“And when he [the Comforter] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Comforter is designated variously as the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of Truth. This particular passage indicates the manner of the coming of the Kingdom, or the Government of God on earth, by reason of human beings. Usually when this particular passage is considered it has seemed as though what might occur would be something quite separate and apart from human beings. There has been, generally speaking, very little awareness of the part which must be played by human beings if this is to occur. We claim to have seen something of this and have offered ourselves, at least in some measure, to the coming of the Kingdom. In actual fact we have perhaps begun to see that there is really no other reason for our presence on earth.
The coming of the Kingdom, or the Government of God by reason of human beings on earth, makes the Lord God Almighty known by His name Jehovah. Jehovah's presence in the world reproves the world. This reproofis the coming of the Kingdom, the establishment of the government of God. The world is reproved, according to the statement in the passage which I read, “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Here are three levels of human experience. The first one, sin, may be seen as the broadest. It is considered by Christians and others that all human beings are sinners, and this indeed is the fact of the matter. The other classifications, while present in all people, therefore needing reproof, may also be seen as being somewhat more selective. First of all, the mass of mankind: sinners all. Then the righteous, or self-righteous, may be seen as represented by those who were referred to as scribes and Pharisees long ago. They have vastly multiplied in numbers in these days but still are included in a more selective group, primarily centered in self-righteousness. And finally judgment. The prince of this world provides an overall control in the lives of human beings, but of course human nature centers particularly in those who are in positions where this control is exercised in a more specific sense. There is something of an upside-down pyramid here: the broad base, sinners all; the self-righteous in the middle; and those who represent the prince of this world, in positions of leadership, at the inverted apex. Here is the upside-down state of human experience, reverse polarity we might say.
And so the coming of the Comforter, because there are those present who are in fact the Spirit of Truth in action on earth, reproves the world. There has been heretofore very little to reprove the world, very little to provide a contrast to the present state of affairs. What has been done in some measure is to weigh one aspect of the present state of affairs against another aspect of the present state of affairs; but this, while it may have emphasized reproof in the consciousness of some people, was certainly not the reproof that is required. “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Here is the provision of an absolute contrast to the present state of affairs, whether that present state of affairs is considered to be good or bad. The statement was made long ago, “Behold, I make all things new”—a totally new state of affairs, not merely judgment, the weighing of the efficacy of one aspect of the present state of affairs against another.
“Of sin, because they believe not on me.” Now we see a certain responsibility that we rightly carry if the Spirit of Truth actually fathers all that we think, say and do. The sin which characterizes the human race is the sin of subjection to what may now be referred to as human nature. That is the sin; that is the violation of the Truth; that is the lie upon which human beings base all their living experience—perhaps it might be said, not deliberately so for most, but it is simply the fact of the matter. Earthly heredity governs on earth, springing out of the mass consciousness and coming to focus in each individual in a personal sense. Obviously here is something that needs to be reproved, and so we undertake, on the basis of the expression of the Spirit of Truth, to do just that. That reproof is not laying blame upon other people or telling everyone how wrong they are, but merely revealing the contrast in our own living of what the truth is, so that the lie is made apparent. That is the only way that reproof is offered. We do have this opportunity constantly to the extent that the Spirit of Truth fathers all that we think, say and do. Individually we can discern in some measure just to what extent this is so; however unless it is so, there is no reproof offered. So we share the responsibility of government in this way, extending spiritual government to all people to the extent that the Spirit of Truth fathers all that we think, say and do. The contrast hasn't been all that remarkable thus far because there has been heretofore quite a mixture, a mixture that was inexcusable, mind you, absolutely inexcusable, because we all know considerably better.
Yes there has been human nature in our experience, as in the experience of all people, and this has been there because of what might be referred to as reverse polarity. There has been subjection to human nature; I suppose it might be described as subjection to hell rather than to heaven. All of you have firsthand experience, I am sure, of hell. There are those who look to hell as an experience in the future—and of course it may be—but I don't think any of us could dispute the fact that it has been the experience in the past, and even possibly to some degree in the present. Subjection to hell is one alternative that has been accepted enthusiastically by people for a long time. The other, of course, is subjection to heaven. What is it that experiences this subjection? It is the common human experience, certainly, that hell should prevail, and as I say, seemingly people most enthusiastically make sure that this is the case. Of course most like to excuse themselves and say they can't help it: the world is full of hell; therefore we must be subject to it. But who are the “we” who are subject? I suppose this might be describable as flesh people, human beings in other words, who have the opportunity of being subject to hell and therefore bringing forth hell in the world, or being subject to heaven and therefore bringing forth heaven in the world. The absence of heaven has been obvious enough, making the presence of hell obvious enough.
So there is the opportunity of either being polarized downward or polarized upward. This is just a way of describing the two different states which are capable of being experienced. In some measure we have experienced, tentatively at least, something of the upward polarity so that the possibility of Spiritual Government might be present: a government for which, in that polarity, we would be absolutely responsible. Human beings are a little reluctant to accept such a responsibility, except possibly in the human nature state. They try to impose a government of some kind in the human nature state, some aspects of which are deemed to be good and some aspects of which are deemed to be evil. But we are not concerned with that; rather with the Heavenly Government, something that has been virtually unknown in the experience of human beings.
So, accepting this responsibility, we may offer what is necessary by our own living to reprove the world of sin. “Of sin, because they believe not on me,” is what was said by the One who is presumed to have spoken these words. Sin obviously is the failure to accept that quality of responsibility which was demonstrated by the One who spoke those words. He came, as He said, in the Name of the Father, but it was obvious that He accepted the responsibility for what was to be done absolutely. He accepted that responsibility Himself; He didn't say that it was going to be done by somebody else. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “I am the resurrection, and the life.” That is the acceptance of an absolute responsibility. All human beings are sinners; they couldn't do that. That's true, as long as they remain sinners, as long as they remain upside down. But if we were to undertake to stand on our feet, the right way up, then that absolute responsibility would be a natural acceptance in our own individual living, in our circumstances, in our own environments. We're not looking to anybody else at all. We do not imagine that we cannot do what we are here to do because of the behavior of somebody else. Certainly that wasn't an attitude that was taken by Jesus on earth. He came to do what He came to do and He finished the work. Virtually everybody tried to prevent Him from doing what He came to do, but He did it nevertheless. And that is the absolute responsibilitythat is required of those who make possible the reproof, first of all of sin, on earth.
It is assumed by people everywhere, even though they may not be able to define it in terms, that there is nothing else to be done but to be subject to human nature: you can't help it; that's the way it is. That's the way it seemed to be, because apparently there was no other alternative. The alternative that was demonstrated two thousand years ago by one man has become subsequently a myth, having very little relationship to what is applicable and experienceable to human beings in any generation up to this present one. But we're all here, capable of experiencing what is needful. We have seen this in some measure and have undertaken to let it happen. I would not wish to judge in the matter as to how effective we have been thus far, but I think we can all acknowledge that our experience could be more effective now than it possibly has been in the past. Maybe now is the time. I don't know of any other, do you?
Anyway, here we are, with the responsibility of Spiritual Government within the scope of our consciousness. That's right, isn't it? We know about it. We know that this is the reason for our presence on earth, even though we may have retained a few distractions heretofore; but we know very well, being honest, that there isn't really any other alternative than to accept and acknowledge this Spiritual Responsibility of Government, the coming of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, obviously has not yet put in any adequate appearance insofar as human beings are concerned, simply because no one has accepted the responsibility for it. That's the only reason. The usual view is that one is waiting for the LORD to do something. Nonsense! We've been sitting around on our butts, sometimes springing into action but usually to support some human nature view of what would be a good imposition upon other people, which is not the way by which the world is reproved. The world is reproved because the proof of the Truth is made abundantly evident regardless of what anyone else is doing. There it is, right there.
It was in fact abundantly evident through Jesus. It was for this reason that He ran into the difficulties that He did. They weren't difficulties insofar as He was concerned. They didn't prevent Him from fulfilling all that was possible under that particular circumstance. He didn't use any excuses. So likewise with us now. The world is to be reproved of sin; that is, of the human nature state, because there is another state made evident. There is no reproof until that other state is made evident. That other state is made evident because there is belief on Jesus Christ, if you want to put it that way. There is an acknowledgment, an acceptance, of what it was He did and therefore of what it is that is required of us to do: the assumption of absolute responsibility for Spiritual Government in our own living on earth. That doesn't have to be imposed on anyone else. Others may be forced into making a choice of either liking it or lumping it, but we are aware of our own spiritual responsibility and therefore of what integrity really is: to reprove the world of sin because Absolute Responsibility is taken for Spiritual Government, spiritual expression in living. And no longer is the sin of human nature the quality of our experience.
Then there is the matter of righteousness, or what could well be referred to as self-righteousness, the righteousness of the scribesand the Pharisees. These two words indicate something. There are two main aspects to this matter of self-righteousness. One of them might be called secular and the other religious. I'm sure everyone is very aware of the self-righteousness in the religious field. The Pharisees of long ago were totally unwilling to be honest in considering the Truth that was demonstrated before them by reason of the presence of Jesus. Their sole concern was to put Him down, supporting the cultic beliefs that were current at that time, mainly the Jewish beliefs. These were seen as being more important than the Truth. At least this is what actually was the attitude on the part of those concerned. They may not have seen it that way but that's the way it was, and that is the way it still is. If you have undertaken to be honest and to reveal the Truth in your own living, did you ever run into that sort of self-righteousness? “You're not a Christian!” Well what is a Christian? Maybe you're not a Hindu, or a Moslem, or a Buddhist! There is a tendency to self-righteousness everywhere. The world needs to be reproved of that in the religious sense, where people are so self-satisfied with their beliefs and reject the Living Truth every time. This is done in the religious field, but it is also done in the secular field. I suppose the Pharisees might refer to the religious field and the scribes to the secular field, in this sense. There are all kinds of good professional people who may not be particularly religious, but they get to be pretty self-righteous too, don't they? Even politicians on occasion!
So there are lots of good people around. Some of them claim to be religious, some don't; but still they're very self-satisfied with their own attitudes and viewpoints. There are many such people. The world needs reproving of righteousness. The reproof was no longer available when Jesus was no longer present. “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.” In other words the contrastwasn't there anymore. Now, it needs to be there if there is to be the reproof: the absolute contrast, the revelation of the reality of righteousness which doesn't push itself forward as being righteous but is in fact righteous, the right expression of spirit, the Spirit of Truth in living at that particular level, the level of oh-so-good human beings.
And finally there is the matter of judgment: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” Well, as we have noted already, the prince of this world is universal in the human world, but there are those who claim to themselves particular positions of power andauthorityin the human nature world. The world is to be reproved of judgment. This level of human governmentmust be reproved. Do you think that means that you seek out the higher-ups in the human nature world and confront them with something, words? I doubt if that would be very effective, and it would be an imposition, wouldn't it? No, this relates to our own living. This relates to the government, the authority, of our own living, something absolute, where nothing of the self-righteous state, or of the sinful human nature state, or of this matter of judgment, controls anymore in our expression in momentary living. The control is in the Spirit of Truth. It doesn't come to us from below; it doesn't come to us from the environment; it doesn't come to us from other people. It springs forth momentarily because our polarity is upward, because there has been the absolute acceptance of responsibility, the responsibility of Spiritual Government in our own living—not trying to impose that Spiritual Government upon anyone else, not even that person who is so close that he or she is a source of irritation. We do not indulge in judgment. A person is irritated and looks around for an excuse for that irritation, and he sees the other person who is not behaving the way he should, therefore “I am excused for my irritation. I am excused for my failure to provide absolute spiritual expression in the government of my living.” There is no such excuse anywhere, at any time.
To what extent are we in position to participate in Spiritual Government? To what extent are we in position to reprove the world? Again, we do not see that reproof as telling the world anything but as revealing the quality of the Spirit of Truth in action in our own living, that's all. We will find that that is something very powerful and very absolute. We may also find that it stirs something up in other people, opposition even! Well that's their business; we don't have to get into a battle about it. He that takes the sword shall perish by the sword. We can trust the Law. Let it work, that accepting our position of Spiritual Government we may reprove the world by reason of what is revealed in our own momentary living.
We have said this for a long time, but I don't think too many have recognized what the power of momentary living is in fact, when it is the absolute expression of the Spirit of Truth. There is a power there of which human beings have known virtually nothing. I think we still have a good deal of confidence in the powers of human nature. It may still be imagined that nothing will really be achieved unless we exert at least some of these powers. It's probably considered that we would be wide open to destruction should we not hedge ourselves about to some extent with the armor of human nature.
“Faith”—an interesting word, isn't it? Perhaps we've shied away from it a little, but where is our faith in actual fact? What is our experience, in other words? Our experience may be that we have developed a certain expertise in the realm of human nature and we feel pretty competent in certain ways. Of course we occasionally get out of our depth too. Would it be safe, actually, to relinquish the safeguards of human nature—we all have them still—be absolutely exposed in the expression of the Spirit of Truth? Well look what happened to the Master on earth! Yes, look what happened. He apparently was absolutely exposed, but was He in fact? Is that what proved to be the case? Not at all. He was incommand. He was in the place ofauthority. He was willing to let it work out that way because it was the only way that human beings would permit, if they were not to be utterly destroyed. He showed a great deal of mercy and patience in that. He let it work out the way it did, having the absolute assurance that's the way it could work out. It did—not for human beings in general, because they were unwilling that it should work out for them, but it worked out for Him. There in fact was the proof. But that's a bit of a fancy nowadays, isn't it? So far in the past, long ago. Did it really happen? Was He really there? Was the resurrection a reality? Or was someone there to snatch His body out of the tomb and give Him an attunement so that He could then emigrate to India or someplace? What stuff and nonsense there is in the consciousness of human beings in the state of human nature!—filthiness and darkness; nothing is seen that means anything.
Let there be reproof. Let the world be reproved because we accept the absolute responsibility for it individually. Yes, people like to get lost in the crowd: “Oh we'll all do it!” Oh no you won't, not unless you do it as an individual. Let each individual do it and then we all do it. There certainly is something more that happens when there is a collective body, yes, that's true; but there isn't any collective body until the individual does it. But individually speaking there have been so many distractions, so many excuses, so many reasons for following out the human nature ways of doing things. And they look so good sometimes, don't they? They have in every generation, and the world has remained in hell.
So the door of reproof is opened to the extent that there can be found within the four billion population of the earth just a few who will take individual responsibility and do it. And taking that individual responsibility, we do find that we are part of a body. Yes that is true. We don't go off in all directions like an atomic explosion of some kind. We find that we are contained, a part of a greater whole. But we only find that out when we have taken individual responsibility; otherwise it is merely a matter of form. Yes, we find ourselves associated with one another in the Emissary ministry, this peculiar cult. That's what it becomes merely on the basis of form. But if it is a matter of individual responsibility it isn't a cult. It is a cult if we are trying to get other people to take the responsibility. That's why Christianity is a cult, because Jesus is supposed to take the responsibility. Well, He did! He did it. What about the rest of us? So, assuming our individual positions of responsibility and absolute authority for the Spirit of Truth in expression in every circumstance, we play our part, then, in reproving the world. We don't imagine that we're going to be alone in this; certainly there are others who are going to do it too. They will be more likely to do it if we do it.
So we have the Spiritual Government of the world in our hands. We can either let it slip through our fingers or we can take hold of it in the absolute sense, so that we do not take the attitude that anyone else but oneself has that responsibility. We know there is plenty of room for others to take theirs, but that is their business. Our business is to take our own. And taking it, we find ourselves included in the overall responsibility that is being taken because of others too. We share this to the Glory of God, and it is thus that all things are made new. What that statement means is presently unknown. I don't think most of the implications even have come within the range of real understanding yet. What is going to happen in the world? We don't particularly need to know, do we? We do not if we assume our responsibility now in the absolute sense for the Spiritual Government that emerges in our own living: no more sin, no more subjection to the human nature impulses that arise, no more desire to exhibit any self-righteousness, and certainly no more judgment.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in the earth of our own living as it is done in the Heaven of the Spirit of Truth. This is the coming of our Kingdom, which is indeed the Kingdom of God. It only comes when it is our Kingdom and not merely His.
“I Have Prophesied As The LORD My KING Hath Commanded Me”
YouTube Audio
Valley Of Dry Bones
UrandaJanuary 3, 1954
We come to the first Sunday of the New Year—January 3, 1954. And it is a new year—our Sunday morning hour of Meditation—and I thank God for the privilege we have of gathering in the Spirit of His Presence. This morning I have a text which, taken from Ezekiel, I feel is particularly appropriate in the beginning of this New Year. In preparation for our further meditation, let us have a moment of devotion.
Our gracious LORD and Holy KING, we thank Thee for the privilege we have of coming before Thy Throne in this hour with yielded bodies and minds and hearts, that the instrument of being which Thou hast created us to be may so respond to Thy Will and yield to Thy Control, by reason of our love response that Thou mayest cause all things, whatsoever they may be, to work together to perfection in and through and for each one who loves and serves Thee, whosoever, wheresoever he may be, that Thy Kingdom may come into the realm of form, and that all peoples may come to know that Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. We thank Thee for the blessings of the year that is passed, and for the sacred responsibilities of the year that has begun, and we would move forward in the spirit of Thy Presence, giving evidence of the Presence of the One Who Dwells, that in thought and word, in attitude and deed, we may Glorify Thee and be a blessing to our brother man. In the Christ. Amen.
I have chosen a text which, in times past, we have considered once or twice, the
Thirty-Seventh Chapter of Ezekiel
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD,
and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley;
and, lo, they were very dry.
