NEUOFFENBARUNG← Gifts of Heaven · Volume 3 · Contents
Explanation of difficult Scriptures
17th March 1864
I. About the unwise and wise builder
[1] Write an especially important short word, in which I will explain to you still many a thing from what I taught the apostles in My time.
[2] The texts from the Scriptures will not be unknown to you, where two men are mentioned, one of whom had built his house in the valley on the sandy bottom, which we shall call the unwise man; but the other sought out a firm rock, and we shall cal him the wise man.
[3] But when the unwise man saw that his wise neighbor had built his house on a rock, he said to him, "Wouldn't you have built there in the valley with less expense than on the rock up there, where you first had to laboriously pave a path and with many a discomfort had to carry the building material up? Look how splendid my house stands there in the valley and how easy it is to get there and back! Your house, on the other hand, stands on the rock like an eagle's nest, and you have an arduous way to and from it.
[4] But the wise man said, "Wait just a little; who knows whether you will not soon praise me because I have built my house upon a solid rock?
[5] And behold, in not too long a time, violent winds arose, turned into a terrible hurricane, and a mighty downpour came, destroyed the beautiful house in the valley, about which the unwise man was so smug, and in order to save his life he had to seek refuge with his neighbor on the rock.
[6] Now he realized that his wise neighbor had done well to build his house on the rocks, and the formerly unwise man decided to never [again] build a house in a sandy valley.
[7] And now I ask, what is the fundamental meaning of this illustration?
[8] For there is not a true spark in that which the priesthoods of all the sects known to you – with the exception of a few which stand to their favor in the teachings of Swedenborg and others of his spiritually awakened predecessors – and sees the interpretation of the others like a fist to the eye.
[9] Why, you will ask. Because every sect, I say, does not interpret it (the text) according to the truth that goes out from Me, but, like many other things, in it's own favor.
[10] But I say: All sects, including their followers, belong to the realm of the unwise man who built his house on sand in the valley. And only he who builds on Me and on My pure teaching and does and acts according to it, belongs to the rare prudent man who built his house on the rock. And when the storms of the times come, his house stands firm, but the house and many houses that stand on the sand in the valley are washed away.
[11] But what must a person be like who builds his house on the rock? He must not be consistently naive and superstitious, but must only seek the truth in everything, which alone can make him free and well-enlightened.
[12] Yes, some people will ask, how do you do that?
[13] The answer also lies in My teaching which I have given to My apostles, and is therefore very briefly:
[14] Who believes in Me and lives and acts according to My teaching, to him I Myself will come and reveal Myself to him just as faithfully as to now you.
[15] That in this also lies the only criteria of truth of My teaching, you now have before you yourselves more than palpably in several still living examples; because that is why I also said to My apostles when they themselves were not quite clear who they actually should take Me for:
[16] If you believe in Me and will act according to My teaching, only then will you also fully recognize in yourselves that the words which I have spoken to you are not the words of people, but the words of God.
[17] And again I said to My apostles: "Not only you, but subsequently every man who truly wants to come to Me must be taught by God; for he whom the Father or eternal Love in Me does not draw, he does not come to Me" – or in other words, more comprehensible to you: Whom true love of truth and light does not attract, and who, in his sluggishness and sleepiness, remains quite comfortable and throws himself as much as possible into the arms of all pleasures and diversions in the world, will he someday reach the light of truth?
[18] I tell you, no more so than a sluggish student, who studies mostly in inns and coffee houses and on the dance floors and in the rooms of the vile harlots will become a great astronomer; for to become that, from youth on an over-abundant diligence and a great amount of all kinds of self- denial are needed. But with the great love for such a sublime and difficult science, he has come, in time, to calculate things of which the layman of the world cannot dream. And there it says again:
[19] Whom the Father does not draw, he does not come to the Son, for the Son is the light, coming from the flame and fire of love or of the Father.
[20] But go to most of the so-called Christian sects and look especially at their priesthood and ask them: What love has drawn you to your pretended truth which you preach? And you will find it written on their faces and on their bellies: the best possible temporal supply and over-Epicurean well-staffed food tables with all the best prepared delicacies that can be found somewhere on the dear earth; and the higher such priesthood can swing itself up, the more Epicurean becomes also it's virtue and with it also it's selfishness and lust for power.
[21] Such wanting followers of My apostles and disciples certainly do not obey what I have said to My apostles and disciples, that they are not to care for the coming day what they will eat and drink and what they will clothe themselves with, but only seek My kingdom and it's righteousness; everything else they need, will be given to them.
[22] When I sent My disciples out, I said to them: "You shall not wear and carry two garments, and have not sewn pockets in your garments to contain all kinds of things offered to you; neither shall you wear sticks to defend yourselves; for if you have Me, you are provided with everything for this world and the next anyway.
[23] Would also the priests, who among all kinds of representatives of God do their essence, perform seemingly meritorious works for money, in which they do not have a spark of faith, be satisfied with this supply in the present time? Will they be satisfied with a garment without pockets, wearing gold-trimmed garments and eagerly trying to dazzle the people with their brilliance?
[24] A present bishop wants to be a successor of some apostle! Does he walk without a stick? Oh by no means! Sell such a stick, and you can support a poor family for a long time. A whole country could be well supplied for with everything for many years, if it could acquire the value of only one papal tiara and several cardinal hats; for such a tiara, made of the purest gold and the largest and most precious gems such as diamonds, rubies and emeralds and big pearls, would probably be worth almost as many millions as I counted apostles, and a cardinal's hat costs eighty thousand dollars! Wouldn't that be quite a respectable sum for a poor country?
[25] But let us leave them with their so-called triumphant church; they still did not build their houses and temples on the rock, and the great storm is at the door, which will show them how wise they were! But when the storm comes, there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth, and it will be said:
[26] Woe to all who want to take flight from there and seek to settle on firm rocks; because who will not have there, like all these, what he had will also be taken from him, and they will not come
to the light, but will be pushed out through My storm into outer darkness – through My mighty storm, and there there will then be even more howling and gnashing of teeth or, in other words, even more mutual persecutions and curses. For the deceived believers will descend upon their heavenly procurers and by no means treat them much better than a fierce enemy treats his counter- enemy; for a deceived one puts up with deception only so long as he is still blind and do not to see the deception; once he notices it, then woe to the deceiver!
[27] And this woe is now standing at the door! The snipers already have a large crowd, and they will not miss their target. I mean, the verses of My words that I cited at the beginning will now be sufficiently obvious to you.
II. Obedience towards authorities
[1] The text of which you where talking about yesterday, according to which man has to obey every authority, regardless of whether it is good or evil, since it would have no power if not given from above. (Rom 13:1)
[2] This scripture is to some extent correct as written by the apostle Paul, but an addition, which I included, has been omitted. The addition is as follows: “… as long as the possession of the Spirit of truth out of Me lives in this authority.”
[3] If you would discern that it is no more the case, then it is time to turn the back on such authorities, who are not inspired from on high any more; for if this was not the case, I would have said in all seriousness: be subject to all devils and obey them ! That you would not expect of Me, since I emphatically said that you have to investigate everything and keep only the good and the true. (1 Thess 2:4)
[4] Furthermore needs to be added to the – as I already mentioned – poorly translated text, that in the place of good or evil, should have been written mild or strict. Since you know that now, you will very well see that I did not tell you to be obedient to devils.
[5] If you would discern this correctly, you will very well see that such crass nonsense would never come from My mouth and will never come. (Rom 13:1)
[6] If anyone of you will still find something in the scriptures that does not correlate with sound reasoning, name it and light will be given unto him. Amen.