As Mother spoke Madeleine gazed at Jezebel from afar, hating her. There was no way that she would vote for Lucifer’s plan, but she couldn’t see how Mother’s words could possibly be relevant to her. Warwick sat there, hating Lucifer, determined that he would not vote for him. Being so focused on his hatred, he didn’t hear what his mother was saying.
Lucifer also barely caught a word of the speech. It bored him silly. He just wanted his opportunity to speak, and assured himself that he would be far more interesting. The only time that he did tune into Mother’s speech was when she spoke of Jehovah’s role, and he only did so to take a moment to hate his brother more intensely.
‘I apologise children, to those of you who simply wouldn’t have thought to vote against our plan,’ continued the matriarch. ‘It is a shame that I have had to trouble you with all of this unpleasantness. I express my confidence in you, as I know that you can progress successfully through the mortal journey and become glorious. I hope that you understand that I have had to address your rebellious brothers and sisters, as unfortunately, this will be the last time that I shall have the opportunity to speak to them.’
Mother broke down and wept as she said this and was unable to continue. Rachel wept with her mother. Jezebel, on the other hand, looked at her mother narrowly, surprised by how feeble she was. Mother had said what she needed to say, however, and was comforted by her husband for a time before he was able to address his children.
87 patriarchal direction
Having comforted his beloved wife, Father addressed his little ones.
‘My children, your mother has addressed you very well and I hope that she has left you in little doubt as to the importance of the decision that you are about to make. You are well aware that from the beginning we have been very careful to protect your agency. Your right to choose is sacrosanct and has always been preserved.
‘Of course, as you were initially immature spirits who were maturing very gradually, we had to limit your decision-making in accordance with your ability to make choices. Were we to have given you too much choice, or too many alternatives too soon, then you would have felt overwhelmed. It is for this reason that we have gradually introduced additional virtues and talents for you to study as you have become ready for them.
‘So ultimately, as you have become ready for it, each of you has been provided with many alternatives upon which you could spend your time. All of this has been very healthy, but I can assure you that only one of the two options available to you today will provide opportunity for your future growth.’
Father raised the index finger of his right hand as he made this point so as to add emphasis.
‘Be absolutely clear my children, that your Mother and I have proposed our plan of salvation to you because it is the only plan that will work. Mortality is essential to your growth, and our plan is the only safe path through mortality and back to us.
‘As your mother has alluded to, I will talk to you about Jehovah’s essential role in that plan. Jehovah was chosen for that role in the very beginning, based on your mother's and my foreknowledge. He was our first born spirit and is your senior in every way. Those of you who are humble realise and acknowledge this, and you have had great joy in learning from him. Those of you who are proud, and are seeking your own glory, are annoyed by his pre-eminent role. Let me assure you that there is a very good reason for us assigning him the central role in our plan. This is very simply because he is the only one that could possibly undertake the responsibility that we have placed upon him.
‘In mortality, similar to the laws in this Kingdom, there will be laws instituted to govern your interaction with one another. These laws will be there to protect each of you from doing things that would hurt both yourselves and others. Disobedience to these laws will be termed sin, and each sin will carry with it a corresponding punishment. Likewise, obedience to these laws will carry with it a corresponding reward or blessing.
‘This structure of punishment for sin, and reward for obedience, is absolutely crucial in encouraging you to follow that path which will bring you maximum progress and maximum joy. Were we to let sin go unpunished, there would be no disincentive to sin. Were we to bless you for no effort, there would be no incentive to obey, work and grow. Most often this reward, or punishment, will be the level of peace and contentment that you feel inside. We hope that each of you, in your mortal journey, will discover the eternal truth that obedience to divine law brings happiness and peace, and that disobedience to divine law brings sorrow, remorse and misery.
‘Divine laws are those laws that we have identified as being essential to preserve order and to foster growth. As happiness and joy are a function of proper growth and development of spirit and soul, then it is only by obedience to these principles that one can be happy. To follow divine law is to grow and to have joy. To disobey divine law is to shrink and feel the misery that corresponds with becoming a lesser being.
Again, as their father spoke, those who knew the least and needed to listen most closely, were the ones who were ‘off with the pixies’ and paying no attention at all. Jezebel was thinking up a foul song that could be used to inspire souls to commit foul deeds. Troy was thinking of torture; Ham about rape; and Lucifer of his magnificence. Father knew what they were contemplating, and it disappointed him, but he pushed on for the benefit of all who would listen.
'As your Mother has told you, mortality will not be easy. There will be many temptations that can lead you away from obedience to divine law, and into the path of sin. Indeed, such will be the difficulty of the path, that only one will pass through the mortal experience without transgressing divine law. That spirit is Jehovah. If each of you takes the trouble to consider this matter carefully, you will realise that I speak the truth.
‘Since the very beginning, Jehovah has been so strictly obedient to all of our commandments that he has developed at an incredibly fast pace. So rapid and so complete has been his development in every virtue that he is now the equal of your Mother and I. He has attained Godhood, and is able to enter mortality in that exalted state. As evidence of his Godhood I would point you to the beautiful earth that he has just completed as your mortal dwelling place.
At this moment, Father pushed into the mind of every child a projection of the earth that Jehovah had created. It was a breathtaking scene but only some appreciated it. Others were moderately impressed, and yet others despised the fact that Jehovah was receiving more credit for his works. The mind of each spirit child was not hidden from their father.
Having provided a pregnant pause to allow each child to digest what they had just seen he continued.
‘Having already perfected his acceptance and practice of divine law, Jehovah has the ability to overcome every earthly temptation. At every moment he will choose to obey that law that has enabled him to perfect himself. In addition, as a God, Jehovah is eligible to be born of divine parentage into mortality. Each of you is our spirit child, but in mortality you will be born of mortal parents. Jehovah will be born to a mortal mother and an immortal father, being eligible to do so only because he is perfect. Only one who will remain sinless is eligible to be born of perfection. Having divine, eternal parentage will be crucial to enabling Jehovah to take power over death, raising both his and your bodies from the grave when the appropriate time comes.'
Michael, Rachel, Samuel, Sarah and many others nodded as this was explained to them, knowing of the greatness of their brother. Lucifer, Ham, Troy, Jezebel and all of their kind, just hated him even more than they did previously, a feat which took some effort. Father paused and looked upon his children, discerning exactly how each of them felt about the message that he was delivering. He was overjoyed to feel the pure emotions of Michael, Rachel, Samuel, Sarah and their fellows. He was saddened by the iron hearts of Lucifer and his brood. He was concerned for those who were feeling a little of both emotions, a measure of respect mingled with a twinge of jealousy.
‘My children, I would have you cast your minds back
to all of your dealings with Jehovah, from the time that you were first formed as spirits. As you do so, I would like you to consider these questions: Has Jehovah’s status, or his accelerated progression, ever caused him to act with pride or superiority towards you in any way? Has Jehovah ever spoken or acted unkindly towards you? Has he ever sought to take our attention away from you? Has he ever refused a request from you for assistance? Has he been a good teacher? Has he been selfish with his time?
‘I would ask that if anyone has anything to say against him in these matters, or in relation to any other matter, that you would raise your concerns openly at this time.’
Father paused for quite some time after asking this question. Two thirds of the congregation didn’t think to speak against their brother. The other third shuffled nervously, as they desperately thought of some way that they could mount a logical argument against anything that Jehovah had ever done or not done. Not one of them could come up with anything plausible, so they remained silent.
‘For those of you who were just attempting to think of an accusation against your brother,’ Father resumed, ‘I hope that you realise and acknowledge that there was nothing that you could say against him.’
Lucifer and all of his kind absolutely hated to be read so easily, and to be taught a lesson, so they refused to be taught and clutched tightly to their bitterness. Releasing that bitterness would have been such a relief to them, had they been able.
Father felt their hatred and sorrowed again. Nevertheless, once again, he pressed on for the benefit of those wise enough to take heed.
‘Now, returning to your mortal journey, I would have each of you realise that once you have succumbed to temptation on earth, and have sinned, you will have fallen and divided yourself from our presence. As a result, you will not be worthy to return here to the Kingdom, unless some intercession is made on your behalf.
‘Clearly we would never send you to earth if there was no way for you to return. Accordingly, our plan is one that will allow you to have the mortal experience, but also be provided with the opportunity to return here. Returning to us will require obedience, but because each of you will not always be strictly obedient, another provision has been made to allow you to be made clean so that you can return. We have selected Jehovah to make the sacrifice necessary to enable you to be cleansed.
‘In order to provide this opportunity for you, Jehovah will not only need to live a sinless life, and be worthy of exaltation himself, but he will also need to take upon himself the sins of the whole world. Jehovah will need to suffer the pain and sorrow, indeed the very penalty, of every sin that will ever be committed on earth. Not only this, but he will also take upon himself all of the pains, the sicknesses, the sorrow and the suffering of every human that is born on earth.’
As Father said this, his voice faltered and those near to him could see that there were tears running down his cheeks. In his mind’s eye he saw the things that his well-beloved son must suffer, and he wished that he could suffer them in his place. He could not though, this was a responsibility that had to be undertaken by one of their children. His own progression was already complete and returning to the role of Saviour was not possible.
There was no other way. To not require this task of Jehovah would be to limit the potential of all of his other children. He would not have been perfect were he to allow this, and nor would be Jehovah. Indeed, Jehovah’s willingness from the very beginning to suffer all things for his siblings, when that became necessary, was absolutely crucial to his accelerated growth.
Lucifer saw his Father’s tears and scoffed. He saw Troy at a distance and rolled his eyes at him. Troy found this very amusing.
‘By taking upon himself the sins and the pains of the world, Jehovah will remove judgment out of our hands and place it into his,’ continued Father. ‘By so doing, he will overcome the law and will have power to set alternate conditions whereby our children can be made clean, and can be received back into our home to live with us for all eternity.
'This means you will be able to continue your growth and your progress, such that you might have joy forevermore.
‘Jehovah has his agency, and he will address us in a moment to outline whether he is willing to undertake the immense responsibility that your Mother and I have placed upon him. If he is, then he will also outline the conditions by which you can be made clean and be brought back into our presence.’
Those spirits in the congregation who had been diligent in attending the classes that had been held on their parents' plan, had heard some of these details before, but they were excited to hear greater detail than they ever had previously. Those who were not so diligent were weighing up whether the plan was likely to benefit them or whether they should consider another option.
Lucifer and his hordes, on the other hand, whispered, spoke, laughed, giggled, twiddled their spirit thumbs, pouted, frowned, hated, envied, winged and did just about anything else that can be imagined, other than listen and concentrate. Lucifer himself found temporary amusement as he considered those spirits that he had used as victims over the past few weeks. They had been crucial to training his army, and it had been such fun to watch them suffer. Each had been falsely accused, prosecuted, found guilty and tortured. Throughout this process he had taken the opportunity to repay a healthy proportion of fourth division and, as a result, the division had been severely depleted.
He was suddenly caught away in the thought of just how pleasurable it would be to inflict such torture upon one who really deserved it, one of the real do-gooders, such as Michael, Samuel and most especially, Caleb. Yes, he had a very special desire to repay Caleb.
The victims who had been responsible for bringing to Lucifer this brief moment of merriment, were assembled at the very rear of this extraordinarily large gathering. There were eight thousand of them in all being Snab, Hanri, Storm, Sturd, Antim, Oliver, Bruce, Austin and many more. Each of these spirits had a member of Lucifer’s army to mind them, and strangely their minders were being somewhat pleasant. This unfortunate crew had already accepted the fact that they were the laughing stock of the rebel movement. On this occasion, however, they were pleasantly surprised to find themselves being treated with a little respect and, dare we say it, kindness. The reason for this consideration was that each of their minders had been briefed on the nature of their crucial assignment.
Initially, Lucifer had considered not allowing the attack victims to attend at all, just in case they were spotted and attention was drawn to their feeble state. Ultimately though, he concluded that the eight thousand votes that they represented may be too valuable to forego. For this reason he had assigned eight thousand of his soldiers to each chaperone one of the victims.
There were two critical elements to their assignment. Firstly, they must keep their eye on their victim at all times and ensure that they were kept well towards the rear of the gathering, and within a broader circle of rebel supporters. Secondly, they must ensure that their victim voted for the correct plan. The sad reality was that all of the victims were no longer able to comprehend either plan and wouldn’t know what they were voting for or against. Accordingly, it was essential that a kindly soul was there to give them a friendly prod.
Snab, Hanri & Storm were the only ones who had a very small collection of wits between them, having suffered far less than the others. Bruce was the most tragic case of all. Even after the attacks on eight thousand more victims, no division had been able to replicate the job that Masias had done on Bruce.
Father moved to finish his address in a like manner to Mother. He pleaded that his children would choose wisely. He asked them to consider all that had been done for them, and to count their blessings. He reminded them that being thankful for that which they had received was a key to happiness and peace. Finally, he told his children that he loved them and wanted every success and happiness for them.
88 sacrifice
After Father sat back down, Jehovah rose and spoke.
&nbs
p; ‘Father, I will do what you have asked.'
He then turned to face his brothers and sisters, discerning each of their thoughts, but loving them regardless of whether those thoughts were good or evil, or something in between. When he spoke it was with a gentleness and mildness that would endear him to the heart of anyone with a shred of goodness in them.
‘I love you, my brothers and sisters, so I will do this thing and I give all glory to Father and Mother, without whom we are nothing.
'As Father has pointed out, by achieving that which I have been asked to do, I will overcome the law and will be in a position to set the conditions by which you can return to the Kingdom.
‘To receive mercy instead of justice, I require you to live after the principals of this Kingdom, as best you can with the light that you are given in mortality. I would have you be kind, selfless, loving and charitable. Use your time and your talents to lift and serve others, but always with a spirit of humility, and never to be seen of others.
‘To best achieve this, you will need to keep yourself pure and virtuous, so that my spirit can dwell within you, guiding you to good works. When you fall short, which you will do on occasion, you will need to repent. To repent is to respond appropriately to the remorse of conscience arising from sin.
‘By asking for forgiveness, and demonstrating your sincerity by seeking not to repeat the error, you will become eligible for mercy and to be made clean. As such, to the extent that you respond positively to the remorse of conscience that sin will invoke, and try to forsake that which you have done, having faith in me, then my grace is sufficient for you. By following this pattern you can receive peace whilst on earth, and by enduring in this manner until the end of your mortal days, you can secure for yourself life eternal.
‘While doing this may sound a simple thing, it will require great faith to do this on earth. That test is going to be very difficult and many will disbelieve in Father, Mother and me. To some of you it may sound an absurd thing that many will disbelieve these things whilst upon the earth, but as Mother has explained you will have no recollection of your time here once you are there.
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