Choose Your Life

 

Additional Messages of Interest

 

This is just a continuation of the previous page (Interesting-1)

 

 

 

12 September 1915: John: Spirit communication was common in John’s followers.   

I am here, John.

 

Among my children or believers in the Christian religion were many persons who had the power or gift of communicating with the spirits of the departed, and did so communicate; and such communications were made known to the rest of the congregation and believed by them.

 

You must not think that this is the only age in which spirits communicate with mortals, for I must tell you that in my time it was much more common than now; and in our congregations when worshipping and when in our other gatherings, and often in private, we had these communications.

 

This was an important part of the services of our meetings, and one that kept us in constant harmony with the soul power of those who lived in the spirit form. ..

But after a few centuries, … the church became a congregation of men having the mere lip worship.

 

And all through the centuries from then until now, this power has not been with men, except here and there.

 

I will say goodnight.

Your brother in Christ,

JOHN 

 

 

 

24 September 1915: John the Baptist: Sacraments and rituals are unnecessary.  

 

I am here, John the Baptist:

 

I desire to write to you tonight about a certain truth which you must know, in order to be able to teach others - I mean, that in order for men to be saved from their sins they must believe in the way that the Master shall teach you in his messages. This is the one thing that perfects mankind, and spirits as well, and enables them to obtain the soul qualities which are absolutely necessary before a man can become at-one with the Father.

 

The other things which the churches teach as necessary sacraments, such as baptism, the laying on of hands, and the Lord's Supper, or communion, are things which are not necessary. They were never intended as being anything more than merely symbolical, and even as symbols, the last-mentioned does no good, but rather, harm.

 

I want you to understand that all these things are not important to a soul's becoming at-one with God, and that mortals must learn the truth of what I say.

 

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

Your brother in Christ,

JOHN THE BAPTIST 

 

 

 

24 September 1915: Sebastobel: Ancient spirit tells of Atlantis and decides to search for DL.  

 

I am here, Sebastobel.

 

I am a spirit who has never written before. I live in the highest sphere where intellect rules supreme, and where spirits are happy in the knowledge that their spirit existence is free from all the cares and limitations which a life in the body imposes.

 

I am an ancient spirit and have been in spirit life many thousands of years - long before the great flood which submerged a great continent which men know as Atlantis.

 

When that continent existed and was peopled by living, active, intelligent beings, I had been a spirit many years and was in communication with the prophets of that happy land. The development of these people far surpassed that of the present inhabitants of earth in not only the purely intellectual qualities but also in the arts and sciences. Then the inhabitants of that fair land not only did not have the necessity for using horses or automobiles or steam cars or boats, or airships, for moving from place to place and traveling, but they knew of the way to utilize certain forces of nature to transport themselves from place to place by mere operation of their will power, using these forces. These forces still exist in nature, and are just as ready to be utilized now as they were at the time these people of whom I speak brought them under their control.

 

Some day it will be given to man to understand and control these great forces and utilize them to their fullest extent.

 

Well, while they had this great knowledge, the submerging of the continent was so sudden that no man knew the moment when the catastrophe took place. It was in the twinkling of an eye, as it were, and men were drowned before they had time to think or attempt to save themselves.

 

These Atlantians are now inhabitants of the spirit world, living in different spheres, and more or less developed in their intellects.

 

Yes, I see other spirits here - some dark and ugly and some bright and beautiful. I have spoken to one who says she is your wife, and she is a most beautiful and bright spirit - the brightest that I have come in contact with.

 

Well, I must confess that I have never seen in my sphere any spirit so beautiful or bright, or pure looking or lovely as she, and I wonder why it is. I am at a loss to know, and I would like to know, I assure you.

 

No, my intellect does not tell me, and I see that there is here presented a phenomenon which is worthy of all investigation and study.

 

Well, she has told me, and I am astonished at her explanation. I never before knew or heard of the existence of such a thing as this New Birth or Divine Love, and even now I cannot comprehend what she means, but I see a result or effect for which I can find no cause, and it seems reasonable that I should accept the cause which she gives me. But I am astonished, as I thought that there is nothing in all the spirit world equal to the mind, and nothing which brings such happiness. But she tells me of a happiness of which I had no conception. I see an effect and there must be a cause; and as I am an investigator of the truth, I feel it my duty to search for that cause, and I will.

 

She has invited me to go with her and meet her band, and also one who, she tells me, is the most magnificent and beautiful in all the spirit universe. I will go with her and investigate this matter; and will come to you again. So I will say good-night.

 

My name when on earth was Sebastobel. I lived in the Upper Nile when the human race was very early developed into thinking beings.

SEBASTOBEL 

 

 

 

25 September 1915: John: Celestial spirits have greater intellects than those in the 6th Sphere.  

 

I am here, St. John. (Apostle of Jesus.)

 

I come tonight to write about the truths of the Celestial Spheres.

 

As you may know these Celestial Spheres are above the spiritual spheres, and are inhabited only by spirits who have received the New Birth and who believe in the Truths as taught by Jesus. No other spirits are permitted to enter these spheres, and no other spirits could possibly find any happiness in them. The city [where I live] is inhabited by spirits who have a wonderful soul development, and are capable of understanding the deep truths of God, which are not given to mortals or spirits in the spiritual spheres.

 

It would be utterly impossible for the spirits of lower spheres, or for mortals, to understand these higher truths. They cannot be comprehended with what you call the intellectual faculties or the mind, but can be only understood by the soul's perceptions.

 

The mind must stop in its progress at the sixth sphere, and after that only the soul can progress. But this does not mean that the spirit who makes such progress in the Celestial Heavens does not increase in knowledge and understanding, for he does to a greater extent than it could be possible for the mere mind to progress. The faculties of the soul are as far superior to and above the faculties of what you call the mind as are the heavens above the earth.

 

With my love and blessings, I am

Your brother in Christ,

JOHN 

 

 

 

25 September1915: James: Various nations and sects maintain their separation.  

 

Let me tell you a few things concerning the spirit world, (that is the world below the Celestial Heavens).

 

In the several spheres, which are seven in numbers, are many planes, inhabited by spirits of many nations and races of mankind, and these various races have to a certain extent the customs and beliefs that they had when on earth. The lines of demarcation are just as strictly drawn as are those of the several nations on earth. The result of this, that many spirits who live in this exclusive manner never learn anything other than what their own leaders tell them and what their various sacred books may teach them.

 

The Mohammedan is a Mohammedan still, and so likewise the followers of Zoroaster, and also those of Buddha and of Confucius, and all of the various founders of religious sects.

But as I say, each of these races or sects has its own ideas and doctrines of the truth, and it can progress no further than the limits of these ideas permit it to progress.

 

No founder of any race or sect has ever taught the New Birth, or the inflowing of the Divine. And the teachings of Jesus are the only ones that reveal to man the existence of this Divine Love.

 

Your brother in Christ,

ST JAMES

Yes, I am that James.

No the Saint is only used as a means of identification - it has no significance in our Spirit World. 

 

 

 

26 October 1915: Paul of Tarsus: Bible contains many false statements.

 

I am here, St. Paul.

 

The book on the "vicarious atonement" that you have been reading is all wrong.

 

Well, I tell you now that the Bible cannot be depended on as containing things that I wrote, for there are many additions to what I wrote, and many omissions of what I wrote; and so with the others whose names are stated as the writers of the New Testament. Many things contained in that book were never written by any of the alleged authors of the book. The writings of any of us are not in existence, and have not been for many centuries; and when they were copied and recopied, great additions and omissions were made, and, at last, doctrines and dogmas were interpolated that we never at any time believed or wrote.

 

I have to say this, and I emphasize my statement with all the conviction and knowledge of the truth that I possess: Jesus never paid any debt of man by his death or his blood or vicarious atonement. .

 

The mission of Jesus was twofold, namely: -

 

To declare to mankind that the Father had re-bestowed the Divine Love which the first parents had forfeited; and secondly, to show man the way by which that love could be obtained.

 

Jesus had no other mission than this, and any statement that his mission was other than as stated, is untrue.

