I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, NO MAN COMETH TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME!

AS JESUS CAME from the Divine He was right in using these
words because He was the only One who could overlook and
really explain everything. His Message, which cannot be separated
from Him personally, shows the clear path up to the Light amid the
confusion arising from erroneous views. For all human spirits this
means the possibility of rising or resurrection from the World of Matter
into which they had been immersed for their further development.
Such resurrection means life for everyone!
Now listen attentively! All that is base and all that is evil, i.e., all that
is called Darkness, exists only in the World of Matter, both in gross
matter and in ethereal matter. He who grasps this aright has already
gained much!
As soon as a man thinks in an evil or base manner he does immense
harm to himself. The main strength of his volition then flows forth like
a magnetic ray towards all that is base where it attracts ethereal matter
which, due to its weight, is denser and thus darker. As a result the
human spirit from which this volition issues is enveloped in this dense
kind of matter.
Even if a human mind is primarily bent on worldly things, i.e., if a
man is under the spell of a passion for something which need not
necessarily be immorality, gambling or drinking, but can also be a
marked partiality for anything of an earthly nature, his spirit will be
covered by a more or less dense ethereal cloak through the process I
have already mentioned.
This dense and consequently dark covering prevents all possibility of
the spirit rising upwards, and remains with it as long as it does not
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change the nature of its volition.
Only an earnest volition and an earnest striving for sublime spirituality
can loosen and at last completely detach such a cloak, because
it then no longer receives a supply of strength of a like nature and
gradually loosens its grip. Finally it is dissolved and sinks away, thus
freeing the spirit for its ascent.
Ethereal matter must not be regarded as refinement of visible gross
matter, for it is a species quite alien to gross matter and of different
consistency, which however can still be called matter. It forms
a transition to animistic substantiality from which the animal soul
originates.
If men remain in the World of Matter they must naturally be drawn at
some time or other into the disintegration to which all matter is subject,
because owing to their cloak they can no longer free themselves
from matter in time.
Those who of their own desire have descended into the World of Matter
for their development will remain bound in it unless they continue
on the right path! They are unable to sever themselves from it, which
if they did would be tantamount to a resurrection towards the Light!
It should be further explained that every development of a spirit-germ
longing for personal consciousness necessitates a descent into the
World of Matter. Only through experiences in the World of Matter can
it so develop. No other way is open to it! The spirit-germ, however, is
not forced to make this descent, it only happens when its own desire
to do so awakens within it. Its own wishes then impel it towards the
necessary course of development, out of the so-called Paradise of unconsciousness
and thus out of its state of non-responsibility.
If through their wrong desires men lose the right path which leads
upwards again, back to the Light, they remain wandering about in the
World of Matter.
Now try and observe the happenings in the World of Gross Matter,
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the development and the decaying in your immediate and visible surroundings!
Observe in the germination, growing, ripening and decaying how the
process of forming goes on, i.e., how the basic substances become
merged, the development which takes place, followed again by deterioration
into the same basic substances through disintegration, that
is, through the falling apart in the process of decaying of what has
been formed! You can distinctly see this with water, also with the
so-called decomposition of stones, with plants and also with animal
and human bodies. And in the same way that this happens with small
things it also happens with great things, and ultimately with all world
events! And not only in the Gross Material World which is visible to
man on earth, but also in the Ethereal World, in the so-called beyond
which, however, has nothing to do with Paradise!
As the lowest part of Creation the entire World of Matter hangs like
a huge wreath, rotating in an immense circle which it takes millions
of years to complete. Thus in the great cosmic happenings everything
not only revolves around itself, but the whole of Creation also continually
rotates in an immense circle. Just as this great cycle resulted
from the first union and developed to its present perfection, so it continues
unswervingly on its course in the same manner until disintegration
sets in and returns the component parts to their primeval
substance. The circle, however, calmly continues to rotate along with
this primeval substance in order to form new worlds with new and
virgin powers through newly-effected unions.
Such is the great process of evolution, eternally repeating itself on the
smallest as well as on the greatest scale! And above this rotating circle
there stands firmly anchored the first spiritually pure Creation, the socalled
Paradise. In contrast to the formed World of Matter, Paradise is
not subject to disintegration.
In this Eternal Spiritual Sphere, which stands luminously above the
rotating circle, lies the origin of the unconscious spirit-germ of man.
