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Challenges of the Children
of Light
CHAPTER
32
Yeshua explains to his
disciples the difference between the laws of heaven and the laws
of the natural world. He tells them that he will teach them the
secrets of heaven by which all things are possible, and will be
known by no others.
1 And
it came to pass that on the first day of the feast the disciples
of Yeshua arrived from Lake Gennesaret, and they were sore
distressed upon learning that Yeshua had taken Martha as a wife
and that they had not been invited to attend the wedding.
2 But
Yeshua knowing their thoughts came to them, saying, “My brothers
of light; despair not that you were not present for our
marriage. Know that my days upon the earth are numbered and
they are not many. Therefore, each one is precious, and we
could not wait for your arrival, for already the days after the
feast and all the days to come have been assigned for greater
tasks; and of those things you are very much a part.”
3 Upon
hearing his words his disciples were mollified and apologized to
Yeshua for their weakness of understanding.
4
Without speaking of it again, Yeshua bade them to enjoy the
first day of the feast and then meet with him in council upon
the sunrise at the hill near the house of Martha's father.
5 Upon
the following day, the five disciples that had come from lake
Gennesaret came at daybreak to the top of the hill, along with
Lazarus, the brother of Miriam and Martha, and found Yeshua and
Miriam already there, kneeling in prayer facing one another,
with hands held and heads touching.
6 The
disciples of Gennesaret and Lazarus stood aside quietly with
their heads bowed, honoring the sacredness of their act until
they were finished, and then they approached.
7
Yeshua and Miriam rose to meet them and Yeshua embraced each one
with various greetings, while Miriam put her hands together upon
her chest and bowed her head slightly toward each as they came
before her, calling them by name and greeting them with
“Namaste.”
8 Yeshua
bade them all to sit upon the ground in a circle with Miriam at
his right hand, and he said unto them, “You think that your
lives have changed since you became my disciples, but the change
has been only like the Jordan after a small rain. Like the
river that swelled for a time with new water, you have grown
with new knowledge.
9 But
your lives have been affected only a little. In the coming
days, if you will follow me, you must be prepared to have them
affected greatly.
10 I
will tell you now of some of the things that shall come to pass
in the lives of those who walk with me and are my disciples.
You will sacrifice much, and I will understand if the burden is
too great and you desire simply to return to the life you have
always lived.
11 You
know I teach the true light of heaven and that it is often times
at odds with the laws of men and the falsehoods taught by men in
the name of God. Because of this, as word of my teachings
spread, the opposition against me, from Caesar and Herod and the
Sanhedrin, shall grow.
12 I
shall be opposed openly and in secret even unto my death, and
those that follow me shall be cast into the same storm, and many
will suffer a similar fate.
13 Even
should you live into old age, you will be away from your wives
and children many more days than you are with them.
14 You
will find no reward of money, and though you will always have
enough to eat, you will never grow fat from having too much.
15 Many
of you shall be arrested and thrown into prison, and some shall
be persecuted unto death at the hands of those angry at you for
preaching my words.
16
Despite the dedication of your life to preaching the true light
of Elohim, you will find precious few who will heed your words,
and many who will pervert them for their own ends.
17 After
all you have sacrificed, you will see false churches spring up
in my name that teach not my teachings, and they shall draw many
to them, for their path is easy.
18 In
the generations to come, these churches shall grow mighty and
wealthy. They shall have a form of godliness, but will be empty
of the true spirit of Elohim and barren of the fullness of
truth.
19 Of
the things that you shall teach, my very words and truth, you
will find few who will listen and embrace the light for fear of
what others will think of them, or the persecutions they might
invite, or from their own weakness to give up the comfort of the
sandals they have always worn.
20 The
few Children of Light that gather in my name, living my truth
that you have given, shall not have temples of gold and precious
gems, but will be thankful just to have a roof over their heads.
21
Knowing all this, what do you say?”
22 Amram
raised his right index finger and said, “First, know that I will
follow you through any storm, and count the endurance of any
pain as evidence to Elohim of my faithfulness to the true
light.
23 But I
would like to understand why it is that Elohim would allow all
the things you have said will befall us, come to pass? Why
would Elohim allow the true light to be perverted by men, and
your faithful disciples to be persecuted even to death?
24 How
can it be that those who would follow the true light of Elohim
would only have the means to worship in simplicity, while those
who teach a perversion of your words would find prosperity and
be able to build grand temples in which to worship Elohim?
25 I am
just a simple fisherman, and know my understanding is slow, but
it would seem to me that everything would be the opposite of
this; that God would reward those who are faithful to the true
light and make difficult the paths of those who teach
perversions.”
26
Yeshua smiled at the words of Amram, and said unto him, “Your
questions show a depth of understanding greater than you give
yourself in your humility, and it is important that you
comprehend the answers.
27 Know
that there are laws of heaven, and there are laws of Earth. I
speak not of laws made by men, but of immutable laws of
existence.
28 There
is the law of the sun. If you go outside on a cloudless day you
will see the sun in the sky and feel its warmth upon your
shoulder. If you are righteous you will see and feel the sun
and if you are wicked you will see and feel the sun.
29 To
see the light and feel the warmth of the sun is a law of Earth
that comes to all and makes no qualms about who it rewards with
its light and warmth. Regardless of who you are, if you stand
outside at midday beneath a cloudless sky, you will receive the
reward of the light and warmth of the sun.
30 So
too, there is the law of the storm. When the clouds darken and
the wind blows and the rain comes in torrents, you know that if
you choose to be outside, uncovered, you will quickly become wet
and uncomfortable. It does not matter whether you are rich or
poor, wicked or righteous, if you stand outside uncovered in a
storm, you will suffer the consequences.
31 So
too, there are several laws pertaining to fire. If you build it
correctly and strike a good flint, you will create a fire. If
you do not get too close, it will warm you on a cold night, but
if you step into it, you will get burned. Whether you are rich
or poor, wicked or righteous, the laws of the fire treat all men
equally.
32 I
have spoken to you only about laws of the natural world which
are easy for all men to understand. But there are many other
laws that are more subtle, and the consequences from obeying or
disobeying these laws can be far greater.
33 I
speak of the laws of interaction from one person to another,
from a man to a man, and a man to a woman, and a woman to a
woman, and a parent to a child, and a child to a child.
34 And I
speak also of the laws of blessing and consequence, some of
which are easy to know and others which require insight and
understanding.
35 If
you needed to dig a well and you and your brothers applied
yourselves with diligence throughout the day, at the end of the
day you would have dug deep enough to be blessed and rewarded
for your efforts with cold, clear water.
36 But
if you desired a well and were slothful, working for a short
while, then taking a long break, working a bit more, then taking
a longer break; as nightfall descended the consequence of your
lack of diligence would only be a small dry hole.
37 These
are the blessings and consequences of obeying or disobeying the
law of diligence.
38
Remember, the laws of life have no favorites among men. Without
passion, they reward only those who follow the path they
dictate.
39 If
wicked brothers apply the law of diligence to dig a well, they
will be rewarded for their efforts with the water they seek.
40 Even
as the righteous brothers, if they are slothful, will suffer the
consequence of their disobedience of this law.
41
Therefore, when you ask how it is that those who teach the false
truth might have prosperity, while those who teach the true
light may not understand that it is not by their worthiness that
they manifest their situations, but by their understanding and
obedience to immutable laws of heaven and earth.
42
Those who love ease and comfort and power, heed the call of
priests of falsehood because they have itching ears seeking
those who will tell them what they wish to hear, and so they
hear, Pay
generous alms, say your prayers and listen to the scriptures on
the Sabbath, and all is well every other day of your life.
43 These
doctrines are delightful to those who love the ways of the
world, for then they suppose to themselves that they can forget
about Elohim and the ways of God and do as they will except on
the Sabbath.
44
Therefore, each of the other days they devote to acquiring the
spoils of the world and in the ways of the world they become
great.
45 But
the Children of Light understand that the path of Elohim
is a way of life each and every day, not just on the
Sabbath, and that the steps they take each day bring them
abiding joy, not just in this world, but also in the world to
come.
46 While
the foolish and worldly are spending their days making money and
immersing themselves in the pleasures of the world, the Children
of Light are investing their days playing with their children,
loving and comforting one another in word and deed, helping the
poor, giving their time to serve Elohim, honoring the temples of
their bodies, helping their community, and building qualities of
good character and all manner of virtue in their hearts and the
actions of their lives.
47 That
which you pursue with focus you are likely to obtain.
48 Those
who love the ways of the world obtain the fruits of the world
because that is what they seek, while giving just a passing nod
to the ways of God.
49 Those
who love the ways of Elohim obtain the fruits of God because
that is what they seek, while giving just a passing nod to the
ways of the world.
50
Therefore, each gains that which they seek and lacks that which
they acknowledge only sufficiently to appease the necessities.
51
Understand too that there are laws of wickedness as well as laws
of righteousness; for if a robber accosts a lone traveler, and
holds a dagger to his throat demanding his coins, he has a great
certainty from his past experience that the man so attacked will
yield up his coins. He has employed the law of intimidation; a
wicked law, but a law nonetheless.