 

I must stop now.

Your brother in Christ,

ST PAUL 

 

 

 

3 Novenber 1915: Saelish: Ancient from 6th Sphere says no reincarnation (and seeks DL).

 

I was, when on earth, an inhabitant of the great Empire of Assyria of which Nineveh was the capital. I was not a king but was one of a great king's magicians or wise men, .....

 

.... when I lived we knew nothing of the one and only God, but we worshipped many gods,   ...... never did we think of preparing for a future life; ..... ordinary mortals ... expectations were that perhaps in some future incarnation, they might have the opportunity and the favors of the unknown gods, so that they might become gods themselves.

 

Many millions died in that belief and are now inhabitants of the several planes of certain spheres of the spirit world. None of them has ever returned for a new incarnation and those men who they supposed had become gods when they died, were in the spirit world spirits themselves, and not gods at all.

 

So you see that the soul, when once it leaves the physical body, never returns again to any physical body, but continues in the spirit world to exist as a soul with a body of spirit form and substance; and no spirit has ever experienced the sensation of becoming reincarnated. And this is the truth that I wished to tell you......

 

When a mortal dies, earth becomes a thing of the past. This information is from a spirit who during all the long years of its spirit life has learned and experienced the truth, that reincarnation is a fable and has no real existence.

 

I know that on the earth today there are thousands of mortals who believe in this doctrine of reincarnation, and only when they die, do they realize that their belief was an erroneous one.

 

I live in the sixth sphere, and am considered to be a very exalted spirit in my intellectual acquirements. My happiness is very great, and my home and surroundings are beautiful.

 

We don't know of any spheres beyond the sixth, although we have heard it rumored that there are other spheres, but none of us has ever found a higher one.

 

Well, what you tell me surprises me and I would like to investigate ... I see some wonderfully beautiful spirits, and they seem to be so very happy, too, and interested in you. One says she is your grandmother, and she seems to excel the others in her beauty and brightness.

 

She says she is very willing to start me in my investigation, and herself to tell me the great secret of the great progression that you speak of, and if I will accompany her she will commence at once.

 

And while I write, there comes another beautiful spirit and says that she formerly lived in the sixth sphere, and lived there many thousands of years before I lived on earth. She says that she was an Egyptian and that her name was Saleeba and that now she is an inhabitant of the third sphere, in order to prepare herself for the great progression that she will make to spheres high above the sixth, and tells me that after I have conversed with your grandmother she will be pleased to talk to me and tell me her experience. I will be with her, you may rest assured.

 

I expected to enlighten you and not be enlightened myself, and am now so anxious for that enlightenment, I will say that I am glad I came to you, and Goodnight.

 

SAELISH

 

 

 

7 Novenber 1915: Gregory: Former pope stresses the importance of soul religion.

 

I am here, Gregory.

 

I was the great pope of Rome who did so much to establish the Romish Church on a firm basis, and to extend its powers and influence throughout the world.

 

It has been many years since that time. I first suffered and lived in darkness, and then got into the light of the spheres where the mind is supreme, and progressed in those spheres. But .. I was not satisfied with the happiness of the intellectual spheres, and I sought the spirits who I knew were possessed of the love of God. After a long time I became the possessor of that Love and started on my road of progression to the Celestial spheres, where I now live.

 

If I had only known on earth what soul religion meant and not given all my thoughts to the politics of the Church and to extending its powers and jurisdiction, I would have avoided many long years of suffering and darkness.

 

I don't find that the Church has improved much since my time, and many popes and priests are now going through experiences similar to the ones that I passed through. And many believers in the dogmas of the Catholic Church find that these beliefs are not helping them, but rather retarding them in their souls' progression.

 

I thank you for receiving my message.

Your friend and brother in Christ,

GREGORY, the Pope 

 

 

2-3 January 1916: Jesus: There are no Devils

 

Well, in the first place I want to say that there are no such things as the fallen angels or any spirits except the spirits of those who once lived as mortals and who are living now as spirits. Of course many of them are what may be called evil spirits but they are not devils in the sense that the author describes them.

