NEUOFFENBARUNGDeutscher Text · Volume contents
Weakness of the husband. The wife going to hell.
[1] Look, the company has vanished completely, but our couple is still standing at the same spot, deep in thought. She asks him: “Well, beloved husband, what do you now say of this!” He says thoughtfully: My dear wife, there is not much to say here anymore. Either the speaker has it right and then the issue is settled and no one should say anything about it anymore, or he is wrong and I stay with my principles and then there is still no more to say. Whether he is right or not, is not to be determined so quickly, but this will my own experience teach in the course of time.
[2] She says: But best man, do you hold me, your faithful wife and this worthy man for liars because you do not readily want to believe his convincing words? Look, people are only inclined to lie and deceive each other if they would gain something for themselves by it. But tell me, what kind of benefit can lies and deceit give someone here? Here is indeed nothing to gain, nor to lose, but one thing is sure: a company always has it worse regarding the satisfaction of his stomach than someone wandering alone through this endless region. A single person quickly finds enough edible moss or grass to fill his stomach in case of emergency, but if there is more, it goes with such a patch of moss worse than with a loner.
[3] You ask me what I want to say with that? My most beloved man, nothing other than I want to convince you, still a wise man, to your own benefit, to let go of your Bible faith. For if we should proceed each for himself, we would both profit, for each would be able to navigate easier on his own on this meager surface, than two would do together. If we would want to lie to or deceive you, then we would have left you to your principles and you would have gone away as a consumer due to your principles. We certainly do not want to lie to, nor deceive you, but we have shown you only the pure truth of which no mortal upon earth could have dreamt, even less such a staunch Bible and Christ fanatic like you. What do you still want to think about? Come for once to your senses and follow me, your eternally loving wife. If you would not listen to me on earth, then at least to it here in the kingdom of the naked truth, where I already have six more years of experience than you have. Look, on earth is nothing but deceit because everybody benefits something from it or at least think to gain something, but here, al winning came to an end; all lies and deceit falls away automatically. Believe me, nothing but my love binds me to you; this is the only gain I have of you. But if you still want to cling in folly to your old, insignificant principles, my gain also falls away. We can therefore only be happy if our insights and feelings would mutually completely concur. If we cannot settle this harmony, then I must honestly acknowledge that I would be happier without you than with you, empty-head, at my side. I am not able to speak anything more to your advantage, but the following: Because I truly love you and always have loved you, I have done here everything possible to show to you my eternal, solemnly promised love and faithfulness. But you have never loved me, you are willing to leave me forever for the sake of your love for your folly. Now, consider what you are going to do.
[4] Look, the man begins to scratch behind his ears and after a while says to his wife: My dear wife, I have gathered from your words that you really love me. This I can impossibly deny. But I only cannot understand, if in this dark spiritual world nothing is to be gained or lost by either truth or lies, why would you then try to completely senselessly force a certain truth upon me, with which finally just as little can be gained than with my so-called, to you and your learned man, alleged false teaching! Therefore, I believe, if your love for me would really be as intense as you just indicated to me, you could just as well follow me as I could follow you, except if you have already found something better in the way of your truth. In that case, I would indeed want to follow you to convince myself of the reality of your truth. If this is not the case, then it is of no consequence where to we go.
[5] I keep thinking: We did live upon earth as so-called Christians, have read the gospel, but never really lived according to it. We lived and acted according to our own insights and to our own benefit, but for the active practice of the teaching of Christ were neither with me, even less with you, anything present.
[6] Look, the teaching says: “Love God above all and your neighbor as yourself”. Have we ever done that? If I ask my heart, then it answers completely honestly that the love unto God has stayed completely foreign. But you never believed in a God, therefore your heart would be even more devoid of love than mine.
[7] There is also written in the word of the gospel: Who wants to enter into life with Me, takes up his cross and follow Me! Tell me for once, dear wife, when have we done something of this upon earth? I never carried a cross and you even less; our complete cross consists out of purely worldly financial cares.
[8] Furthermore, is written in the gospel that the Master said to the rich youth: Sell all your earthly goods, distribute your gain among the poor and follow Me, then you will inherit eternal life. But what does the great Teacher say to the youth, or rather to his apostles after he removed himself from the Master in sorrow? Look, these words were full of special meaning as it appears to me, are we now living exactly the sad meaning of these words, going as follows: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter through the gate of heaven.
[9] There is also written in Scripture that the Master has invited many guests to a festive banquet and that the invited would not find the time to attend, due to their worldly affairs. Tell me for once, were we not invited once upon a time and did we give heed to this invitation? Well, my dear wife, we have completely, only ourselves to thank for our circumstances and that we are finding ourselves in this place of utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth and of which the Master once said precisely people like us would be cast out into.
[10] Because there is no faith in the Master to be found here, and your honorable company has spoken with just as much denial about Him as you, I believe they are finding themselves here for the very same reason as we do. If the great love and mercy of Christ would not help us all, I am convinced that all eternities, filled with melancholic truths, would barely be able to help us.
[11] In addition, if you had found something better with your alleged truth, then I want to, as I said, follow you there to show you that I also love you and will not force any of my principles upon you like you have forced your so-called truths upon me.
[12] The wife says: You can talk as much as you like, I am right once and for all. I cannot give you the assurance that I have already found something better, but I am nevertheless of the opinion that, if you would follow me, we would in not such a long time, find a place where there will be abundant light. For look, here to our right I have once, according to my inner feeling, walked for a long time all through, where I came to a broad river. To the other side of the river, I came upon a mighty mountain and behind the mountain arise a light as of the light of early morning. If one would be able to cross the river, one would, according to my conviction, find a lighter environment than this.
[13] The man says: Well, I will follow you; lead me to it. We will also follow them, for you need to see the unraveling of it!