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them,
O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones;
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin,
and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that
I Am The LORD
So I prophesied as I was commanded:
and as I prophesied, there was a noise,
and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,
and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath,
and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied as he commanded me,
and the breath came into them, and they lived,
and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
“The hand of the LORD was upon me.” Isn't that a good state to be in: to have a consciousness and awareness of the fact that the hand of the LORD is upon me? “And carried me out in the spirit of the LORD.” Have you ever been carried out in the Spirit of the LORD into new fields of vision, understanding, and comprehension? Have you ever been carried out of the state where you were into a new state?
Human beings reading these words ordinarily think of some strange phenomenon in which an individual, a man was perhaps standing here and suddenly he shoots off up into the air and goes somewhere else. I don’t think of it that way at all. “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones”—in the midst of the valley which was full of bones. What is this valley. To me it is the valley of the world, of human beings. And when we look out into that world pattern, in the world situation it is rather dry, and it reminds us of a valley of dry bones, because human beings are rattling around this way and that, accomplishing what? Are there the proper relationships? Do we see the true body of mankind. The answer is, No.
And the LORD “caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.” What does this dryness signify? A lack of livingness, a lack of life. And in the world as it is we see a tremendous lack of life. “And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?” How many times have you asked that question of yourself? Did you ever sit in your car, parked at the curb of a busy street an watch people go by—all kinds and shapes and colors, people going this way and that, some appearing to have a goal and others acting aimlessly—and did you ever ask yourself, “Can the world be saved? Can all this mass of humanity be healed of their limitations? Can they be drawn into a pattern of the Divine Design? Can they begin to live in any true sense? “And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered”—and here is the perfect answer—“O Lord GOD, thou knowest”—Thou knowest the answer. “Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them…”
Now before we go further let us remember what the word prophesy means. So many people imagine that prophesy means primarily foretelling future events. That may be included in some cases, but that is not the true meaning of prophesy. To prophesy mean to let the Word of the Lord be spoken on earth, about any subject, any thing, whatever it may be—and action comes in the realm of prophesy also. A prophet is one who allows the words of the Lord and the actions of the Lord to be given expression on earth. A true prophet is any individual who allows his lips to form and express the Word of the Lord in relationship to any subject, any thing whatsoever it may be—past present or future. So, when the Lord commanded Ezekiel and said, “Prophesy upon these bones”, we recognize immediately that he was instructed to let the Word of the Lord come through his lips so that that Word would have meaning to the dry bones. And “he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” Now there we have a perfect illustration of the meaning of prophesy.
“O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.” When we look at the world situation with human vision, human feelings and attitudes, realizing the chaos that is everywhere present, the suffering and the misery, the limitations of every sort, it seems to the human mind that this is indeed an impossible task. But it is no more impossible than the human concept of gathering dry bones together in a very dry valley and causing them to live. In fact, every human being upon the face of the earth who has not yet come into the body of formation Divinely designed, so that he or she has begun to live in the Divine sense, is one of these dry bones in the dry valley of the world pattern.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live”—and this reminds us of another statement: Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I create all things new. “And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded”—even as I have done, and you are here. “I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.”
Here we see the beginning cycles of the healing ministry which we share—the gathering together of the bones to form the skeleton of the body of mankind, the body of Christ, or the Christ Spirit, on earth. But that body begins to take form before there is breath in the body—and so it has been. And when we look back along the way, as far as your own participation in this Program is concerned, do you find that this statement is true? “So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a noise.” Did you ever hear a noise, of ideas, and concepts, and reactions, and rebellions, and questionings, and wonderings, and trying, pushing, pulling—all kinds of things? “A noise, and behold a shaking.” Now did any of you ever feel shaken? Did you? Did you ever find a shaking in the process of your being gathered together? Did you ever find your old patterns of idea and concept shaken? Did you ever find yourself shaken? I do not think there is one here who can answer, “No.” And so, there was a noise and there was a shaking, and the bones came together. Witness—here you are!
“And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above:”—or on the outside—“but there was no breath in them.” And we are reminded of the statement in the story of creation, “The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground.” But he was an inert form—and the LORD breathed the breath of life into man’s nostrils, and man became a living Soul. He was therefore, before that point, a dead soul; he was a soul but not a living Soul. So, in our own experience there has been a gathering together of the bones, and the sinews have appeared, and the skin above, or on the outside. The forming has been working out exactly as the picture is portrayed here. But, there is one thing yet which is needed and that is the Breath of Life, that you may, in the full, complete sense be Living Souls; or, in the unified pattern, a Living Soul, in the sense of the body of mankind.
We recall that we have used the illustration before, of many members of one body, and the same portrayal is used here—many members of one body, the body of mankind which becomes, in the final analysis, the One Christ Body. And the Christ is a Spirit. The Christ Spirit when it fills the body causes that body to be the Christ Body. But until the Christ Spirit is in the body, controlling all the members of the body, it is only a potential not an accomplished fact as the Body of Christ. And here, the statement is, “but there was no breath in them”—the Breath of Life.
“Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind”—and the wind; the air is a symbol of the Spirit, as you will recall; and the wind is air in action. Therefore wind symbolizes Spirit in Action. “Prophesy unto the wind.” That is, let the Word of the Lord be expressed to the Spirit, in control of the Spirit. And is that not what is needed in our lives here, in the beginning of this new year, that the Spirit may be in action in us, working through us on earth?
“Then he said unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the Four Winds, O Breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” Many people—an exceeding great multitude. And they stood up upon their feet—they became upright as noble men and women—and they lived; and living is not dying. Living signifies that the pattern has been changed, the cycle has been changed, no more moving in the wrong direction, but in a controlled pattern of the Spirit, moving toward the fulfilment of the goal established by the Divine Design. As we live and serve here on Sunrise Ranch, or in whatsoever place is required of us—as Kathy and I journey into the field in this year—what is the burden of our realization?
