul soon after his birth, because he was selected to declare the truths of the rebestowal of the Divine Love, and the knowledge of that mission came to him as he grew in love and wisdom. Hence, he was without sin, though apparently only a boy - natural as other boys in his human instincts and feelings. But he was the son of man - Joseph and Mary - and also a son of God, as all men are, with the addition that he was an heir to the Celestial Kingdom.

He was not God, and even up to this time has never seen God, as the orthodox believe, and as Moses and some of the Old Bible characters are said to have seen God. But with his soul perceptions he has seen God, and so have many others of us who are inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens, and that sight is just as real to us as is the sight to you of any of your fellow mortals. It is impossible to explain this to you so that you may fully comprehend its meaning, but this seeing God by our soul perceptions is a thing of reality and brings with it increased happiness and knowledge of immortality.

Jesus is not God, but he is the most highly developed spirit in all the Heavens and is nearest to God in Love and knowledge of truth.

So I say, the Word is God and Jesus is His son, and you may become His son in the same sense, as an heir to the Divine Essence of the Father, and an Angel of His Kingdom. As Jesus has written you, all men are His sons, but with a different inheritance, yet, one that is provided by the Father. Let not these doctrines of the teachers of what are called Bible truths trouble you, and listen and believe only what may be written you by us.

I will not write more tonight as it is late and in closing will say that you have our love and prayers.

I am your brother in Christ,
John

John Writes that Jesus Sent Him to Explain that He is Doing Another Work and Will Come Very Soon to Continue the Messages

April 16, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

I came tonight to tell you that the Master will not write, as he is not present, but is at work in another part of the universe, where he is needed, and where he is doing a work that none of us can do.

Well, I know that he had an engagement with you but he thought best not to keep it and sent me here to tell you, for he did not want you to think that he had forgotten you, as he has not. Very soon he will come and continue the messages, and you will not be disappointed.

I will not write more tonight as you will have a communication from another that will be interesting.

Yes, it was a glorious night, for as you were told many of the Celestial Spirits were present with their love and helpful influences - and one especially was with you, having a great love for you and your friend. She still has a great mother's love as well as the Divine Love, or rather this Divine Love which includes this motherly feeling and desire to make you happy as one of her children, although she is your sister rather than your mother, - but still she feels like the mother of all of Jesus' followers, as she is his mother still, and yet, not his equal in the great soul development.

She really wrote to you, and what she stated is true, notwithstanding the declarations contained in the Bible, as to Jesus' conception and birth. And I must here state again, that at no time in his ministry did he claim or have the slightest thought of having been conceived by the Holy Spirit or that he had any other father than Joseph.

We never looked upon him as God, or as a Son of God, in the peculiar sense in which the orthodox churches teach; and now I know he was not such God or Son of God. He is merely a spirit as are the rest of us, but the one possessing more Divine Love and having the greatest knowledge of the Father and of His personality and attributes. So believe what we have written you on this question for it is true.

I will stop now, and in doing so will say, God bless you.

Your brother and friend,
John

Mary, Mother of Jesus, Writes that Joseph Was the Actual Father of Jesus - Not the Holy Spirit

April 15, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

I come to you with all the mother's love of one who loved her dear son so much while on earth, and who suffered all the heart pangs which the cruel death of my beloved caused me, and with the love that has been purified by experience and closeness to the blessed Father.

I say, I come to you with this mother's love, for you are the children of my Father, as I am his child, and you are also the brothers of my dear son, who is with you so much and so interested in you and your future.

Let your love for the Father increase, and also your love for the Master, as he is the greatest and dearest friend that you have in all the Celestial or Spiritual Heavens.

I am in the Celestial Heavens, very near the fountainhead of God's Love, and also near the home of my dear son, but not in the same sphere with him for no spirit in all the Celestial Heavens has the same great soul development as he has, or possessed with the Divine Love to such an extent.

And I want to say just here that I am not in the condition or place that I am, because I am his mother, but because of the development of my own soul - only this great possession of the Divine Love determines our position and condition here.

I am now in such condition that I know that the Love of the Father is the only thing in all the universe of God that can make a mortal, or spirit either, a partaker of the Divine Nature and an inhabitant of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I will not write more, but will come again and write you of the early life of Jesus, and of his development in the Love as was shown to me while he was a growing child, and after he became a man, prior to his public ministry.

Was Joseph the father of Jesus?

Well, I suppose I am the only one in all the universe of God, who knows the fact with reference to that question and I, as a spirit of the Celestial Spheres, knowing only truth, say to you and all the world, that Joseph was the actual father of Jesus, and that he was conceived and born as any other mortal was conceived and born. The Holy Spirit did not beget him and I never was informed that such a thing would happen. I was known by Joseph before the conception of Jesus, and by him I was made pregnant with that blessed son. This is the truth and all accounts and statements to the contrary are erroneous.

I was a simple Jewish maiden and never had any knowledge that my son was to be different from the sons of other mothers, and it was not until after the development in him of the Divine Nature of the Father that I realized that he was so different from the sons of other mothers.

I will not write more tonight. So my dear children believe what I have written, and also know that I love you with a great love, and am working with the other Celestial Spirits to make your souls the possessors of this Great Love. With this Love and my blessing I will say, God be with you now and for all eternity.

Your sister and mother in Christ.
Mary

Joseph of Arimathea Writes That He Laid the Body of Jesus in the Tomb After His Crucifixion

March 16, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Joseph of Arimathea.

I desire merely to write a few lines to let you know that I really did exist as a mortal, and that I am the same man who laid the body of Jesus in the tomb where never before had anybody been laid.

I was with him at his death, and I was with his body when it was laid in the tomb and sealed, and I know and testify that no man or men or society of men, as it has been said, stole his body from the tomb. His body was entombed as was the custom of my time, and he was wrapped in cerements and fitted for the long sleep in the tomb, as we supposed.

While I was not a full Christian, yet his doctrines appealed to me as containing the truth, having about them a living inspiration, which I did not find in the teachings of the Jewish theology, for I was a Pharisee. I never thought that his death was justifiable or approved it, but I was not able to prevent it; and feeling that a great crime had been committed by the people of whom I was one, I tried to make a small atonement for the great crime by giving him burial in my new tomb.

Of course, I did not believe that he would rise again in the way that he had made known to some of his disciples, and when we buried him, I only thought that that tomb would be his sepulchre until nature had destroyed the body as it had done in the cases of all others who had been entombed.

As you may realize, I was interested in the proceedings taken by the Jewish leaders in their efforts to prove that he, Jesus, would not arise from the tomb on the third day, and I kept watch as well as did the soldiers, and I can testify that no mortal ever removed the stones from the mouth of the tomb.

I was there when the angel came and the soldiers were put in the sleep that the Bible speaks of, and I Joseph say this, knowing that it may not be believed and the Bible makes no mention of it, that I saw the stones rolled away and the shining one standing guard at the entrance of the tomb. I was frightened and I left the place, and was so overcome that I did not return there until the early morning, and then I saw Mary and heard her inquiring for the whereabouts of her beloved Master, and more wonderful, I saw the man of whom she inquired suddenly reveal himself to her, and I can testify also, that it was the same Jesus whom I had helped lay his body in my tomb.

He was not of flesh and blood, as they say, for he suddenly appeared, and his appearance was not the same as that of the Jesus whose body had been entombed; but when he revealed himself to Mary, there was the same countenance and the same wonderful eyes of love that I was familiar with, and the same voice of love and affection. I know this and I want to tell the world that it is true.

Before Peter came, I went into the tomb, and it was empty and when Peter came I was with him in the tomb and saw his astonishment, and heard his words of wonder and amazement, for notwithstanding what the Master had told him prior to the crucifixion, he did not believe or comprehend, and he was astonished and bewildered as were all of us.

Jesus of Nazareth arose from that tomb, and his fleshly body was de-materialized. As to his disappearance, I could not then explain, as could none who saw him after he had arisen, but now I know that because of his great psychic powers, as you would call them, he caused the disintegration of that body into its elements, as can be done now by many spirits who have that power. Yes, Jesus arose from the tomb, but not from the dead, for he never died, as you will never die, only the physical vestment that enveloped his soul.

I am now in the Celestial Heaven and am with him a great deal, and know that he is the greatest and most wonderful of all the spirits in the Celestial Sphere, and the nearest to the fountainhead of God's Love. He is truly His best beloved Son.

I also want to say that he writes to you his messages of truth, and was with you tonight for a short time. Listen to him and know that you have in him a friend who is closer than a brother, or father or mother.

My brother, I will stop now, and in leaving, say that you have my love and blessings.

Your brother in Christ,
Joseph

St. Luke Writes About The Process That Jesus Used to Dematerialize His Body in the Tomb

October 24, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. Luke (Writer of the Third Gospel That Was).

I was with you tonight at the meeting of the Spiritualists and heard the statement of the speaker as to the probabilities of what became of the body of Jesus after the crucifixion.

I was not present at the crucifixion and, of course, do not personally know what became of the body of Jesus, but I have been told by those who were present that the Bible description of his burial in the tomb of Joseph was true. The body was buried in the tomb of Joseph and was left there by those who placed it in the tomb, which was sealed and a guard set over it to prevent anyone from approaching and interfering with the body, because Jesus had predicted that in three days he would rise again.

After the tomb was sealed, Jesus arose and, without his body of flesh, passed from the tomb and descended into the lower spheres where the dark spirits lived in their ignorance and sufferings and preached to them the rebestowal of the gift of immortality.

The body of flesh, by the power which Jesus possessed, became so spiritualized or etherialized that its component parts became disseminated by Jesus in the surrounding atmosphere and he retained only the spiritual body in which he afterwards appeared to the disciples and others.

When he appeared at the meeting of the apostles where Thomas, the doubter, was present, he recalled to his form, as you will better understand by my using such expression, elements of the material, so that in appearance, the body was as much like flesh and blood as when it was placed in the tomb and before he disseminated these elements, as I have said.

The flesh and blood which encloses the spirit form of man, as you may have heard, is continually changing in obedience to the ordinary Laws of Nature as understood by man. And when Jesus, who understood and had power to call into operation other Laws of nature, caused such other laws to operate that the dissemination of the elements of flesh and blood took place, and he was left only with the spirit form.

This, I know, has been a great mystery to mankind since the time of the discovery of its absence by the watchmen at his tomb, and because of being such mystery, and as an only explanation of such disappearance, men have believed and taught that his body of flesh and blood actually arose from the dead and, therefore, the real body of flesh and blood of mortals will also arise in what they call the great resurrection day. But no body of flesh and blood arose, and the spirit form of Jesus did not remain in the tomb after the dissemination of the material body, for no tomb or other place could confine the spirit.

You will remember that on the third day, Jesus appeared to Mary, who was most intimate and familiar with the appearance of Jesus, and yet she did not recognize him, but thought he was the gardener; and so with the disciples who were travelling with him to Emmaus. Now, if he had retained his body of flesh and blood, do you not suppose that they would have recognized him?

If he had the power to resume that material body into which Thomas thrust his hand and found it to be a body in appearance of flesh and blood, do you think it strange - or wonderful - that he would have had the power to cast off his earthly body while in the tomb and cause it to disappear into thin air?

This I am informed is the true explanation of the disappearance of the material body of Jesus; and to me and to others who understand the Laws of Nature - I mean that nature that is beyond the ken of men - it is not surprising or worthy to be deemed a mystery.

I am glad that I went with you to the meeting to-night, as I became impressed with the desirability of making this great mystery a mystery no longer.

With all my love, I am your brother in Christ,
St. Luke

James the Lesser, Jesus' Brother, Writes His Testimony and is Helping James E. Padgett With the Work He is Doing

October 8, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.

I am here, James the Lesser.

I come because most of the apostles have written you, and I want to be in the number who testify that Jesus is the living and true son of God, and that he has selected you, and also your friend, to do his work. I know that this has been told you by many spirits, but yet I want to add my testimony for the time may come when you will meet such unbelief and skepticism that you will need all the testimony that you can get.

The work that you will have to do will not be an easy one. You will have many antagonists, especially in the churches and among the preachers and rulers of the churches, and you will need all the help that the spirit powers can give you.

I am one of the band of Celestial Spirits that will sustain and help you in your work, and I am so interested that you shall succeed that I want you to know the fact that back of you both is the most wonderful power that has ever been given to mortals to carry out the plans of the higher Celestial world.

When on earth, I was the brother of Jesus and called the "Lesser" to distinguish me from James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee. I was not the son of any Alphaeus, such as that name is understood in the New Testament, but the son of Mary and Joseph, as was my brother Jesus. Jesus himself will one day come and tell you exactly who Alphaeus was.

So have faith and believe what we write you for it is all true. You must not doubt as you do sometimes, or let your earthly affairs turn your thoughts from the great truths, which we come to teach you. So without writing more, I will say, believe.

Your brother in Christ,
James the Lesser

St. Luke Writes That God is Love and People Must Believe in the New Birth and Seek to Receive Divine Love to Assure Immortality

September 17, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. Luke.

I came tonight to tell you of some things which are in the Bible, and which are not true as they were never written by me, or by any one at my dictation. I never said that Jesus came to earth as the only begotten of the Father, in the sense that he was born differently from other mortals, for he was not. I mean that his father and mother were Joseph and Mary, and he was their natural son, and that they never supposed that he was begotten in any different way from what the other children were begotten.

Of course, he became more truly the son of God than did any other mortal who was ever born, but that was because he became filled with the Divine Love of the Father to a greater extent than any other human being. He became so close to the Father that in his soul development, he was able to commune with the Father in such a way as to realize exactly what the Father said to him, and his Love made him one with the Father as he said. Now he is closer to the Father than he ever was on earth, and his Love is very much greater than when on earth, greater than any other spirit and, as a consequence, he knows more about the Father's attributes and about His will and plans for men's redemption than does any other spirit. And when he comes to you and tells you that you must receive his messages to be transmitted to mankind, he imposes upon you a mission, which is greater than he ever imposed on any other man, not even excepting the apostles.

He now knows more of the truths of His Father than he did when on earth, and he realizes that the truths, which are so necessary to man's salvation and their future happiness, have never been revealed to mortals in their fullest extent. When he was on earth he declared many important truths, which have not been preserved and, hence, he is anxious that these truths and others shall be given to mankind.

Many things which men, who are professed Christians, believe are not truths and stand in the way of their progress in spiritual things and in the soul's development. I would like to tell you of more of these things which men should not believe but I have not the time tonight as others want to write.

But this you must know and forever proclaim that - God is Love - and that they who want to get immortality must believe in the New Birth and seek to obtain it. Without this, no spirit can enter the Celestial Spheres and partake of the Divine Nature of the Father. There are many other truths that must be learned and believed in but none are so important as those, which I have just written. I am writing this not as a matter of mere belief but as a matter of knowledge. There can be no doubt arise in my mind as to the reality of these things and none must arise in yours.

I will come again when you are in a better condition to take a long message and write you.

With all my love I am your brother in Christ,
St. Luke

Jesus tells James to be a True Follower of God and He Will Teach Him the Truths of God

September 24, 1914
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

Be of good cheer for I am with you always. Do not let your heart fear - for the Lord is your keeper, and He will be your guide and shield. Only believe and trust in Him and you will soon be Born Again into the spiritual world of His Kingdom. Let me teach you and give you the thoughts that He gave me while on earth. Let me show you that the things of this world are not the things that save the soul from sin and unhappiness. Be a true follower of your God.

It is the flowing of the Holy Spirit into the soul of a man and the disappearing of all that tended to keep it in a condition of sin and error. It is not the workings of the man's own will, but the Grace of God. It is the Love of God that passes all understanding.

You will soon experience the change, and then you will be a happy man and fit to lead others to the truths of God. Let your heart be open to the knockings of the Spirit and keep your mind free from thoughts of sin. Be a man who loves his God and his fellow man. Your love is only now of the earthly kind, but it will soon be of the things spiritual.

You must not let the cares of this world keep you from God. Let His Spirit come into your soul. Your will is the thing that determines whether you will become a child of God or not. Unless you are willing to let the Holy Spirit enter into your heart, it will not do so. Only the voluntary submission to or acceptance of the Holy Spirit will make the change.

I was the instrument in God's hands of leading men to His favor and Love. When I said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life," I meant that through my teachings and example men should be able to find God. I was not God and never claimed to be. The worship of me as a God is blasphemous, and I did not teach it. I am a son of God, as you are. Do not let the teachings of men lead you to worship me as a God. I am not.

The trinity is a mistake of the writers of the Bible. There is no trinity - only one God, the Father. He is one and alone. I am His teacher of truth. The Holy Spirit is His messenger and dispenser of Love to mankind. We are only His instruments in bringing man to a union with Him. I am not the equal of my Father. He is the only true God.

I came from the spirit world to earth and took the form of man, but I did not become a God - only the son of my Father. You also lived as a spirit in that Kingdom, and took the form of man, merely as a son of your Father. You are the same as I am, except as to spiritual development, and you may become as greatly developed as myself.

I am the only son when on earth, who until then, had become bested with the Divine love of God to the extent of being wholly free from sin and error. My life was not a life of earthly pleasure or sin, but was given wholly to my Father's work. I was His only son in that light. He was my Father as I knew Him to be. He is not a spirit of form like myself or yourself.

I was born as you were born. I was the son of Mary and Joseph, and not born of the Holy Spirit as it is written in the Bible. I was only a human being as regards my birth and physical existence. The account in the New Testament is not true and was written by those who knew not what they wrote. They have done the cause of God's truths much injury. Let not your belief in that error keep you from seeing that my teachings are the truth.

Be only a believer of God and His truths and you will soon be in the Kingdom.

You will soon be able to understand, as I understand.

Goodnight.

Jesus Christ