Sunday, August 25, 2013

Disciples never wrote false doctrines in the Bible

I am here, Jesus.

I was with you to night, and heard what you said about the Bible and its writers, and I desire to say that many things in it were not written by my disciples or by those to whom my disciples had delivered the sayings that I made use of while on earth.

The text as contained in the present Bible is not a true copy of what I said, or what was in the manuscripts of those who originally wrote; and I am trying to correct the many errors that the Bible contains.

Well, the sayings in the Epistles and in the Gospels and in Revelation to the effect that my blood saves from sin, are erroneous, and my disciples never wrote that false doctrine, for I repeat here, what I have before written you, that my blood has nothing to do with the redemption of mankind from sin, nor has my blood any effect in reconciling men to God or making them one with Him. The only thing that works this great result is the New Birth as I have explained it to you.

So do not let these sayings of the Bible disturb your belief in what I say now, or in what I may hereafter say.

Well, the Revelation of John is not true--it is a mere allegory and not just as he wrote it, for it contains many things that are absurd and not in accord with the truths as I shall write them to you. 

He has written you already on the * "Revelations" and told you what he did not write, as he has been annoyed by this book of the Bible and its interpretations by the preachers and others. 

It is nothing but a revelation of a vision which he thought he saw while in a trance, as you mortals say. I mean that the real Revelation that he wrote is only the vision of a trance. So let not these things disturb you.

I see that you are getting more of the Divine Love in your soul, and your spiritual eyes will be opened, and your soul perceptions will, before long, see and understand many of the vital truths of God.
I will not write more to night. 
With all my love, I am,

Your brother and friend, 
JESUS.

Friday, August 16, 2013

The truth of life on earth for mortals.

May 25th, 1915.

Received by:James Padgett.
Washington D.C.


I am here, Jesus.

You are better tonight in your spiritual condition and I will write a formal message.I desire to write on the subject of, "The real truth of the life on earth, and what it means to mortals."

When men come to the knowledge that they are children of the Father and under His care and protection, they will see that they must lead such lives as will fit them to become in union with the Father and be able to partake of His Love which makes them, as it were, a part of Himself.

I mean that there is in all men the potentiality of becoming a part of the Divine Essence, but in order for them to partake of this Divinity they must let the Love of the Father, in its highest nature, enter into their souls and make them at-one with Him. No mere love that they had bestowed upon them as creatures of the Father's handiwork will enable them to attain to this exalted condition.

The natural love, of itself, is not sufficient, because when that love was bestowed upon them it was merely intended to enable them to live in a good and harmonious way with their fellowmen. It was not the real Love that formed a part of the Divine nature of the Father, and was not intended to make men a part of that nature. So, in order for men to receive this higher Love, they must do the will of the Father while on earth, or they will have a more difficult work, after they become spirits, in receiving the wonderful inflowing of this Divine Love.

The earth is the great plane of probation, and the development of the souls of men depends upon their correct living - in accordance with those principles which the Father has established as the means whereby they may receive this condition of Love, which alone can make them at-one with Him.
 
Merely good deeds are not sufficient.Back of all deeds must be the soul's development, which results only from the possession of this Love. 

I do not mean by this that deeds do not form a part of this development, for they do; but deeds without the possession of this Love will never make a man the possessor of the one thing needful to ensure his entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Men must love one another, and must of course, "do unto each other as they would be done by." 

If this rule of conduct was observed men would be much happier on earth, even if they do not possess the Divine Love that I speak of.

No man can of himself become filled with this Love, for in only one way will it come into his soul: and that is by prayer to the Father for its inflowing, and faith that He will give it to him who asks earnestly and humbly.

I know that some men think that prayer is nothing more than an appeal to their own better selves, but I tell you that this is a wrong belief; and when they realize the truth that prayer ascends to the Father, and is heard by Him and answered, they will understand the great mission and benefit of prayer.

Let men live the most exemplary lives, and yet they will not necessarily become partners of this Great Love, and have the qualities that are necessary to enable them to  receive the great gift of unison with the Father.