We see with our eyes how responding ones everywhere are being drawn into groups, bone to his bone; how sinews are being formed; multitudes of people of every church, every group, every color on the face of the earth; people are being drawn together in a realization that there is and must be something more than that which has been. But in spite of all of this, in spite of the revivals, in spite of the urgings to attend church, in spite of all the efforts at social betterment, human progress, it is not yet a living thing. It has not been caused to feel the controlled action of the Breath of the Spirit of God. We see the coming together of bone to bone, the development of the sinews and the skin appearing above, and this is taking place all over the world at this present time. It is being promoted by every earnest, sincere endeavour which motivates human beings of every race and color and creed—they are all having a part, one way or another. But we know that in that pattern, while it is a part of the Program, thatin and of itself is not enough. The first part of the prophesyis in action on a global scale now—but what of the second part of the prophesy?
“When I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me”—now He says unto us—“Prophesy unto the wind”—unto the Spirit in Action, not the Spirit of God in some static state far away—“Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the Four Winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great” multitude.
It is not required of us that we do that which others have done.
If we simply repeat in action that which others are doing,
what is our excuse for living, for being here?
It is not that we are to simply do what they do,
achieve what they have achieved and are achieving.
If we cannot add something to that program, if we cannot increase it in some fashion,
then we are of no value.
So, we begin to see here in graphic portrayalthat to which we are called in service in the earth in this present time—that in this valley of the world where the dry bones are coming together, the sinews are being established, and the skin is appearing above—that which results may not be merely a dead body to again decompose, not merely the same old round reaching the same old ceiling, ending in the same old futility; but that there may be the actual manifestation of the second step of the prophesy, that there may be such an outpouring of the Spirit of God in action in the valley of the world that the breath, the Four Winds, the Four Aspectsof the Spirit in action may appear in and through the body of mankind, and that that body of mankind may live; that men an women everywhere may stand up upon their feet, revealing more and more that nobility of Being which is of God, of the Divine Design; revealing that full stature in Christ, that grace of life and function by which all may come to know what it means to be a part, not only of the body of mankind but of the Living Body of Christ on earth.
For the body of mankind as it is in the world is in fact a dead or dying body, a body subject to death. It is slain, but the victory of the Living Christ, the victory of the resurrection and the life remains to be made manifest in this body of mankind which extends over the face of the whole earth. This step beyond, which was signified in its beginning essences in what is called the Day of Pentecost—as the Master put it, “And ye shall receive power, after that the holy spirit is come upon you.” Man has not yet received that power. Man, in the sense of mankind, is subject to all of these ills—the threats of war and destruction, the threats of disease of every sort. But “ye shall receive power, after that the holy spirit is come upon you” said our LORD on earth. And here we have the Word of the Prophesy:
“Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath”—the Spirit of God in action—and “I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them”—not merely upon them, not merely round about as a breeze that blows, but the breath came into them, and being in them permitted the Spirit in action in them, an action which the flesh should share, an action which the mind should share, an action which the whole man or woman should share—the Spirit of God in action shared by all that we are. And as soon as we begin to realize this, and recognize that it is the Pattern of the Divine Design for our living service on earth in this new year, we find that we need not proceed blindly as if uncertain of the goal or the purpose, but we can move wisely, with understanding and comprehension letting this prophecy be fulfilled in us, because we share the prophecy, because we ourselves let the Word of the Lord be spoken on earth, because we ourselves let the action of the Lord appear, and because by reason of that the Spirit on earth is a controlled expression.
The wind, yes—but the wind, Spirit in Action under control, coming from the Four Winds to accomplish something. I am the resurrection and the life, the victory of the Living Christ—the victory over death, the victory in life, the Spirit of the Living Christ rising above the limitations of this world. And so it is in us, through us, for us, and for all who will share it in this day and in this hour, and in the days of this new year that we may move forward in confidence to know and to share the Victory. So let it be, now and always.
So is it established, and so shall it be accomplished, and no man can alter or change it except for himself; for the fulfilment is sure and certain for the body of mankind, for all who let themselves share in the forming of the new body of mankind, even as it is written “Behold, I make all things new.” And this new body of mankind is being formed out of the valley of dry bones, that in season it may appear a living, breathing, vibrant form for the expression of the Spirit of the Living Christ on earth, to the Glory of God. And then shall it be, according to the promise, that heaven and earth are One; and in the recreation it shall be as in the beginning when the Lord GOD created the heaven and the earth, and they were One. And God saw that which He had made and it was good. So shall it be, and now is it taking form. And in this time of our living it is being accomplished.
We thank God, therefore, for the privilege of sharing in the Angels’ Song—Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. In this new year, may the joy and heavenly prosperity of divine riches be upon you, and be made manifest through you, that you may know the joy of this new year. As one who reveals the Shekinah of our KING, the evidence of the presence of the One Who Dwells, that that evidence may be made manifest on earth here and now, so is it established and so shall it be accomplished—and no one can alter or change it except for himself. And in this,
I have prophesied as the LORD my KING hath commanded Me
As you begin to function on the basis of the principles of reality, you learn to discern the factors which should come to focus in a cycle that is of comparatively short duration and you do not try to bring to focus in the present those factors which are of a larger cycle. You let them work out. One of the causes for difficulty, futility, failure, is this: until the human being learns to so function in the current of the spirit that he can discern what factors are properly to be brought to focus today and what factors are to be left alone to work out in a larger cycle, he will be tending to ignore the things that should come to focus today and he will be trying to bring to focus today things that should be left alone.
Now the human mind, with human intelligence, cannot learn to do this in self-activity—it simply cannot be done. There are no rules and regulations you can point to. In the ordinary sense, you can't put it on what is commonly called the scientific basis, that is, subject to the logic and reason of the intellect. But once you begin to let the spirit control, you find it is on a scientific basis, and that logic and reason recognize the reality as it manifests. So one of the things that you can do very effectively in relationship to your own progress is to watch—not trying to make something be thus and so, but just to watch and observe; be alert. Watch the cycles working out in relationship to yourselves, to whatever degree you can see them in relationship to one another. But particularly watch the cycles as they work out in the material which I present to you, because there, if you are alert, you can perceive the variations.