52 But
for every law, there is an opposite law that will oppose it and
overcome it, if applied sufficiently.
53 In the
days to come you will be learning much about these many laws and
how to utilize them and how to counter evil when it is cast upon
you. Therefore, take heed to be astute students, for your very
lives and livelihood will be at stake in the future.
54 When
a false priesthood teaches a path of ease, and the true
priesthood teaches a more difficult way, which do you think more
people will come unto?
55
If a false priesthood says, Sacrifice a lamb or two turtledoves and
all will be well between you and God regardless of how you live,
or what you eat or drink or take to befuddle your mind; but
the true priesthood says, Honor the temple of your body, eat
only living foods that grow upon the earth, drink only pure
drinks, and take nothing that befuddles your mind; which priesthood
will draw more followers?
56
If a false priesthood says, pay great alms that we may Build a
temple of gold and your sins will be forgotten; but the true
priesthood says, Only a sincere and contrite repentance and
restitution will wash away the sins of men; which priesthood
will draw more followers?
57 If a
false priesthood says, Become rich, live in a grand manor,
but give generously to the church, and you will be loved of God;
but the true priesthood says, Live in simplicity and give
your excess to the poor; which priesthood will draw more followers?
58
If the false priesthood says, Give your intimate affections
to whoever you desire, just continue to show your devotion to
the church with your alms and all will be well between you and
God; but the true priesthood says, Honor the sacredness
of intimacy only within the union of marriage; which priesthood will draw
more followers?”
59
If the false priesthood says, Only men may hold the
priesthood or speak in council; but the true priesthood
says, Men and women are equal before God; which priesthood will draw more
followers?
60
If the false priesthood says, Men who lay with men and women
who lay with women must be shunned and even stoned; but the
true priesthood says, The choice of intimate relationship is not
important as long as it is a union in marriage and virtue;
which priesthood will draw more followers?
61
If the false priesthood in collusion with Caesar, says, 0bey
the laws of the land, and you shall find peace and security and
be in God's favor; but the true priesthood says, 0bey not
the laws of men that are in opposition to the teachings of
heaven, even if it brings the wrath of Caesar upon you; which
priesthood will draw more followers?
62
If the false priesthood says, Believe only in Yeshua of
Nazareth and by this alone you shall go to heaven; but the
true priesthood says, Believe in Yeshua of Nazareth and show
the truth of your belief by doing good works, and obeying the
Great Commandment and the Commandments of Sinai; which priesthood will
draw more followers?
63
Verily I say unto you, straight and narrow is the way that leads
to the Celestine Kingdom of Elohim, and very few will be those
who are willing to walk the virtuous path that leads to
resurrection and exaltation.
64 But
wide and easy is the path upon the earth that leads to misery
and separation of the body and the soul in the worlds to come,
and many are those that shall go that way.
65
Therefore, understand that the false priesthood uses laws of
persuasion that allow men to imagine that they can be wicked and
still be welcomed into heaven.
66 But
no unclean thing can enter into the presence of Elohim in the
heavens on high. And those who live their lives in wickedness
thinking they will inherit glory have deluded themselves into
eternal misery.
67 The
seeds you plant in life blossom in eternity. And that which you
sow, so shall you reap.
68 In
the days to come there will be many who will profess to follow
me, but only a few who will live their lives as I have shown
them to live, that they may become more than they are.
69 When
the faithful knock upon my door in the world to come I shall
welcome them to their glory, even those who professed me not in
life, but nevertheless lived my teachings by the light of God
within their heart.
70 But
those who profess me, but do not the things which I say, will
not see me or my heaven.
71 Be
mindful of the things I have revealed to you this day. As we go
into the world to preach the gospel of light, remember that many
will come to it, some because of the miracles, some because of
rebellion against Caesar, some because of the welcome of the
community, some because their noble self pulls them toward the
light.
72 But
when those who seek only miracles find none forthcoming when
they desire, they shall fall away.
73 And
when those who seek only rebellion find we are not trying to
overthrow the government, they will fall away.
74 And
when those who seek only the embrace of community find they
must give as well as receive, they shall fall away.
75 And
when those who are pulled to a brighter light are unwilling to
hold it because it requires them to change too much, they will
fall away.
76 In
the end the refiners fire will take away the dross, leaving only
the pure in heart.
77 Look
therefore for those of pure light. Among the crowds, look for
those whose countenance shines above all others.
78 Teach
to them what I have taught to you by my words and deeds.
79 Know
that there shall be great grief upon the people of this land in
the next generations. The people think they suffer now under
the yoke of the Romans, but their suffering shall be greater in
the days to come.