I urge all men to live a good moral life, because it has its own reward in the spirit world, and makes them happier as spirit beings in a condition of mere natural love, and will fit them for a life in the spirit world which will bring to them happiness; but not the happiness of those who fit themselves for a greater happiness in the Celestial Kingdom.

I will not discourage men from seeking the life of a moralist, or of one who tries to follow the truths of conduct which the golden rule imposes, but on the contrary, emphasize the necessity for such a life.

A good man approaches nearer to the image of the Father than any other being can possibly attain to, and his reward in the future life will be that which comes only from living the life of such a man. So I say, the more a man lives in accordance with these moral precepts, the nearer he will approach the image in which he was created.

But why should men be satisfied with the image when the Real Substance may be theirs by obeying the invitation of the Father? 
The image may satisfy some who are content with small things, but the aspiring soul wants the real substance which the Father offers freely to those who will accept His invitation.

No man can really live a good moral life unless he has as his guide the Love that I have mentioned. I do not believe that any man who knows the difference between the image and the Substance will be satisfied with the former, for if so he is rejecting the greatest happiness that even the Father can bestow upon him.

So let not men be content with trying to live good moral lives, but seek with all their hearts the Love that makes them truly angels of God; and such angels as can feel and realize (by reason of the Divinity which such Love brings to them) the certainty that they are immortal.

Immortality is only of God, and anything less than God, or His Divine Essence which makes the creature a part of that Divinity, is not immortal.
Adam and Eve (as they are called) were mortals, free from sin and obedient to the Father, and thought that they were immortal; but when the temptation came and they yielded, they realized to their great sorrow that they were not immortal. 

And so will every spirit of mortal be in the future life, where the Divine Love of the Father has not become a part of its existence.

Life on earth is an important part of the great eternity of living, and men should realize this to its fullest meaning, and not think the earth a mere stopping place where the spirit is enfolded in flesh only for the pleasures and gratification of its carnal appetites. 

This earth life is a fleeting shadow of the spirit life, but an important shadow to the happiness which man may enjoy in the future. It is the most important period of man's whole existence, and the way that such life is lived may determine the whole future life of the man. 

I don't mean that there is no redemption beyond the grave, for the mercy of the Father continues into the spirit life; but when man fails to accept this mercy - I mean the way in which he may become a Divine child of the Father - while in the earth life, he may never accept it in the spirit life.

So many spirits are contented to remain in the happiness of their natural love, and refuse to be convinced that there is a greater Love and happiness awaiting them in the Father's Kingdom which may be theirs, if they will only believe and seek. 

This I say from my knowledge of the real condition of spirits in the spirit world, and the difficulty which the redeemed spirits have found in their endeavors to convince these spirits who are enjoying the happiness of their natural love, that there is a happier and better sphere in which they may live, if they will seek for the Divine Love of the Father.

As I said when on earth, "strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life eternal, and few there be who enter therein." And this saying applies to the spirit world as well as to the material world.

Let me urge upon all men to seek the strait and narrow way, for only by it can men come to the full enjoyment of what the Father has provided for them.
I will now stop, but in closing will say, with all the love and knowledge which I possess: Let men seek this great Divine Love, and in faith they will find it, and forever be one with the Father - immortal as He is immortal, and happy beyond all conception.

So I will say with all my love and blessings, and the blessings of the Father, "seek and ye shall find."


Good night. 
Your loving brother and friend,
Jesus 



Sunday, August 11, 2013

Jesus describes what a soul is

March 2nd, 1917
Received by:James Padgett.
Washington D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I come tonight to write my message on the soul, and will do so, if we can establish the necessary rapport.

Well, the subject is of vast importance, and difficult of explanation, for there is nothing on earth known to man, with which a comparison may be made, and, generally men cannot understand truth, or the nature of things, except by comparison with what they already know to exist, and with whose qualities and characteristics they are acquainted. There is nothing in the material world that will afford a basis of comparison with the soul, and, hence, it is difficult for men to comprehend the nature and qualities of the soul by the mere intellectual perceptions and reason: and in order to understand the nature of this great creation - the soul - men must have something of a spiritual development and the possession of what may be known as the soul perceptions.

Only soul can understand soul, and the soul that seeks to comprehend the nature of itself, must be a live soul, with its faculties developed to a small degree, at least.

First, I will say, that the human soul must be a creature of God and not emanation from Him, as a part of His soul: and when men speak and teach that the human soul is a part of the Over-Soul, they teach what is not true. This soul is merely a creature of the Father, just as are the other parts of man, such as the intellect and the spirit body and the material body, and which before its creation had no existence. It has not existed from the beginning of eternity, if you can imagine that eternity ever had a beginning. I mean that there was a time when the human soul had no existence; and whether there will ever come a time when any human soul will cease to have an existence, I do not know, nor does any spirit, only God knows that fact. But this I do know, that whenever the human soul partakes of the Essence of the Father, and thereby becomes Divine itself, and the possessor of His Substance of Love, that soul realizes to a certainty that it is Immortal, and can never again become less than Immortal. As God is Immortal, the soul that has been transformed into the Substance of the Father becomes Immortal, and never again can the decree, "dying thou shalt die," be pronounced upon it.

As I said, there was a period in eternity when the human soul did not exist and was created by the Father, and when it was made the highest and most perfect of all God's creation, to such an extent that it was made in His image - the only one or thing of all His creations that was made in His image, and the only part of man that was made in His image, for the soul is the man and all his attributes and qualities, such as his intellect and spirit body and material body and appetites and passions, are merely appendages or means of manifestation given to that soul, to be its companions while passing through its existence on earth, and also, qualifiedly, while living in eternity. I mean some of the appendages will accompany the soul in its existence in the spirit world, whether that existence be for all eternity or not.

But this soul, great and wonderful as it is, was created in the mere image and likeness of God, and not in or of His Substance or Essence - the Divine of the universe - and it, the soul, may cease to exist without any part of the Divine nature or Substance of the Father being lessened or in any way affected; and hence, when men teach or believe that man, or the soul of man is Divine, or has any of the qualities or Substance of the Divine, such teaching and belief are erroneous, because man is only and merely the created man, the mere likeness but no part of the Father or of His Substance and qualities.

While the soul of man is of the highest order of creation, and his attributes and qualities correspond, yet he is no more divine in essential constituents, than are the lower objects of creation - they each being a creation, and not an emanation, of their Creator.

True it is that the soul of man is of a higher order of creation than any other created things, and is the only creature made in the image of God, and was made the perfect man, yet man - the soul - can never become anything different or greater than the perfect man, unless he receives and possesses the Divine Essence and qualities of the Father, which he did not possess at his creation, although, most wonderful gift, with his creation, God bestowed upon him the privilege of receiving this Great Substance of the Divine nature, and thereby become Divine himself. The perfectly created man could become the Divine Angel, if he, the man, so willed it and obeyed the commands of the Father, and pursued the way provided by the Father for obtaining and possessing that Divinity.

As I have said, the souls, the human souls, for the indwelling of which God provided material bodies, that they might live the mortal lives, were created just as, subsequently, these material bodies were created; and this creation of the soul took place long before the appearance of man on earth as a mortal, and the soul prior to such appearance, had its existence in the spirit world as a substantial conscious entity, although without visible form, and, I may say, individuality, but yet, having a distinct personality, so that it was different and distinct from every other soul.

Its existence and presence could be sensed by every other soul that came in contact with it, and yet to the spirit vision of the other soul it was not visible. And such is the fact now. The spirit world is filled with these unincarnated souls, awaiting the time of their incarnation, and we spirits know of and sense their presence, and yet with our spirit eyes we cannot see them, and not until they become dwellers in the human form and in the spirit body that inhabits that form, can we see the individual soul.

And the fact that I have just stated, illustrates, in a way, describes the Being of Him, in whose image these souls are created. We know and can sense the existence and presence of the Father, and yet, even with our spiritual eyes we cannot see Him; and only when we have our soul developed by the Divine Essence of His
Love, can we perceive Him with our soul perception, because you have not words in your language to convey its meaning, and nothing in created nature, of which you have knowledge of in which a comparison can be made. But it is a truth; for the vision of the soul perception to its possessor is just as real, as I may say, objective, as is the vision of the mortal sight to the mortal.

It may be asked in considering this matter of the creation of the soul, "were all souls that have been incarnated, or that are awaiting incarnation, created at the same time, or is that creation still going on?" I do know that the spirit world contains many souls, such as I have described awaiting their temporary homes, and the assumption of individuality in the human form, but as to whether that creation has ended, and at sometime the reproduction of men for the embodying of these souls, will cease, I do not know, and the Father has never revealed it to me, or to the others of His angels who are close to Him in His Divinity and Substance.

The Father has not revealed to me all the truths and the workings an objects of His creative laws, and neither has He given to me all power and wisdom and omniscence as some may find justification for believing in certain of the statements of the Bible. I am a progressive spirit, and as I grew in love and knowledge and wisdom when on earth, I am still growing in these qualities, and the love and mercy of the Father come to me with the assurance that never in all eternity will I cease to progress towards the very fountain head of these attributes of Him, the only God, the All in All.

As I was saying, the soul of man is the man, before, while in the mortal existence and ever after in the spirit world, and all other parts of man, such as the mind and body and spirit are mere attributes, which may be dissevered from him as the soul progresses in its development toward its destiny of either the perfect man or the Divine Angel, and in the latter progression, men may not know it, but it is a truth, that the mind - that is the mind as known to mankind - becomes, as it were, non-existent; and this mind as some say, the carnal mind, becomes displaced and replaced by the mind of the transformed soul, which is in substance and quality, to a degree, the mind of Deity, itself.

Many theologians and philosophers and metaphysicians believe and teach that the soul, spirit and mind are substantially one and the same thing, and that anyone of them may be said to be the man - the ego, and that in the spirit world one or the other of these entities is that which persists and determines in its development or want of development the condition or state of man after death. But this conception of these parts of man are erroneous  for they each have a distinct and separate existence and functioning, whether man be a mortal or spirit.

The mind in its qualities and operations, is very well known to man, because of its varied manifestations, and being that part of man which is more of the nature of the material, and has been the subject of greater research and study than has been the soul or the spirit.

While men have, during all the centuries, speculated upon and attempted to define the soul and its qualities and attributes, yet to them it has been intransitive, and impossible of comprehension by the intellect which is the only instrumentality that man generally possesses to search for the great truth of the soul, and hence, the question, of what is the soul, has never been satisfactorily or authoritatively answered, though to some of these searchers, when inspiration may have shed a faint light upon them, some glimpse of what the soul is, has come to them. Yet to most men who have sought to solve the problem, the soul and spirit and mind are substantially the same thing.

But the soul, as concerning man is a thing of itself, alone. A substance real, though invisible to mortals. The discerner and portrayer of men's moral and spiritual condition - never dying, so far as known, and the real ego of the man. In it are centered the love principle, the affections, the appetites and the passions, and possibilities of receiving and possessing and assimilating those things that will either elevate man to the state or condition of the Divine Angel or the perfect man, or lower him to the condition that fits him for the hells of darkness and suffering.

The soul is subject to the will of man, which is the greatest of all endowments that were bestowed upon him by his Maker at his creation, and is the certain index of the workings of that will either in thought or action, and in the souls, qualities of love and affection and appetites and passions are influenced by the power of the will, either for good or evil. It may be dormant and stagnate, or it may be active and progress. And so its energies may be ruled by the will for good or evil, but these energies belong to it and are no part of the will.

The soul's home is in the spirit body, whether that body is encased in the mortal or not, and it is never without such spirit body, which in appearance and composition is determined by the condition and state of the soul. And finally, the soul or its condition decides the destiny of man, as he continues in his existence in the spirit world; not a final destiny, because the condition of the soul is never fixed, and as this condition changes, man's destiny changes, for destiny is the thing of the moment, and finality is not known to the progress of the soul, until it becomes the perfect man and is then satisfied and seek no higher progress.

Now, in your common language and also in your theological and philosophical terms, mortals who have passed to spirit life are said to be spirits, and in a certain sense this is true, but such mortals are not nebulous, unformed and invisible existences, they have a reality of substance, more real and enduring, than has man as a mortal, and are in form and features visible and subject to touch and the object of the spiritual senses. So when men speak of soul, spirit and body, if they understood the truth of the terms, they would say, soul, spirit-body, and material-body.
There is a spirit, but it is altogether distinct and different from the spirit body, and also from the soul. It is not part of the spirit body, but is an attribute of the soul, exclusively and without the soul, it could not exist. It has no substance as has the soul, and it is not visible to even the spirit vision - only the effect of its workings can be seen or understood, - and it is without body, form or substance. And yet it is real and powerful, and when existing never ceasing in its operations - and is an attribute of all souls.

Then what is the spirit? Simply this - the active energy of the soul. As I have said, the soul has its energy, which may be dormant or which may be active. If dormant, the spirit is not in existence; if active the spirit is present, and manifests that energy in action. So to confuse the spirit with the soul, as being identical, leads to error and away from the truth.

It is said that God is spirit, which in a sense is true, for spirit is a part of His great soul qualities, and which He uses to manifest His presence in the universe; but to say that spirit is God is not stating the truth, unless you are willing to accept as true the proposition that a part is the whole. In the divine economy, God is all of spirit, but spirit is only the messenger of God, by which He manifests the energies of His Great Soul.

And so with man. Spirit is not man-soul, but man-soul is spirit, as it is the instrumentality by which the soul of man makes known its energies and powers and presence.

Well, I have written enough for to-night, but sometime I will come and simplify this subject. But remember this, that Soul is God, soul is man, and all manifestations, such as spirit, and spirit body are merely evidences of the existence of the soul - the real man.

I have been with you as I promised, and I know that Father will bless you.

So with my love and blessing, I will say good-night.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Ann Rollins describes who God is

January 31st, 1915.
Received by James Padgett.
Washington D.C.

I am here, Ann Rollins:

You must not think that because the Master said that God is a personification of love, power, and wisdom, that there is no real God, but merely an abstract being representing these attributes.

He is a real being, and these attributes are His, and not the combination of the attributes. 
He exists, and without Him, there would be no love, wisdom, or power. He is the creator of these principles, and not their creature.

 As Jesus said: He is without form or substance, such as mortals and spirits have; yet He has a spiritual substance, and that is real, and not shadowy or non existent. Pantheism is different from what God is.

While His attributes are everywhere, yet He is of an identical substance of spirit. So do not let the idea possess you, that he is not a being, for he is, and even though we cannot see Him, or feel Him as a spirit, yet He exists as His one true self. So believe in a personal God in that sense.

I know that it is hard to comprehend the true conception of His being, but the higher we get in the scale of love, the more apparent becomes His real existence as a being. Do not let your inability to grasp the true meaning of this description of God and His nature, lead you to think that He is a mere essence. He is real, and to us who have received a large amount of His love and essence, He becomes as real as if we could see and feel Him with our spiritual eyes and hands.

I know the difficulties in the way of your finite mind to grasp the true conception of His being, but as love draws you closer to Him, the mind gives way to the perceptions of the soul, and God appears as a real existing being, the creator of all.

I want to tell you further, that God,  while He works through His angels, yet He, Himself, comes into our souls by His direct communication. The Holy Spirit is His messenger that causes the souls of men to hear and receive this soul communication; yet God's Love comes direct from Himself, and when man was created in the likeness of God, he was given a soul that was capable of receiving the soul essence of the Father.

Neither in his physical nor spiritual form was man created in the image of his Father, because the Father has no such forms. But in the soul essence, the image was made alike.

Yet man is of such a great degree in God's creation that he can refuse to receive this soul essence, if he so wills. His soul is capable of receiving it, but is not compelled to do so, and while man has the image, yet if he neglects to receive the substance, he will never become at-one with the Father. That image will never be more than an image only.

God is so good, that He implanted in man's soul what may be called the natural love; and that love is sufficient to make him comparatively happy, and in the great day when sin and error shall be destroyed, man's natural love will be able to cause this happiness.

But man will not be at-one with the Father in the larger sense, and will not take on the divine nature of His God. So you see the necessity of seeking this wonderful union with the Father. 


I must now stop.
Ann Rollins