All the messages below are from Chapter 5 of Angelic Message of Divine Truth, Vol I., which can be found at www.truths.com. If you are interested in purchasing a hard copy of Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth or related literature, click here.
Chapter 5.
The True Nature of God, the Heavenly Father
Who and What Is God? (JESUS)
Who and What Is God? (ANN ROLLINS, CELESTIAL SPIRIT)
Mr. Padgett's Father Affirms That Ann Rollins Wrote on "Who and What Is God?" (JOHN H. PADGETT)
Joseph H. Salyards Writes on His Knowledge and Soul Perception Concerning "Who and What Is God?" He Declares That God Has Personality. (PROF. JOSEPH H. SALYARDS)
Luke Adds His Testimony as to "Who and What Is God?" He Also Affirms That God Has Personality. (LUKE, THE APOSTLE)
Stephen Declares That God Sees, Hears and Knows the Thoughts of Men and Spirits. (STEPHEN, THE DISCIPLE)
John Affirms That God Answers Prayer. He Discusses the Importance of Prayer So That the Soul Can Be Developed and Great Works May Follow. (JOHN, APOSTLE OF JESUS)
John Relates How Prayers Are Answered for Material Things. He Reveals That the Miracle of the Leaves and Fishes Never Happened. (JOHN, APOSTLE OF JESUS)
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, 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 to communicate for some time. 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 the Essence and Attributes of God in language that mortals can comprehend. 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 the exact Truth as to Who the Father is may be expressed through your brain.
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 a Form which only the soul perceptions of the soul of a man who has arrived at a certain degree of development (one who has taken on the Divine Nature of the Father and has 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 with this Great Soul, even with the spirit perceptions. Hence, for men to conceive of God as having a form in any manner resembling that of man is all erroneous. Only those who deny the anthropomorphic God in their beliefs and teachings 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 in thunder and lightning, in men and beasts, 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. However, as a fact, God has established these laws for the controlling of His Universe of Creation, and they are expressed and made manifest to men by these very powers and principles that, to some extent, men 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; hence, only force, principle, or evolved laws can be God. In their own conceit, they 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 in back of force and principle and law, which are all only expressions of His Being and which could not exist without Him. These expressions 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 who, 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 to see God and His Form by our soul perceptions. 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 even a faint idea 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 to describe to men that from which they may glean a conception of the Soul's Form because of the limitations mentioned-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; its existence does not depend upon its being known. And even though all the mortals of earth and all 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, as I have attempted to explain, the possibility is before mortals of the present life and in the great future to perceive God, if their souls have become possessed of the Divine Substance of God's Love in sufficient abundance.
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 messages 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 Form, God has a Personality; and this is expressed and made known to man by certain Attributes, which, to the consciousness of man, are existent in the universe. But, 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 God. 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 simply because these attributes are manifested everywhere.
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 Soul Form, has His Locality. And men do not live and move and have their existence in God, but they do in His Emanations and Expressions and Spirit.
As you are somewhat exhausted, I think this is 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.
*(Additional descriptive messages about God, written by Jesus, may be found in Volume II of True Gospel Revealed Anew by Jesus.)
[Top of Page] [Home]
I AM HERE. Your grandmother. (Ann Rollins, Celestial spirit)
Well, my son, I come tonight, as I promised, for the purpose of writing you a letter, telling you of a certain spiritual Truth that I desire you to know.
I am now in the Third Celestial Sphere, as I already told you, and am now in a much more exalted condition in my knowledge of spiritual Truths than I have ever been, and have had opened up to me a spiritual view that increases my understanding of Truth and of the Father's Provisions for the happiness and salvation of His children.
I know now more than ever that He is a real, existing God of Love and Power and Wisdom, and that wrath, such as is taught in the Bible, is no part of His Nature; and that He has only Love and Solicitude and Sympathy for His children on earth as well as in the spirit world.
He is not a God that is afar off waiting for the arrival of the "great judgment day" in order to approve or condemn His children according to the deeds done on earth, but He is with all men and spirits in a way that His Influence of Love and Beneficence may be felt by them, if they will only place themselves in that condition of receptivity of soul that such Influence may be felt; for, as we have said before, the relationship and nearness of God to man depends upon the will and desires of man himself to a very large extent.
God is not with men in what may be called His Personality, as has been taught by the teachers of the Bible and the religions of the world. And men do not live, move, and have their being in Him, as Paul wrote, for His Personality has a location which is not everywhere, but is in the high Heavens.
I know that this will appear startling to many persons, orthodox and otherwise, and that it apparently takes from them the consolation of believing and feeling that God is with and in them; but, nevertheless, what I say is true.
He is not in them or in nature, as some of the scientists say who believe in God. He is not in every flower or tree or other manifestation of His Creation. And, as regards His Personality, He is not omnipresent, though He has a knowledge of all things which He has created. I say "which He has created" because there are some things which appear to man as a part of the realities of the universe which He did not create, but which man alone created. And, for these things, He has no Love and does not approve of or favor their existence; in the end, they will be destroyed from the face of His Universe.
And when I say that God, in His Personality, is not everywhere and not with men at all times, forming a part of their being, I do not mean that it shall be understood that He is not the Loving, Watchful Father, trying to make them happy and save them from the results of their own many wrongdoings, for such inference would not be true.
And, as I say, while He is not with men in this Personality, yet, He is with them in the sense and Truth that His Attributes of Love and Wisdom and Knowledge and Power are with them always.
Life emanates from God, but life is not God; it is only one of His Attributes that is conferred upon the objects of His Creation so that they may live and grow and fulfill the designs of their creation. And when that purpose has been accomplished, He withdraws this Attribute of Life from them, and men can realize that fact. God, Himself, has not ceased to be a part of that object, for He never was a part of it; but only this Attribute of Life has ceased to be a part of that object.
God is the Source and Origin of all life. But that life is merely one of His creatures, as we say, as is man or other things which mortals call matter.
Man does not live and move and have his being in God, but merely in the Attributes of God. So, you see, not all these Attributes together constitute God, for He is a Personality from which all these Attributes flow.
I know that it is difficult for you to comprehend the full purport of what I intend to convey, but you may grasp my meaning in part.
Love is a greater Attribute than even Life. But Love is not God, just as Love is not man, though it is his greatest possession when it exists in its purity. And as man has many attributes which all together do not make the man, so God has many Attributes, yet they are only part of His Nature and not His Entity.
Man has a physical body and a mind. Yet they do not constitute man, for he may lose them both and still be man, or spirit; that is, the ego or the soul is the real man-the personality. And all the wonderful parts of man, such as the mind and affections and desires and will, are merely of him. And if he were deprived of any of them, he would still be man, though not the perfect man as when they are all with him performing their proper functionings. Man is so created that, unless he has these qualities which were made parts of him in his creation, and which were necessary to make him the perfect creature that he was, then he is not the perfect man that God decreed him to be. And until these qualities are fully restored or regained by him, he will not be the man that was the greatest Handiwork of the Almighty.
God is not God by reason of having Qualities, but these Qualities exist because they are the Attributes of God. He never loses them, nor do they become hidden or cease to do their functioning, but they are always existing and working and obedient to His Being.
God is soul, and soul is God. And in this soul is God's Personality and Life, without form but real and existing, and from which flow all these attributes of life and Love, etc., of which I have spoken. God is spirit, but spirit is not God. Spirit is only one of God's qualities.
I write this to give you some additional conception of Who and What God is, and to show you that He is not in man, nor does man have his being in God. To further show you that God does not, and could not, exist in the same place with those things which are not in accord with His Nature and Qualities, were He in man or man in Him, then no sin or error or things which violate his laws would exist.
I must stop now, but will come soon to finish my message.
With all my Love, I am
Your Grandmother.
[Top of Page] [Home]
Who and What Is God? - Continued
I AM HERE. Your grandmother. (Ann Rollins, Celestial spirit)
I come to resume my discourse, if you think that you are in condition to receive the same. Well, we will try. If I find that you are not, I will stop until later.
As I was saying, God is not in man or material things as regards His Personality, but only those Attributes which men generally, but incorrectly, consider to be God, Himself, are manifested in the material things.
As I have said, God is not the creator of all things that appear to have an existence, for many things which control and govern the conduct of men are entirely the creatures of man, and are not in harmony with the Laws of God or with His Will. Hence, when it is realized that there exists evil thoughts and desires and conceptions in the souls and minds of men that are not in harmony with God's Creations, you can readily see that God cannot be and is not in such souls and minds, nor are His Attributes. As is said in the laws of physical philosophy, two things cannot occupy the same place at the same time. So, as regards spiritual philosophy, we may say that two things cannot occupy the same soul or mind at the same time, especially when they are antagonistic or opposed to each other in their qualities or fundamentals. Until the one vacates its occupancy, the other cannot come in. And this is invariably true of the creatures of God and the creatures of man, for they are always, and under all circumstances, opposed to each other.
When I speak of the creatures of God, it must be understood that my meaning must not be taken as including God; for He, as the Creator, is altogether different from His creatures. And while His creatures, or certain of His Attributes, may find a lodgment and habitation in the souls and the minds of men, and in the existence of material things, yet, He, God, never finds such lodgment and is never a part of such existences. He is as distinct from the creatures, or probably better, emanations of Himself as are the thoughts and desires of man distinct from the man himself.
God is in His Heavens. And those Heavens have a locality, just as the different spheres of the spirit world in which spirits have their homes have localities. And God's locality is way beyond the highest Celestial Spheres known to the highest spirit, and towards which spirits are always progressing. And, as they progress, the more and closer they come in contact with these attributes of God which are constantly flowing from Him.
Even Jesus, who, as you know, is the brightest of all the spirits and the one possessing more of these Attributes of the Father than any other spirit, has never seen God except through his soul's perception; nor has he ever realized that God is in him or forms a part of him. Mistaken and deceived are men when they say or believe that God is in them or that, in Him, they live and move and have their being!
To believe this as true, God can only be a kind of nebulous something-inconsistent as the air-and, as many of the Spiritualists say, merely a force permeating the whole universe, divided into many and infinitesimal manifestations, seen and felt today, and tomorrow having no existence-a "something" less substantial than man, at once weak and powerful at the same time, a contradiction beyond conception or explanation.
Such is not God. All these manifestations are merely evidence of the existence of a substantial and, I may say, never varying, self-existing Being Who is not the creature of man's mind or of man's necessities or desires, but is the Creator of all-even of these wise men who cannot conceive of any God but nature (the mere creature of His Being and Wisdom and Power).
The human mind, when left to itself-that is, to its own evolution, as your scientists say, and not influenced by the revelations of spiritual truths or the suggestions of spirits who have advanced in knowledge of things beyond the material-has not improved much since the days when men lived and died as sun worshipers, and the worshipers of the sacred cats and bulls and elephants, and of the storms and thunders and lightnings. God was considered to be in all these manifestations, immanent and real, and to be appeased or loved as necessity required. Today, among your civilized nations, and the wise men of these nations who can see no god in the spiritual, the aggregate of all these material things is the god which they must worship, if they worship at all.
To them, nature is God. Thus, the only improvement that their minds have over the minds of the worshipers of the sun and of animals, etc., that I have mentioned, if there is any, is that those minds are not satisfied to see God in a single manifestation, but must see a combination of all these manifestations, which they call nature. You see, it is only a difference in degree. The scientist of today who refuses to accept or believe in any god who may be of a spiritual nature, is exactly the counterpart of his so called "barbarian" brother who could see him only in the sun, etc., except that he demands a larger god who must be in the lowest form of mineral existence as well as in the highest form of solar excellence, and even in man (for with some, man is his own and only god). It is questionable whether these wise men are not more limited in their conception and acceptance of a god than were the earlier uncivilized brothers, because many of the latter saw beyond and behind their sun god (and god of thunders, etc.) another and greater God Whom they could not see but could feel and realize His Existence in their souls.
But the wise men of civilizations have so evolved their intellects that they have lost their soul perceptions. No god beyond the horizon of their intellectual perceptions can exist; hence, as they think they know nature, nature is all of creation, and there can be no other god than nature. But, oh, the terrible mistake!
God, then, as I have said, is a Being-a Soul-with a Personality that has a location high up in the heavens and towards whom all spirits of the Celestial and many of the Spiritual Spheres are striving to approach in greater and greater nearness; and, as they approach, they realize and know the increased Love and Life and Light that emanates from the fountainhead of these attributes of perfection.
And, so, I repeat, God is not in man or beast or plant or mineral, but only his attributes are, as he sees the necessity for their workings. And man does not live and move and have his being in God.
Well, my son, in my imperfect way, I have given you some idea of Who and What God is. In substance, my explanation is the consensus of the knowledge of the Celestial spirits whose knowledge is based upon the Truths that no mortal, or all the mortals combined, can possibly learn with their finite minds.
I think that you have received my ideas and words quite correctly, and I hope the Truths which I have written may prove beneficial to all mankind.
I am very happy and will come again soon and write you some other truths which may interest you.
I must stop now.
With all my Love and blessings, I am
Your own loving grandmother,
Ann Rollins.
[Top of Page] [Home]
Mr. Padgett's Father Affirms That Ann Rollins Wrote on "Who and What Is God?"
I AM HERE. Your father. (John H. Padgett)
I have been listening to your grandmother's message and was interested in observing the way in which you received it, for it is a deep and important communication of Truth that is not generally known to mortals. Of course, we in the lower spheres do not know these Truths so extensively as the spirits of the Celestial Spheres do. But I have heard the Master discourse on the subject of God, and what your grandmother wrote you is, in short, what he has explained to us, but, of course, in a way that we could comprehend the Truth better and to a greater extent than can you.
There is one thing that I have observed in the case of those who are called scientists and who believe only the material, and also in the case of those who claim to be infidels. When they come into spirit life, they realize very soon that there is or must be a God, and that their god of nature, or their man-made god, does not exist here. Of course, they do not get a conception of the Nature of God in the beginning, but they know very soon after they come over that there is a God other and different from what they conceived Him to be when they had a false conception of Him on earth, or when they denied that there was any God; and they soon realize the absolute necessity for there being one. And when they had made man his own god, they then see many spirits of men in such conditions of darkness and suffering and helplessness that they readily realize that man is not God.
So, I say, the first truth that enters their minds and souls when they become spirits is that there is a God, although they do not know His Nature and Attributes.
So, you see, there is only one little veil of flesh between the vaunted mind of a mortal that proclaims there is no God but nature, or no God at all, and the mind of a spirit that is conscious of its weakness and littleness as it exists in the spirit world.
But I must stop writing on this subject or you will think that I am going to write you a lecture, which I don't intend to do now.
With all my Love, I am,
Your loving Father
[Top of Page] [Home]
Joseph Salyards Writes on His Knowledge and Soul Perception Concerning "Who and What Is God?" He Declares That God Has Personality.
I AM HERE. Your old Professor Salyards.
I merely want to say that I am very happy. I also want you to know that I am progressing in my condition of soul development and in my knowledge of the truths that pertain to the spirit world. I have not written to you for a long time, but would now like to tell you of certain truths that I have learned since last I wrote to you.
Well, I find that I am now in a condition of soul development that enables me to see the truth of what the Master has told us in reference to the real Existence of God-a God Who knows what His creatures are doing and in what way they are making use of their souls and bodies. I mean that this God is One Who has all the Faculties that you would suppose only a being who had a personality and form would have; for one cannot really understand how a mere essence or formless existence could have such Powers and Qualities.
However, I never could comprehend the real Truth and meaning of God until recently, believing Him to be mere essence, devoid of form or personality, Who could have the Wisdom and Love and Power that I was taught such God possessed. But I now know that God is neither a mere essence nor is devoid of personality. Also, that comprehension of God's Qualities is actually beyond the finite mind, and can only be accepted as a realization of an existing condition or Truth by means of faith. Yet, now, I have more than faith to enable me to understand the fact that this God (Whom we call our Father, for He is) has all these Qualities and Powers. And, to me, such understanding is a wonderful and unexpected addition to my knowledge of God.
This understanding, of course, is not a thing that arises from any exercise of the mind. Nor is it the result of any mental power or quality which I may never have realized that I possessed. Rather, it is the result of the exercise of my soul perceptions. And these perceptions have become so great, and in such condition of unison or harmony with our Father's Qualities of Soul, that He and all these Attributes appear to me as real, perceptible Existences, having as much certainty of comprehensible Being as the existence of spirits and their attributes.
So, you see what soul development may mean and what its possibilities are. No mere development of the intellectual qualities or attributes could ever lead to a comprehension of the Personality of God as I have described it.
In all my life, natural or spiritual, I never conceived or expected that it was possible for any soul of mortal or spirit to see God as I now see Him. And I never could understand what was meant by the beatitude, "The pure in heart shall see God," except in this sense: that as we became pure in heart, those Qualities that were ascribed to God would become a part of us. And, as such possessors, we could "see" God, or, rather, perceive the result of those Attributes of God in our souls.
I don't know whether you can fully comprehend what I intend to convey to you, but I have tried my best to put the idea in such language that your mind may understand what my meaning is to some extent. I know that you will never fully know what this great soul perception is until you have experienced what this development is in your own soul. For this development is necessary to enable your soul to see with the clearness that I now see.
I thought that I would tell you of this progress of my soul so that you might have some faint idea of what the development of the soul means in a way other than an addition to the development of the natural love principle. For Divine Love is the fulfilling of the Law, and this Law includes that which enables us to perceive that God is a Personality Who has these Qualities that I speak of.
I see that I have written enough for tonight. If you will carefully read what I have written, you will find much food for thought, and probably some help to a correct, concrete comprehension of Who and What is God.
So, expressing my gratification and pleasure in being able to come to you again, and in having you take down my ideas of Who our Father is, and also for the opportunity to declare that God is a Being, having an existence of His Own that is realized and understood by the soul perceptions of the redeemed of His creatures, I will say good night.
Your old professor and brother in Christ,
Joseph Salyards.
[Top of Page] [Home]
Jesus Affirms the Professor's Message Concerning the Personality of God and the Necessity of Developing the Soul Perceptions to Be Able to Perceive God's Personality.
I AM HERE. Jesus.
I have heard what the Professor said to you and you must try your best to comprehend its meaning. It contains a description of the true conception of God in a way that only one having the developed soul perceptions could explain. The only difficulty in your fully understanding this idea of Who and What God is, is that the idea is not one that the mere mind can grasp. For only the soul that has been developed to a sufficient degree can comprehend this. But, yet, you may be able to conceive of its meaning to an extent that will enable you to get closer to our Father as a real, Personal Father, and not as a being of formless existence only. I mean that the idea of Personality may bring the Father nearer to you so that you may realize a deeper meaning of His Love and Care and Mercy and Interest in you and in all His creatures.
In my message on God, you will find that the idea of Personality is spoken of, but not emphasized so much as in the writing of the Professor. But the truth is that our Father is a Being of real existence and personality to the soul perceptions.
Of course, men will not understand this truth so long as they depend upon the mere intellect to comprehend it, and it may not mean much to them, but this truth is of the greatest importance to mankind both in their lives on earth and in the spirit world. "Thou, God, seest me" is not a mere meaningless generality which men repeat and do not understand, for God does see every act of man. And, as I said when on earth, not even a sparrow falls without my Father knowing it, and the hairs of your head are all numbered. So, if men will only learn that this great truth is of such importance, they will take more care of the manner in which they live their lives.
Men must realize that God knows not only their acts but also their thoughts. Every idle thought will have to be accounted for and the penalties which his laws impose will have to be paid. So, if men would only realize the fact that God is able to see and know what their lives on earth are they would think many times before they do some things which they do, supposing that no one but themselves know of them.
I am very glad that the Professor wrote to you on this subject tonight, for it is one that is very important in our plan of revealing the Truths of God and His Attributes.
I will write another message to you very soon, and one that will be very important to mankind. It will also convey some things that you must learn.
So, with all my Love and blessings, I am
Your own brother and friend,
Jesus.
[Top of Page] [Home]
Luke, the Apostle, Adds His Testimony as to "Who and What Is God". He Also Affirms That God Has Personality.
I AM HERE. Luke.
I want to add my testimony to that of Professor Salyards as to Who and What is God. Of course, since the Master has substantiated what the Professor wrote, and enlarged upon it, my testimony is not necessary. Yet, I desire to say a few words which are expressive of my knowledge arising from my own experience.
I have a soul development which is greater than that of the Professor, and a perception which is clearer and more convincing than his. And, yet, what he has said is all that I can say as to the truth of the Personality of God, except that it is undoubtedly much clearer to me, and of longer acquaintance.
I know that God is a Being Who has Personality, though not a form like unto man. But He has all the Attributes that have been mentioned. These Attributes are not God, but merely Qualities which He possesses, and which, in their workings upon the hearts and souls of men, emanate and flow from Him. You may better understand this if I call your attention to the fact that, while you can see and feel and hear and love and dislike, yet, these attributes or qualities are not you, but only those things that belong to your personality. You may be deprived of any or all of them and, yet, you may not cease to exist as a personality. And so with God. While these things of Love and Wisdom and Loving and Hearing do not constitute God, yet, they are a part of Him and are exercised by Him, just as the qualities I have mentioned are exercised by you.
I know it is difficult for the mere mind to comprehend this great Truth of God having a Personality. Yet it is a truth that is just as real to the perceptions of the developed soul as is the existence of your or any man's personality to the finite mind.
And here is another fact in connection with this great Truth: that only the spirits who have experienced the New Birth and have become filled with the Divine Love of the Father, and hence a partaker of his Divinity, will ever be able to perceive this great Truth of the Personality of God. No other spirit will ever receive that soul development which is absolutely necessary for it to possess in order to perceive the great Truth under discussion.
Yet, the mere fact that these other spirits do not comprehend or understand this truth does not make it any the less a truth; and all men and spirits are subject to its operations and must come under the benefits that they may receive by reason of the workings of this truth upon their lives and thoughts.
Just because men cannot see God, it does not follow that He does not see them, for He does. Their every thought is known to Him and taken account of. And strange as it may seem to you, or, as I should more appropriately say, surprising as it may seem to you, that account is kept in the memories and consciences of men, themselves. And when the time comes for them to render an account of their acts and thoughts, no other place or receptacle is sought for or examined to find this account than these very memories and consciences. And nothing can be hidden or lost until they have fulfilled the purpose of their existence.
Men may create, but they cannot destroy. I refer now to their actions and their thoughts. While they may forget and ease their consciences by forgetting on earth, yet, when they come to the spirit world and are called upon to render an account, the inexorable laws that are really their judges and executioners show them that there is no such thing as forgetting. And, as has been said, they have forgotten to forget.
God is Being, Self-Existing, Unchangeable, but full of Love and Mercy. And these He does not exercise in any individual case. Rather, He has made certain that His Laws of Mercy will so operate that all the spirits of men, and mortals also, may place themselves in such condition of soul, by their own acts and desires, that they will receive the benefit of this Mercy. Yes, from the beginning, His Mercy is waiting for all men to ask for It and want It, just as is His Love.
I could write on this subject for a longer time, but I must not write more tonight as you are tired. So, I will close.
With all my Love and blessings, I am
Your brother in Christ,
Luke.
[Top of Page] [Home]
Stephen Declares That God Sees, Hears, and Knows the Thoughts and Deeds of Men and Spirits.
I AM HERE. Stephen, the Disciple.
I want to say only a word.
At the time of my martyrdom, I saw the heavens opened and the spirits of the just made perfect. And, now, by my soul perceptions, I can see God as a real, Personal Being, full of Love and Mercy.
Let no man rest in the assurance that God is only a formless spirit, without the Attributes of Seeing and Hearing and Knowing what the thoughts and deeds of men and spirits are. For, if he does, in the time of accounting, he will be deceived in his false security.
I am in a condition of soul development to know the great Truth that God is a God of real Personality. And, when I say this, I don't mean individuality in the sense that you are an individual. But what I mean by "Personality" is that all these Attributes of Love and Power and Knowledge and Mercy do not constitute God. They are merely a part of His Being and flow from Him in their operations upon men, and, in fact, upon all the things of the universe.
I will not enlarge upon this truth, as it has been explained by those who preceded me. But I will say this: that because a man with a finite mind cannot understand this truth, it by no means follows that it is not a truth, for it is. And, in the great future, every man who has received the necessary soul development will learn and know this truth.
I will not write more tonight, but will urge you to continue to seek this great development of your soul, and you will not be disappointed in coming to the realization that God is our Father of the Master-the close, Personal and Loving Father. With all my Love, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Stephen.
[Top of Page] [Home]
John Affirms That God Answers Prayer. He Discusses the Importance of Prayer So That the Soul Can Be Developed and Great Works May Follow.
I AM HERE. John.
I am the apostle, and you need not try me, as your friend said, for no spirit can impersonate me when I am present. So, you must believe me and try to receive what I may write tonight in faith, and you will find that you will be benefited.
I came principally to tell you that I have been listening to the conversation between you two, and to the reading of the "Sermon on the Mount" given to us by the Master in the days of long ago, as you would say.
When that sermon was delivered, we were not in a condition of great spiritual development, and we did not understand its inner meanings. And, as to its literal meaning, we thought it was not intended for the practical affairs of life. People, I know, think that we were very spiritually developed at that time, and had an understanding of the great Truths taught by the Master which was superior to what men have now. But I tell you that this is a mistake. We were comparatively ignorant men, fishermen by occupation, and had no education above the ordinary working man of that time. And when Jesus called us to become his apostles, we were as much surprised and hesitated as much as you did when the similar mission was declared for you.
Our knowledge came with our faith in the great truths which the Master taught, and from our observation of the great powers which he displayed; and also from the influence of the Great Love that he possessed. But when mankind thinks that we easily understood the great truths which he taught, they are mistaken. Only after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon us at Pentecost did we fully come in accord with the Father, or fully appreciate the great truths that the Master had taught.
Of course, we learned many things which men of that time did not know, and our souls became developed to a large extent-but not sufficient to bring us a knowledge of the wonderful meaning of the truths which made men free and brought them in unison with the Father. In your conversation tonight, you discussed the relative value of prayer and works, and did not agree with the preacher that works are the great things to develop men into love and bring about great happiness in the world, and that prayer is not of such importance.
Now, as a spirit, and as a man who worked on earth and prayed on earth, let me say, with an authority that arises from actual experience and a knowledge that comes of observation, that of all the important things on earth for men who are seeking salvation and happiness and development of soul, prayer is the most important! For prayer brings from the Father not only Love and Blessings but also the condition of mind and intent that will cause men to do the great works that the preacher admonished men to engage in.
Prayer is the cause of the power being given to men that will enable them to do all the great works which will bring reward to the doer, and happiness and benefit to the one who receives the works.
So, you see, the results can never be as great as the cause. For the cause, in this instance, not only gives to man this ability to work but also to love and to develop his soul, and to inspire him with all good and true thoughts. Works are desirable and, in some cases, necessary; but prayer is absolutely indispensable. So, let you and your friend understand and never doubt that, without prayer, the works of men would be unavailing to accomplish the great good which even now man performs for his brother.
Pray, and works will follow. Work, and you may do good, but the soul does not benefit. For God is a God that answers prayer through the ministrations of his angels, and through the influence of his Holy Spirit which works on the interior or real part of man.
I will stop now. With my Love to both* of you, I am,
Your brother in Christ,
John.
*(Dr. Leslie R. Stone was present.)
[Top of Page] [Home]
John Relates How Prayers Are Answered for Material Things. He Reveals That the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Never Happened.
I AM HERE. John, the apostle of Jesus.
God answers the prayers for material things by the work and operation of His angels and spirits; and, in that work, they are subject to the limitations of success, as I have mentioned before. God does not exercise any arbitrary power to answer such prayers. But, when they are sincerely offered to Him, He works through His angels in answering them; and He does not do so by His mere Fiat. His angels are always watching and working. And, when the opportunity comes, they use their influences in the best possible way to bring about the desired ends.
As you know, man has a free will, and that determines very largely the action of men. And such actions are never arbitrarily controlled by any Divine Power. If the prayers of men as to material things can be responded to by the workings of the angels and spirits, they are; but if such response depends upon the will of men, then the material things are not received by mortals, except as the spirits may be able to influence that will and cause men to act in compliance with that influence, which is always used for the purpose of bringing about responses to the prayers that are proper in their nature and worthy to be answered.
(Padgett asked a question regarding the prophets of the Old Testament.)
Well, I doubt if any of those petitions were ever answered in the arbitrary way that is related in the Old Testament. God never answers prayer in that manner. And the petitions of the old prophets had no more influence to bring about the answers to the same, in the manner indicated, than have the prayers of the sincere and earnest men of these days. God was the same then as He is now, and worked through the spirits then as He does now, except that He now has angels of the soul development in the Divine Love that He did not have then; and these angels are now doing His Bidding, in addition to the spirits. But He does not answer prayers for material things, except in a manner in consonance with laws controlling the free will and actions of men as they may be operated upon and influenced by the work of spirits.
Sometime, I will come and write you a message on this subject of prayer and answer. But this I want to say: that we can understand at times what will happen in the near future; and, having such knowledge, we can tell mortals what may be expected or, rather, what will occur, and this we sometimes do.
In your case, all of us of the higher spheres, as well as many from the spirit spheres, know what your petitions have been in reference to these material matters, and we have been working to bring about a realization of the same on your part-not only because of your petitions but also because these material matters are so necessary for the doing and completion of our work. And we have been using our influence to the utmost to accomplish this end. But, as I say, we are all limited, and we do not have the power to cause the happening of any event by our mere willing the same, even though we are doing the Work of the Father.
This may seem surprising as well as disappointing to you, but it is a fact. And it is a great Truth that God helps those who help themselves.
Of course, you must not lose sight of the fact that, while men themselves must do those things that bring about happenings or phenomena or changes in material things, yet, we can influence, but not absolutely control, their desires and intentions and their will that puts these intentions into operation or effect. No, as to their immediate manifestations, these things are subject to the wills of men.
Never by a mere act of the moment, or of a physical character, does God place riches or prosperity into the hands of any man. These things must be wrought and brought about immediately by man. But, in doing this, man can and is wonderfully influenced by the workings of the spirits.
(Padgett asked John about Jesus feeding the multitude.)
Well, that is a question that has caused men to doubt and consider, and explain in various ways, the so-called "miracle" of the leaves and fishes. As I was a disciple of the Master at that time, it is quite natural that I should be expected to state whether or not such a miracle ever occurred. And, of course, I can state what the fact is in relation thereto. And notwithstanding that this alleged miracle has been used by preachers and teachers for many centuries to show the wonderful power possessed by Jesus, thereby causing the people to believe in and accept him as God (or at least having Godlike powers), and has been used to work much good among those who were seeking for the true religion, yet, I am compelled and sorry to say that no such miracle ever took place. While Jesus had wonderful powers, and understood the workings of the spiritual laws to a far greater extent than any mortal who ever lived, yet, he had not the power to increase the leaves and fishes as is set forth in the account of the miracle. To be able to do so would be against the Laws of God governing the material things of His Creation, and also beyond and outside of the powers conferred on any man or angel by any spiritual laws.
There are certain laws by which we, who are acquainted with and use them, may cause a dematerialization of physical substances, and also may cause a materialization of spiritual substances to a limited degree. But I am not acquainted with any law that would have operated, under the control of Jesus, to increase the leaves and fishes to the great number mentioned in the story referred to. As a fact, I know that no such miracle took place, and Jesus will tell you the same.
There are other alleged miracles in the Bible that never had any existence as facts.
Well, I have written a long letter to you tonight, and I must stop. But I am pleased that you asked me about the response to prayers, and the miracle of the leaves and fishes, for your questions gave me the opportunity to explain these matters to some extent. But, as to prayer, you must wait until I deal with it more at large, or in detail, before you conclude that you understand the subject fully.
And I say to you: pray not only for the spiritual things which God bestows through His Holy Spirit but also for the material things which He bestows through His angels and spirits. The proper prayer will be answered sooner or later. And your prayer for that which I have written about will be answered, even though, to you, the response may seem to be delayed a long time. With my Love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John.
(Volume II of True Gospel Revealed Anew by Jesus contains additional messages written by John on the subject of prayer.)
[Top of Page] [Home]
All the messages above are from Chapter 5 of Angelic Message of Divine Truth, Vol I., which can be found at www.truths.com. If you are interested in purchasing a hard copy of Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth or related literature, click here.
Questions?
Technical Problems:Webmaster
Updated
Monday, June 30, 2003
© 1997 - 2003 DLM, PO Box 5493,
Kaneohe, HI 96744. All rights reserved.