2000-6-14 12:00:00
Sue forwarded my last chapter on the gathering to Sterling's list and she received an interesting reply from him which reads:
"Susan,
Thanks for passing this on to us. It is one of the best treatises I have ever read on the subject of doom and gloom. It is both extremely somber and encouraging at the same time. It was posts like this that endeared me so much to J.J.'s writings in the first place. Too bad there is such a theological rift. How does someone who has such a mastery of the scriptures and can quote them to such masterful effect adopt such a New Age theology? What an enigma. It's posts like this that make me miss J.J. and remember what a great gift for teaching he has. Sigh."
I assume Susan will forward this on to you Sterling and will say that it is nice to hear kind words from you again. I believe we were just inches away from seeing eye to eye and that those inches of separation were not in debate, or in the reasoning out of the scriptures, but in the sharing of the Spirit together, which sharing is the only path to true unity.
An in answer to Blayne's inquiry - my future chapters should answer most of his questions. He also might want to read the previous 18 chapters of the book.
I will comment on one statement he wrote: "While many of the things he mentioned have some truth to them he still offers no real solution..."
This whole book presents the grand solution and that is a literal gathering of Lights to a new land where such a people will be totally independent of all creatures under heaven to create an ensign or an example to the nations of a higher form of society.
Here is the next chapter ahead of schedule.
THE GATHERING OF LIGHTS
Chapter Nineteen - Real Faith
Those who boast of great religious faith remind me a lot of a neophyte in a multi-level marketing program. When entering the program they are pumped full of zeal by various distributors. I have met many of those individuals who think they are going to make a million dollars or so in the next year and they have unshakable faith that this will happen. But sooner or later hard facts and reality hits them and they realize that to be even moderately successful they will have to devote all their extra energies and efforts to this "part time" business. When faced with this hard fact over ninety per cent lose interest and drop away. Often, I have met one of these individuals at a later time and asked how their venture was going. Generally, they want to change the subject.
So the born again full-fledged gospel believing Bible thumping proselyter who does not want to apply works will want to change the subject when his faith is put to the test. If he reads his Bible perhaps this scripture will glare him in the face: "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." Proverbs 28:26
Those with unworkable faith merely trust in their heart, or their feelings, which is not faith at all. "Faith" comes from the Greek PISTIS and literally means: "a mental conviction one has proven true by argument or reason". Thus if one has faith he will go to heaven he should be able to justify it by logical argumentation. One will notice that Paul, a big believer in faith, spent much of his time in logical argumentation.
The book of Hebrews gives an expanded definition: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
We can again find that the Greek will give us a much clearer translation here. "Substance" comes from HUPOSTASIS and in modern translations it is usually rendered "assurance" or "confidence", but in reality one English word cannot do it justice. It more literally means "That state of mind which supports an idea through a sustained effort." "Evidence" comes from ELEGECHOS which means "to prove a matter true or false". The word indicates that faith establishes the true reality. Thus a clearer translation of the preceding verse would be: "Now faith is having that state of mind which sustains that which is hoped for and reveals the truth of those things we do not see." This definition corresponds much better with the root meaning of the Greek PISTIS which is translated faith.
If we have faith we can sustain an idea until it is proven true or false. It is never a blind unreasoning belief.
The correct definition of faith should make the word more acceptable to the more enlightened and intelligent persons who were previously repulsed to using it. We see that Edison, for instance, had great faith. He sustained the idea of the light bulb until he proved its validity by making it a physical reality. When faith is sustained on a true principle a physical manifestation occurs. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed." Hebrews 11:3
We are also told: "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him" (God). Hebrews 11:6 Unless we can sustain an idea or conviction and prove it by argument or externalization we cannot please God.
By this scriptural definition of faith I know of very few pious religious people who have any semblance of faith, but ironically, there are numerous non-religious people who have it.
If those who claim to have faith do not actually have it, then what do they have? After searching through numerous words in the Biblical Greek the closest I can find to match what is commonly miscalled "faith" is BLASPHEMOS which in the English means "blasphemer".. BLASPHEMOS literally means "to hinder by stating an unfounded, rumored, or unreasonable statement". Interestingly, most of those who claim to have faith cannot support their belief with any logical foundation or reasoning, but merely repeat what they have been taught. Therefore, instead of having faith they are committing blasphemy.
