Although the rain falls from time to time it is said that the earth will not be subjected to a flood as it was before, at least not a flood of water. There is another flood, however, which comes upon the earth: a flood of the spirit of God, symbolized particularly in this instance by fire. Fire is seen by human consciousness as being hot. It has been seen as being useful but also destructive. Fire is a symbol of the spirit of love which comes upon the earth, just as water was a symbol of the spirit of truth which came upon the earth.
There was an obliteration of life because of the flood of water, except for what was preserved by reason of the ark, which was lifted up by the flood, resting easily upon the surface of the water. While there may have been an actual event, a cataclysm presumably, when the earth was covered with water, the portrayal in the story conveys the truth through symbolism. What happened in the outer circumstance was in fact symbolic of something else that was occurring in an invisible sense. A change was being wrought. The earth after that cataclysm certainly was not the same as it was before. By the same token, in these days there is this other flood which I mentioned, a flood of spirit, symbolized in this instance by fire. We do not need at the moment to speculate upon what the nature of the actual event is in the external circumstance. No doubt we can think of possibilities.
In any case there is a change to be wrought. We ourselves have perceived something of this and have, with many others, sensed changes in the offing in the worldwide sense. I do not know whether they are really in the offing anymore. They are right here. Most people seem to try to live as though they were not. Observations with respect to the future, planning with respect to the future, still seems to be based in what has occurred in the past, as though there were no real changes occurring. This means that most are trying to live in a nonexistent world. It is difficult; we see difficulties on every hand. It is wiser to live in the experience of change, because this permits an increasing awareness of another world. If we are still involved with the past, that certainly obscures our awareness of what it is that is at hand.
In the story of the flood of old it is indicated that there was one person at least—whose name was Noah—who had some awareness of the changes that were occurring and would come in a very specific way in due course. Coming events do cast their shadows before. It is said that he went ahead and built an ark, which as it turned out was a wise move. Others apparently didn't think so at the time. