Answer:

I am here, Professor Salyards

Well, I am very happy, and desire to write to you on some phases of spirit life that I have observed in my experience of progressing.

I have noticed that when the spirit first comes into this life, it is very often in a condition of darkness, not realizing where it is or what its surroundings are; and in many instances it requires quite a long time for the spirit to realize that it is not still of earth. But in many cases this is not the condition of the spirit, for it seems to have an immediate understanding of its condition and surroundings. I attribute the first mentioned condition to be due to the fact that, when on earth, the mortal had no definite belief as to what the future life might be, and in many instances believed that the soul went into the grave with the body to await the “great resurrection day.”

Some of your religious denominations are preaching that doctrine now, and the consequence will be that all those who believe the doctrine will experience the condition of darkness and the want of knowledge of the continuity of life that I have spoken of.

The second class of spirits, or those who appear to realize immediately that they have passed from earth to spirit life, are those who, while on earth, believed that the spirit, when it left the body, passed immediately into the heavenly spheres or into the opposite – I mean the place of the wicked. I know that many of this class have hardly realized that they were in heaven or hell for some little time after their entrance into spirit life.

Well, as soon as the spirits realize fully that they are no longer of earth, they commence to inquire as to where they are. And many of them ask questions that indicate that they are disappointed in not realizing the expectations that they had while on earth. It is very difficult at times to convince them that there are no such places as the heavens and the hells as taught by the churches; for while our spirit world may be a heaven or hell to them, yet the heaven or hell that they expect to find is not here.

Some, on the other hand, do not seem to understand that they have really left the earth because, they say, “If we had left the earth life, we would know nothing.” (They are quoting Job and some of the preachers: “The dead know nothing.”)

I have been very much interested in observing these different phases of the departed spirits’ beliefs and thoughts. Now, all this shows the absolute necessity of mortals understanding the truths pertaining to life and death.

This affords a very strong argument why spiritualism should be more extensively and earnestly taught to mortals, and why the false doctrines of those who teach either that the dead know nothing or that the departed spirit goes either to heaven or to hell, in the orthodox sense, should be shown to be not only false but also injurious to mankind.

Let the believers and teachers of spiritualism make greater and stronger efforts to refute these harmful teachings, and they will be doing the cause of truth and of man’s happiness a great good.

I am not only interested in these phases but also in all others which show that the spirits, even after they realize that they are still alive and must live as spirits, continue to doubt that their orthodox teachings are false. Some say that they may yet be able to go back into the body and await the “great resurrection day” for deliverance. Others say that they will soon see God, and that He will take them into His Heavens where they will find that eternal rest and peace that they were taught to expect when on earth. And even the wicked look in dread to have some devil come and carry them to the hells where they think torture of the most terrible kind awaits them.

From all this, you may understand that we spirits who know the truth have a great work to do to enable these darkened spirits to understand and believe that their false hopes and dreadful fears have no foundation in truth and will never be realized.

Many spirits are engaged in doing this work, and these spirits are not necessarily of the higher kind; for many spirits who occupy the earth plane and have no real spiritual enlightenment are engaged in this work.

I am not now engaged in causing these dark spirits to see the truth, for I have progressed to higher things. My present mission is to teach the Truths of the higher life which I have been taught by spirits who live in higher spheres.

To me, this work is one that is not only interesting but which also gives me the great happiness that comes with the realization that I have been the means of leading a spirit to learn to love God and to receive the happiness which the Love of God gives to spirits. I tell you that this teaching is the grandest that I have ever engaged in, in all my life. When on earth, as I taught and saw the young mind develop, I found much happiness in the knowledge that I was doing some good. But here, with my teachings, when I see a soul develop, I realize that I am doing a spirit the greatest of all good in bringing it into at-onement in Love with the Father. Therefore my happiness here exceeds that of earth, for developing the soul is so much greater than the development of the mere mind.

My work is not confined entirely to this teaching. I am also engaged in trying to assist mortals to have a true conception of the life here – I mean the spiritual part of this life. No man is entirely without spirit influence, whether for good or for evil. Many are susceptible to the influence of the evil spirits, and for that reason, the work of the good spirits is so much more difficult. There is in man’s nature that which leads him to evil thoughts so much more easily than to good thoughts. This is an old saying, I know, but it is a true one. And the fact that it has been said so often and for so long a time does not decrease the importance of it as a truth. So while men feel this evil inclination in their nature, the fight between the good and evil influences will be somewhat unequal. The advantage with the good influences, though, is that what they suggest is truth, which will never die, while the suggestions of the evil influences last only for a comparatively short time.

When the material gives up the spirit being which it clothes, that being will then be relieved of many of these natural tendencies to evil thoughts and deeds. And while this mere separation does not make a devil a saint, it makes it so much easier for the spirit to get rid of many of these evil tendencies, and it makes him more susceptible to the influences of truth and goodness.

You must not think from this that as soon as they have been in the spirit world for a little time they become good spirits, for that is not true. Many evil spirits have been in the spirit world for a great many years, and yet still have their evil thoughts and desires, and all the evil qualities of hatred, malice, envy, etc. that they had on earth.

Their giving up the earth life did not deprive them of their will – the greatest force or power that God gave to man, except that of love. And many of these spirits refuse to exercise their will in a way that will enable them to rid themselves of these evil thoughts and desires.

So you see, the mere fact of becoming a spirit does not mean that the mortal has become a good and saintly spirit. No, I am sorry to say that many men who were very evil on earth are still evil as spirits; their happiness, which they think they have, is only that happiness which they, as men, thought they realized from the exercise of evil thoughts and acts.

Yet there is one great redeeming fact connected with their dark and sad condition, and that is: that in the end, whenever it so pleases God, all evil will be banished from the spirit world, and all spirits will be given that happiness which comes from a nature free from sin and error – not by the Fiat of God, but by men seeking and doing those things that will free the soul from sin and error and allow it to come again into harmony with God’s Laws – just such, I imagine, as Adam and Eve enjoyed in the historical Garden of Eden.

But that happiness, while of a character that brings much contentment and peace, is not the true happiness which God is waiting to give all His children who ask and seek for the inflowing of the Divine Love into their souls.

There is another law of the spirit world which provides that no spirit can ever progress to the highest spheres until he realizes that he must seek the Love and Help of the Father. You may say that there are many spirits in the higher spheres who have never received this Love, and notwithstanding who have progressed and are now comparatively happy spirits. This is true, but their progress is merely intellectual and moral. They can progress to a limited degree only, and then must stop in their progress, as the progress of the mind and the natural love have their limitations.

But such progress is not the progress that I speak of. This other progress is without limitations, and leads to spheres without end, progressing nearer and nearer to the very Fountainhead of the Father, as the Divine Love increases in greater abundance in the soul. I am told this by spirits from these Celestial Spheres.

I will not discourse on this great happiness tonight, as it would take too long and you are somewhat tired, but will say that all men should seek for it both on earth and in the spirit world. I did not have it on earth, but I found it since I came here, and now possess it, thanks be to God and His Loving Kindness. You folks all have it, and many others too numerous to mention.

Let me stop now, as I am tired and you need to rest. So, with all my love and best wishes, I am,
Your old professor,
Joseph Salyards

(The above Angelic Message was received by James Padgett and taken from Ch. 15, “The Truths of the Spirit World”, pp. 269-272, Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I.. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

Answer:

I am here, John the Apostle

I come tonight to tell you a vital Truth which I know you will be interested in.

The question has often been asked: “What does the spirit of man do when it leaves the physical body for eternity?”

Many spirits, I know, have written to you about this matter, and some of them have described their personal experiences. Yet in all the information that you have received, there are some facts that have not been referred to, and I will describe them in a brief way.

When the spirit leaves the body, there is a breaking of the silver cord, as it is called, and thereby all connection between the spirit and the body is severed for all eternity. Never again can that spirit enter that body. And neither can any other spirit, although I know it is claimed by some spiritualists that another spirit may inhabit the cast-off body. But this is all wrong, for no spirit ever enters the body which has once been the home of another spirit. And hence, claims made by some of the wise men of the East that such a thing can be have no foundation in fact.

When the silver cord is once severed, no power that is known to the spirit world, or among spirits of the highest Spheres, can again resuscitate that body and cause the manifestation of life. Hence, in the miracles mentioned in the Bible, where it is said that the dead were brought to life, it must be understood that this tie between the spirit and the body was never broken.

In those ancient days, as now, there were persons who had the appearance of being dead, and so far as human knowledge was concerned, they were dead. But they were really in a state of what may be called suspended animation. With no signs of life appearing to the consciousness of men, death was thought to have taken place; yet in no case where the supposed dead were raised to life had the mortal really died.

As Lazarus has already told you, when Jesus commanded him to come forth, he had not died, and so with all the other supposed dead who were called to life.

When this tie has been once severed, there are certain chemical laws affecting the physical body and certain spiritual laws affecting the spirit which absolutely render it impossible for the spirit to again enter the body. And as you have been informed, we all, mortals and spirits, and angels as well, are governed by laws which have no exceptions and never vary in their workings.