But learn to watch the vibratory factors, learn to perceive them. If you do not practice looking for them, watching them, you will never learn to see them. It takes alertness, observation, and it takes the process of letting. For here we see letting comes into two specific classifications: one, letting the vibratory factors of the larger cycle alone, letting them work on out; but the factors which are supposed to come to focus in the present, letting them have the proper vibratory pattern, the control and design patterns, so that they can manifest. You go through a process of letting in both cases. One, you let it work out further, let the cycle continue, leave it alone. Do not try to make it be thus and so. The others, you let them come to point in the present, you cooperate, you give them an opportunity of having controlled focalization.
This gives you an opportunityto have a little insight into the way in which human beings fail to receive God's blessings. Because, for some reason or other, whether they are struggling or being concerned about the larger cycle, or whether they are self-centered or functioning wrongly in some fashion, they will fail to cooperate in receiving into focalized pattern, in relationship to themselves, the vibratory factors that should come to focus. Now they are not going to just, by some magic means, gather to a point and manifest for you. There has to be some way of receiving them. You have to give them a contact point. If you are trying to get hold of vibratory factors that are beyond your reach, that you have no business playing with, you are going to be in trouble, or at least fail. But there are those factors each day in your life, right here and now, which are supposed to begin to come into focus. And unless you are so functioning that you can gather them in and let them have point in relationship to yourself, they are not going to come into form; they will pass on by. The thing is so scattered that it never appears.
The point is that we have something to do and we have to learn how to function in relationship to it. Now, at the moment I can tell, by the looks on some of your faces anyway, that this sounds a little ambiguous, a little—well, these are the things we are here to learn. Don't imagine that you are supposed to be able to so function overnight. But I want you to take a little look at it to see the principles involved, so that you could stop rejecting God's blessings which are coming your way, and start doing your part toward letting the vibratory factors come to focus as they are supposed to appear in your life in relationship to the Unit here, or in relationship to the Lord's service wherever the pattern may be working out.
All of this has a very definite bearing on the basic principles that we have been studying in relationship to history, because one of the great values in history as it has been introduced is to let you see how it was that human beings failed to receive blessings when they could have, when they should have, when they were provided; how human reactions or self-activity dissipated the vibratory factors that were supposed to come to point, instead of letting them come into focalization in relationship to the individuals then living. Unless you begin to see history on this basis you will not be able to gain the greatest possible comprehension of the lessons that are contained there.
Of course, you can always say that history teaches various things more or less on the surface, or to be intellectually observed. One of the things that tends to come into consciousness for anyone who really studies history is the idea that there are great cycles that work out and have within the whole scope of recorded history, that can be seen in relationship to the rise and fall of empires. A certain pattern would begin to take form, people would cooperate in it up to a certain point, then they'd begin to be lethargic and self-righteous and self-satisfied and so on. And you can see where the graph of the cycle begins to level out, and in that pattern you look at the historical factors and you see how these people were so self-content, they thought they were on top of the world and they were just going to stay there. And then, perhaps almost imperceptibly at first, there was a decline, beginning to go down, and then suddenly, generally, a plunge, and another cycle begins: the rise and fall of empires, the great cycles in history.
We can look at those great cycles—you probably have enough knowledge of history to see clearly the point I'm talking about at the moment—we can look at those and see how human beings precipitated those things. They were the ones that brought it about. We see a dangerous tendency, that has been in manifestation for some time in our own country, of a leveling off. There is a little rally at the present time; how well it's going to hold we shall see. But being called the greatest nation on earth, etc., taking some of our blessing and privileges and opportunities for granted, tending to be self-righteous and self-satisfied, feeling secure with industrial patterns and business, commerce; we've got the best of everything, etc—I'm not sure that that is true; to a certain extent it is, but not on the basis that is generally thought of—and all of this self-righteousness, and what do we begin to see? Self-satisfied, instead of the forward movement upward, a tendency to level off, a tendency to lose the moral fiber, the strength, the stamina, the pioneering spirit necessary to keep moving upward.
Now it's our business, in part, to help maintain that pioneering spirit in relationship to our national program. It works here and in Canada, or wherever there is response to it. There must be something moving upwards. If we pause to consider the matter, just very briefly, we could see that the reason why England, as the center of the British Empire, has managed to stay up as well as it has, has been because of the outlying dominions where something of that upward swing was present, and it siphoned back to England. If England had been left more or less on her own, and the pattern had worked out as it did in England, it too would have reached the point of taking the great plunge before this. But the upward trend in the dominions held it up.
Now all the way back through history we see how God has given man opportunities, over and over again, which man has failed to utilize. He didn't take advantage of them. He started to perhaps, in some ways, and then let self-activity enter in. In recorded history we do not have any specific pattern which makes for easier examination and analysis in this regard than the experience of the Children of Israel. And it is this specific pattern which we begin to analyze in order to see what relationship that outworking has to us. And you will be surprised, if you have not already begun to see it, how closely those same principles, those same factors, show up in relationship to ourselves in this present day. We won't be studying history as something way back yonder. We'll see it in relationship to the present cycle, because the same basic factors are present in any case, and it is brought out into the pattern that you see on the basis of symbolism. And we begin to appreciate the meanings of the various symbolic factors. We begin to see how those things are in operation here and now, so that we are not relegating it merely to a story of the past.
Once you see the prehistoric pattern, see how man went through a process of rapid devolution, and gradually began to move upward again, we began to have a written record, the early Egyptian period, etc—we begin to see the dawn of history. And back in that period of the dawn of history, our attention comes to focus on a man called Abraham and his particular pattern of response, the things that began to work out in his life. I do not suppose that any of you ever think of Abraham without thinking almost in the same split second of Melchizedek. In any case, the very mention of the name Abraham should remind you instantly of Melchizedek—Melchizedek, King of Salem, meaning the Prince of Peace. The beginning pattern, initiated by Melchizedek, who according to the record was not as a man born—he was without beginning of years as we think of it, without end of days; the picture we have is of a Being who was not subject to birth and death or ascension, as we think of it, in relationship to this particularized pattern. And we recall that this King—the King of Salem, or Melchizedek—comes into the picture at a time when Abraham had some trouble. His brother Lot was not as responsive to the spirit of God as Abraham was, and he got into trouble. There was a raiding party, as was common in those days with respect to the various tribes that were beginning to take form, and each little group had its king, so there were all kinds of kings in those days. And one of these kings had come against Lot and carried off some of the people and the animals and goods. And the King of Salem went out to help. He cooperated with Abraham in bringing this king under control. They had a little battle, and the upshot was that the loot, or the plunder that had been taken, was restored. Now it's in that setting that we see the beginnings of this pattern.
It's interesting to note that the same cycle initiated with respect to the Orient has the same type of setting—two wholly different outworkings on the basis of the historical pattern, and with respect to the Biblical record we can see this one with respect to Abraham and Melchizedek—but, in the opening phases of the historical pattern as it relates to the Orient, we have a very similar story. And it opens in relationship to a very similar pattern of battle. If you know anything about the Bhagavad-Gita, you will appreciate what I have reference to. I am hoping to introduce you to The Song Celestial before too long. The version that we use was translated from the Sanskrit by Sir Edwin Arnold. He did a beautiful job, but just as we find is the case with respect to the Bible, so is it there—the centuries through which these records come to us, the manipulations of priesthood, etc, have obscured some of the specific meanings, some of the symbolism, some of the values, and some of them become, under this pattern, definitely misleading. So a number of years ago—just about ten, roughly speaking—I undertook to revise the significant portion of The Song Celestial, and it is that revised pattern of Sir Edwin Arnold's translation of the Bhavagad-Gita, which he called The Song Celestial, which we will use as opportunity affords.
But I wish to draw particularly to your attention now the fact that that story too begins on a battlefield. And when we come to the story of the Bhagavad-Gita we find that there is the Blind King; there is Arjuna, who would correspond in principle to Abraham; there is Krishna, who corresponds in principle to Melchizedek. And exactly the same principles, exactly the same laws, exactly the same processes, are portrayed in these two patterns—one with the setting, as you know it with respect to Abraham, and the other far away in the Orient, where it took form in the revelation of the laws and principles of God in a completely different place and setting and yet the same kind of setting. So we begin to note such similarities and see that these two revelations of Divine Principle and Law started in each case—though so widely separated—started on a battlefield.
Now what is the case with respect to you? When you begin to move into the pattern of the Divine Design, is there one of you that could say that the story with respect to your life did not begin on a battlefield? Didn't it begin on a battlefield with you? Certainly it did. Wasn't there a blind king—your own self-active mind? Wasn't there a Lot in the lot? Certainly. There is always some kind of a battle. It has various patterns in the background of your individual lives, but there was at least an internal conflict. There was a refusal to accept the realm of limitation roundabout. There was probably in you the contest between the Abraham side of your nature and the Lot side of your nature. If you look back, the Lot side wanted to be content with things as they are, more or less, and talked about how good it was to get settled down in the right kind of a pattern. And Abraham's side was the pioneer. Just settling down here like that, just the same as everyone else is doing, just having these creature comforts—that isn't going to bring the fulfilment of life. We need to lead on out into something more wonderful; we don't know what it is yet, but we have the assurance that there will be a revelation. We will begin to find the Way, the Truth and the Life. We will begin to know where we are going, why we are here, where we came from, what our purpose is, and how to to serve—to have our lives have meaning, so that we can accomplish that for which we came into the world.
So there was the Lot side of you, to whatever degree it tended to have an influence, and there was the Abraham side of you. We could examine the same picture as it is revealed in the Bhagavad-Gita. But there is the Arjuna side of you. And just as there was the Melchizedek to reveal the way at the time of Abraham, there was a Krishna to reveal the way at the time of Arjuna. Always, whenever human beings have been ready to respond to God and let the will of God be done on earth, and they were ready to yield to the will of God, to leave behind the old patterns, always there has been provision by which the things of God might become known to those who would receive them, and we have two outstanding illustrations of this.
And if these two patterns had been allowed to work out—the one in the near East, as it extended out into the Occident, and the other in the Orient—it would not have been necessary for our LORD to come on earth. If either one of these patterns had held, if either one of them had been allowed to work out the way it should have, it would not have been necessary for the LORD of Lords and KING of Kings to come into the world and face the things He did. It was perfectly possible, it was a Divine opportunity extended to man, it was a wonderful invitation. But man didn't let it work out in either case.
And so finally there was the manifestation of the pattern, the same principles all over again, the same type of thing all over again, in what we call the New Testament story. For the land was under subjection to the Roman rule; there was the pattern of conflict and unrest; there was Herod the King; and there was Jesus Christ. Exactly the same thing in principle, in revelation, the laws of being, all over again—a different focalization of them but exactly the same laws and principles. And outside of the particular facts with respect to the Master as a Being, did He bring into the world any truth, did He reveal to man any knowledge that had not already been offered to man? Many would be inclined to say, “Yes, He surely did,” but is it so? No. It had already been revealed to man; it was already available to man, but man wasn't taking advantage of it. He re-focalized it, revitalized it, but outside of the newness of the reality of His Own Being in manifestation on earth, and the application as it was established with respect to Himself, there was nothing new in it, because it had all been given before. And once we begin to see that and realize it—and you will see it as we go along—you begin to see that it was not God's design, it was not arbitrarily required by God that our Lord and King Himself should come into the world and face the things He did. It was unnecessary. And so, perhaps the best way to make this beginning is to actually read some of the story, let you see how it worked out.
“And Tera’n took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
One of the first things we note here is the necessity for the human capacity to accept, in relationship to oneself, a Great Promise. The tendency in human beings is to say, “Well, that can be for someone else, somewhere else”—but to receive for oneself a great promise? Why, what arrogance for me to even think that such a thing could be me! Now if God produced a great person over there or something, and gave us a leader, I would be happy to follow. But for me? Just to think, me? No, no, no.” But he accepted a great promise in relationship to himself. There was no outer evidence of the fulfilment of the promise but there was the willingness to do his part; not arrogance or foolhardiness—but not holding back, not refusing to have a share in God's givingness, not refusing to let himself be the means by which something could come on earth. He didn't always function in absolute perfection perhaps, but he accepted a great promise in relationship to himself, when everything made it look as if he was simply having a pipe dream. It was ridiculous; it was fanciful.
It takes a greatness inside, for a human being to accept a great promise in relationship to himself without becoming egotistical, arrogant and self-active on the one hand, or without rejecting it in a false pattern of humility on the other hand. There's the Central Way. Most people reject the blessings of God because they are so humble. Humility is necessary, true humility—but the false pattern of humility has been used by the adversary to defeat many, many people. Oh, it's necessary to be humble before God, yes. But a false pattern of humility has made so many people refuse to accept the great promises in relationship to themselves. And what did Abram start with but a promise? What was there in the pattern round about him, in the uncertainties of the world at that time, the tribal feuds and all the rest of it? What kind of character, what kind of capacity, what kind of a quality would that be? Something quite remarkable, don't you think? that under those circumstances a man had the capacity to accept a great promise in relationship to himself when there was no outer evidence to indicate that he was doing anything but having a foolish dream. It looked like everything was against him. But that is the spirit of the true pioneer, and the quality of a man or a woman who will dare to accept a great promise as having meaning to himself or herself. It's easy enough to set it aside. It's easy enough to spoil it with arrogance, egotism, on the one hand, or to reject it in the false pattern of humility. So few there have been in the world who had what it took to walk in the Central Way, to be balanced. Because if you do walk in that Central Way, there will be those who will take the attitude that you are arrogant, that you are an egotist.
How often I have been classified as an egotist because I refused to relinquish the position that I have a Mission on earth, I have a message to give, I have a purpose, something that is important to the whole of humanity. How often I have been called egotistical because, in the false pattern of humility, I wouldn't deny the Commission. When I received that Commission was there any outer evidence that we'd ever reach a point where I would have the privilege of standing here talking to you? The extent to which that has reached out into the world already means something. And we share it. But it takes that something that causes an individual to accept a great promise as having meaning in relationship to himself in actual fact, so that he is ready to act upon it. Not just to say, “Well now. I'll wait and see if such-and-such a thing works out or someday perhaps, somehow,” but to act upon it when from every outer standpoint it appears that you are just plain fanciful, ridiculous—to dare to do in the face of that type of situation.
The Lord told him—Get thee out of thy country. “Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house.” Now for anyone who is going to amount to anything on earth, that's the finest advice that can be given, whether to Abram or somebody else. It was the advice the Lord gave. And anyone who wants to really serve God on earth had better do it, because as long as one stays in the pattern of kinfolk, as ordinarily established, he will become subject to the old patterns, the old situations. Of course sometimes you can take mother and dad along. I managed that for Kathy's sake, but it was quite a struggle! Kathy: “And you finally won!” [Great laughter from Uranda.]
“Get thee out of thy country.” That doesn't necessarily mean that you have to move from the United States to Canada, or somewhere. But you have to make a change. You're not going to do it in the old pattern because, well, it would just be asking too much. You've got to dare to make a move. “Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house.” Now there is instruction that applies to any man or womanwho finds himself stirred of the spirit of God out there in the world. And it is our business to help establish a place to which those aspiring souls may come and turn, that they may not just go wandering through the patterns of life seeking and never finding. But there are many of all ages out there in the world pattern today who are hearing that call. Some of them are beginning to act upon it. Some of them are just getting conditioned to the idea. But they are ready to come and be with us, not necessarily geographically, but from the standpoint of sharing in the working of God's Plan on earth. And so the word today, just as surely as it was then, the Word the Lord if you please, is “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” That is a promise to you. You have accepted it or you wouldn’t be here. For some of you it was a little difficult perhaps, and for some of you not so difficult—but if you hadn't been ready and willing!
“And I will make of thee a great nation.” Now that doesn't necessarily have to mean that you will have to be the original parent that produces a great nation after so many generations—No! That is more or less the way it worked out with Abram, but we are not Abram. We are ourselves, right here. “And I will make of thee a great nation.” All of those who so respond, who are willing to dare to move out of old patterns and into the new, whoever they are, wherever they are, “I will make of thee a nation,” and that promise applies for us today and the people who awakening, just as surely as it did to Abram. And what does He say “And I will bless thee.” Not perhaps—I will. Once we begin to move in that pattern, as you have done or you wouldn't be here, once you begin to share, in a true sense, that Divine outworking—“I will bless thee.”
Of course, you have to learn how to receive the blessing. And it is the thing you have to learn how to help others learn, because human beings simply do not know how to receive the blessings of the Lord, and that is the difficulty. So when you learn to receive them, and you can inspire others to receive those blessings, you are serving. And those who are responding to that call, which is sounding in the world today as surely as it did at the time of Abram, begin to see the pattern of service to the Glory of God and the blessing of the children of men to which you are called. So few? Yes. But as we hold it steady and do our part it will open, and there are many who are ready to become a part of this Great Nation. Not a great nation in the sense of entering into competition with the United States or Canada or Great Britain or someone else, no. A Great Nation in the sense of a body of human beings who are willing to serve God on earth, to let the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven. “And I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” Now, when you are blessed, you are supposed to become a blessing. What did the Master say? “He that would be great among you, let him be the servant of all”—the same principle exactly that God had expounded to Abram way back there, the same principle. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
My question is, today: Are you man enough, are you woman enough, to receive that promise in relationship to yourself, in this day, in this time, in this hour? Because it is offered to you just as surely as it was offered to Abram. It may not look like you can do anything about it, but how about accepting a Great Promise in relationship to youself, in this hour?
This promise: that you shall be blessed
and that you may be a blessing to others;
that you may let this have meaning in your life now.
Because if it was of any value at the time of Abram, as he was then known, it is of value to you in this moment. And it applies to you just as surely as to Abram, if you will let yourself do your part in this moment, in this hour, in relationship to this Cycle of the Divine Plan. Because it's the same promise today as it was then, for the same purpose. It is not a changed pattern. Oh, it may manifest differently, yes, but just the same laws, the same promise, the same principles, the same God, all for the same purpose. And we are the ones who are on earth and have a chance to take a look at it.
Are you man enough, woman enough,
to receive a Great Promise from God Himself to you now?
