Ann Rollins Writes About Divine Love and the Teachings of Jesus

May 28, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your grandmother

I will tell you tonight of a truth that may be of interest to you, and I know that it is of importance to all who may long for happiness in the future life.

As you know, I am now in the Celestial Spheres, in a place higher than the Third Celestial Sphere, and where are no special lines of demarcation separating it from what you may call the higher planes.

In my plane, the inhabitants are those who have received the Divine Love in their souls to an extent that makes them know that they are of a nature that is Divine and in at-onement with that of the Father. Of course, those who have entered the First Celestial Sphere have the knowledge of having partaken of the Divine Nature, but they are not so filled with this Love as we are who live in the sphere that I am in.

It is not possible for me to tell you of the extent of our happiness, because you have no words in your language that can possibly convey a faint conception of this happiness, and I will not attempt to describe it; but if you will combine all the emotions of joy and happiness, which you have received or experienced in all the years of your life, you would not be able to realize the meaning of our happiness in the faintest degree.

I merely recite this truth to show to you and all mankind what is possible for you and them to obtain, if you will only pursue the course that the Father has provided, and the Master has pointed out in his messages to you.

The great instrument that causes this great happiness is Love, and by this I mean the Divine Love of which we have so often written, and without which it is impossible for a soul to obtain this condition or to become a dweller in the Celestial Heavens.

Man, as you have been instructed, was not created with this Love and could only obtain it by his own longings and aspirations being exercised in the way that the Father had provided. In no other way could these desires for this Love be realized. But the great pity is that the first of the human race declined or rather refused to pursue this way, and thought that they were wise enough to know a better way; and in attempting to pursue this way brought about their own fall and the loss of the privilege of obtaining this Love; and in all the long years until the coming of Jesus, no man, after the first created, had the privilege and, hence, it was not possible for them to find any greater happiness than that which might come from their natural love.

At the coming of Jesus, men again had bestowed upon them this great privilege and a possibility of the knowledge of the way in which the privilege could be exercised. This was not declared to all men, for the territory in which Jesus taught and proclaimed this important truth was very limited, and the great majority of men died without knowing that this gift had been re-bestowed. But God in His goodness and Love did not restrict the bestowal of this Love to those who might be fortunate enough to learn of it from Jesus and his apostles, but sent His Holy Spirit to implant it in the souls of all men who might be in such condition of soul aspiration and longing as to permit this Love to enter their souls.

When spirits became possessed of this knowledge, they commenced the work of trying to influence men in such a way that there arose in them a longing for a closer unity with God, and an opening up of the soul perceptions and, as a result, many men in various parts of the world received this Love in their souls without knowing that it was this Divine Love; but it was, and when these men in their spirit forms entered the spirit world, they soon found that, to some extent, they were possessed of this Love, and it was not difficult for them to listen to the explanations and teachings of those spirits who had received it as to the truth of its existence.

Now all this may not appear to be of much importance to present man, and hardly worth attention, but my great object in writing in this manner is to show that God had no special or peculiar people, and that it was not even necessary that all peoples should learn from Jesus the fact of this gift, for in such a case, the great majority of mankind could not possibly have heard of this Love while they were yet mortals. No, this was not a necessity, but the knowledge which came to mortals through Jesus enabled them, who possessed it and believed, to the more readily pursue the way to obtaining this Love.

Many spirits had received the benefit of the rebestowal of this Love, or rather the privilege of seeking for and obtaining it, before Jesus came to the spirit world, yet they understood that the greater extent of the possession of this Love was in Jesus; and no spirit now possesses it to the degree that he does.

But whether the souls of mortals or spirits received the knowledge of this truth from Jesus or from the workings of the Holy Spirit in its ministrations, they all know that the seeking for and getting this Divine Love are the only means by which the soul may become an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens.

I realize that what I have written conflicts with the orthodox belief that it is only through the death and blood of Jesus that men can be saved from their sins and become children of God and at one with Him. If this belief were true, then by Jesus' sacrifice. all men would he saved, irrespective of their obtaining this Divine Love, or only those would be saved who had heard of Jesus and accepted him as their saviour. Neither of these propositions is true, for without this Divine Love entering into the soul of a man, it would be impossible for him to partake of the Divine Nature of the Father and become fitted to occupy a home in the Celestial Spheres. This Love in the soul, whether it is a result of the workings of God's ministering spirits causing a real soul longing in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, makes the man of a nature divine and a redeemed child of God.

Now from what I have said it must not be inferred that the mission of Jesus, and his work on earth and in the spirit world are not the great things connected with man's redemption, for they are. It was not until Jesus' coming that this Great Gift was rebestowed, and it was not until his declaring this fact and teaching the Great Truth of the New Birth could either mortals or spirits receive this privilege. The ministering spirits could not influence the souls of men to seek for the inflowing of this Divine Love until they had first received it themselves and understood its existence; and here let me declare a fact, that when Jesus preached to mortals on earth the necessity for the Second Birth, myriads of spirit beings heard these teachings and became possessed of this knowledge.

And to-day, men are attended by hosts of spirits of all kinds and the sayings and teachings of men are heard by more spirits than men, and the influence of such teachings has its effect upon spirits as upon men, for the spirits of men, which are existing in the earth planes are the same spirits substantially that they were when on earth, and an earthly friend frequently has more influence upon them than do other spirits no matter how high their condition may be.

I am so happy to be able to write you again, and let you know that I have not forsaken you. I am with you quite often and am trying to help you. Pray more to the Father and exercise more faith and you will grow in soul development and happiness. I will not write more now. So with all my love and blessings,

I am your grandmother
Ann Rollins

St. James Writes About the Experiences and Beliefs of Spirits That Are Below the Celestial Heavens; The Various Races Congregate Together.

September 25, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.

Let me tell you a few things concerning the spirit world, that is the world that is below the Celestial Heavens of which John wrote.

In the several spheres, which are seven in numbers, are many planes inhabited by spirits of many nations and races of mankind, and these various races have to a certain extent the customs and beliefs that they had when on earth. The lines of demarcation are just as strictly drawn as are those of the several nations on earth. The result of this, that many spirits who live in this exclusive manner never learn anything other than what their own leaders tell them and what their various sacred books may teach them.

The Mohammedan is a Mohammedan still, and so likewise the followers of Zoroaster, and also those of Buddha and of Confucius, and all of the various founders of religious sects.

Sometimes these spirits in their wanderings will meet spirits of other races than their own, and interchange thoughts, but very rarely do they discuss matters pertaining to their respective beliefs. There are undoubtedly truths in the sacred writings and beliefs of all these races of spirits, and to the extent that these truths are taught and understood these spirits are benefited. I am now speaking of spiritual truths, because as to the mere truths pertaining to the natural or material world, they all have the same opportunity to investigate and understand them. There are no race or creed or doctrinal beliefs and teachings as to these truths affecting the material, and by this I mean, material as it exists in both the spiritual and earthly worlds.

But as I say, each of these races or sects has its own ideas and doctrines of the truth, and it can progress no further than the limits of these ideas permit it to progress. No founder of any race or sect has ever taught the New Birth, or the inflowing of the Divine Love in contradistinction to that of the natural love. And the teachings of Jesus are the only ones that reveal to man the existence of this Divine Love and how to obtain it. So you see the importance of this Truth coming to man. I must say here, that without the possession of this Love, no spirit can enter the Celestial Spheres.

The teachings of the other founders will show men the way to a life of happiness, and to what they may suppose, continuous existence. But the teachings of Jesus are the only ones that declare and lead men to a realization of the true Immortality of the soul.

I have written too long already and must stop.

Your brother in Christ, St. James.

Yes, I am that James. No, the Saint is only used as a means of identification; it has no significance in our spirit world.

St. John Writes About the Truths of the Celestial Spheres, Which is Inhabited by Spirits Who Have Received the New Birth

September 25, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. John.

I come tonight to write a short time about the truths of the Celestial Spheres in which I live and enjoy the happiness which my Father gives me.

As you may know these Celestial Spheres are above the spiritual spheres, and are inhabited only by spirits who have received the New Birth and who believe in the Truths as taught by Jesus. No other spirits are permitted to enter these spheres, and no other spirits could possibly find any happiness in them, for in them Divine Love is so developed in the souls of the spirits who live there that any spirit not having that Love would find that he is in an atmosphere that is entirely foreign to his qualifications, and he would be most unhappy. But as I say, no spirit who has not that Divine Love, which we tell you about, can possibly enter into these spheres. The walls of demarcation are just as solid and forbidding as are walls of demarcation in your prisons on earth from the outside world.

I live in a city that is most wonderful in its beauty and magnificence and is filled with structures that surpass anything that you possibly conceive of. This city is inhabited by spirits who have a wonderful soul development and are capable of understanding the deep truths of God, which are not given to mortals or spirits in the spiritual spheres.

This may seem a little strange to you, but it is true; for it would be utterly impossible for the spirits of these lower spheres, or for mortals, to understand these higher truths. They cannot be comprehended with what you call the intellectual faculties or the mind, but can be only understood by the soul's perceptions developed to such a degree that nothing that partakes of the purely material can have an abiding place in that soul.

The mind must stop in its progress at the Sixth Sphere, and after that only the soul can progress. But this does not mean that the spirit who makes such progress in the Celestial Heavens does not increase in knowledge and understanding, for he does to a greater extent than it could be possible for the mere mind to progress; but this progress of a spirit in knowledge and understanding is a progress of the soul perceptions, of which I speak.

The faculties of the soul are as far superior to and above the faculties of what you call the mind as are the Heavens above the earth.

So you see the soul does not merely embrace the affections and love of a spirit, but also qualities which enables it to understand and develop the qualities of knowledge at a place where the progress of the mind ceases. It is hard to explain this to you or for you to comprehend its meaning, but this you will understand, that as the soul progresses in its development of its perceptions, knowledge and understanding of all things pertaining to the Celestial World increases. When you properly consider this you will find that it is a wonderful provision of the Father's Love and Grace.

What an important thing to both mortal and spirit is the soul. It can be starved on earth and also in the spirit world; and on the other hand, it can be developed on earth as well as in the spirit world. If mortals would only understand that as regards eternity, the soul is the great thing which they possess and should be given more care and development than any and all other parts of man's being.

I may come again soon and go fuller into a statement concerning the soul and its functions and importance. Tonight I will not write more. With my love and blessings, I am

Your brother in Christ,
John