Reflections on the Letters to the Seven Churches in the Revelation of John,
which applied to the churches as communities and still do today,
but also to the individual members of the churches in their struggle to overcome
1.
Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: To the one who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which stands in the paradise of God.
The tree of knowledge grows out of time and nourishes us with time-bound events and experiences. It symbolizes the path of experience through transience in the course of time, with all its highs and lows. The tree of life nourishes us with the fruits of divine knowledge; with it we enter the path of eternal presentness, in which there is no temporal learning and knowing, but imperishable seeing and experiencing. This is the path into the depths of divine presence. The path to spiritual rebirth is therefore the path through the ages, nourishment from the blessed tree of knowledge; with our birth into the Spirit of God we enter the eternal present, and we nourish ourselves from the tree of life in the paradise of divine grace and merciful love.
2.
Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: The one who overcomes cannot be harmed by the second death.
The second death signifies divine judgment, which will come both upon each individual person when entering his sphere in the beyond and soon upon humanity as a whole. The victors are the overcomers who have remained steadfast in faithfulness to their heavenly Father; they are the virgins with the burning lamps and, as such, are protected in the deadly storms of the powers of divinely true justice and law. They have entered God’s mercy, into the heart of truth and divine love, whose name is and eternally shall be: Jesus Christ.
3.
Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: To the one who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna. I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is written which no one knows except the one who receives it.
The hidden manna is the word of God, incomprehensible to the world, which has opened in the hearts of the children of God unto eternal life. They have tasted the manna, which is the fruit from the tree of life, and have thus been raised up and raptured into the Spirit of God. The white stone signifies the stone of the light of the divine sun, which is divine wisdom, illuminating heaven and from there infinity. The name on this stone signifies both the unity of love and wisdom and the name and word of the union of Father and child. The child’s name is that of the overcomer, merged with the name Jesus Christ, from which and within which a divine child’s name takes shape for all eternity. Amen, thus speaks God the Lord within me.
4.
I say to you: I place no other burden upon you. But what you have, hold fast until I come! The one who overcomes and holds fast until the end to the works I command, I will give power over the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter and shatter them like earthenware; just as I also received such power from My Father, and I will give him the morning star.
Faithfulness and truthfulness keep the child of God at God’s heart. They are the victory over the nations of the Earth, which are the deadly thoughts of the soul that want to rule the kingdom of the soul. But the power of divine love shatters them into pieces, so that they fall to the ground as if lifeless and can no longer fill themselves with the energy of death, with Satan’s will. Then the morning star will illuminate the beauty of the soul, and this light will shine out into the dark world and light the way home for all people of good will. Amen, thus speaks God the Lord within me.
5.
The one who overcomes will likewise be clothed in white garments. Never will I blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The overcomers will be clothed in white garments, in the luminous garments of truth and love. The book of life is the heart of God, in which are written the names of those who have placed their hearts in God’s heart. Is there a predestination of names in the book of life? God says: “My children, go into your hearts. If you find My name written there as a great longing for My love and presence, then your names are written in My heart, in the book of life.” Amen, thus speaks God the Lord within me.
6.
You have kept My command to remain steadfast; therefore I too will keep you from the hour of trial that is to come upon the whole Earth to test the inhabitants of the Earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one takes your crown! The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in My temple, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon him My name and the name of the divine city, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven and bears My name. Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Perseverance in faithfulness and love toward Jesus Christ is the prerequisite for being preserved in the hour of trial, which comes both as judgment upon this Earth and in our Gethsemane hours, which lead us into a far-reaching decision for our lives. They are the necessary instrument for the separation of the spirits; they are able to place a person in the state of true childship of God, signified by the victor’s crown.
The descent of the heavenly city of Jerusalem signifies the manifestation of divine love-truth in the faithful hearts of the overcomers, who are the temple of God in the human soul, within which is the heart of Jesus Christ, which is the sanctuary of the temple, from which the new Jerusalem is formed. As a supporting pillar in the temple of God, the child of God has become an independent part of God’s will; this is the meaning of bearing the name Jesus Christ in the heart. Amen, thus speaks God the Lord within me.
7.
Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent! Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will enter and dine with him, and he with Me. The one who overcomes may sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Difficult situations in life, illnesses, and afflictions of the soul do not necessarily indicate that one has lost contact with God. On the contrary: life’s trials serve our progress. And according to our faithfulness and trust, the heavenly Father can purify us and prepare us to receive the Holy Spirit. With every obstacle and every joy, Jesus Christ knocks at the door of our soul. Every one of our thoughts is a door into the kingdom of God when we offer it to Jesus.
God’s voice, His call to us, resounds both in the world as a purifying power of destiny and in our hearts as a longing of love, which unfortunately we seek and seize again and again in matter. God’s meal is prepared in our hearts as the divine fulfillment of all our longings, which in love for Jesus Christ become one single great longing: to live forever and eternally in His presence, to love Him beyond measure, for the greatness of our hearts is infinite. This love is the throne of God from which infinity, with all its creations and worlds, is ruled. Our heavenly Father has prepared this place for us, so that with Him we may create and rule countless creations in eternity and infinity. For to the children who give Him everything they have, He too will give everything He has.
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