Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Chapter 330

The past, future and present Christ

21st April 1844

[1] Just write what you have! But to congratulate in a certain human way is not My business – but to teach, to train, to guide, and to direct the wayfarer to those paths that lead there into My kingdom (that is My way)! And in this way I want to give you something for your fellow now, too!

[2] Listen well, My dear A.H.-W., to what I will now make known to you through My servant! I tell you, it is necessary for you and your house!

[3] Behold, you sure have a quite firm faith; but your love in your heart is still far from being as firm as your faith – and that because you still cling your love to My visible personality and seek to hear and see Me. And only when you would have seen Me in some way, or at least have perceived Me, would your heart then also fully inflame for Me.

[4] And behold, just so it stands with your family! You all love the Christ who once taught in the world or Who you want to come back to judge the world – so you only love the past or the future Christ!

[5] But that is not enough! For in such a state I cannot approach you as your Father in the present, but only as that of the past or that of the future, and cannot strengthen you because you honor Me only in your memory, but do not love Me alive in your heart!

[6] But as memory soon grasps it's objects quite vividly and soon lets them go again completely, so it is also the case with you with Me! If you just read something edifying from Me, then you are full of love for Me – but this is not love, but only a temporary excitement of your memory. As soon as you turn around and see something else, your memory chamber in your head closes, and I am outside as if I had hardly ever been in it.

[7] You can then pay visits, communicate with the world, amuse yourselves with worldly things, chat about all kinds of things and dress your body delicately. And if any friend visits you, you can have more joy than ever before in the short-lived memory of Me!

[8] For neither the past nor the future Christ, who dwells in your memory but not in your hearts, hinders you from all this. But I say to you and your family and all of you: The past and the future Christ will be of little use to you unless you keep the present one alive in your hearts!

[9] If I would take My servant from you today, through whom I have already been sending you daily refreshments for four years and so let you be haunted only a little bit by worldliness – there you will gradually lose Me quite unnoticed from your memory, that little sparks of this memory will hardly ignite your heart for Me any more.

[10] You are now certainly always happy when you hear something from Me. But your joy is not lasting, because it is in step with your memory. And you then soon afterwards look forward to some worldly pleasure more than to Me and make plans what you will do without considering that you can never do anything without Me and are able to do even much less.

[11] And if I want to prevent you from doing so, then you can even become sad about it and say: But are we not allowed to have any joy?

[12] But I say: You are to have joy, and joy is never to be taken from you – but I should always be your greatest joy!

[13] Ask yourselves: What do you think your self-made joy offers you? How long does it last? You have once again wasted a few hours uselessly with the stupid world, stupidly chatting and laughing.

Then you stand again in the old spot! And it is only thanks to My endless love and patience that you have not come back after every worldly joy, that is, that you have encountered death!

[14] In such circumstances there is still no talk of a noticeable progress towards Me, and I still remain your "past" or "future" Christ.

[15] But I tell you all this just on this your day, so that you may come closer to Me with your whole house for the future than was the case hitherto!

[16] You know the ways to Me. If you want to prepare for yourself a present, living Christ from the past or future Christ, you must walk these paths with all seriousness, and your house with you! Thus you will bring Me from your memory into your heart and only then will that joy come over you, which no world and no eternity will be able to take away from you even for the briefest of moments!

[17] But this endless joy will not come over you until you can say with Paul: "Now it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!"

[18] Behold, all the world is My enemy; but how can anyone say that he loves Me when, on the other hand, he still offers the world his hand in greeting?

[19] Therefore, pay attention to this My new teaching and admonition, and you will soon reach that joy that no-one will take away from you! May this be My wish and My Fatherly "congratulations" for this day of yours! And My grace, love and mercy be with you forever! Amen.