Lection 61

Jesus Foretells The End Of The Cycle.

1. AND as Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my Name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

2. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

3. And in those days those that have power shall gather to themselves the lands and riches of the earth for their own lusts, and shall oppress the many who lack and hold them in bondage, and use them to increase their riches, and they shall oppress even the beasts of the field, setting up the abominable thing. But God shall send them his messenger and they shall proclaim his laws, which men have hidden by their traditions, and those that transgress shall die.

4. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my Name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

5. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

6. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand) then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains. Let them which are on the housetop not come down to take anything out of the house; neither let them who are in the field return back to take their clothes.

7. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your fight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day; for there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

8. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; haste not to believe. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, who shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.

9. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; haste not to believe. For as the lightening cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

10. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from Heaven, and the powers of the Heavens shall be shaken.

11. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound as of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other.

12. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When its branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

13. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but the All Parent only. For as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

14. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

15. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

16. But know this, that if the guardian of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.

17. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

18. Blessed be that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

19. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat with the glutton, and drink with the drunken.

20. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of. And shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites in the outer darkness with   the cruel, and them that have no love, no pity: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Comment - LECTION 61. -All through this chapter the language is highly symbolical, but will present little difficulty to the initiated. v. 12. (See Note in the original "Genesis" Edited by same Editor).

Lection 62

The Parable Of The Ten Virgins.

1. THEN shall the kingdom of Heaven be like unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Comment - LECTION 62.1. -This parable of the ten virgins most accurately indicates the oblivion and indifference which shall come on Christians in the last days of the Christian Church -the days of Laodicean indifference, the Seventh or last age.

2. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

3. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a great cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

4. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

5. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

6. Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you. I know you not.

7. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Keep your lamps burning.

Lection 63

Parable Of The Talents

1. He also said: The kingdom of Heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

2. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

3. After a long time, the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

4. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

5. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast that is thine.

6. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, dost thou tell me that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed? Thou oughtest therefore to have put thy talents to use, with profit, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

7. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him who hath two talents. For unto every one that hath improved shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not improved, shall be taken away, even that which he hath. And cast yet out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, for that is the portion he hath chosen.

8. Jesus also said unto his disciples, Be ye approved money-changers of the kingdom, rejecting the bad and the false, and retaining the good and the true.

Comment - LECTION 63.8. -These words are one of the "last sayings" of Jesus and vividly describe the duty of a Christian Council, so oft neglected.

9. AND Jesus sat over against the Treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the Treasury.

10. And there came a certain poor widow and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

11. And He called His disciples unto him and said, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the Treasure.

12. For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her poverty did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Widow's Mites; tiny copper coins circulated in Judaea during the time of Christ.

Lection 64

Jesus Teacheth In The Palm Circle.

1. JESUS came to a certain fountain near Bethany, around which grew twelve palm trees, where he often went with his disciples to teach them of the mysteries of the kingdom, and there he sat beneath the shade of the trees and his disciples with him.

2. And one of them said, Master, it is written of old, The Alohim made man in Their own image, male and female created They them. How sayest thou then that God is one? And Iesus said unto them, Verily, I said unto you, In God there is neither male nor female and yet both are one, and God is the Two in One. He is She and She is He. The Alohim—our God—is perfect, Infinite, and One.

3. As in the man, the Father is manifest, and the Mother hidden; so in the woman, the Mother is manifest, and the Father hidden. Therefore shall the name of the Father and the Mother be equally hallowed, for They are the great Powers of God, and the one is not without the other, in the One God.

4. Adore ye God, above you, beneath you, on the right hand, on the left hand before you, behind you, within you, around you. Verily, there is but One God, Who is All in All, and in Whom all things do consist, the Fount of all Life and all Substance, without beginning and without end.

5. The things which are seen and pass away are The manifestations of the unseen which are eternal, that from the visible things of Nature ye may reach to the invisible things of the Godhead; and by that which is natural, attain to that which is spiritual.

6. Verily, the Alohim created man in the divine image male and female, and all nature is in the Image of God, therefore is God both male and female, not divided, but the Two in One, Undivided and Eternal, by Whom and in Whom are all things, visible and invisible.

7. From the Eternal they flow, to the Eternal they return. The spirit to Spirit, soul to Soul, mind to Mind, sense to Sense, life to Life, form to Form, dust to Dust.

8. In the beginning God willed and there came forth the beloved Son, the divine Love, and the beloved Daughter, the holy Wisdom, equally proceeding from the One Eternal Fount; and of these are the generations of the Spirits of God, the Sons and Daughters of the Eternal.

Comment - LECTION 64.8. -Beneath this profound saying of the Ghost Physician, the student cannot fail to notice the intimate and correct knowledge of the human frame, underlying the spiritual truth, which he enunciated. This knowledge has been claimed by science only some centuries later. The inner self- "alternate sex," in every man and woman, which occasionally manifests itself in the dream state, seems to be no mystery to him. (See G. Leland on " he Alternative Sex"; Welby, London).

9. And These descend to earth, and dwell with men and teach them the ways of God, to love the laws of the Eternal, and obey them, that in them they may find salvation.

10. Many nations have seen their day. Under divers names have they been revealed to them, and they have rejoiced in their light; and even now they come again unto you, but Israel receiveth them not.

11. Verily I say unto you, my twelve whom I have chosen, that which hath been taught by them of old time is true—though corrupted by the foolish imaginations of men.

12. Again, Jesus spake unto Mary Magdalene saying, It is written in the law, Whoso leaveth father or mother, let him die the death. Now the law speaketh not of the parents in this life, but of the Indweller of light which is in us unto this day.

13. Whoso therefore forsaketh Christ the Saviour, the Holy law, and the body of the Elect, let them die the death. Yea, let them be lost in the outer darkness, for so they willed and none can hinder.

Comment - LECTION 64. -The occult teaching, in this discourse, of Jesus to his twelve has been handed down in spirit through the ages, but the world is blind and perceives not. See the same teaching in "New Light on Old Truths," founded on this Scripture.

Lection 65

The Last Anointing by Mary Magdalene.

1. NOW, on the evening of the Sabbath before the Passover, as Iesus was in Bethany he went to the house of Simon the leper, and there they made him a supper, and Martha served while Lazarus was one of them that sat at table with him.

2. And there came Mary called Magdalene, having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious and costly, and she opened the box and poured the ointment on the head of Jesus, and anointed his feet, and wiped them with the hair of her head

Comment - LECTION 65.2. -It has been supposed by some, and not without some reason from the words of the Gospel, that envy and jealousy, and not greed of money, were the cause of Iudas' treachery, because he desired Mary Magdalene, and she had given all her love and devotion to her Master. This inner feeling seems to be concealed beneath the cloak of zeal for the poor. "From that hour he sought to betray him." It is as probable that all three motives urged him, as they do the multitudes nowadays, who grudge magnificence of architecture, music, etc., under the cloak of "unity." "These things ought ye to have done and not left the other undone." But such show their hypocrisy by their reckless contributions to war, and to all manner of pleasures and amusements and luxuries which minister to self. By the spirit of Iudas Iscariot are all such led and dominated.

3. Then said one among his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was to betray him, Why is this waste of ointment which might have been sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? And this he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was filled with jealousy and greed, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. And they murmured against her.

4. And Jesus said, Let her alone, why trouble ye her? for she hath done all she could; yea, she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always. She hath anointed my body for the day of my burial.

5. And verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world there shall also be told this that she hath done for a memorial of her.

6. Then entered Satan into the heart of Judas Iscariot and he went his way and communed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him. And they were glad and covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, and he promised them, and after that sought opportunity to betray him.

7. And at that time Iesus said to his disciples Preach ye unto all the world, saying, Strive to receive the mysteries of Light, and enter into the Kingdom of Light, for now is the accepted time and now is the day of Salvation.

8. Put ye not off from day to day, and from cycle to cycle and eon to eon, in the belief, that when ye return to this world ye will succeed in gaining the mysteries, and entering into the Kingdom of Light.

9. For ye know not when the number of perfected souls shall be filled up, and then will be shut the gates of the Kingdom of Light, and from hence none will be able to come in thereby, nor will any go forth.

10. Strive ye that ye may enter while the calls is made, until the number of perfected souls shall be sealed and complete, and the door is shut.

Lection 66

Jesus Again Teacheth His Disciples

1. AGAIN Jesus taught them saying, God hath raised up witnesses to the truth in every nation and every age, that all might know the will of the Eternal and do it, and after that, enter into the kingdom, to be rulers and workers with the Eternal,

2. God is Power, Love and Wisdom, and these three are One. God is Truth, Goodness and Beauty, and these three are One.

3. God is Justice, Knowledge and Purity, and these three are One. God is Splendour, Compassion and Holiness, and these three are One.

4. And these four Trinities are One in the hidden Deity, the Perfect, the Infinite, the Onely.

5. Likewise in every man who is perfected, there are three persons, that of the son, that of the spouse. and that of the father, and these three are one.

6. So in every woman who is Perfected are there three persons, that of the daughter, that of the bride, and that of the mother and these three are one; and the man and the woman are one, even as God is One

7. Thus it is with God the Father-Mother, in Whom is neither male nor female and in Whom is both, and each is threefold,  and all are One in the hidden Unity.

8. Marvel not at this, for as it is above so it is below, and as it is below so it is above, and that which is on earth is so, because it is so in Heaven.

9. Again I say unto you, I and My Bride are one, even as Maria Magdalena, whom I have chosen and sanctified unto Myself as a type, is one with Me; I and My Church are One. And the Church is the elect of humanity for the salvation of all.

10. The Church of the first born is the Maria of God. Thus saith the Eternal, She is My Mother and she hath ever conceived Me, and brought Me forth as Her Son in every age and clime. She is My Bride, ever one in Holy Union with Me her Spouse. She is My Daughter, for she hath ever issued and proceeded from Me her Father, rejoicing in Me.

11. And these two Trinities are One in the Eternal, and are strewn forth in each man and woman who are made perfect, ever being born of God, and rejoicing in light, ever being lifted up and made one with God, ever conceiving and bringing forth God for the salvation of the many.

12. This is the Mystery of the Trinity in Humanity, and moreover in every individual child of man must be accomplished the mystery of God, ever witnessing to the light, suffering for the truth, ascending into Heaven, and sending forth the Spirit of Truth And this is the path of salvation, for the kingdom of God is within.

13. And one said unto him, Master, when shall the kingdom come? And he answered and said, When that which is without shall be as that which is within, and that which is within shall be as that which is without, and, the male with the female, neither male nor female, but the two in One. They who have ears to hear, let them hear.

Lection 67

Entry Into Jerusalem

1. NOW on the first day of the week when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as you be entered into it, ye shalt find an ass tied, whereon never man sat, loose him and bring him.

2. And if any say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him, and straightway they will send him hither.

3. And they went their way and found the ass tied without in a place where two ways met, and they loosed him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them, even as Iesus had commanded. And they let them go.

4. And they brought the ass to Iesus, and cast their garments upon him, and he sat upon the ass. And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches off the trees and strewed them in the way.

5. And they that went before, and they that followed cried, saying, Hosanna, Blessed art thou who comest in the name of Jova: Blessed be the Kingdom of our ancestor David, and blessed be thou that comest in the name of the Highest: Hosanna in the highest.

6. AND Iesus entered into Jerusalem and into the Temple, and when he had looked round about upon all things, he spake this parable unto them, saying—

7. When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

8. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Parent, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered and ye gave me food. was thirsty and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger anal ye took me in. Naked and ye clothed me. I was sick and ye visited me. I was in prison and ye came unto me.

9. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered and fed thee? Or thirsty and gave thee drink? when saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison and came unto thee ?

10. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Behold, I manifest myself unto you, in all created forms; and verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

11. Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand, Depart from me ye evil souls into the eternal fires which ye have prepared for yourselves, till ye are purified seven times and cleansed from your sins.

12. For I was an hungered and ye gave me no food, I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink. I was a stranger and ye took me not in, naked and ye clothed me not, sick and in prison and ye visited me not.

13. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

14. Then shall he answer them, saying, Behold I manifest myself unto you, in all created forms, and Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to the least of these, my brethren, ye did it not unto me.

15. And the cruel and the loveless shall go away into chastisement for ages, and if they repent not, be utterly destroyed; but the righteous and the merciful, shall go into life and peace everlasting.

Lection 68

The Householder And The Husbandmen.
Order Out Of Disorder.

1. AND Jesus said, Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country.

2. And when the time of the ripe fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one, and stoned another, and killed another.

3. Again he sent other servants, more honourable than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

4. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves. This is the heir, come let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him.

5. When the lord of the vineyard cometh what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

6. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the Pyramid? this is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes?

7. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind them to powder.

8. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

9. And the disciples asked him afterwards the meaning of this parable, and he said unto them, The vineyard is the world, the husbandmen are your priests, and the messengers are the servants of the good Law, and the Prophets.

10. When the fruits of their labour are demanded of the priests, none are given, but they evilly treat the messengers who teach the truth of God, even as they have done from the beginning.

11. And when the Son of Man cometh, even the Christ of God, they gather together against the Holy One, and slay him, and cast him out of the vineyard, for they have not wrought the things of the Spirit, but sought their own pleasure and gain, rejecting the holy Law.

12. Had they accepted the Anointed One, who is the corner stone and the head, it would have been well with them, and the Building would have stood, even as the Temple of God inhabited by the Spirit.

13. But the day will come when the Law which they reject shall become the head stone, seen of all, and they who stumble on it shall be broken, but they who persist in disobedience shall he ground to pieces.

14. For to some of the angels God gave dominion over the course of this world, charging them to rule in wisdom. in justice and in love. But they have neglected the commands of the Most High, and rebelled against the good order of God. Thus cruelty and suffering and sorrow have entered the world, till the time the Master returns, and taketh possession of all things, and calleth his servants to account.

15. AND he spake another parable, saying: A certain man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard, and he answered and said, I will not, but afterwards he repented and went. And he came to the second and said likewise, and he answered and said, I go, sir, and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?

16. They say unto him, The first, and Iesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not, but the taxgatherers and the harlots believed him, and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards, that ye might believe him.

17. AND the Lord gathered together all his disciples in a certain place. And he said unto them, Can ye make perfection to appear out of that which is imperfect? Can ye bring order out of disorder? And they said, Lord, we cannot.

18. And he placed them according to the number of each in a four-square order, each side lacking one of twelve ( and this he did, knowing who should betray him, who should be counted one of them by man, but was not of them) 

19. The first in the seventh rank from above in the middle, and the last in the seventh from below, and him that was neither first nor last did he make the Centre of all, and the rest according to a Divine order did he place them, each finding his own place, so those which were above, were even as those which were below, and the left side was equal to the right side, and the right side to the left, according to the sum of their numbers.

20. An he said, See you how ye stand? I say unto you, In like manner is the order of the kingdom, and the One who ruleth all is in your midst, and he is the centre, and with him are the hundred and twenty, the elect of Israel, and after them cometh the hundred and forty and four thousand, the elect of the Gentiles, who are their brethren.

Comment - LECTION 68. -Again, studying these "dark sayings" so difficult to understand, recourse has been had to certain figures known to the early Gnostics. (See the "Squares and Circles" by the Editor of this Gospel.) The Magic Square of 11 has been found wonderfully to explicate, symbolically at least, to the mystical, the meaning of the passage. The form exactly illustrates what the Lord in symbol taught to his disciples of the bringing forth of order out of disorder, perfection out of imperfection, and out of deficiency fulness. Compare the Magic Square given below with the natural square which anyone can form by writing the numbers in consecutive order; the result is at once seen, and may help to arrive at the meaning of this very mystical passage:-

MAGIC SQUARE OF ELEVEN PERFECTED
( Esslesice Militantis Sigillum.)
33 Summations of 671. Sum total of terms, 7,381

Lection 69

The Christ Within, The Resurrection And The Life.

1. As Iesus sat by the west of the Temple with his disciples, behold there passed some carrying one that was dead to burial, and a certain one said unto him, Master, if a man die, shall he live again?

2. And he answered and said, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the Good, the Beautiful, the True, if a man believe in me he shall not die, but live eternally. As in Adam all die, so in the Christ shall all be made alive. Blessed are the dead who die in me, and are made perfect in my image and likeness, for they rest from their labours and their works do follow them. They have overcome evil, and are made Pillars in the Temple of my God, and they go out no more, for they rest in the Eternal.

3. For them that have done evil there is no rest, but they go out and in, and suffer correction for ages, till they are made perfect. But for them that have done good and attained unto perfection, there is endless rest and they go into life everlasting. They rest in the Eternal.

4. Over them the repeated death and birth have no power, for them the wheel of the Eternal revolves no more, for they have attained unto the Centre, where is eternal rest, and the centre of all things is God.

5. AND one of the disciples asked him, How shall a man enter into the Kingdom? And he answered and said, If ye make not the below as the above, and the left as the right, and the behind as the before, entering into the Centre and passing into the Spirit, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.

6. And he also said, Believe ye not that any man is wholly without error for even among the prophets. and those who have keen initiated into the Christhood, the word of error has been found. But there are a multitude of error which are covered by love.

7. AND now when the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. For there abode Lazarus and Mary and Martha whom he loved.

8. And Salome came unto him, and asked him, saying, Lord, how long shall death hold sway? And he answered, So long as ye men inflict burdens and ye woman bring forth, and for this purpose I am come, to end the works of the heedless..

9. And Salome saith unto him, Then I have done well in not bringing forth. And the Lord answered and said Eat of every pasture which is good, but of that which hath the bitterness of death, eat not.

