Resurrection in Fact
Martin Exeter April 19, 1987
During the last fifty-five years a miracle has been
occurring in the body of mankind. The view of most is fastened upon external
events, of which there are multitudes, some close at hand which we may observe,
others reported to us—probably quite inaccurately—by the media. But the miracle
has been overlooked. We ourselves properly have some awareness of this miracle
in our own personal experience.
At Eastertime in the Christian world, which
incidentally is only a part of the total world, the resurrection of Jesus
Christ is celebrated. It is assumed that this person really existed and lived
on earth and, according to the Christian view, was finally crucified, placed in
a tomb from which He came forth in the resurrection. If one stops to consider
the matter, setting aside for the moment the multitude of beliefs that are
present in human hearts and minds with respect to all this, it is simply based
in a story that has, rather miraculously I suppose, come down to us out of the
far-distant past. Apparently the story was written some considerable time after
the events, if you think of two or three hundred years as being considerable
time, so how accurate the stories are might be open to question. But in any case
there are stories which those who are associated with the Christian religion
remember. They remember the stories about something that was supposed to have
happened almost two thousand years ago. No one living on earth today was
present at that time; no one has firsthand knowledge of what it was that
occurred—consequently there has had to be the development of a considerable
system of belief.
One might possibly be inclined, observing all this,
to see something of a fantasy which is present in human consciousness, firmly
believed in by many people. The belief varies somewhat from one group to
another, but the fundamental factors seem to be commonly accepted. However, in
fact it is a fantasy. I do not say that to denigrate anyone’s beliefs, but
merely to state a fact. Such memory as there has been—and this was thought to
be important—has related to some events which may have taken place a long time
ago, a memory of the past. It’s interesting to note that in one of the central
observances of the Christian religion there is what is called the communion
service, and this is designed to call something to remembrance also. But,
always, the calling to remembrance has been relegated to the past, as though
this was the only kind of memory that anyone could have.
Recalling the past, even our own individual pasts,
is presently recalling a fantasy. It isn’t real now. At the time in the past,
when that was the present, there was a sense of meaning to it, or a sense of
reality to it; but looking back upon it, it becomes a fantasy. I’m sure you’ve
all noted how memories differ when recalling past events: “This was the way it was!”
“Oh no, I remember it quite differently!” It’s all a fantasy! Even
the experience at the time was quite different for different people. The only
reality we could possibly know is in this present moment. The only connection
we have with reality at all is now. As soon as anything slips into the past it
is removed from the present and immediately becomes fantastic. It becomes
imagination.
The experience that needs to be remembered is what
that experience might be in this present moment. Our experience in the present
moment is virtually all based in what has gone before in the past. It is all
based, in other words, in a fantasy—so that we live in a fantastic world.
Anyone who has opportunity to examine what is going on in this world would be
inclined to agree that it really is fantastic—not in a very pleasing way,
either, for the most part. So remembering the past, blocks the remembering of the
present. There is something to
remember now, an experience which has not been known up to this
point.
Obviously there is a lack in human experience;
otherwise so much attention wouldn’t be paid to all these things in the past.
It is hoped that somehow or other we can drag something out of the past to
ourselves to fill this gaping void in our own experience. At least this is the
general state of affairs insofar as most people are concerned. Apparently the
only value of the past is to make the present bearable! Why shouldn’t the
present be bearable for itself? Something must be being excluded, if there is a
void in our experience now which has to be filled up with all the stuff that
may be remembered out of the fantastic past. This view of memory, as though
that was important, is a faulty view. We are given the opportunity to remember now what we have forgotten now. And one of the things, it seems,
that everybody has forgotten is who they are, why they are here; and I suppose
you could say where they came from, but that is the past. The only connection
we have with ourselves is right now.
The story that is central to Christianity, having
come down to us out of the past, is some sort of a memory of a fantasy. The
only reason for remembering is to see it as an allegory which relates to the
present moment. All too many Christians, particularly around Eastertime, think
that one has to get back into the past there and suffer so, because of what
supposedly happened two thousand years ago. What good is that supposed to do
now? But as an allegory of something which is applicable to our present experience, there is value and
meaning, to the extent that what we remember is true. The only way we can prove
out if it is true or not is to let the allegory find application in our
experience now.
I suppose Easter should bring us to the point of
considering the resurrection—not considering it from the standpoint of a story
out of the past which is deemed to be factual but from the standpoint of
considering that story as an allegory applicable to our present experience. The
resurrection, as I recall it according to that story, is of the body of the Son
of God. This is the Christian view. The Son of God was deemed to be the person
who was called Jesus Christ. Remembering that, isn’t it wonderful that the body
of this particular person survived the tomb and came forth in resurrection and
then in due season ascended into the heavens? A lovely story, but completely
meaningless insofar as human experience now is concerned. We don’t observe too
many people coming forth from the grave and walking into the surrounding
garden, then communing with those who remained, and later disappearing into the
heaven. It’s a fairy tale, isn’t it? Let us see how it applies, what it means
in present, practical experience; otherwise it is a waste of time considering
it. This may offend many who are imbued with the Christian doctrine, but is
nevertheless the fact if one can disassociate oneself sufficiently from this
packet of beliefs that has been swallowed by human beings generation after
generation after generation, so that it is in the very genes of those who are
of Christian extraction. It is very difficult, seemingly, to shrug off all that—we’ve
got to carry around the burden with us. We don’t need to really, because the
allegory simply points to the fact that there is rightly the experience of
resurrection now.
I commented on this matter of the fifty-five years
when a miracle has been occurring within the body of mankind. That miracle
relates to many of us, and others who are not here present. There has been the
emergence of a body of people, drawn together not on the basis of some
belief—there are some who have tried to make it be on that basis. It isn’t on
that basis, but on the basis of the fact that there is a focus of spirit
present in form on earth—and has been for fifty-five years, in this particular
aspect of the moving cycle of things—who provided that focus of the spirit of
the Most High, so that the Word might be spoken and the Tone of Life sounded.
Because that has been the fact of the matter—readily available in our
experience as we came along the way, but readily available in our experience
now—there has been the magnetic force which has drawn a body into form, to the
extent that it has up to this point. This is the resurrection of the body. Christians are very much inclined to say, very often, “We believe in the resurrection
of the body.” Okay, here it is! It isn’t a matter of believing in it; it’s a
matter of accepting the experience of it. And the allegory of the old story
which is familiar to Christians can be accepted and acknowledged as relating to
oneself here and now.
We are taking a look at this this morning, but it’s
something that we’ve been aware of, most of us anyway, for some considerable
time. It isn’t just a matter of taking a look at it, is it? That may be
helpful, may be necessary to start with, to begin to see that there is
something to be experienced which hasn’t yet been experienced. Even with
respect to those who have experienced
something. I’m sure each one would readily admit that the experience is as yet
rather incomplete. But by reason of the fact that there has been a focus of
spirit on earth moving in the creative process, the Word has been spoken and
the Tone has been sounded. That is all that is necessary, for the body to be
drawn together—at least from the standpoint of the Most High, that is all that
is necessary. It isn’t all that is necessary insofar as the rest of us are
concerned, because there has to be a willingness to be drawn. There has to be a
willingness to let the resurrection take place, to let this body take form
within the darkness of the tomb of this human world. After all, that’s the only
place it could take form. This is the place. We are here. And the earth presumably
is valuable to make it possible for us to be here. As I understand it, none of
the other planets would be very conducive presently for life to be known in
human form.
So we’re here. This is the fact of the matter. And
it is the fact of the matter that there is a tomb. We are well aware of that.
Virtually the whole population of the earth revolves around death. Death is the
supremely important thing, because in various ways death has been looked upon
as the gateway to life. It’s rather a backwards idea, one would think. Life is
the gateway to life, isn’t it? And the fact that we’re alive indicates that the
gateway is present with us. Perhaps if one waits until one is dead one may find
that the gateway has slammed shut. Life is the gateway to life. Even in the
Christian world the central figure said, “I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He
certainly didn’t say, “I am come that everybody might die and find life.” That
is some fantastic concept that the rather ignorant and stupid human mind has
thought up, and a lot of people have swallowed it whole. We’re alive! Let’s
take advantage of the fact. We’re not really supposed to sit around hopefully
waiting to die.
It might be said that we have no business dying.
All sorts of ideas erupt into consciousness when such a statement is made, but
those who live would not be of the nature and the character of those who die.
We do, all of us, spend the days of our years dying, rather than living. It seems
that for the first few years there is a spurt of increased life burgeoning
through the human form, but shortly thereafter it’s downhill all the way.
People frantically try to keep themselves in shape and all this, so that they
may live a little longer. What a travesty of the crowning creation on earth,
man. It has no resemblance to MAN
whatsoever. Yet human beings are very well able to pat themselves on the back
for all their marvelous achievements, and they do it. We do it. We puff
ourselves up in various ways: we need to be recognized! Why do we need to be
recognized? Because we deem that we don’t have much value, and if someone
recognizes us then that will help to convince us that we really do
have value, when we
know very well that we don’t. Let’s be honest about it. As human beings, we
have no value whatsoever, just a potential, that’s all—the potential which becomes a realized
fact by reason of the resurrection. The resurrection, whatever it may have been
in the past, was never intended to give an excuse to human beings for failing
to experience the reality of it now. “Oh we can just rest in the arms of Jesus,
because He was resurrected.” If we can get into His arms, then I suppose we’ll
go up too! What fantasy—what a fairy tale.
But the truth is available, to experience the
reality now. Very few human beings have proved to be willing to let it happen.
But since the focus of spirit was reestablished in form on earth, there has been
a sounding of the Tone and a speaking of the Word; and it is because of this
that the miracle has been occurring within the body of mankind, through you and
others, of a body being drawn together, drawn together by spirit. There are
lots of people who inquire: “Well what do you believe?” How do you answer that?
What’s the point of believing something? Let’s know the truth. If we have to believe
something we don’t know the truth. We hope that what we’re believing is the
truth, but we may be very assured that it isn’t, because the only way one can
know the truth is to experience it in the expression of one’s own life. It
comes forth in expression through oneself. That is the only way anyone could
ever know the truth. No one else can tell someone what the truth is. There may
be indication, as I am indicating now, that this is the only way it could be
known, but that doesn’t hand the truth to anybody.
It is the individual’s personal responsibility, and
there has been virtually no one for the last two thousand years who has actually
accepted that responsibility. It is said of Jesus Christ that He spoke the words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Who else
has been able to speak those words? There are those who say, “Well, He was an
example.” Okay, let’s come into position to speak those words then, and make
them stick. It is initially a very individual and personal matter. One has to
accept the responsibility for oneself. You can’t accept the responsibility for
anyone else, and no one can accept it for you, the responsibility of experiencing
the resurrection. In the resurrection, the body of the One who spoke those
words comes into form, so that the words may again be spoken. The allegory
comes into the present moment, to be known now, to be experienced now, because of the willingness to accept the
responsibility of it.
The responsibility always must be accepted
individually. There has been a good deal of hope on the part of many of those
who are associated with this ministry that, somehow or other by being associated
with it, they would be lifted up. Well they may find it works for a little, but
then somewhere along the way they’re dumped. No one dumps them, they dump
themselves, because you can’t float into the experience of the resurrection in
the arms of somebody else—not even Jesus, whoever He might be. And who knows
that? People have concepts, they have visions—and usually their visions stem
from stained-glass windows. Did you ever note that those who have had visions
of Jesus make Him appear always the same? I don’t think it’s Jesus at all. It’s
an eruption out of their subconscious minds. After all, we have a lot of stuff
in our subconscious minds. I was going to say rubbish, which is what it really is. It needs to get out of there,
so that there is space to receive the working of the spirit of the living God
now.
Coming to this present moment, we delight to move
in the creative cycle that this miracle which has been happening, and is happening now, may come to fruition,
to fulfilment. The question is, “Through whom will this happen?” That has
always been my question, and I look around and I see: “Well perhaps through
that one, and that one, and the other one.” Some let it work, and keep moving.
Changes begin to be wrought, and they begin to discover that they’re not really
this human creature they thought they were before. But others are oh, so
reluctant to let go of that miserable creature, human nature. Human nature is
all based in the past; we all have our heredities. Most people think those
heredities are important. They only become important if we’re willing to let
them be dissolved. Their dissolution is important.
What has occurred has drawn a body into expression
by reason of the working of the spirit, and that alone. This is the miracle,
but how many of you within the sound of my voice are aware that you are a part of that miracle? Oh it’s
easy to organize human beings and get them to follow out a set of beliefs, imagining
that that will bring them security. But the security is in the spirit. Only
those who respond to the spirit, without demanding explanations, without requiring
anything from anyone, but just yielding to the spirit in the expression of
their own living, find themselves drawn together with others who are likewise
letting it happen. I know that those who have been drawn have looked askance at
one another sometimes: “Well I didn’t choose you!” No, you didn’t! What was the word we
might recall? “Ye have not chosen me; I have chosen you.” Those who will accept
the choice find that they have no choice, and so there is a drawing together.
Gradually it begins to be found that we really have some friends. We stop
looking merely at the external factors, the factors of human nature that still may
be hanging around. We begin to become aware of the factors of the true nature
of man which are also present and which are also emerging into expression.
There is the unifying experience, that there might be a state of being all together
with one accord in one place, certainly not because of externals.
Who cares what you like or don’t like? It’s
immaterial, totally irrelevant. What is the true design emerging in the
creative process? Let’s find out what that is, and let’s set aside our human
likes and dislikes and let the truth put in an appearance. Do you think the
truth would ever be changed because of your likes and dislikes? This has been
the very ignorant and stupid idea even in Christianity, hasn’t it? We’re going
to pray to God to change things around to suit us! That is blasphemous, I would
say. Let’s let it be reversed. Let’s let things be changed around in us so that
we suit God, so that we are the evidence of God. Isn’t that the way man was
supposed to have been created in the beginning, in the image and likeness of
God? Well let’s let it happen, rather than saying, “I’m going to follow out my
own course and desires and what I want to do, and what I want to have and what
I want to get.” Oh there are some who say, “Oh yes, I’ll go along with God. I’ll
worship God, but only if He conforms to my denomination or my religion. If He
won’t do that I don’t want to have anything to do with Him.” It’s strange,
strange—very strange! Let’s let Him
be God.
Human beings say, “Why does God allow all these
terrible things to happen?” Presumably God has no particular desire that these terrible
things should happen, but we decide that we’re going to produce them. And for
man, made in the image and likeness of God, there is this little matter of
freedom. God is free to fulfil whatever His purposes are. For man to reveal God
he also must be free, so that God can be free in heaven and on earth. Of course
God hasn’t been free in human beings as they now are. God in a sense has been
in jail, because human beings have been intent on following out their own
desires and designs: “I want it this way; I like it that way.” Everybody is at
everybody else’s throat.
Come out of it! Come out of that ignorant nonsense, that there may be the
acceptance of what is present now, the resurrection and the life.
It may seem to have been a slow process, drawing some
sort of a body together that could begin to be coordinated and effective. Well,
children take a while to grow up. They’re very uncoordinated to start with.
Gradually they come together a bit. But then adults impose upon them the adult
attitudes and views and ideas and concepts and beliefs, and the poor child
becomes a reproduction of his or her forebears. What a sad fate! What an awful
fate for one who is made in the image and likeness of God. Let us accept once
again the fact of this reality into our own experience, refusing anymore to be
pushed around by our own human-nature character, that dumb creature that
emerged out of a fantastic past. It’s all fantasy! Let it go. There is a reality here, but nobody
knows it until it is expressed. “Well, I don’t know about that,” people say. “I
wonder. Maybe it’s so, but I’m not sure.” Of course they never find out,
because the only way to find out is to accept the fact and give expression to
it.
We have found this rather a gradual process
occurring. I would that it might be a little faster—it could be—because I don’t know just how much time we
might have, individually or as part of the human race. There is a cycle, there is a
growing-up period, but if we behave as human beings usually do we find that we
never grow up. As we have noted, there is scarcely anyone who grows past the
age of five years old emotionally. That is ridiculous, but it is a fact nevertheless.
Have you ever watched these “leaders of men” and their behavior? Childish,
absolutely childish.
Let us allow a maturity to be present because we
live, and this is included in the process of resurrection: a movement into
maturity, so that there is something stable and sure and unmoving on the face
of the earth. Then there is a body containing the spirit in expression which
brings understanding, and what is needful is known and what is needful is done.
Very simple, once all this human-nature rubbish is swept out of the way. But as
long as we are corrupted by human nature we are in a sad, sad state—a dying state.
Individually that’s taken for granted, isn’t it? One could easily take it for
granted collectively too. The resurrection is available and is at hand. “Rise
up, my love, my fair one, and come away,” were some words written in the Song
of Solomon. “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” This is the
invitation to the resurrection. Each is a fair one when the grotesque mask of human
nature falls away. And we may let it happen.
So today we celebrate the resurrection and the life
in this present moment in our own experience. That is the only thing that has
any meaning in our own experience as individuals. And when we accept it in our
experience as individuals we accept it collectively. There is a body which is
in the process of resurrection.
Grace Van Duzen — Martin, surely
this miracle of fifty-five years has come to a very vital point today. God is free. This is the first Easter Day the world has known. The Lord
has come out of the tomb which man made, and this hoax is allowed to
be dissolved. Who would ever think that on Easter Day satan would be divested
of his power? You wouldn’t think it would happen on Easter Day, with the Easter bunnies and the flowers! But it is on this day, in this year, by you, that this
happened; because this was not an innocent accident, this tomb and this hoax;
it was deliberate—it was deliberately done to bring into the hands of
self-active man the control of the body which belongs to the Most High. And
this is done. Praise God!
Lord Exeter — This body
belongs to the Most High. It doesn’t belong to anyone who composes it. But
those who compose it love it. I have loved this growing body for many years. I
loved it just the way it was. What else was there to love? But those who
composed it didn’t always agree with me. They had complaints. They wanted me to
change something, so that they would be more comfortable, I suppose, or so that
whatever was happening would conform more with their view of what should
happen. But nobody knew what should happen. I personally was quite content to
let it happen the way it would happen, and I have delighted over the years in
those who agreed with me on that point, so that they weren’t always trying to stick
their two bits’ worth in, to make things be the way they thought they ought to
be. If human beings are so clever, why is the world the way it is now? They
don’t know. They’re stupid and ignorant, but totally unwilling to admit it for
the most part, and so they go blindly on, destroying everything—themselves
included. There is nothing new about that, of course, except that it’s coming
to some point of climax.
Well if that self-destruction can come to a point
of climax, so can the resurrection. I’ve been interested in that, and I’ve
loved the body. I didn’t know what the body was going to be. If you indulge in
a little self-examination, you might wonder as to whether I would have chosen
you or not! Let it be the way it is, with the creative process at work because
the spirit was brought to focus, the Word was spoken and the Tone sounded. I
trust that—and as this spoken Word and sounded Tone amplifies, I trust that. It amplifies through
those who accept absolutely this body, this growing body, and love it as I love
it. Do you think for all these years I would have bothered with all the
nonsense that has gone on if I didn’t love the body? I love the body because I
love my King, and it is His body.
The earth doesn’t belong to human beings; the earth
belongs to the Sun. That should be obvious enough for anyone. The earth belongs
to the Sun. It orbits around the Sun. It doesn’t orbit around human beings! Let
it be possessed where it rightly should, so that we do not interfere with the
way things work. We do not try to usurp the control of this earth, as has been
customary in human nature for thousands of years, we let it be restored into
the hands of the One to whom it belongs, which may well be represented by the
Sun in this allegory. We are identified with that radiance, that outpouring of
love, of power, of creative purpose. We participate in that and, behold, all
things are made new—made new according to the true design. The human-nature
design is out.
© Emissaries of Divine Light