It is true then that faith can help us to escape from possible calamities, but true faith will be followed by a logical, reasonable approach that will attract the attention of intelligent men and women. To remain in the midst of possible future calamities one must have the faith of a Noah, Daniel, or Job, but who among us has that much faith? Where, therefore, is there deliverance for those of lesser faith?
The scripture in Ezekiel does throw out a light of hope. Ezekiel goes on to explain that a way will be provided for deliverance of others: "Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be BROUGHT FORTH (gathered out from where destruction will hit), both sons and daughters." Ezekiel 14:22
Thus a remnant will be gathered out and not only the Daniels and Noahs will be saved, but also their sons and daughters and others. This deliverance was seen in a vision by John the Revelator as an escape from Babylon. In the scriptures Babylon is a symbol of a mixture of all peoples, both the Israelites and non-Israelites. The word itself means "mixture" or "confusion". In Babylon the average person is always confused because good is called evil and evil good, faith is called blasphemy and blasphemy faith, desire is called love and love is accused of being selfishness ... In Babylon the true reality is always hidden. We see that when Israel leaves Babylon that Babylon "falls". This is because the true ensign produced by gathered Israel will be a light that will dispel the confusion and the true good will be revealed.
In a prophecy of our day John wrote: "And after these things I saw another messenger come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lighted with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen (More correctly rendered: "falling"), and is become the habitation of devils (adversaries), and the hold of every foul spirit (mislead persons), and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird (those who claim to be the elect, but are not); For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (alienation from the Holy Spirit), and kings have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE (Israel - the Lights of the Earth), that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:1-4
Thus just before the collapse of Babylon the people of Israel are to "come out". And how will they come out? We repeat the answer given by Jesus: "And he shall send his angels (messengers) with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect (out of Babylon) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31
A description of this process was also given by Jeremiah: "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord,, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the North and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land (spiritual foundation) that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." Jeremiah 16:14-16
This great event of coming out of Babylon will be accomplished by messengers, fishers, and hunters who will search out those who have the Israelite consciousness and gather them together to build the cities of Zion.
After Israel is gathered out we then have the fall of Babylon: "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her...For in one hour so great riches is come to naught ... And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall the great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all ... And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain on the earth." Revelation 18:8,17, 21, & 24
This fall of Babylon can be fulfilled by a number of different correspondences. When Israel is gathered mentally and mentally comes out of the upside down world of illusion within Babylon, then the light they create will be a fire that can burn Babylon in one hour, or a short period of time. The mental illusions cannot stand in the light of truth.
When Israel gathers its love and focuses it in its true aspect, the false love of desire and selfishness will be revealed and this part of the foundation of Babylon will fall.
When Israel physically gathers out of Babylon and focuses' its light and love and power in a correctly magnetized area of the planet then the ensign will lift up the Christ consciousness for the whole world to see. Then will be fulfilled the scripture: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw (gather) all men unto me." John 12:32
When men find the true Christ within, then they can recognize the Christ manifested without, and the old authoritative structure will collapse. Babylon the Great will fall and the downtrodden peoples of the world will gladly accept the order of the new age.
The literal - physical externalization of this destruction prophecy is what we hope to avoid, but if mankind changes not and does not shift its thinking to the higher level of the New Age, then physical destruction must come.
Contrary to fundamentalist beliefs, mankind has made great progress towards this "repentance" and the world is no more wicked than it has ever been before. The number of bare breasts available for the public gaze is far from an effective measuring rod for evil. A more correct criterion would be the degree of harmfulness that the average human being is willing to inflict upon another. Criteria for righteousness could be the intensity of the will to do good in man for his fellow man. A brief glimpse of history will reveal that, overall, man has become more righteous. It wasn't long ago that the public approved of feeding people to the lions and burning heretics and witches at the stake. On the other hand, humanity now has a much greater respect for human life and is more benevolent towards animals than it was towards humans a short time ago. Public opinion now frowns on a cockfight as being too cruel.
Any honest observer will admit that mankind is making progress toward the injunction of Jesus to "do unto others as you would have others do unto you," but have we done enough? Do we still need seriously consider the prophecies of destruction? Perhaps.
Copyright 2000 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved