| |
I AM HERE. Elias. (Elijah, Prophet to the Hebrews.)
I will write a short message to-night as I promised.
While on earth I was a prophet to the Hebrews and tried to warn them that God was not pleased with the manner in which they were living, especially in not obeying the commandments as to their worship and the individual lives they were leading. I was not a man who knew the attributes of God as I now know them, for then, to me, He was more a God of wrath and jealousy than of love and mercy, and the most of my teachings were to warn the Hebrews of the wrath that would certainly fall upon them unless they were more obedient and followed the laws of Moses.
I NOW KNOW THAT THE WRATH OF GOD IS NOT A THING TO BE FEARED, AND THAT HIS WRATH IS NOT A THING OF REALITY. THAT WHEN MEN DISOBEY HIS LAWS AND NEGLECT TO WORSHIP HIM IN TRUTH AND IN SPIRIT, HIS FEELING TOWARDS THEM IS ONE MORE OF PITY AND SORROW THAN OF WRATH, AND THAT INSTEAD OF PUNISHMENT HE EXTENDS TO THEM HIS MERCY AND LOVE.
In my time the God of Love was not known to the people in any practical way although He was written of as a God of Love, and the people were not looking so much for love as the fearing His wrath; and it was only by threatening them with His wrath could they be made to realize that they were disobedient and aliens from Him.
They had not that soul development that comes with love, and their aspirations were almost wholly for the possession of the things of life and for a happiness that such possession could give to them, as they thought. They expected a Kingdom of God on earth and such Kingdom was to be one that should rule and govern the earthly affairs of men. Of course they believed that when such Kingdom should be established, sin and the troubles of life would be eradicated, and all the world would be subject to the dominion of such Kingdom.
Their hopes and aspirations were in the nature of national hopes and aspirations and not in those of the individual. The individual was swallowed up in the nation and happiness was to be a national one instead of an individual one, except so far as the national happiness might be reflected upon and partaken of by the individuals.
I, myself, knew nothing of the Divine Love, and could not possibly have known, for then it was not open to man's seeking, as it had not been restored by the Father.
But I knew of a higher development of the natural love than did most of the people, and realized what increased happiness such development would give to the individual who might possess it. I also knew that prosperity and power of the nation, as such, would not bring the happiness of love, but only the pleasures and satisfaction which increased possessions would naturally create.
The Jews were a carnally minded race and the development of the spiritual side of their natures was very slight. Their acquisitiveness was large both as individuals and as a nation, and when they were prosperous they lost their sense of dependence on God, and resorted to those practices and that manner of living that would enable them, as they thought, to get the most enjoyment out of their possessions.
The future, that is the future after death, did not enter very much into their consideration of existence, and they lived emphatically for the present.
If you will read the Biblical history of those times you will find that most of the warnings of the prophets came to them when they as a nation were most prosperous, and, as they thought, independent of God, or at least, of not being compelled to call upon Him for help and succor.
What I have said showed the characteristics of the Jews, and they still have these characteristics although since the coming of Christ and the teachings of his doctrines that have become so widely known, the spirituality of the Jews have been increased and broadened.
At times they would heed my warnings and at other times they would not. Sometimes they considered me as a friend, and sometimes as an enemy.
Well, I was psychic and frequently heard voices of instruction and admonition from the unseen world, and, as was our knowledge in those days, supposed that such voices was the voice of God, and so proclaimed to the people. But now I know that such voices were those of spirits that were trying to help the people, and bring them to a realization of the moral truths which Moses had taught.
When Jesus was born into the flesh, there came with him a rebestowal of the Divine Love, and through his teachings that fact became known to men. We who were in the higher spirit spheres also came to know of that gift, and while none of us received it to the degree that Jesus did, yet we received it and became pure and holy spirits, free from sin and error, and partakers of the Divine Essence of the Father and possessors of immortality.
And so, at the time of the transfiguration on the mount, some of us possessed that Love to such a degree that our appearances were shining and bright, as described in the Bible. But Jesus was brighter than Moses or myself, for he had more of this Divine Love in his soul and could manifest it to the wonderful degree that he did, notwithstanding his physical body.
OUR APPEARANCE AND HIS APPEARANCE ON THE MOUNT WERE TO SHOW TO THE MORTALS AND SPIRITS THAT THE DIVINE LOVE HAD BEEN REBESTOWED AND RECEIVED BY BOTH MORTALS AND SPIRITS, AND THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF OUR MEETING. AND WHILE ACCOUNTS OF THAT EVENT HAVE BEEN DISSEMINATED IN THE MORTAL WORLD EVER SINCE ITS OCCURRENCE, SO ALSO, HAD THAT FACT BECAME KNOWN IN PORTIONS OF THE SPIRIT WORLD, AND MANY SPIRITS AS WELL AS MORTALS, HAVE SOUGHT FOR AND FOUND THAT LOVE TO THEIR ETERNAL HAPPINESS.
ITS EXISTENCE WAS A FACT THEN AND IT IS A FACT NOW, AND THE LOVE IS OPEN TO ALL MANKIND AS WELL AS SPIRITS.
THE VOICE THAT THE APOSTLES HEARD PROCLAIMING THAT JESUS WAS THE WELL BELOVED SON WAS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD, BUT THAT OF ONE OF THE DIVINE SPIRITS WHOSE MISSION IT WAS TO MAKE THE PROCLAMATION.
THIS INCIDENT WAS NOT A MYTH BUT AN ACTUAL FACT THAT FORMED A PART OF THE PLAN OF THE FATHER TO ASSURE MAN OF HIS SALVATION.
I will not write more now, but will come later and write you further on this subject of the rebestowal of the love and of my experience in receiving it.
So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night.
Your brother in Christ,
ELIAS.Vol. II, p. 271