So I say, when once the spirit and body separate, it is for all eternity. The spirit then becomes, of itself, a thing apart, controlled entirely and exclusively by laws governing the spirit body.

With the spirit’s entry into the spirit world comes the soul, still enclosed in that spirit body, and to an extent, controlled by that body. The latter, in certain particulars, is also controlled by the soul.

The spirit body has not, of itself, the power to determine its own location or destiny as regards place, for the Law of Attraction, which operates in this particular, operates upon the soul, and the condition of the soul determines the location of itself. And as the spirit body is the covering of the soul, it must go where this Law of Attraction decrees the soul shall abide.

While the mind and the mental faculties and the senses have their seat in the spirit body, yet the law that I speak of does not operate upon these faculties. This is apparent to every spirit, who knows from observation as well as from experience that the combined power of all these faculties cannot move a spirit body one step in the way of progress unless such faculties, in their influence upon the soul, have caused its condition to change (and this can be done in the matter of mere mental or moral advancement).

So I repeat, the condition of the soul determines the locality as well as the appearance of the spirit body. This Law of Attraction is so exact that, in its operations, there is no opportunity for chance to interpose and place the spirit body in a location which is not its by reason of the operation of this law.

So, when the spirit body enters the spirit world, it must go to and occupy the place which its enclosed soul condition determines that it shall occupy. No interposition of spirit friends, or love of parent or husband or child can prevent this destiny; although for a time, until the soul has really had an awakening as to its condition of severance from the mortal life, these relations or friends may retain the spirit body near the place of its entrance into the spirit life, even though that place be one of more beautiful surroundings and happiness than the one to which it is destined. But this situation does not last long, for the law works; and as the soul comes into full consciousness, it hears the call and must obey.

Thus you see, friends and loved ones in spirit life meet the newly arrived spirit with love and kindness and consolation; but the parting must come, and every soul must find its home as its own qualities have determined. And yet, the consolation mentioned is a real one; for in many instances, if it were not so, the lonely spirit would experience fear and bewilderment and all the unspeakable sensations of being deserted.

Then there comes a time when every soul must stand alone, and in its weakness or strength, realize that no other soul can bear its sorrow or take from its burdens or enter into its sufferings. And thus is realized the saying that each soul is its own keeper and is alone responsible for its own condition.

Of course in many cases the loving friends may visit that soul in its place of existence, and offer consolation and help and encouragement and instruction. But in some cases this cannot be, for as this soul is then laid bare to itself, all its deformities and sins and evil qualities come before it, thus throwing around it a wall, as it were, that prevents the good friends and loving ones from appearing to it.

And thus, the great Law of Attraction comes into operation again; for while these more elevated friends cannot come to that soul, yet other spirits of like soul and qualities may become its associates, and render such assistance as the blind can lead the blind in their movings about.

The above condition that I have described is the destiny of some souls shortly after becoming spirits, and it is a deplorable one. And you may think that such souls are deserted by the loving influences of God’s ministering spirits, and left all alone in the dreary places of their habitations; but such is not the case. For while they are deprived of the presence of the higher spirits, yet the influences of love and compassion are flowing from these spirits, and at some time, this will be felt by the lonely ones. And as these influences are felt, the poor souls will commence to have an awakening which will gradually cause the wall of their seclusion to disappear, until at some time, the higher spirits will find that they can manifest their presence to these unfortunate ones.

Besides this, every spirit, no matter how fallen, has a work to do, even though it may appear insignificant. And among these spirits of similar conditions, some are a little more progressed than others. By reason of a law which causes the more progressed to help the lesser, the latter are frequently helped from their low estate.

Now what I have last written applies, of course, to the spirits who are wicked and vile and without any soul development in the way of goodness. But a similar principle enters into the conditions of all the spirits in the earth plane, although the higher they are in that plane, the greater the opportunities they have for receiving help and progressing.

Of these latter, and the operation of the mental thoughts and moral qualities upon the condition and progress of the soul, I will write to you later.

I have written enough for tonight and, leaving you my love and blessings, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

Answer:

I am here Ann Rollins

Well, my dear grandson, I am here and desire to write awhile tonight about some things that are true, and to show you the workings of God’s Love among men and spirits.

I have had a great deal of experience, although I have not been in the spirit world a very long time as we count time (which we do not, but I merely use the expression so that you may understand what I mean).

I am, as I told you, in the Second Celestial Sphere where your wife and mother are also. In this sphere, all the inhabitants are spirits who have been redeemed by the Divine Love and Great Mercy of the Father, and by the Great Gift of Immortality which Jesus wrote you about the other night.

I am now so developed in my soul qualities that I realize that I am a part of the Father’s Divine Nature, and that I have those qualities of His nature in me that make me immortal, and which immortality can never more be taken from me. And what I say here applies to all the inhabitants of this sphere.

Of course, you will understand that there is yet more Love which we may obtain, because our progress in the Divine Love never ceases until we get into the very Presence of the Father and are able to see Him with our soul perceptions.

You cannot possibly understand this phase as you are now, but when you come to the place where I am now, you will. And in a way, it is even possible for you to comprehend this while in the mortal life, but not to the extent that you will when you become a spirit and live in this sphere.

Your mother and wife now have this quality of soul perception, but even among us there is a difference in comprehension of this. And I am told that, as I progress higher and receive more of this Love, this soul perception will become clearer and more satisfactory to me.

So when you hear us say that we are redeemed and have a part of the Divine Essence of the Father as our possession, you must understand that it is a comparative thing, and that we are not perfect. Even the Master is not perfect as God is Perfect, as he tells us. But he is progressing in the acquisition of this Love and in the increased power of this soul perception.

Until we reach the First Celestial Sphere, we have not a sufficient quantity of this Love to make us partakers of this Divine Nature of the Father in that degree that all the natural loves are absorbed by the Divine Love; for all below that sphere have more or less of the natural love which causes them to retain their worldly affections. I mean those things which tend to retard their progress.

Of course, our natural love for our relatives or friends does not leave us even after we reach the Celestial Spheres. But when we become inhabitants of these spheres, we have no interest in the affairs of earth or its government.

The Seventh Sphere is the one that divides those spirits who have merely intellectual or moral qualities developed to the highest degree, as it were, from those spirits who, in addition to mental and moral development, have their souls developed by the Divine Love of the Father.

No spirit who has not this Love can become an inhabitant of the Seventh Sphere. So when you hear of any of your spirit friends or acquaintances, or of any other spirits being in the Seventh Sphere, you will know that these spirits have received the Divine Love to an extent a little short of that which enables them to enter the First Celestial Sphere, and which makes them at-one with the Father, and hence, immortal.

The Sixth Sphere is one where the mental and moral qualities are developed to their greatest extent, and it is not necessary for the spirit to have his soul developed to any great extent in order to become an inhabitant of this Sphere. In other words, it is a Sphere which is given more especially to those spirits who have given more thought to the improvement of their minds and their moral qualities than to the development of their souls by obtaining the Divine Love of the Father. This Sphere is one of great happiness for these spirits of mental and moral excellence, and it is the highest that they can attain to in their progression in the spirit world.

Of course, these spirits may also receive this greater soul development, for the Divine Love is free and waiting for all of God’s children. But my observation has been that, when the spirits who find their happiness in purely mental pursuits or in the development of their moral natures get into this sphere, they seldom become dissatisfied enough with their condition of happiness to desire to seek for a greater one. In fact, the majority of them will not believe that there is any greater happiness that they can attain to, and hence the deadening satisfaction which possesses them.

I know it may be a little difficult for you to understand this matter as I have attempted to explain it, but what I have said is true. In the day of separation, these spirits will realize that fact; but then it will be too late to remedy their neglect or want of soul desire for the soul’s development that comes only by the inflowing of the Divine Love into the soul in sufficient abundance, and which is necessary to permit them to become inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom.

(question: what happens when a spirit first enters the spirit world?)

Well, when a spirit enters the spirit world, its condition of mental, moral or spiritual development determines where it shall first live. In the large majority of cases, the first home of the spirit is the earth plane; and in that, there are a number of planes, respectively higher or lower than the others. So, when the spirit finds itself in the earth plane, it also finds that its condition is not much different from what it was on earth. The same ideas of right and wrong, of beliefs, of affections and of desires obtain.

Sometimes, these conditions will last for many years; and at other times, the change will come comparatively soon. When spirits come over, this change of condition frequently depends upon the friends or relatives who try to help and instruct them.

If such spirit helpers are themselves developed in the line of intellectual pursuits, they will more naturally endeavor to direct the newly arrived spirit along the same lines of thought and aspirations. Likewise, the morally developed helpers will make the questions of morality the important ones for the new spirits to give attention to. And so with the spiritual helpers, or those who have received the Love of the Father in their souls, and to whom such Love is the most important thing in all the spirit world. Naturally, they will endeavor to instruct the spirit in matters pertaining to this Love and the increased development of It.

