2000-11-1 08:57:00
It should now be sustained beyond doubt (to those who look to the Bible for guidance) that the ancient prophets looked forward to the building of Zion and the New Jerusalem, that these were more than states of mind, but were to eventually be externalized and be an instrument in bringing perpetual peace on earth goodwill toward men.
The obvious question now is: "How is it to be done?" Others will ask "Can it be done?" Then some will say: "Why is it necessary?" Those who perceive will ask: "Where do we start?"
First let us establish the need. For why would one work at the physical manifestation of Zion, and the New Jerusalem, the throne of God, if he cannot see the benefit?
There will be two principle objections to participating in the Gathering of Lights:
The first objection will be discussed here, and the second objection discussed in the next chapter.
There were those who made these same comments toward those courageous souls who were leaving the Old World to build a better world in America. Their neighbors often taunted them with: "If you think you are so great and your beliefs are true -- why run off? Stay here and straighten out the government in England, and then maybe you can do some good abroad."
Those who voiced this objection were usually "do-nothings," but supported the status quo and did not want change.
What would have happened if the early immigrants to America had listened to such criticism and stayed home? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others would have probably died unknowns in prison.
Could they have turned the government around in the Old World?
No.
Could they have established an inspired constitution?
No.
Could they have built a great country?
No.
What would have happened?
If all those who wanted to build something better than had existed before, and those who wanted to help their brethren had stayed home then the only ones who would have journeyed to America would have been the greedy and selfish ones with no thought of their brethren, but only themselves.
Would these individuals have established an ensign to the nations that would benefit the whole world?
No. They would have supported the authoritarian monarchy of the Crown and sought its blessing, and never risk their wealth for the sake of freedom. These would have assisted their mother country in crushing any freedom revolution by the likes of Washington and Jefferson. The cause of freedom may have been set back a thousand years and we may still be living in the dark ages.
The Washingtons and Jeffersons may have had some influence for good had they lived their lives in England or some other country, but the odds were too heavy for any great change. They lacked freedom of movement and speech. But most of all they would have lacked the association of other like-minded individuals in large enough numbers to dissipate the astral fog and illusion and create real change.
To understand the importance of the gathering one must look upon each individual as a point of brilliant white light, but in most cases the light is almost entirely covered with the dark clouds of glamour, illusion, ignorance, and pride. The great light at the center is in all persons, but all that is visible to the observer, or the average person, are thick clouds of darkness. If one were to look over the billions of people in humanity he would find that most radiate little or no light from the center, but are led by insignificant reflections from without that they follow with blindness. Now and then, however, one spots a form that radiates some of the inward light, and once in a great while he will see one with brilliant radiation. When one in darkness comes across the brilliant one he is temporarily blinded more than ever so that he cannot even distinguish the dim reflections. Instead of giving his eyes time to adjust he immediately judges the great light to be an evil one and wants him removed out of his sight.
When a great light comes across one whose inward light is just beginning to ignite, give and receive then he will see the inward light of the neophyte strengthened and glow more firmly. It will seem to become one light with the greater light. However, when the two cease to walk together and the lesser light is again surrounded by his friends in darkness a strange thing happens. His brothers complain that his increase in light is bad for it hurts them and causes them discomfort. Then fogs of darkness drift from their bodies and envelope his own. This is a crucial time for this aspirant for he is now faced with a decision to look inward to the light that never faileth, or outward to the dim reflections that are not real.
If he looks inward to the great central light he gains a witness that it is always there and he knows he is this light which has always been. He is then filled with fire than annihilates all dark clouds in his presence. When the light busts forth his friends step back in shock and fear and avoid him from that point on until their own inner light draws their attention.
If he turns not to the light within but dismisses it from his attention, then he is forced to revert to the dim reflections without or the false images of Babylon. His old friends then embrace him and support him with dark clouds of group endeavor which bind him with prison chains stronger than he has hitherto known.
He now greatly fears the light within and tries to believe it never was, but in his heart he knows that it is ever there and trembles at this knowledge.
This entity is soon to face another test severe. The movement of God brings him face to face with Brothers of Light he has known before. He knows the light is real and true, and he must either acknowledge it and gain a step toward releasing the light again, or he must deny it.
Because each person has the light and is the light itself he finds that he cannot say the light is not real, but if he truly desires to deny it he then builds an image of his outward self out of the dark clouds. This new image has no light within. He then identifies with this image and imprisons his personality self in a dark dungeon separate from the Light where it cannot escape for ages of time. The entity then inhabits the false image where he can deny the light with full force. A point of great darkness is created within for him, and this is now his light. He is then an Antichrist who shall not release his light from prison in this world or in the world to come.
Nevertheless, the light is eternal and it waits and in some future age it will be released in glory in a new human creation and this remade seeker will spend ages in time seeking his fellow lights who walked ahead in paths of glory.
As we visualize humanity abroad we see a greater light here and there with lesser lights gathering around them. Very seldom do we see two great lights working together but when we do there is great influence and effectiveness. We see the two working together as a light greater than any single light, but the radiance is still not strong enough to penetrate the great fog that surrounds humanity and their work is never as effective as they desire. All the lights viewed as a whole only produce a dim glow in the fog that surrounds the planet.
Now visualize the greater and lesser lights coming out of the haze and settling in one place. We see a great central light for the whole earth beginning to form and it grows brighter and brighter. Not only does this central light grow in brilliance, but the individual lights that gather there begin to burn with greater strength. The lesser lights become greater lights and the greater lights become greater still..
The great massed light grows in brilliance until the dark fog and clouds have no strength to suppress its living beams and there is created before the eyes of the waiting Christ the throne of the living God, and he now knows that the time has come for him to once more walk among men. He knows that those near the throne of God will listen to their king.
As the Lights are drawn from among men those left behind find themselves in an uncomfortable void, and in this darkness they find themselves uncomfortable with the great light of the gathering which is materializing before them and begin to look upon it as evil, something which should be extinguished.
This happened to some extent when the Lights of Britain came to America. The Americans were looked upon as evil traitors by many and they were suppressed as much as possible.
To the dismay of the oppressors the light within cannot be extinguished from without. The more it is fought the more it grows until the illumination spreads abroad. Soon the eyes of neighboring inhabitants are adjusted and their hearts are irradiated with the warmth of the glow. Their fear subsides, and the light is then sought out. For instance, it was not long before those who fought the light of freedom in America with the greatest zeal become fellow promulgators of it.
In the gathering process, as in the gathering of fissionable material in the production of atomic energy, the critical mass is an essential element.
A "critical mass" is the amount of U-235 or other fissionable element which is necessary to be gathered together to sustain a chain reaction for the release of atomic energy. Any amount less than the critical mass is not of much more value for energy than any other element.
The correspondence is the same for people who are becoming spiritually radioactive. A critical mass composed of the Brothers of Light must be gathered together to produce the chain reaction to usher in the New Age. As with atoms, so with humans. Without the critical mass almost all the radiating energy is of minimal effect.
When a critical mass of radioactive humans (Israelites) are gathered then we can have a controlled chain reaction, a controlled release of energy to sustain peace on earth goodwill toward men. Then the Son of man will come in heaven in the clouds of glory. The symbolic heaven is the gathered Lights, and the clouds of glory is the intelligence that radiates from those gathered.
On the surface it may seem more beneficial to have the Lights scattered throughout the world struggling with those of emotional polarization, but if this situation is permanent, the Lights tend to become as those in darkness rather than the other way around. This mistake was the cause of the past failure of many good people, groups, and nations.
If one truly desires a quantum leap in spiritual evolution for his brethren, let him set up an ensign and remember the ancient law that we become as that which we gaze upon, or that which draws our attention.
Israel in their scattered condition has been a leaven for humanity as Jesus said and has been a benefit in raising the loaf, but remember, leaven has no power to shape. The gathered Lights must shape the loaf and externalize the Kingdom of God.
-- End Of Chapter 38 --
Go to:
Next Chapter
Previous Chapter
Gathering Of Lights (Chapter Index)
Copyright 2000 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved