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I AM HERE. Jesus.
I come to-night to tell you of a truth which is important to all mankind, and which I desire that you receive just as I write it, so give your best care to receiving just what I shall attempt to write.
I have read with you to-night many sayings contained in the alleged epistles of Paul and Peter, and I realize that they do not seem to be consistent with the truth that has been declared to you by myself and by the apostles who have written to you, and I desire that you shall understand some of these inconsistences and discard from your mind these sayings of the epistles wherever they do not agree with what we have written or what we shall write.
In the first place, the continual reference of these epistles to my being God is all wrong and must not be believed; also the statement that my blood washes away sin or that I died on the cross for the salvation of men, or that I took upon myself the sins of mankind and thereby relieved them from the burden of their sins, and the punishment which they must suffer in expiation of their evil deeds and thoughts.
Again, when it said, that from the beginning the Father had foreordained my death on the cross that man might be redeemed from the penalties of sin in all men who lived thereafter, are all wrong and have no foundation as facts in the plan of God for the salvation of man and the restoring of the harmony of His universe and the eradication of all sin and error from the world.
Neither Paul nor Peter wrote these things, and never did I teach them, for they are not in accord with the great plan of salvation; and the further away will be the realization by them of the truth of the only plan the Father has provided for their redemption, which I came to earth to declare and explain to my apostles first, and then to the whole world.
In these epistles too much emphasis is given to the importance of faith and works. I mean faith in the mere beliefs which these epistles taught followed by works--and not enough importance to the foundation truth of man's redemption from sin and becoming reconciled to the Father. I mean the New Birth by the inflowing into their souls of the Divine Love of the Father's through the ministrations of the Holy Spirit.
Many of their teachings as to man's conduct towards man and as to the lives that the recipients of these truths should lead as effecting their own purification and becoming in a condition of righteousness, are true, and are as applicable to the conduct and living of men today as they were in the days in which the apostles taught. But when the epistles teach or lead men in any particular to understand that these, what may be called merely moral principles, will enable a man by their observance, to enter into the Kingdom of God, or the Celestial Kingdom, they are false and misleading, and men when they become spirits will realize that while leading the lives which these teachings call them to lead, they will become very happy and occupy conditions and positions in the spirit world that will make their happiness far superior to that which they enjoy on earth and even enable them to become occupants of higher spiritual spheres; yet they will never be permitted to enter the Kingdom of the Father, which can only be attained to by the possession of Divine Love.
SO I SAY, MEN MUST UNDERSTAND AND REALIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RESULTS TO THEM FROM LEADING MERELY GOOD AND MORAL LIVES WHICH AFFECT AND DEVELOP THE NATURAL LOVE AND THOSE RESULTS WHICH ENSUE FROM THE NEW BIRTH.
I have attempted to explain to you why the great and important truth of my mission to earth, as I explained it to my apostles, and as was taught by them and written by them, was not preserved and contained in the Bible as now written and accepted by the church as canonical. The great desire in those days was to show and impress upon men those teachings which affected their conduct on earth, and to hold out to them the rewards that would following such living, and also the rewards which would follow their lives in the spirit world which would become their homes after death. And, as I have said, the leading of lives in accordance with these teachings would insure men a great happiness in the spirit world, but not the happiness which my teachings, if observed, would lead to.
In the various copyings and compilations of the writings of the apostles many changes from the originals were made, and those persons who performed this work, and I mean by this the dignitaries and rulers of the church, did not know the difference between those things which would bring about a purification of the natural love, and those things which were necessary to fit a soul for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. And hence, when they came to perform this work they made the error of teaching that the living of the moral life would entitle the soul to a reward which they supposed, would be the Kingdom of Heaven and immortality.
And this erroneous teaching has prevented many a man from gaining the right to the Kingdom of Heaven, as they honestly and sincerely believed would be theirs, when they came to pass into the spirit world.
Many of these teachings are intended to make a reformation in the lives of men and to purge their souls from sin and error so far as the natural love forms a part of the condition of the soul; and I taught these moral truths to a very large extent, for such teachings were necessary, because men's will were out of harmony with God's laws, which affected the natural love, as well as out of harmony with the laws that affected the Divine Love of the Father; and it is the object and plan of God to bring into harmony both of these loves, and thereby enable man to enjoy those things which are provided and waiting for him.
As I said when on earth, "Narrow is the way and strait is the gate which leads to life everlasting and few there be that enter therein," I repeat now; for it is apparent from the observation of the way in which mankind from the beginning have exercised their wills, which God leaves free to their own volition, that a vast majority of men will never enter in at the strait gate, but be contented to live in the spheres and happiness which their natural love, in its perfect state and progress, will fit them for.
THAT ALL MEN WILL ULTIMATELY BE BROUGHT INTO HARMONY WITH GOD, IN EITHER THE NATURAL LOVE OR IN THE HIGHER ONE, IS CERTAIN, AND THAT ALL SIN AND ERROR WILL FINALLY BE ERADICATED FROM GOD'S UNIVERSE IS DECREED, BUT THE TIME WILL DEPEND TO A GREAT EXTENT, UPON THE WILLS AND DESIRES OF MEN, AND, HENCE, WHILE MY GREAT MISSION IN COMING TO EARTH AND TEACHING MEN, WAS TO SHOW THE WAY TO THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM, YET A LESSER PART OF MY MISSION WAS TO TEACH THEM A WAY TO THEIR REDEMPTION FROM SIN AND ERROR THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE PURIFICATION OF THE NATURAL LOVE; AND TO MY GREAT REGRET AND TO THE UNTOLD INJURY TO MAN, MY MORAL TEACHINGS WERE MORE AT LARGE SET FORTH IN PORTIONS OF THE BIBLE, AS NOW ACCEPTED, THAN WERE MY TEACHINGS OF THE HIGHER TRUTHS.
I will not write more to-night but will continue later.
Well my dear brother, I see that you are in a much better condition spiritually than you have been for some time, and you must thank the Father for it. Your conception of last night's experience is true, and you received a wonderful amount of the Divine Love, and I was was with you in love and blessing.
So continue to pray and trust in the Father and you will realize a wonderful happiness and power and peace.
I must stop now.
Your brother and friend,
JESUS.Vol. I, p. 119