So you see, much depends upon the helpers which the new spirit finds waiting its advent into the spirit world, and the instructions which such spirit helpers give it. But more depends upon the condition of the spirit itself. As I have said, when it comes into the spirit world, the spirit brings with it all its beliefs, desires and affections; and these respective qualities, to a more or less extent, will influence the directions of its progress. It is much easier to influence a spirit who, while on earth, has had awakened in him a love of God, even to that small degree, which encourages him to pursue the thoughts that will lead him into spiritual ways, than it is to persuade one who has never had that awakening.

And so with the spirit who, while on earth, gave his studies and thoughts to mental pursuits to the exclusion of thoughts relating to God or to religious matters. Such a spirit will naturally be attracted to those things which it considers a continuation of its earthly thoughts, or which will enable it to pursue the development of those thoughts; and consequently they are its “treasures” which necessarily have the most of its affections. And from these affections will arise its desires which, unless something greater intervenes, will cause it to follow the course of these desires.

And the same principle can be applied to every condition of the spirit: mental, moral, or spiritual.

Now to the point of your question. Such spirit, following the natural inclination of its condition, as I have explained, will endeavor in its progress to get into that sphere where there are afforded the greatest opportunities for the development of the particular phase of its condition which constitutes its chief motive force. And this is in accordance with a spiritual law.

The spirit desiring the development of its mental qualities above all else will naturally seek that sphere where these qualities have the greatest opportunity for such development. And so with the moralist and the spirit of religious thought.

Now, God, in His Great Wisdom and Goodness, has provided these several spheres, and has made them suited for the purposes of their creation. And all the spirits have the choice as to which they will enter and seek to live in. But, of course, not only one sphere of its kind is provided, but there are several so provided so that there may be progression on the part of spirits who have these several phases of desires and attractions.

The Second, the Fourth, and the Sixth Spheres are appropriated for those spirits who have more of the qualifications and desires for advancement in their mental and moral pursuits, or rather, for the development of those qualities they possess which pertain more to their mental and moral natures.

Of course, in their progress from the lowest to the respective higher spheres that I have mentioned, spirits must pass through the intervening spheres. But they do not linger in them or seek to make them their homes, or stay in them for their development because, in these intervening spheres, the qualities which these spirits are attempting to develop are not given much attention, and these spirits would not be benefitted much by remaining in these spheres. But the fact of passing through these intervening spheres does not indicate that these spirits, in so passing, receive any additional love or development of their soul qualities in any degree, for the contrary is true. Thus, a spirit in the Third Sphere, possessing the Divine Love, may have more soul development than one who lives in the Sixth Sphere who has not the Divine Love.

And so, in contrast to the Second, Fourth and Sixth Spheres that I have named, the Third, Fifth and Seventh Spheres are the ones appropriated to, and specially prepared for, the spirits who are seeking the development of the Divine Love into their souls. And in these latter Spheres, the Divine Love is the greatest thing that is sought for and acquired.

The spirits of these spheres may be just as highly developed in their mental and moral qualities as are those before described, and frequently they are more so; for with the soul development in the Divine Love (strange as it may seem to you) comes mental and moral development. But this development of the mind is not the chief thing for which these spirits seek. With them, every desire and aspiration is subordinated to their great efforts to obtain this Divine Love to the highest degree. Ever and ever are these spirits seeking for It, and they have never become satisfied, in contrast to those who merely seek the mental and natural love development.

As I have said, beyond the Sixth Sphere these merely mental or moral seekers cannot progress, unless they seek for the Divine Love; and in the Sixth Sphere, the mind’s zenith of happiness is reached.

The Sixth Sphere is a more prolific one of probation, in the sense that many more of these spirits are awakened to the necessity of seeking this soul development than are spirits of any of the lower spheres – because, after some of these spirits have been there for a long time, they commence to realize this limitation to their mental happiness. And strange as it may seem to you, they frequently make their first start by calling up the recollections of their childhood days, when they were taught and believed that God loved them, and that His Love was the greatest thing in all the world. So you see here illustrated, in a way you probably never have thought of, the saying of Jesus that “Except ye become as little children, ye can in no wise enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Many of these spirits have no childhood recollections of this kind, and then comes the work of the higher spirits who have been redeemed by this Great Love of the Father.

In all this, you will see how God recognizes and respects the independent will of His creatures. He does not force them to seek His Love, but waits until they learn by their own experience that what they once thought was all-sufficient for their happiness is not sufficient; and realizing this insufficiency, they become dissatisfied; and with such dissatisfaction comes the wish to learn the great unknown of desire which, at last, causes them to feel their dependence upon a Source of happiness not emanating from themselves.

Thus, my dear son, in my imperfect way I have attempted to give you a description of the several spheres, and their character, and the object of their creation.

You must believe what I have told you, for it is true. In believing, you will see the great advantage in striving to enter the spheres of the soul, or the Divine Heavens; for in doing so, you will not only gain your soul’s development, but also the development of your mental qualities, and your moral nature also. And thus you will understand the great saying of the Bible: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Well, I have written you a long letter and must stop. So, with all the love of a devoted grandmother, I will say good night.
Ann Rollins

Answer:

I am your friend and brother in spirit-the Christ Spirit made manifest in my soul-Jesus of the Bible and master of the Celestial Heavens.

I am aware of the ideas you and __(name)__ shared about why I do not appear to people on earth in these days, and many thoughts have been given to you by your celestial guardians and by your own soul’s wisdom.

I can very well imagine an appearance would cause chaos in some places, total rejection as a scam in other locations; as there are magicians who can make the statue of liberty disappear, it wouldn’t be difficult for people to disbelieve an appearance as being real or valid, or even who I claim to be.

Every faith, every race, every different ethnic division has its own idea about how I look, what nationality I am, what I might say if or when I “return”. If they see me in what they might interpret as materialized in a flesh body, some might consider this my “second coming”. And as you are aware, my second coming has already occurred-in the second revealment of the Truth of the availability of God’s Love to the souls of His prayerful children.

Such an interpretation of an appearance would detract from the importance of my message; in fact, because of the disbelief, my message would not even be heard-because people would think I’ve come to take up the righteous with me into heaven, and cast out the disbelievers into the pits of despair. They believe they would be saved because of their belief in my name, in my sacrifice for their sins. They would be disappointed, to say the least, if I were to appear and not take them up, since they have been waiting for so long for this to happen.

So, if I were to appear, and some did believe that I am who I claim to be, and if I was able to convince them that I was not God, and that they need to turn to God in prayer for His Grace (Divine Love) in order to progress spiritually, would that bring an immediate change in their lives?

I don’t think so. They would be disappointed that I would not be able to save them from their unhappiness. People, for the most part, really want to make someone else responsible for their imperfections; even though they may accept the fact that there is no royal road to achieving spiritual excellence, they tend to wish it was an easier pathway.

If they become humble, and put themselves into God’s loving care, they are well on their way to fulfilling their spiritual goals. But the mind of human beings tends to want to be in control of their direction in life-their choices which they’ve decided are “best” for them. Most of these choices involve the making of more money, the acquiring of a different partner, moving away from their current hardships, or some materially oriented consideration, which do not include prayer or humility, and least of all a turning over of their life to their maker.

Ask ___(name)___ if he’s willing to accept the consequences of my appearance? Would he be willing to leave his name and number for anyone to contact, to answer their concerns about how they react to such an event?

When I am convinced by a large majority of people on earth who are progressing in the Divine Love, and have peace and fortitude, the strength and patience needed to sustain their ability to satisfy people’s unsettledness over the second coming, or the appearance of someone who calls himself Jesus of Nazareth who supposedly appeared out of thin air, who said someone was healed because he performed a miraculous healing on them, then there could be a possibility I could make an appearance. But in these days, with the widespread unrest, with the widespread variance of beliefs, I cannot see it as a solve-all questions kind of thing to do.

You are aware of the fact that two so-called Christian religions have been at war with one another for some 300 years. Which side would decide that I am the real Jesus? Which side wouldn’t? I can’t imagine my appearance would stop them from fighting.

Men’s minds are like cement; even though when the ideas are first mixed up there is a chance they can be molded to fit a particular belief or situation , but once it becomes set, it is very difficult to change. And after 300 years of inherited ideas being cemented in one’s mind and passed down to others, it becomes established as a “fact of life”, which loathes to change or be asked to take on new ideas, or can you imagine… “agree with one another, that since we both look upon Jesus the Christ as our leader, and he would appear before us, we would accept what he says and stop our centuries-old warfare”… If I thought for one minute this feud would be resolved with an appearance by me, I would not hesitate to make the attempt.

But knowing the nature of human beings, and their tendencies to blame others for their shortcomings, and their desires for a quick-fix, so to speak, in regard to getting them out of their present condition of hopelessness, the event of an appearance by me would not resolve these problems, and may even intensify them because of some inexplicable twist of human nature.

Whenever an opportunity arises in which I see that my presence would be of benefit to my Father’s children, I will make an appearance. Even though I made the statement that I would never appear in the flesh, you will have to realize that a materialization of my spirit body is not a flesh body.

Some believers think I will come again in the flesh; this will never happen. They even think I went to heaven in my flesh body-how absurd!

I have made appearances on many occasions, mostly to God’s gentle children who are making the transition from earth to spirit life. Some can see me, and others sense my presence. There are stories of “seeing the light”; oftentimes these bright energies are Celestial Beings, come to escort the new spirit to a resting place.

The time will come when it may be appropriate for me to appear, but that time is not yet here. And you know that I am with you much of the time, and you do not have to see me to believe that. I am here with you, and guiding you and giving you my overwhelming love and protection and blessings.

I sincerely do hope ___(name)___ will feel some satisfaction from this answer I’ve tried to give. He may still think it would change the world if I did some miraculous thing, but my sensibilities and sensitivities and wisdom tell me otherwise.

I will leave you now with these thoughts, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

I am your friend and brother in spirit who leaves you now with my blessings for a harmonious and productive week ahead.

Jesus of the Bible, and master of the Celestial Heavens

(07/20/96 – Jesus – KS)

Answer:

I am here now to write my dear sister in Christ, and I come to you again this evening to deliver my thoughts through you in writing and to do my best to satisfy A.’s question. I am you friend and brother in Spirit, Jesus of the Bible and Master of the Celestial Heavens. I welcome this opportunity you are giving me to convey my thoughts in this way.

A. is correct in his understanding that he will not be able to grasp the concept of timelessness until he is an inhabitant of the spirit world. However you, even on earth, always live in the present. There is no other time in which you can exist, only now at this very moment.

Progress is real. Change is the Law Eternal. But no matter how much one progresses or changes, the live in the “present” at all times.

When one becomes a spirit, as you have been told, they can assume the identity of themselves at any age they choose. They can even become a child again in appearance in order to identify themselves to someone, as that person may have known them.

We can see trends and “imagine” what will happen in time to come when events continue to unfold in the manner and direction in which they are presently taking place. So, if we are able to go back in time, and see forward also, that may give you a hint of timelessness.

We do not get older in our appearances as spirits, unless we decide to change our appearance for some specific reason.

You have heard the statement that a thousand years are but a day to God. God is timeless; He always has existed, and shall always exist. So, when we become At-One with God in His Substance of Love, we too shall be timeless and Immortal.

As you receive more and more of God’s Grace of Love into your soul, It will enhance the quality of your mind and brain so you will be able to function on a higher spiritual level. Then you can direct your prayers to ask God to help you understand the concept of timelessness as it pertains in the spirit world.

As long as there are human limitations on the mind, there will be a lack of ability to grasp higher spiritual concepts and functioning. But, as you see, it is not essential that a mortal understand “timelessness” in order to progress spiritually. So, as you continue taking your steps, receiving more Love, having faith that God’s plan is good, then you will feel fulfilled in your soul. You will be happy and wise and you can say to yourself, ‘When the time is right for me to understand this, I will.’

In the meantime, I will pray for more Love to fill my soul. I will do whatever I can to help others learn more about the availability of this great Love and strive to become a better example of It made manifest in my soul.

K’s question: Is there something I should know about Mama’s physical condition and what can I do to help her more?

Jesus: No, my dear sister, as you realize, death is a part of life’s experience and a person is born into a new and more beautiful life. Just continue to do what you can to make her comfortable and pray with her. Talk to her about the beauties of the spirit life and always remember that what so many believe is the end of a person’s life is really the beginning of a more wonderful life. Be patient. Pray more. Do not worry. Have faith in God’s Laws to work unfailingly. He takes care of His children at all times, on all levels. Put yourself into His Care and trust Him to care for you.

Keep up the good care you have been giving your mother. Prepare yourself for the event of her passing through prayer and accepting the goodness of transition and you will find that it will proceed O.K. We will be with you giving you “our” love and blessings. You will never be alone.

We cannot intervene on all levels where free will is active, but we are there for those who want our help and ask for it. We need your permission to intervene before we can do it.

Keep up your good prayers. They help more than you know. You will get through this difficult time more easily by not fighting the forces at work, which, of course, would be a futile effort.

I will leave you now with my blessings and thank you again for allowing me to deliver my thoughts in this way. I hope I may have shed some light upon A.’s question.

God bless you my beloved coworkers, each and every one. I am your friend and brother in Spirit,

Jesus of the Bible, and Master of the Celestial Heavens.

(10/09/96 – Jesus – KS)

Answer: (received from John the Apostle through James E. Padgett in the early 1900’s)

In summary, the “Book of Revelation” is only a mere allegory of some writer(s), and is no longer the original text that John the Apostle wrote.

I am here, John

I was with you tonight and heard the sermon of the preacher on heaven and what it is. And as his text was founded on some expressions in a book of the Bible ascribed to me (and which I did write, though not just as is contained in the Bible) I thought it meet that I should come and write to you as to the truth of the sermon, and as to the value of the book as descriptive or suggestive of what heaven is, and what its appearances are. Also, what the spirits of the redeemed are doing in what the preacher designated as service.

Well, I first want to say that, while I did write a book of the nature of the one in the Bible named Revelation, yet this one does not contain my writings to any great extent, nor are my ideas set forth or followed in this Book of Revelation. As you may now know, in my time, and for a long time previous, the Jewish writers, because of the great troubles and persecutions their nation was undergoing, were accustomed to writing books in the nature of the one contained in the Bible, and called them “Revelations.” It was for the purpose of encouraging their people to believe that all the wrongs that they were suffering would be “avenged” by God, and that their enemies would be made to suffer and would be destroyed; and that in the end, their nation would be rescued from its condition of servitude and sufferings, and would become the ruling nation of the earth. And these writings were accepted by the Jews as having the authority of Divine inspiration, and of conveying to their nation the truths of God, and the promises of His intervening in their behalf. The writings were always ascribed to some prophet, seer, or man of God who had the special privilege of coming in contact with God, or some of His angels, through the mysterious and sacred means of visions.

Of course, these writings were merely intended to encourage the Jews to establish their faith in God, and in the belief that He would send them a Messiah who would have the power to redeem them from the punishments and thralldom that they were undergoing as a result of the tyranny and strength of their heathen captors and persecutors. These writings were always prophetic, and held forth promises for the future, without ever attempting to fix a time for their fulfillment, or for the ending of the nation’s woes and the coming of its deliverer. So as time went on, and the promises were not fulfilled, hope continued to exist and the belief of the Jews was not lessened; and non-fulfillment was explained by the further belief that the time for the consummation of their eagerly wished for expectations had not yet arrived. It was accepted that God was All-Knowing as well as All-Powerful and careful for their race, and that He, and He Alone, understood just when the proper and fitting time should arrive.

This hope upon hope was a wonderful force in keeping up the beliefs and expectations of the Jews; it was so effective that to this day the Jews remain a nation, or rather a race, in belief and expectation of this coming Messiah. But alas, as they did not recognize and accept him when he did appear, they will never again see his appearance. For he will never come as their Messiah, as expected of old, but will come only as the great teacher and redeemer, not only of their race but also of all the peoples of the earth. He has already come as such a redeemer, and he is working now to lead men to the true and only Way to Life and Happiness and Immortality. But never will any Messiah come to the Jews to establish them on earth as a great and chosen nation, as nearly all of them believe and still look for.

Thus as I say, many books or manuscripts were written by the claimed Jewish prophets, holding forth to the Jews the results of visions claimed to have been experienced by these writers. But as the prophecies have never been fulfilled in the sense that the Jews understood them, neither will they be fulfilled in the future, for their value has no reality.

This custom, as I may call it, continued from these early times down to the time in which I lived and wrote. And my book of prophecy was written by me, not with the purpose of establishing the Jews as a nation on earth, or causing them to believe that their hopes or longings would be fulfilled, but for the purpose of encouraging the Christians to believe that, notwithstanding their persecution and sufferings and martyrdom, they would find joy and peace and heaven in the future life, when they should meet the Master and the “saints.” And in my writings, nothing was said about the “wrath” of God being visited upon the persecutors of the Christians, or of such persecutors having to go into a hell of “fire and brimstone” so that, from that fact, the happiness of the redeemed would be increased.

My writings have been added to, and all kinds of grotesque imagery interpolated, so that the whole design and purpose of my writings was changed and destroyed. The present Book of Revelation is only a mere allegory of some one or more writers who were gifted with some knowledge of the Christian teachings, and who had exotic imaginations.

This present book is of no value. On the contrary, it is doing much harm to the cause of the Truth as taught by the Master, as we who are in the Celestial Heavens and who have knowledge of things heavenly as well as things earthly know to be the fact. It should not be accepted as a Truth or the revelation of Truths, nor should it be believed in for any purpose. It has led many good men and honest and earnest seekers after the Truth astray, and it has caused them to believe and teach false doctrines that have resulted in much darkness and stagnation in the development of human souls in their longings for the Truth. So I say, let men entirely discard its teachings, and any and all lessons that the preachers, or others who think that they can understand its meaning, attempt to teach.

The writings that I gave to my people, of the kind mentioned, have long ago served their purpose. And the writings called Revelation contain in them no truth that will help mankind to the Heavenly Kingdom, or to their eternal happiness and at-onement with the Father. Let them die the death of a falsehood, born out of time.

I also was interested in the struggle of the preacher to explain what heaven is, and what his people, who may consider themselves to be redeemed children of God, will find when they become inhabitants of that heaven.