Comment - LECTION 69.8, 9. -This saying of Jesus is very difficult to the popular mind, as apparently reversing the original injunction in Gen.1-3, "Be ye fruitful and multiply." To understand this, it must be borne in mind that the promise of a Messiah to redeem the world, has, from the earliest times, begotten in the woman of the Hebrew nation, to whom it was specially given, that insatiable desire for offspring, each woman thinking of herself as the possible mother of Him who was to come and save. Iesus, the true Prophet, seeing the tendency to the propagation of the unfit (as we now see) to bring want, misery, squalor, vice and crime, through the inability of most parents to bring them up as they should be, owing to the curse of competition and greed, here proclaimed to Salome, in answer to her query, that he would reverse all this tendency among his followers, and through them, extend this reversal to mankind at large, for He, the desire and hope of nations, having come, there was no longer any supposed necessity or reason for such increase, of which He, the Prophet of God, fully foresaw the evil, in the ages to come, as we now fully experience it.

10. And when Salome asked when those things of which she enquired should be known, the Lord said, When ye shall tread upon the vesture of shame and rise above desire; when the two shall be one, and the male with the female shall be neither male nor female.

11. And again, to another disciple who asked, When shall all obey the law? Iesus said, When the Spirit of God shall fill the whole earth and every heart of man and of woman.

12. I cast the law into the earth and it took root and bore in due time twelve fruits for the nourishment of all. I cast the law into the water and it was cleansed from all defilements of evil. I cast the law into the fire, and the gold was purged from all dross. I cast the law into the air, and it was made alive by the Spirit of the Living One that filleth all things and dwelleth in every heart.

13. And many other like sakings he spake unto them who had ears to hear, and an understanding mind. But to the multitude they were dark sayings.

Lection 70

Jesus Rebukes Peter For His Haste.

1. NOW on the morrow as they were coming from Bethany, Peter was hungry, and perceiving a fig tree afar off having leaves thereon, he came if happily he might find fruit thereon, and when he came he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet.

2. And Peter was angry and said unto it, Accursed tree, no man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And some of the disciples heard of it.

3. And the next day as Jesus and his disciples passed by, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, behold, the fig tree which I cursed is green and flourishing, wherefore did not my word prevail?

4. Iesus said unto Peter, Thou knowest not what spirit thou art of. Wherefore didst thou curse that which God hath not cursed? And Peter said, Behold Lord I was a hungered, and finding leaves and no fruit, I was angry, and I cursed the tree.

5. And Jesus said, Son of Jonas knewest thou not that the time of figs was not yet? Behold the corn which is in the field which groweth according to its nature first the green shoot, then the stalk, then the ear—would thou be angry if thou camest at the time of the tender shoot or the stalk, and didst not find the corn in the ear? And wouldst thou curse the tree which, full of buds and blossoms, had not yet ripe fruit?

Comment - LECTION 70.1-5. -Long has Jesus suffered reproach, for those words so falsely attributed to him, in place of the impulsive Peter, who spoke them, and with whose character they were in full harmony.

6. Verily Peter I say unto thee, one of my twelve will deny me thrice in his fear and anger with curses, and swear that he knows me not, and the rest will forsake me for a season.

7. But ye shall repent and grieve bitterly, because in your heart ye love me, and ye shall be as an Altar of twelve hewn stones, and a witness to my Name, and ye shall be as the Servants of servants, and the keys of the Church will I give unto you, and ye shall feed my sheep and my lambs and ye shall be my vice-gerents upon earth.

8. But there shall arise men amongst them that succeed you, of whom some shall indeed love me even as thou, who being hotheaded and unwise, and void of patience, shall curse those whom God hath not cursed, and persecute them in their ignorance, because they cannot yet find in them the fruits they seek.

9. And others being lovers of themselves shall make alliance with the kings and rulers of the world, and seek earthly power, and riches, and domination, and put to death by fire and sword those who seek the truth, and therefore are truly my disciples.

10. And in their days I Iesus shall be crucified afresh and put to open shame, for they will profess to do these things in my Name. And Peter said, Be it far from thee Lord.

11. And Iesus answered, As I shall be nailed to the cross, so also shall my Church in those days, for she is my Bride and one with me. But the day shall come when this darkness shall pass away, and true Light shall shine.

12. And one shall sit on my throne, who shall be a Man of Truth and Goodness and Power, and he shall be filled with love and wisdom beyond all others, and shall rule my Church by a fourfold twelve and by two and seventy as of old, and that only which is true shall he teach.

13. And my Church shall be filled with Light, and give Light unto all nations of the earth, and there shall be one Pontiff sitting on his throne as a King and a Priest.

14. And my Spirit shall be upon him and his throne shall endure and not be shaken, for it shall be founded on love and truth and equity, and light shall come to it, and go forth from it, to all the nations of the earth, and the Truth shall make them free.

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