This spiritual sphere again becomes the final goal of the human spirit
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after it has become self-conscious and thus personal in the World of
Matter.
It comes forth as an unconscious and non-responsible germ. It returns
as a self-conscious and therefore responsible personality provided
that … it does not get lost on its necessary journey through the World
of Matter (thereby becoming entangled in it), but celebrates its resurrection
from it as a human spirit which has become fully conscious.
A joyful emergence from the World of Matter towards this luminous
and eternal part of Creation!
As long as the human spirit remains in the World of Matter it joins in
part of this great and eternal rotating movement without, of course,
realising it. Thus one day it will at last arrive at the boundary line
where that part of Creation inhabited by the human spirits slowly
drifts towards disintegration!
Then, however, it is high time for all human spirits which are still
within the World of Matter to make haste and improve themselves to
such an extent that they can ascend to the safe and luminous haven of
the Eternal Kingdom, which means to find the right way and above all
the shortest way of escape from the impending dangers in the World
of Matter before being overtaken by them!
If they do not do so it will become more and more difficult, and finally
too late for them!
With all the rest they will then be slowly drawn into disintegration, in
which process the personal “ego” they have acquired will be torn to
pieces. Suffering a thousand torments they will again become unconscious
spirit-germs, the most dreadful fate which can befall a spirit
that has attained self-consciousness!
This concerns all those who have developed their personality in the
wrong direction. As their personality is both useless and detrimental
it must therefore again be forfeited. It should be noted that disintegration
is not the same as destruction. Nothing can be destroyed! It only
relapses into a primeval state. What will be destroyed in these lost
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ones is the personal “ego” they had acquired up to that time, and this
will be accompanied by unspeakable torments!
Such lost or damned ones then cease to be complete human spirits,
while the others are permitted to return home to the Eternal Kingdom
of Joy and Light as self-conscious spirits, consciously enjoying all its
splendour.
In the same way as a field after a number of years yields an everdecreasing
harvest of grain, and only receives new strength through
planting different crops, so it is with the whole World of Matter. This,
too, becomes exhausted after a time and must refresh its strength
through disintegration and a new composition. Such events, however,
cover millions of years, but even in happenings extending over
many millions of years there comes one definite year which is absolutely
decisive for the necessary separation of what is useful from
what is useless.
And the earth has now reached this point of time in the great cycle!
The human spirit still dwelling in the World of Matter must at last decide
to make its ascent, or the World of Matter will clasp it firmly for
the ensuing disintegration. This is the eternal damnation from which it
will never be possible to rise as a conscious spiritual personality and
ascend towards the luminous eternal part of Creation which stands
above such disintegration!
In the natural development of the whole every possibility that spiritgerms
striving to become conscious can incarnate upon this overripe
earth-plane has long since been forfeited, because they would
require too long a period to make a timely departure from the World
of Matter as personal self-conscious spirits. In the natural course of
events the spirit-germs can only flow to such parts of the cosmos as
are of the same nature in respect of the fact that their necessary development
requires just as much time as a spirit-germ also needs if it
were to use all the time allotted to it to gain perfection. Only the fact
that they are on the same stage of development opens the way for a
spirit-germ, while if any part of the cosmos were of greater maturity
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it would create quite insurmountable barriers. Thus here too there
can be absolutely no question of an injustice and a deficiency! Every
human spirit can therefore stand equally matured with the greatest
maturity of the material environment in which it has its being, and at
the same point as that now reached by the particular part of the World
of Matter we at present inhabit.
There is not one human being who could not be mature! The disparity
among men is but the necessary consequence of their own free
volition. Because it is over-ripe the World of Matter is now entering
a period of disintegration and simultaneously drifting towards a new
birth.
For the human spirits, however, the time of harvesting has arrived,
and with it the separation! That which is mature will be uplifted towards
the Light through the effects of the Natural Laws which permit
the ethereal cloak gradually to be cast off, leaving the spirit thus freed
from its burden consciously to swing upwards to the realm of its own
nature, of all that is eternally spiritual. That which is useless, however,
will be retained in the World of Matter by the self-imposed density of
their ethereal bodies.
The fate of these latter is that their ethereal bodies will remain subject
to the changes now beginning in the World of Matter, and they will
have to suffer under the most painful disintegration covering thousands
of years. The magnitude of their suffering will finally affect the
human spirit in such a manner as to make it lose its self-consciousness.