Well, he spoke truly when he said heaven is a place as well as a condition. For it is inconceivable that any condition of the spirit of a mortal could exist unless there were a place where that spirit could find a habitation. All space in the Universe of God is a place, or space that contains places where things of existence must find localities. There is no such thing as a vacuum in God’s Economy. All parts of space are fitted with something having substance, either material or spiritual; and wherever such substance is, there is a place for its abiding. Yes, heaven is a place, or a number of places. The preacher is far from having the true conception of heaven when he supposes it is one large place where all believers go after death, irrespective of their condition of soul and moral perfections. As I say, there are many heavens and many places, all real and substantial, as are the different stories and rooms in your homes of earth. And the partitions, if I may so call them, between these different places are just as impassable for spirits who have not the proper qualifications to pass through, as are the partition walls between the various rooms in your earth homes for you mortals to pass through. These places are distinctive; and the many mansions that the preacher referred to are situated in many heavens, or more correctly, many spheres of the heavens. Strictly speaking, there are two heavens in God’s Spirit Universe; namely, the heavens of the redeemed and transformed soul by the Divine Love, called the Celestial Heavens, and the heavens of the restored, perfect man, called the Spiritual Heavens. Each and all of them are places of real perfection and substance.

As one star differs from another star in glory, so these several heavens within heavens differ from one another in glory and appearance, and in those things which help to make the mansions of their inhabitants beautiful and attractive and glorious.

It would take too long for me to attempt to describe any of these heavens, for they each and all excel any conception that the mortal is capable of having. But I will say this: that there are no streets of gold or pearly gates, or suns or stars in any of them. Only the Light of God’s Love and Mercy illuminates them.

I will postpone my further writing, but will come very soon and complete what I intended to say about the sermon of the preacher. I will also attempt to describe the real appearances of some of the heavens, and what service the redeemed children of God render when they come to the spirit world.

So my dear brother, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

(The above excerpt was received by James Padgett and taken from Chapter 8, “The Kingdom of the Perfect Natural Man – the Spiritual Heavens”, pp. 162-165 of Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

Answer: In short, the angels say there is no such thing as reincarnation. Some of you may not believe, like or understand this answer. We encourage you to read explanations in the angelic messages from Luke and Jesus, and pray and mediate on them.

I am here, Luke

I want to tell you tonight of the mystery of the birth of the soul in the human being.

All souls which enter into mortal bodies, previous to such advent, are real, living existences, and made in the likeness of the Great Soul, though not having the Qualities and Potentialities of that Soul; and also, not having the form of individualized personality that they have after they become parts of the composition or form of the mortal and spiritual bodies of human beings.

In its existence prior to becoming an indweller in the mortal body, the soul has a consciousness of its existence, and of its relationship to God and to other parts of the Great Soul, and more especially, of the duplex character of its being; and by this I mean the sexual differences in the two parts of the soul, which in the way that they are united, constitute the one complete soul.

When the time comes for this soul to become an indweller in the mortal frame, the two parts that I speak of separate, and at the same time, only one of the parts enters into a mortal, and never both parts into the same mortal. And while this separation is necessary for the individualization of each part of this one complete soul, yet the two parts never lose that interrelationship, or the binding qualities that existed before their separation, and which continue to exist thereafter. And in the great future, after the work of individualization shall be completed, the two parts will come together again and reunite in a complete one.

This separation may exist a longer or shorter time, depending upon the similar development of those similar qualities that is absolutely necessary in order that this coming together in the original one, as it were, may take place.

As I have said, before its separation, this soul has a consciousness of its existence. And when its duplex character leaves it, or rather, it becomes two separated parts, thereafter, until its reentrance into the spirit world, this soul does not again return to these parts. But in order to regain this consciousness, it is not necessary that both of these parts shall come again into the spirit life at the same time. For if one part becomes a spirit, free from the physical body, and the other part remains in the mortal body, that part that comes into the spirit world may receive the awakening to this consciousness, depending upon certain conditions and developments.

It often happens that both these parts will return to the spirit world, and yet for a long time live as spirits without having a restoration of this consciousness, because of various reasons that may exist. The conditions of the development of the two parts may be so vastly different that the realization of this consciousness may be wholly impossible. And very often it is the case that, when these two individualized parts are informed that they are the soulmates of each other, they will not believe that information, and will live on in utter indifference to that fact.

But ultimately, the consciousness of their relationship will come to them, because their development, no matter whether intellectual or spiritual, will tend towards the awakening of this consciousness which is always present with them, although dormant.

Now, as to what this soul is in its constituent parts or shape or form, prior to its separation for the purpose of becoming an inhabitant of the mortal body, we spirits are not informed and do not know. We are often present at the conception and also the birth of a child, and realize that a soul has become enveloped in the flesh. But we cannot see that soul as it enters into that home of mortal environment because, as to us, it is invisible and has no form. But after its lodgment in the human body, we can perceive it and realize its existence, for it then assumes a form; and that form varies in different incarnations – that is, in the incarnations in different humans.

We have never seen the Soul of God, although we know that there is this Great Oversoul. Hence, we cannot see the soul of any image of the Great Soul, until it becomes, as I say, individualized.

I know that men have often wondered and asked the question as to the preexistence of the soul that has been incarnated, and what qualities and attributes it had during its preexistence. And as to these particulars, I wish to say that, although we are inhabitants of God’s Celestial Heavens, we spirits have little information; though we know that the soul – and I mean the complete soul in oneness – has an existence prior to its becoming individualized. You may ask how we know this. Well, it will be hard to explain this to you so that you may comprehend. But this I can say: that by our soul perceptions, we spirits of the higher soul development can understand the existence of these souls as images of the Great Soul. And the qualities of these images are such that, while we cannot sensibly, as you would say, see these souls or their qualities, yet we are conscious of their existence. To use an illustration that is not altogether appropriate: You understand that the wind blows, yet you cannot see it.

And we further understand, and such is the result of our observation, that when the soul – and keep in mind that I mean the two parts when I say soul – once becomes incarnated and assumes an individualized form, it never thereafter loses that individuality. Hence, it never again returns to its condition of preexistence, and can never again become reincarnated in the existence of any human being.

There is no such thing as reincarnation. All the theories and speculations of men upon that question, which conclude that a soul once incarnated can again become incarnated, are wrong. For the incarnation of a soul is only one step in its destined progress from an invisible, formless existence to a glorious angel, or to a perfected spirit. In this progress, a soul never retraces its steps. It is always progressing, though sometimes stagnation takes place. But it continues as an individualized spirit until it reaches its goal in fulfillment of the Father’s Plan for the perfecting of His Universe.

This is a subject that is difficult of treatment for several reasons, among which is the fact that we spirits, no matter how high our attainments, do not have the information in order to give a full and complete description of the soul and its qualities prior to its incarnation; and you mortals are not capable of comprehending the full truth, as we may try to convey it to you.

I have made this effort to give you some faint idea of the soul, as you are in good condition tonight to receive my ideas. But I realize how inadequate my attempt has proved to be. But from it, you can understand that the soul has an existence prior to its finding its home in the physical body; that it is duplex and has a consciousness of the relationship of its two parts; that after it has received the experience of the mortal life and received an individuality, it returns to the spirit world; that, at some time, that consciousness will come to it again, and that the two parts will become one unless, in the development of these separate parts, barriers have arisen that may prevent their reuniting. And further, that this soul will never again retrace the steps of its progression and become reincarnated.

I will now close, and with my love and blessings, say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke

(The above excerpt was received by James Padgett and taken from Chapter 10, “The Soul of Man”, pp. 200-202 of Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

Answer:

Below is an excerpt from an Angelic Message in which “Jesus Declares That He is Not God or to be Worshipped as God, and He Explains What His True Mission Was. These Messages That Mr. Padgett Is Receiving Are His New Gospel to All Men, Both Mortals and Spirits.”

I am here, Jesus.

I come tonight because I see that you are lonesome and feel the need of companionship. I come to you as a brother and friend to cheer you and make you feel that, although you have no mortal friend with you, yet you have a friend in the spirit who is closer than a mortal brother, and who loves you with a deep and abiding love.

Today has been one in which the people of your land have celebrated what they suppose is my birthday. They have also worshipped me as one of the “Triune Godhead,” as they believe. But as I have told you before, such worship is all wrong and is very distasteful to me. It only makes me the more anxious and determined that this great falsehood shall be exposed and not believed in any longer.

There is only one God, and that is the Father. He alone must be worshipped, for He alone can save mortals from the result of their sins, and from the consequences of the great fall of the first parents. I do not want men to look upon me as anything more than an elder brother who is filled with the Divine Love of the Father, and is very close to Him in the qualities of Love and faith.

I am a spirit who is possessed of a knowledge of the attributes of the Father that no other spirit has; yet I am only one of his children, as you and the rest of mankind are. And for my own brothers to worship me as God makes me very unhappy, seeing that they can have such little knowledge of the Truths of the Father.

Tomorrow, this worship and praise will be continued, and I must look upon it with all the distaste that I have, realizing that I am not able to set men aright in their beliefs and worship. Oh, I tell you, the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few! But very soon, I hope this truth of the Oneness of God and the brotherhood of myself with all humanity may be revealed to mankind, through the messages that you may receive and transmit to men.

The one great Truth that is the foundation of men’s salvation is the New Birth, and the fact that the Divine Love of the Father is waiting for every man to let It enter his soul and make him at-one with the Father.

I am with you very often and am trying to impress you with the great necessity of having these Truths revealed, as men’s souls are longing for the Truth. Their intellects are dissatisfied with the present teachings of theology and with the sayings of the Bible in many places. While this is to be deplored, yet the time will come when the light that I came into the world to disclose will shine for every man who may come within the reach of my teachings….

(The above excerpt was received by James Padgett and taken from Chapter 11, Sin and Error, pp. 212-213 of Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

***

Jesus states he is not God and was not worshipped as God when on earth…

I am here, Jesus.

When I was on earth, I was not worshipped as God. I was considered merely as the son of God in the sense that in me were imposed the Truths of my Father, and many of His wonderful and mysterious Powers. I did not proclaim myself to be God. Neither did I permit any of my disciples to believe that I was God, but only that I was His beloved son, sent to proclaim His Truths to mankind and to show them the Way to the Love of the Father. I was not different from other men, except that I possessed this Love of God to a degree which made me free from sin, and prevented the evils that formed a part of the nature of men from becoming a part of my nature.

No man who believes that I am God has a knowledge of the truth or is obeying the Commandments of God by worshipping me. Such worshipers are blaspheming and are doing the cause of God and my teachings a great injury. Many a man would have become a true believer in, and worshiper of the Father, and a follower of my teachings, had not this blasphemous dogma been interpolated into the Bible. It was not with my authority or in consequence of my teachings that such a very injurious doctrine was promulgated or believed in.

I am only a son of my Father, as you are; and while I was always free from sin and error as regards the true conception of my Father’s true relationship to mankind, yet you are His son also. And if you will seek earnestly and pray to the Father with faith, you may become as free from sin and error as I was then, and am now.

The Father is Himself, Alone. There is no other god besides Him, and no other god to be worshipped. I am His teacher of Truth, and am the Way, the Truth, and the Life because there are those qualities of goodness and knowledge in me which fit me to show the Way and lead men to eternal life in the Father, and to teach them that God has prepared a Kingdom in which they may live forever, if they so desire. But notwithstanding my teachings, men and those who have assumed high places in what is called the Christian church imposed doctrines so at variance with the truth that, in these latter days, many men, in the exercise of an enlightened freedom and of reason, have become infidels and turned away from God and His Love, and have thought and taught that man, himself, is sufficient for his own salvation.

The time has come when these men must be taught to know that, while the teachings of these professed authorities on the truths of God are all wrong, they – these same men – are in error when they refuse to believe in God, and my teachings. What my teachings are, I know, is difficult to understand from the writings of the New Testament; for many things contained therein I never said, and many things that I did say are not written therein.

I am now going to give to the world the Truths as I taught them when on earth, and many that I never disclosed to my disciples or inspired others to write.

No man can come to the Father’s Love except he be born again. This is the great and fundamental truth which men must learn and believe. For without this New Birth, men cannot partake of the Divine Essence of God’s Love, which, when possessed by a man, makes him at-one with the Father. This Love comes to man by the workings of the Holy Ghost, causing this Love to flow into the heart and soul and fill it so that all sin and error must be eradicated.

I am not going to tell just how this working of the Spirit operates tonight. But I say, if a man will pray to the Father and believe, and earnestly ask that this Love be given him, he will receive It; and when It comes into his soul, he will realize it.

Let not men think that they can come into this union with the Father by any effort of their own, because they cannot. No river can rise higher than its source. And no man who has only the natural love and is filled with error can, of his own powers, cause that natural love to partake of the Divine, or cause his nature to be relieved of such sin and error.

Man is a mere creature and cannot create anything higher than himself; so man cannot rise to the Nature of the Divine unless the Divine first comes into that man and makes him a part of Its own Divinity.

All men who do not get a part of this Divine essence will be left in their natural state. And while they may progress to higher degrees of goodness, and freedom from sin and from everything that tends to make them unhappy, yet they will still be only natural men.

I came into the world to show men the way to this Divine Love of the Father and to teach them His spiritual truths, and my mission was that in all its perfection. And incidentally, I came to teach them the way to greater happiness on earth, as well as in the spirit world, by teaching them the way to the purification of the natural love, even though they might choose to neglect to seek for and obtain this Divine Love, and become one with the Father.

Let men ponder this momentous question, and they will learn that the happiness of the natural man and the happiness of the man who has obtained the attributes of Divinity are very different, and in all eternity must be separate and distinct.

My teachings are not very hard to understand and follow. And if men will only listen to them and believe them and follow them, they will learn the Way and obtain the one perfect state of happiness which the Father has prepared for His children. No man can obtain this state of Celestial bliss unless he first gets this Divine Love of the Father, and so becomes at-one with the Father.

I know it is thought and taught that morality and correct living and great natural love will assure a man’s future happiness, and this is true to a degree. But this happiness is not that greater happiness which God desires His children to have, nor does it show the Way to that greater happiness which I came to earth to teach.

But my Truths found a lodgment in some hearts and minds, and they were preserved to save mankind from total spiritual darkness and a relapse into worship of form and ceremony only.

I have written this to show you that you must not let the teachings of the Bible, and what men wrote or professed to have written therein, keep you from receiving and understanding what I write.

I shall write no more tonight, but I will continue to tell you the Truths which will be my New Gospel to all men. And when they have heard my messages, they will believe that there is only one God – and only one to be worshipped.

With my love and blessings, I will close for this time.

Jesus.

(The above Angelic Message was received by James Padgett and taken from Ch. 3, “The Truths Surrounding the Birth and Life of Jesus of Nazareth”, pp. 68-71, Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I.. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

Answer:

I am here, Paul

I have written to you before on my alleged writings as they are contained in the Bible, and which, as I have said, were not written by me as they there appear.

I desire tonight to write for a short time on the subject of the resurrection, because, as I see, the church doctrine of the resurrection is founded more on what is ascribed to me than on the writings of the Gospels, although the latter also contain a basis for the doctrine.

I never said there would be a resurrection of the physical body, nor of the individual clothed in any body of flesh. My teachings were that man would rise in a spiritual body at death, and that it would not be a new one made for the special occasion of his departure from the material body, but would be one that had been with him through life and that came into an individualized form when he first became a living being. This spirit body is necessary to man’s existence, and it is that part of him which contains his senses and the seat of his reasoning powers.

Of course, the organs of the physical body are necessary for the utilization of these senses. Without these organs, there could be no manifestations of the senses which are inherent in the spirit body. Even if a man should lose the perfect workings of his physical organs of sight, yet the power of seeing would still exist in him, although he might not be able to realize that fact; and this same principle applies to the hearing and the other senses.

So, when man loses the use of his physical organs which are necessary for him to see with, he is dead as to sight – just as dead as he ever becomes with reference to all the other organs of sense when the whole physical body dies. And were it possible to restore these physical organs that are necessary to enable him to see or hear, he would be able to see and hear just as he could before their loss. The restoration of these organs does not, of itself, bring him the power to see and hear, but merely enables the faculties of sight and hearing to use the physical organs again for the purpose of manifesting the powers which are in, and a part of, the spirit body.

When the whole physical body dies, at the very time of death, the spirit body becomes resurrected; and with all these faculties of which I have spoken, it continues to live thereafter free and unencumbered from the material body, which, with these physical organs being destroyed, can no longer perform the objects of its creation. The physical body becomes dead, and thereafter, no resurrection of this body occurs, although its atomic elements or parts do not die. In the workings of God’s Laws, these elements enter upon other and new functionings, though never that of reuniting and re-forming the body that has died.

So the resurrection of the body, as taught by me, is the resurrection of the spiritual body – not from death, for it never dies, but from its envelopment in the material form which had been visible as a thing of apparent life.

There is a law controlling the uniting of the two bodies, and a law controlling the functioning of the powers and faculties of the spirit body through the organs of the physical body, that limits the extent of the operations of these spirit faculties to those things that are wholly material, or which have the appearance of the material. And when I say material, I mean that which is grosser or more compact than the spirit body. Thus, these faculties of sight of the spirit body can see what are called ghosts or apparitions, as well as the more material things through the organs of the material body, but never see things of pure spirit in this way. And when it is said that men or women see clairvoyantly, which they do, it is not meant, or is it a fact, that they see through the organs of the physical eyes. On the contrary, this clairvoyant sight is a purely spiritual one, and its workings are entirely independent of the material organs.

Now, when the material body dies, the spirit body becomes resurrected, as it is said, and free from all the limitations which its incarnation in the flesh had imposed. It is then able to use all its faculties without the limitations or help of the physical organs. And as regards the sight, everything in nature, both material and spiritual, becomes the object of its vision; and that which the limitations of the material organs prevented its seeing, and which is the unreal and non-existent to men, becomes the real and truly existing.