80 We
are making a Community of Light at the delta of Gennesaret, but
know it will be abandoned in the days to come and not one stone
will be left upon another that is not overturned.
81 The
faithful shall scatter across the world, a few here, a dozen
there, another beyond. So shall the seeds of the true light of
Elohim, which you will plant, settle upon many lands until the
time of their maturation comes and the flowers of truth and
light planted in the dust of yesterday's bones blossom in
fullness and glory.
82
Therefore, concern not yourselves with riches or grand temples
or great numbers of believers. Instead, concern yourself with
finding and teaching the chosen few who are true Children of
Light that the spirit of truth and light will abide within their
souls.
83 And
know that Elohim will give a great blessing to all those of
noble heart that you find and cherish: the resonance of truth
will pass through their loins from one generation until the
next.
84 In
the Epoch of Promise, when all light shall be given again among
men, the descendants of the chosen shall feel the resonance
that burned in the hearts of their ancestors. And the seeds
sown by their progenitors shall grow and bear fruit within
their hearts.”
85 Then
Cephas asked of Yeshua, “You are here and have the power of
heaven upon you. We are few in numbers, but mighty in our faith
and our willingness to spread the light you give us. How is it
that we can fail to establish a torch of truth that is never
extinguished? Why must we suffer so, and why must the Children
of Light be scattered? I do not understand why that which is
false would be allowed by Elohim to rise, while that which is
true would be allowed to vanish from the sight of men.”
86 And
Yeshua said unto them, “Though I walk among you, I do not compel
you or anyone to follow me. Those who walk my path despite the
challenges, do so because they desire to feel the power of God
burning in their bosom greater than they desire a life of
conformity and ease, or enticing words of emptiness.
87 Nor
should you think that suffering must be your lot. Among the
Children of Light let there always be love and support for one
another; and may the sweetness of this comfort and the sure
knowledge of your eternity ever shield you from the pain and
inflictions of the world.
88 Nor
is the scattering of the Children of Light in the days to come a
curse, but a blessing. For it is in distant lands and upon
distant shores that they will find sanctuary and a peace they
could never know in the lands of Rome.
89 Nor
should you wish to give more command upon the affairs of men to
Elohim than Elohim would take. For each man and woman to grow
beyond their birth, they must be free to choose their course in
life, they must be free to make mistakes and amends.
90 Even
though they may be slaves, bound to a master who controls their
days, their eternal fate is still in their own hands by the
choices of virtue and character they make every day.
91 There
was a sower that sowed his seeds, and some fell upon the road
and was walked upon and eaten by birds; some fell upon rock, and
as soon as it sprouted, it withered away because it could find
no moisture; some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with
it, cutting it off from the light of life; some fell in a marsh
and sprouted but could find no soil of substance and also
perished; but some fell upon a cultivated field of fertile
ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit that fed the cultivators
and all whom they called family.
92 You
are the sowers and so it shall be with the seeds of light which
you sow.
93 Some
will be sown in the byways of the world; it will be crushed and
taken away by those who will pervert it, that they might teach
their version of truth without the fullness of light in
evidence for men to compare.
94 Some
of your seeds will fall upon people who are like the rocky
ground; they are closed tightly like a clam and are afraid to
even consider any light other than the little candle they have.
95 Some
of your seeds will be cast among thorns; they will begin to
sprout in the hearts of those who want to know and believe, but
will wither when they are shunned by their friends and family,
and will fall away in their desire to please others instead of
God.
96 Some
will be sown in the swamp of zealots, who lacking a foundation
of balance will grow furiously for a time only to fall away when
their narrow-minded zeal finds no support among the Children of
Light.
97 But
take heart, some of your seeds will be sown among those who will
live and support one another in communities of light. As long
as true believers gather to the fertile field of community and
live the light they have been given in fullness, they will
always grow and prosper.
98 If
they do not choose to live it in fullness and their community
falters, it is by their own choices and actions; and Elohim
would have it be no other way, for only by allowing each person
to make their own choices, can each person be given an eternal
reward according to their faithfulness and their deeds.
99 Never
forget that many are called, but few are chosen. Nor is it
Elohim who chooses, but each of those who have been called
choose whether they will heed the call and walk in the light
that their heart tells them is true, or follow the enticing
words of conformity and ease spoken to them in the world.
100
Therefore, I say unto you, follow me, do as I do, speak as I
speak, live as I live. Let those who would inherit the
blessings of the Children of Light in this world and the next
do likewise, and heaven shall pour forth blessings upon you
greater than you can imagine.
101 You
shall have the power to control your destiny, and will be given
the secrets of heaven by which all things are possible; such
secrets as shall be known to no others.”
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