 

There never were any rebellions in heaven of any of the angels of God and whenever such a thing is mentioned in the Bible it has no foundation in fact for there never was a Seraphim or any other angel that fell and became the devil or Satan as he is called. I know that it is very largely believed in the churches that there are such beings as devils of whom Satan is the chief, but such belief is wholly erroneous and has worked a great injury to the cause of truth and to my teachings. 

 

The book that you read is a snare and a lie, for there are no angels who have become devils as the author of that book declares. Never were there any angels who through ambition or any other reason revolted against the power of government of God, and thereby lost their estate as angels. Never was there any Lucifer, and never were there any angels who were thrown from the battlements of heaven into hell, as it has been written and as I told you before, there are no devils and no Satan, considered as real persons and fallen angels.

 

The only spirits in the spirit world are those who at one time were mortals and who lived lives on earth. Whenever angels are mentioned in the New Testament the word angel always refers to the spirit of some mortal who had passed from mortal to spirit life.

 

l know that the belief of the majority of mankind is that there are such things as devils and that they are independent creations of God, made by Him to tempt and inflict all kind of trouble and unhappiness on mortals, and because of the great number of years that these beliefs have existed, and the fact that many of the churches still teach that such devils do exist, it is hard to induce men to believe that there are no such things as devils, which is the truth. 

 

 

 

4 January 1916: Jesus: True redemption; power of the Church.

 

I desire to confirm what Luke has so clearly explained as to what the atonement is.

 

He has stated the true plan of God for the redemption of mankind, which is for the placing of them in the exact relation to our Father that our first parents occupied before their disobedience. No other plan has been provided and no other way is open to men to receive this Divine Nature of the Father and Immortality.

 

The material love of man is a love that is pure and in harmony with God's laws. And men must, in order to get in this harmony, become free from all violations of God's laws in their conduct towards Him and towards one another.

 

The Golden Rule is one teaching, if observed in the conduct of men towards one another, will tend to bring about the harmony; for when a man shall do unto others as he would have others do unto him, he will be proceeding towards that correct relationship of man to man that will bring harmony.

 

But the observance of the Golden Rule will not bring about the great reconciliation to God in the Divine sense - that is, make men at one with the Father in His Divinity and Immortality. [This requires the New Birth, which is a spiritual rule not a temporal rule.]

 

And when the church which my apostles founded, came under the control and government of men with only the temporal interests at heart, more importance was attached to those things which the rulers and leaders of the church thought would tend to increase the power and influence of the church. And hence, the great truth of the New Birth was neglected. Salvation became a thing which depended on the church and not on the individual. So you see, the great harm that was done by these teachings and the great power the church acquired. 

Your brother and friend

JESUS

 

 

 

5 January 1916: George Butler: Drunkard describes his hell (he died 17 years before).

 

I am a spirit who cannot tell you of the joys of heaven, but I can describe the horrors of hell. I can describe my home of ugliness and torment.

 

When I lived on earth I was a man of very considerable intellectual powers and acquirements and also of an intense animal nature. I became at last a slave to my appetites which were varied, especially my appetite for drink. I was considered a brilliant newspaper writer, and had access to the inner political circles.

 

My friends tried to help me and rescue me but, alas, without success. I surely and quickly sunk lower and lower in my moral condition, and at last, died a drunkard, unwept and unsung except for the evil that I had done.

 

I never, when on earth, thought much of the future life, except to convince myself that there was no hell and if there was a God He was not bothered about me.

 

But oh, the fatal mistake; and the unexpected realization of the fact that there is a hell! Whether there is a God I don't know, for I have never seen him or felt his influence.

 

That there is a hell, I know to my sorrow and sufferings, for I have been the occupant of one for oh these many years; and it is always the same place of horrors and darkness.

 

In this hell of mine, and there are many like it, instead of beautiful homes,  we have dirty, rotten hovels all crooked and decayed, with all the foul smells of a charnel house ten times intensified, and instead of beautiful lawns and green meadows and leafy woods, we have barren wastes, and holes of darkness and gloom and the cries and cursings of spirits of damnation without hope; and instead of living water, we have stagnant pools filled with all kinds of repulsive reptiles and vermin, and smells of inexpressible, nauseating stinks.

 

I tell you that these are all real, and not creatures of the imagination or the outflowing of bitter recollections. And as for love, it has never shown its humanizing face in all the years that I have been here - only cursings and hatred and bitter scathings and imprecations. No rest, no hope, no kind words or ministering hand to wipe away the scalding tears which so often flow in mighty volumes. No, hell is real and hell is here.

 

We do not have any fire and brimstone, or grinning devils with pitch forks and hoofs and horns as the churches teach; but what is the need or necessity for such accompaniments? They would not add to the horrors or to our torments.

 

But the horror and pity of it all is that in our hopeless despair we realize that our doom is fixed for all eternity.

 

If I could only send Lazarus to tell my poor, erring brothers on earth of what awaits them, how gladly I would do so and save their souls from the eternal torment.

 

Well, I will say that you are the best friend that I have had since I became an outcast while on earth, and that I will do whatever you may advise, but you must not expect me to have much hope.

 

Well, I don't understand but I will trust you and will try to believe what you say. Well I have looked as you advised, and see some spirits who are so beautiful and so bright that I can scarcely look at them. Never before have I seen such spirits or imagined that such could exist. They must be gods, or why all the great happiness and beauty and love which they have. Tell me what does it all mean! Is it a star of hope that bids me trust that these hells shall not be my home forever? Oh, tell me I pray you, are they the spirits of real mortals who lived and died as I did?

 

Such love I have never seen; and they look at me with such encouragement and almost human eyes of love, and beckon me to come with them. I have asked if Mr. Riddle is there, and one spirit comes to me and says yes, and that he is glad to have me come with him, as he knew me on earth and is acquainted with my sad life. And now I remember him, for he was a friend who lived in the same city as I did.

 

He says: "Come George and I will try to show you the way to light and relief from your sufferings". And I am going, and as I go a beautiful, glorious spirit comes to me and lays her hand on my head and says: "God bless you my brother and may His Divine mercy be yours"; and she tells me that they all love me and will help me.

 

Oh, tell me what does it all mean! Am I dreaming? How can I ever thank you? I am overcome and cannot write more, but I will come again. So my dear friend good night, for I am going.

 

My name is George H Butler, and I died in 1899.

 

 

29 June 1916: Martin Luther: Says baptism and ceremonies are useless & unnecessary.

 

Well, .. the [Lutheran]church believes and teaches the necessity of infant baptism and the observance of the Lord's Supper as necessary parts of its church doctrine.

 

Nothing is further from the truth than these doctrines for they have no virtue to save one from his sins or to make him in at-onement with the Father. Baptism is of man's creation and to God it means nothing. It is not possible for baptism to have any effect upon the soul of the infant. 

 

God cares not for these ceremonies, and rather looks upon them with disapproval, .....

 

And the same thing may be said of the Lord's Supper, it has no part in God's plan for the redemption of mankind. It cannot affect the condition or development of the soul, and is of no importance, .....

 

So you see, the celebration of the last supper is a thing which is not acceptable to God or to Jesus. He does not want men to believe that they can be saved by any sacrifice of him or by his blood. ...

 

I am Your brother in Christ,

LUTHER

 

 

 

 1 August 1916: Helen: Buddha in 6th Sphere and he no longer believes in reincarnation

 

 ... There are in the spirit world a great number of spirits who believe in and worship Buddha, and who are satisfied in their beliefs and their manner of living and the places in which they live.

 

None of them are in the Celestial Heavens, but are in several spheres of the spirit world according to the development of their moral natures and their natural loves.

 

I have never seen the founder of this sect, but I am informed that he is in the sixth sphere and is a very bright spirit and pure, and still engaged in teaching his doctrines. But of course he has changed his doctrine of reincarnation; for all the spirits of his followers on earth remain in the spirit world, and never become reincarnated.  ......

Your own loving

HELEN

 

 

 

28 August 1916: Luther: Tells of the Popes who persecuted him. 

 

.... I have met both the Popes who were in the papal chair at the time that I went to Rome and when I was afterward persecuted and brought to trial before them.