This, in short, is what I meant by the resurrection of the body. And you will realize from this that the resurrection is not to take place at some unknown day in the future, but at the very moment when the physical body dies and, as the Bible says, “in the twinkling of an eye” (This saying of the Bible attributed to me, I did write and teach). And this resurrection applies to all mankind; for all who have ever lived and died have been resurrected, and all who shall live hereafter and die will be resurrected.

But this resurrection is not the Great Resurrection I declared was the great foundation Truth of Christianity in my teachings. This is not the Resurrection of Jesus that I declared “without which is our faith as Christians vain,” but is the common resurrection that is applicable to all mankind of every nation and race, whether they have a knowledge of Jesus or not. And many times, in many nations, it has been demonstrated, even before the coming of Jesus, that men had died and appeared again as living spirits in the form of angels and men, and that they were recognized by mortal men as spirits who had had a previous earth existence.

So I say, this is the resurrection common to all men. The coming and death and resurrection of Jesus, as taught by the churches, did not bring the Great Resurrection to the knowledge or comfort of men, and did not furnish the true foundation upon which the true Christian belief and faith rest.

Many of the infidels, agnostics and spiritualists assert and claim (and truly) that the resurrection of Jesus, as above referred to, was not a new thing, and did not prove a future life to humanity any more convincingly than had been proved before his time by the experiences and observations of men and followers of other sects and faiths, and of no faiths at all.

The great weakness of the church today is that they claim and teach this resurrection of Jesus, as set forth above, as the foundation of their faith and existence. And as is plainly and painfully apparent to the churches themselves, that as men think for themselves (as they are doing more than ever in the history of the world), the result is that they refuse to believe in this resurrection as sufficient to show the superiority of Jesus’ coming and mission and teachings over those of other reformers and teachers who had preceded him in the world’s history of faiths and religions. And as a further result, the churches are losing their adherents and believers. Christianity is waning, and rapidly, and agnosticism is increasing and manifesting itself in the forms of free thought societies and secularism, etc.

Hence you will see the necessity of making known again to mankind the true foundation stone of the real Christianity that the Master came to teach; and which he did teach, but which was lost as his early followers disappeared from the scene of earthly action and practice, and men of less spiritual insight and more material desires, with their ambition for power and dominion, became the rulers and guides and interpreters of the church.

There is a Resurrection, though, that the Master taught, and his apostles taught when they came into a knowledge of it, and which I as a humble follower taught. This Resurrection is vital to man’s salvation, and is the foundation of true Christianity which no other man, angel or reformer has ever taught before or since.

It is too late tonight to explain this Resurrection, but I will come again very soon and try to make it plain to you and to the world.

I will now say good night. And may God bless you and keep you in His Care.
Your brother in Christ,
Paul

(The above Angelic Message was received by James Padgett and taken from Ch. 13, “The True Resurrection”, pp. 243-245, Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

Answer:

I am your friend and brother in love and desire for the Kingdom – I am the spirit of Henry Ward Beecher.

I live in the Seventh Sphere where your Father now is; and because of having met him there, I come to you tonight to write for a short time.

He has told me of you and how easily you receive the communications of the spirits, and I want to let you know that even though I am no longer the same as when on earth, I still have the same desire to make known to men the thoughts that arise in me concerning God and the relation of men to Him and His Kingdom.

I am now a believer in Jesus as I never was on earth. It may surprise you to know that, when on earth, no matter what I may have preached to my people, yet in my heart, I looked on Jesus as a mere man of the Jews, and not very different from others of the great reformers who had lived and taught on earth the moral truths which tended to make men better and caused them to live more correct and righteous lives.

But since I have been in the spirit world and have had the experiences which my life here has given me, and have found the Way to God’s Divine Love and to His Kingdom, I have learned and now know that Jesus was more than a mere reformer. He was not only a good and just teacher, and lived the life of such, but he was also the true son of God and His messenger in bringing to the world the truths of immortality and the Divine Love of the Father, and the Way to obtain It. He was truly the Way and the Truth and the Life as no other teacher before him ever was.

I know it is taught, and I believed it when on earth, that many religious and pagan teachers asserted and tried to teach the immortality of the soul to mankind; and as men understood the meaning of the word “immortality,” these teachings were more or less satisfactory. But I now see that their conception of immortality was merely a continuity of life after what is called death. How different the meaning is as thus taught, and the true meaning of the word!

Immortality means so much more than a mere continuation of life. It means not only a continuation of life but also a life that has the Divine Love or Essence of the Father in it, which makes the spirit who has that Love a Divinity itself and not the subject of death of any kind.

No mere spirit has this immortality just because it is continuing to live in the spirit world, and cannot conceive of any possibility that continuity of life can ever be arrested or ended. No such spirit knows that to be true, because it has never been demonstrated as a fact, and it cannot be until eternity has come to an end. Such spirit is no different in its essence and potentialities from what it was when enfolded in the flesh, and it has no greater reason for believing that it is immortal than it had when on earth.

A speculation and a proven fact are two entirely different things. Yet with some spirits, as well as with some men, speculation becomes almost as much a certainty as does a demonstrated fact. But there is no justification for relying upon conclusions drawn from mere speculation. In the great workings of eternity, the spirit or man who does so may find himself not only mistaken but also surprised beyond all conception at what eventualities such workings may bring forth.

So I say, before the coming of Jesus, immortality had not been brought to light, and could not have been, because it did not exist for mankind.

When I learned the true meaning of the word, I was as much surprised as men will be who may read this communication or hear its import. The hope of Socrates or of Plato or of Pythagoras was only a hope fortified by the reasonings of great minds, and supplemented by much development of soul qualities. But when all was said, it was only hope – knowledge was wanting. And even if they had realized that the spirits of departed men did return and communicate to them, and that there was no such thing as the death of the spirit or soul, yet such experiences did not prove anything to them beyond the fact that life was continuous for the time being.

As change is the law in the spirit world as well as on earth, they could not say with the certainty of knowledge that there might not be some change in the spirit world that would break or set aside the continuity of existence.

Take the young child when its intellect has not sufficiently developed to understand that there is such a thing as the death of the physical body. It believes, if it thinks at all, that it will continue to live forever on earth. And so with these philosophers who had the hope of a future continuous life; also with the spirits who know that there is a continuous life. Living after death, they think that living must be the fixed state and must, of necessity, continue forever. As I say, it has not been demonstrated that such life will continue forever; yet on the other hand, it has not been shown that it will not.

Hence, no spirit can say that it is immortal unless it partakes of the Divine Essence. And prior to the coming of Jesus, no wise philosopher or religious teacher could be said to have brought immortality to light.

While hope and speculation exist as the children of desire, yet knowledge is wanting and certainty is not so created. The immortality that men believed in and comforted themselves with believing in, then, was the immortality that hope created and speculation proved. And the experiences of men, in communicating with the spirits, showed that death had not annihilated the individual. But hope and speculation and experience did not create knowledge.

When Jesus came, he brought with him not only hope but also knowledge of the Truth. Not many men have comprehended it or understood the reason or foundation for such knowledge, and the reasoning faculties of men were not sufficient to show the true reasons of such knowledge. And strange as it may seem, the students and commentators of the Bible have never disclosed the true foundation upon which this knowledge exists.

I confess that in my life, while a great student of the Bible, I never comprehended the true meaning of how, or in what way, Jesus brought immortality to light. I thought, as many others do now, that his death and resurrection were the things that showed the reality of immortality to mankind. But these things showed no more, as I now see, than did the numerous instances recorded in the Old Testament and in the secular writings of the philosophers and adepts of India and Egypt, that there was an existence after so-called “death.”

Many who dispute the fact that Jesus brought immortality to light base their argument on this other fact: that he was only one of many who had died and afterwards came to mortals and showed that they still lived as spirits. So I say (and as I believed while on earth), the mere fact of Jesus’ resurrection does not prove immortality.

Then what have I learned immortality to be since I have been in the spirit world? My reasoning powers are much greater now than they were on earth, my perceptive faculties have become more keen, and my experience in the laws of the spirit world has given me great knowledge; but all these would not have given me the knowledge of immortality, of themselves, had not Jesus himself explained it to me, and demonstrated it by his own condition, and that of many spirits in the higher Spheres. Now, because of my present soul development, I am the possessor of that knowledge.

Only the Father is immortal. And only those to whom He gives His attributes of Immortality can become immortal as He is. Love is the great principle of immortality. By this, I mean the Divine Love of the Father, and not the natural love of the creature. And he who possesses this Divine Love becomes, as it were, a part of It; or It becomes a part of him, and in Its operations, makes him like unto the Father. In other words, a spirit who possesses this Divine Love becomes a part of Divinity itself, and consequently, immortal; and there is no possibility of his ever becoming deprived of this element of Divinity.

No spirit is immortal when there is any possibility of its being deprived of that immortality. Even God Himself, if He could be deprived of that great quality, would not be immortal. And just as it is impossible to take away this great attribute from the Father, so is it impossible for the spirit who has once obtained this Divine Love of the Father to lose its immortality.

So you see, immortality comes to a spirit only with the possession of the Divine Love; and that Love is not bestowed upon every spirit, but only upon those who seek for It in the Way shown by Jesus to mankind.

Death does not bring immortality to the mortal. Because his spirit survives his death, it does not follow that immortality becomes a part of his existence as a spirit.

So I say, when Jesus brought the knowledge to the world of the bestowal of this Divine Love of the Father upon mortals under certain conditions, and also showed mortals the Way in which that Great Gift might be obtained, he brought immortality and life to light. And before him, no man or spirit had brought these Great Gifts to light.

I am now a partaker of the Divine Love to a certain extent, and have the possibility before me of obtaining It to Its fullest extent, as promised by the Master to all who may seek for It in truth and with faith.

I did not intend to write so long a message at this time, and as I am enthusiastic on this subject, I find that I have trespassed upon your time and kindness longer than I realized.

So thanking you for your patience, I will stop now. But I hope that I may have the privilege of coming again at some time and writing.

With my kind regards, I am
Very truly yours,
Henry Ward Beecher

(The above Angelic Message was received by James Padgett and taken from Ch. 14, “Immortality”, pp. 261-265, Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume I. An electronic copy of Volume I can be found at www.truths.com)

Answer:

I am here, as I promised I would be last night, and will write on the subject of the incarnate soul.

In your studies of the different theories of the creation of man, you may have observed that the question has always arisen as to the relationship of the spiritual and the physical – that is, as to the soul and the material body. I know that many theories have been set forth as to how and when the soul became a part of the physical body, and what were the means adopted by the laws of nature, as they were called, for the lodgement of the soul into the human body; and, also, what was the relationship that one bore to the other. Of course, this applies only to those mortals who believe that there is a soul that is separate from teh mere physcial body in its existence and functioning. As to those who do not believe in the distinctive soul, I do not attempt to enlighten them. I leave them to realization of that fact when they shall have come into the spirit world and find themselves existing without such body, but really existing with the consciousness that they are souls.

When the physical body is created, it has no consciousness of its having been created. It is merely of the unconscious creations that are of the other material creatures of nature, and does not feel or sense the fact in any degree that it is a living thing, dependent upon the proper nourishment of its mother for growth and continued life in accordance with the laws of nature and the objects of its own creation. The father and mother, being necessary to the creation or formation of this merely animal production, know only that, in some way, there has come into existence an embryo thing that may eventuate into a human being like unto themselves. If this thing were allowed to remain without a soul, it would soon fail to fulfill the object of its creation. It would disintegrate into the elements of which it was formed, and mankind would cease to exist as inhabitants of the earth. This physical part of man is really, and only, the result of the commingling of those forces that are contained in the two sexes, and which, according to the laws of nature or of man’s creation, are suited to produce the one body fitted for the home of the soul that may be attracted to it in order to develop its individuality as a thing of life and possible immortality.

The result of this commingling is intended only as a temporary covering or protection for the growth of the real being, and does not in any way limit or influence the continuous existence of the soul. And when the physical body’s functions have ended, the soul, which has then become individualized, continues its life in new surroundings and in gradual progression: and the mere physical instrument that was used for its individualization is disseminated into the elements that once formed its appearance and substance. As this body was called from the elements for a certain purpose, when that purpose shall have been served, it returns to these elements.

This body, of itself, has neither consciousness nor sensation, and, in the beginning, has only the borrowed life of its parents. Then, when the soul finds its lodgment, it has only the life of the soul. For the human life can exist only so long as the soul inhabits the body. And, after such habitation commences, the borrowed life of the parents ceases to exercise any influence of directing force on the body. This, then, is really the true description of the physical body. And if it were all fo man, he would perish with its death and cease to exist as a part fo the Creation of the Universe of God.

But the soul is the vital, living and never dying part of man – is really the man – and the only thing that was intended to continue an existence in the spirit world. It was made in the image of God, and there is no reason for its existence for the continuing companionship of the physical body. And when men say or believe that the body of man is all of man, and that, when it dies, man ceases to exist, they do not understand the relationship or functioning of soul and body. They know only the half-truth which is visible to their senses – that the body dies and can never again be resuscitated. But while this is a determined fact, yet, all arguments to show by analogy that man must continue to live, notwithstanding the death of the body, and not apposite and are very inconclusive. All these analogous appearances or examples only shoe that the objects are eternal, just as much as if there had never been any change in thier condition or appearance. The final demonstration is that they die. And when this analogy is applied to man, it must show that he also dies and is no more.

But the question is asked: “Whence come the soul, by who created, how does it become incarnated in man, for what purpose, and what is its destiny?”

First, let me state that man has nothing to do with the creation of the soul or its appearance in the flesh. His work is to provide a receptacle for its coming – a mere host, as it were, for its entry into the flesh and an existence as a mortal, or in the appearance of a mortal. But his responsibility in this particular is very great. For man can destroy that receptacle, or can care for it so that the soul may continue in earth life a longer or shorter time. And while this receptacle is the creation of man and cannot be brought into existence without him, yet, the soul in no part of his creation and is independent of the body. And, after the earth life, in the spirit world, it will cease to remember that it was ever connected with, or dependent upon, the creation of its parents. In the spirit life, as a truth, the soul is so separated from, and dissociated with, that body which was its home while in the earth life that it looks upon it as a mere vision of the past and not a subject for its consideration.

As has been told to you, the soul was created by the Father long before its appearance in the flesh. It awaited such incarnation for the purpose only of giving it an individuality which it did not have in its preexistence, and in which it has a duplex personality – male and female – that needs to be separated and made individual. We who have had this preexistence and incarnation in the flesh, and have obtained this individuality, know the truth of what I have here stated.

There is a Law of God controlling these things that renders these preexisting souls capable of knowing the desirability of incarnation. And they are always anxious and ready for the opportunity to be born in the flesh, and to assume the separate individuality that they are privileged to assume. As men provide the receptacle for their appearing and homing, as it were, they become aware of the fact and take advantage of the opportunity to occupy the receptacle. They then become ostensibly a human being with the necessary result of individuality.

I shall be with you and help you in every way, and I hope that you will keep up your faith and prayers to the Father.

Good night and God bless you.

Your brother and friend,

Jesus

(The above Angelic Message was received by James Padgett and taken from Ch. 9, “The Incarnation of the Soul”, pp. 241-243, Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, Volume II. Information about ording a bound copy of Volume II can be found by clicking here)

Answer:

Let me share that if you will look at the material that has already been written, that question is answered. No, I did not walk on water. As you already know, we will not displace God’s Laws. Nor will I, in terms of His Laws are exact.

However, in terms of you asking of the talents of the first parents, with the development of the souls perceptions, you more readily have access to many things that are not “tethered,” with the so-called belief systems of the mind. This opens up a larger avenue to many, in terms of what is and is not possible, including such things as you are readily able to see — such as healing. All things start on the spiritual level first, before they manifest on the physical. These are the same principles that keep those (and I will use “those” in the context of whomever you would like to apply), in the space of so-called “poverty,” “disease,” and “misfortune.”

Those so-called “miracles” that were performed are not really miracles as knowing and being able to work with the Laws of the Father, which also has a great deal to do with free will. Those healings would not have been able to take place if there were opposition from those individuals with whom I was working. Their free wills and their faith played important roles in those things coming about.

We were making it clear to you that not so many miracles were performed around those who knew me as I was growing up. There was so much opposition to their conception of who I was, as they knew me in their minds. Whereas, it was easier among strangers, in that they were open to that. You will find in the work that you do, there is more opposition from so-called fellows, who think they know you or their conception of who you are versus the growth in your own personal experience of who you are.

So, I say if you wish to accomplish more in this life time, you would do well to change your thoughts on others. They have the same opportunity as you have in growing and being willing to put aside the ego. Be open to the Will of the Father and working with that great Will, which has an expansion far beyond our finite wills, especially in becoming instruments of the Love. This has much to do with the speed of assimilation and progress that is made in this plane and beyond.

So, I would think that there is much individual homework to be done. This is not just directing it at you, but in all humans to look beyond their investment to the greater good. So, this opportunity that is being made available to each of you, is for a reason, because the conditions are good for more growth to happen.

There is also trust that is needed here-trust, compassion and consideration. If this is to be the kind of renaissance of activity within this fellowship that would bring about not only much, much needed progress: growth in the Love and healing in the natural love. There are many spirits who are working with many of you. See this as a good sign, as you are open verses being closed. So I say, look within each of your hearts and come to know your Father. You will see each other in that space of the Divine Love and see the soul that is actively seeking to be in harmony with the Love. These so-called limitations, distances and pauses will evaporate.

Have I answered your questions?

Yes, thank you.

Then I truly am grateful to the Father for this opportunity to share with you. Yes, it would be good if this message went out, as soon as possible, to the others in your congregation. Be thankful and give praise to the Father for the many blessings that you have and acknowledge this. Then you will be open to more. You will change the prevailing conditions to one of higher truths and thoughts of greater prosperity. Stay in the Love.

With my love and blessing, I am your brother and friend, Jesus the Christ, your brother in more ways then you think.

(07/14/96 – Jesus – CRS)