And with it the form of the image of God, the form of man,
acquired in the course of becoming conscious, again disintegrates!
After the complete disintegration of matter back into primeval substance,
that which has become unconscious spiritual substance is
again set free and, in accordance with its nature, rises upwards. Then,
however, it does not return as a conscious human spirit, but as an
unconscious seed which at some time or other, through a newlyawakened
desire, sets out from the very beginning on a new course
of development in a new part of the world.
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Looking down from His infinitely high standpoint, that is, from On
High, Christ, as always, chose His words in such a way as to describe
the quite natural process of the spirit rising out of the World of Matter
into which it had descended as a spirit-germ.
Try to imagine yourself standing above the World of Matter!
Below you, spread out like a field, lies the World of Matter in its many
varieties! The spirit-germs, coming from above, now descend into the
World of Matter. After a long time and at many different intervals
there gradually emerges a number of complete human spirits which
have become self-conscious through their experiences in the World
of Matter, and which through their urge to strive upwards have been
able to cast off all that is material and leave it behind. These then celebrate
their resurrection from the World of Matter!
But not all germs rise as matured spirits above the surface. A good
many of them never emerge and must perish without being of any
use!
It is exactly the same as with a field of grain!
Just as with the seed of wheat all the mysterious and real development
takes place in the soil needed for the purpose, so the principal development
of the spirit-germ takes place in the general World of Matter.
In each one of His sentences Christ invariably illustrates some natural
happening in Creation!
Whether He said: “No man cometh to the Father but by My Message,
or by My Word, or by Me”, it is one and the same thing! It means:
“No man can find the way except through what I say!” One expression
means the same as the other! It is also the same whether He says:
“Through My Message I bring you the possibility of resurrection from
the World of Matter and with it life” or “I am, by My Word, resurrection
and life for you!”
Men should grasp the meaning and not persist in confusing themselves
by haggling over words!
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The processes in the cycle of the World of Matter indicated here only
in broad outline may also produce a few exceptions which, however,
are not caused by any changes or distortions in the effective Laws of
Creation, but which contain complete and inexorable fulfilment.
In order to avoid errors creeping in I now wish to give a few brief
explanations in advance of later lectures where the subject is dealt
with more fully.
The afore-mentioned periodic disintegration of all matter at a certain
definite point in its cycle is a consequence of the fact that the human
spirit-germs, which have the capacity to make a free decision, are
permitted to develop in the Worlds of Matter.
Since with this ability to make a free decision the spirit-germs do not
always choose the way upwards to the Light, a certain increase in the
density of the World of Matter not willed by the Light takes place,
causing it to become heavier and forcing it down onto a course that
leads to over-ripeness and to the funnel which acts like a cleansing
filter upon everything, and in which disintegration simultaneously occurs.
Any part of the Cosmos or any celestial body in the World of Matter
in which the developing human spirits adjust all their desires and
pure volitions only to the Light remains more luminous, and therefore
lighter, on a plane where it can uninterruptedly absorb the living radiating
powers out of the Light. It always remains fresh and healthy and
swings in the Laws of Creation, thus avoiding a course which must
otherwise lead to over-ripeness and disintegration.
Such parts quite naturally, i.e., by the Will of the Light, wing their way
high above the boundary where disintegration sets in.
Unfortunately there are only very few of these! The guilt for this must
lie at the door of the spirit of man which is allowed to develop but
which chose wrong paths and, despite all admonitions, clung to them
persistently!
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Where, however, by an act of Grace the Creator wishes to offer help
when distress is at its highest, that is, shortly before the particular part
enters the sucking power of the vortex of disintegration, there the
process is changed!
Without the participation of the human spirits the anchoring of the
Light through the coming of an Envoy of God so strengthens the Power
of the Light that a purification takes place which then, in the last
moment, pulls up the thus blessed part of the World of Matter towards
more luminous regions so that it passes above the funnel of disintegration
and thereby remains in existence.
The purification naturally sweeps away all that is dark along with all
its creatures, its servants and all their abominations, while the human
spirits which still remain must gratefully strive upwards to the Light
with all their strength!
Even this extraordinary event swings completely in the Laws of Creation
and its effects do not deviate from them by a hair’s breadth. The
compulsory purification connected with the anchoring of the Light is
the same as an absolutely new birth!
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