 

They are now in the Celestial Heavens but before they progressed they were in very great darkness and suffering intensely, and thus repentance was very thorough and sincere. They were compelled to realize the great evil that the teachings and dogma of their church was doing to humanity and they devoted all their time in the spirit life to attempting to influence the priests and hierarchy of the great errors that they were teaching, but the result of their work was not very satisfactory for reasons that I have not time to explain now.

 

The state of the ignorant catholic laymen is a very deplorable one when he comes to the spirit world, but that of the Pope and the priest is beyond all description. They are forever branded by the results upon their followers of their evil teaching and consequently suffer very much.

 

Your brother in Christ

LUTHER

 

 

5 September 1916: Constantine: Now in Celestial Spheres but never believed in Christianity

 

I was the Roman Emperor and died as the head of the Christian Church. I wasn't really a Christian and did not understand the true principles of the Christian teachings, but I adopted Christianity as a State religion because of political purposes .... I was a man who cared not in the slightest whether the cross or a pagan symbol was the true sign of religion, ...

 

My great desire when I made Christianity the State religion was to obtain power and the allegiance of the majority of the people of the empire. I knew that when they once gave me their allegiance, I should have a following that could not be overthrown by those who were worshipers of the old gods. ....

 

During all my time as Emperor, I never changed my beliefs and never accepted the teachings of the Christians as the revelation of truth, and in fact, I never considered religion worthy of my serious consideration. Many doctrines were proposed and discussed by the ecclesiastical teachers and leaders of this religion, and those doctrines were approved by me which were adopted by a majority of these leaders as true and the correct declarations of what the Scriptures of the Christians contained.

 

I let the ecclesiastical leaders fight their own battles as to doctrines and truths, and when they decided what should be accepted, I approved and promulgated them as binding. .....

 

So I did not establish the canonicity of the Bible, or determine the doctrines which were made binding by the conventions of the leaders of the church. Of course, I gave them my sanction and official approval, ......

 

When I came into the spirit world, I found myself in great darkness and suffering, ..... and I found that my sins had not been washed away as the teachers had often told me on earth would be done for me.

 

Many long years I remained in this condition of darkness and unhappiness, without any relief ...

 

But after a time the light of the truth broke in on my understanding and soul, and the Divine Love of the Father commenced to flow into my soul and continued until I ..... was carried to the Celestial Spheres, where I now am, ....

 

But before ceasing my writing, I wish to say with all the force that I have, that only the Divine Love of the Father can save a soul from its sins and make it at one with the Father....

 

..... no decrees of man or dogmas of church, or creeds of ecclesiastical conventions, can make that a truth which is not a truth. Truth existed before all these things and is not subject to them, nor by them can it be added to or taken from.

 

Your brother in Christ,

CONSTANTINE

 

 

8 January 1917: Plummer: It is hard to learn of heavenly things in hell.

 

I am here, Nathan Plummer.

Well, I am still in hell, and suffering, and I wish that I could die again, but I cannot and will have to stand it. I can't even be deaf (he was very deaf when he lived in the flesh) so that I might escape some of my torments, for I am surrounded by the most hellish beings you can imagine, and I have to listen to them. It is no use trying to fight, for I can't hurt anybody, and they became more annoying when I did try to punch one of them.

 

It is awful, and so I regret that I did not listen and try to understand what the Doctor so often told me when on earth, but now it is too late. I often hear what he says to you now in your conversations, but for some reason I can't quite understand, and besides, if I did, these damned ugly spirits would knock all the understanding out of me. It is hard to learn what you call Heavenly Things in hell, and I am so unhappy and see no way to relief.

 

After the Doctor's father talked to me I felt better, and some hope came to me, but when I got back into my hell and saw all the horrors and the shrieking, ugly spirits, I forgot, and the hell feelings came to me again, and I suffered.

 

Oh, if I could only find some relief from these torments! …… I will try to hope. Anything to get out of this place and away from these devils.

 

So good night. NP    [He did eventually make the effort and succeeded in progressing]

 

 

 

8 January 1917: St Luke: Comments on Plummer's "It is hard to learn of heavenly things in hell."

 

I am here St. Luke.

 

I want to write a few lines upon the expression in the previous letter, "that it is hard to learn of heavenly things in hell." It is a statement in a succinct way of a great truth, and one, if it were known and fully appreciated by mortals, it would cause them to realize the necessity of thinking and learning of these heavenly things while on earth.

 

I know that many say they will not trouble themselves about the future, or that they will take their chance in the hereafter, if there be one. If these persons could realize the meaning of such a course of life, they would not leave their future to chance, …..

 

God does not condemn them or punish them at all, yet they are condemned by a law that brings its own certain punishment. …. and its duration depends very largely upon the spirit itself. If the spirit finds itself in that condition that it cannot make a start towards its redemption, then that punishment will continue longer; and, if the start depends upon the ability and capacity of the spirit to receive and understand spiritual things, then many spirits will remain for years and years in their dark condition which they first come to in the hells.

 

There is nothing in these places to induce or help the understanding of these heavenly things, but, on the contrary, everything to prevent and obstruct such understanding: hopelessness and belief in eternal punishment, and, want of knowledge that there is any other or better place than where they find themselves.

 

And I want to say here, that within the spirit there is nothing that has the qualities or powers to start it on a progression. Only when some influence from without comes to them, can they have an awakening so that their progress may commence.

 

So as your friend says, "it is hard to learn of heavenly things in hell." He realizes that fact fully, and even with the help that has been offered and will be given him, he will find it difficult to make a start.

 

The mortal life is not the only place of probation, but it is the most important place, and the easiest.

 

Good night.      Your brother in Christ,

 

LUKE

 

 

25 April 1917: John: How prayers are answered. The miracle of the loaves and fishes never happened.  

 

I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus.

 

Well, God answers the prayers for material things by the work and operation of His angels and spirits. His angels are always watching and working, and when the opportunity comes, they use their influence in the best possible way to bring about the ends desired. But they are limited by the natural laws and man’s free will.

 

As you know, man has a free will, and that determines very largely the action of men. But if the spirit response depends upon the will of men, then, [the prayer can only be answered] if the spirits may be able to influence that will and cause men to act in compliance with that prompting.

 

God never answers prayer arbitrarily. He does not answer prayers for material things except in a manner in consonance with laws controlling the free will and actions of men, as they may be operated upon and influenced by the work of spirits.

 

We are trying to answer your prayers. But as I say, we are all limited, and have not the power to cause the happening of any event by our mere willing the same. It is a great truth that God helps those who help themselves.

 

God never by a mere act gives any man riches or prosperity. These things must immediately be wrought and brought about by man, but man in doing this can and is wonderfully influenced by the workings of the spirits.

 

You ask about the so-called miracle of the loaves and fishes. I am compelled and sorry to say, that no such miracle ever took place. To be able to do so would be against the laws of God governing the material.  ......

 

There are other alleged miracles in the Bible that never had any existence as a fact. .....

 

I will say goodnight.     Your brother in Christ,

 

JOHN

 

 

 

26 Dec 1917: Jesus: God has no vicar on earth. Pope is not infallible  

 

I am here, Jesus:

 

Well, I have no vicar on earth. In the first place, I am not God, but a mere spirit. In the second place, the Pope can only represent God to the extent that he has in his own soul the Divine Love and the consequent soul development. The mere fact that he is the head of the Catholic Church gives him no greater privilege, or no greater commission to represent God on earth, than is possessed by any other man with the same amount of soul development. His claimed infallibility is a delusion and a snare. This will be one of the sins for which he will suffer very much when he comes to the spirit world and has his soul opened up to the truth.

 

At some time I intend to write you in detail as to the Catholic Church and its erroneous dogmas, beliefs, and teachings, and as to its destiny.

 

But this I will say: that the worship of me as God is a blasphemy, and it is a very harmful untruth, and these people will have to realize it sooner or later, in the spirit world.

 

Your brother and friend,

 

JESUS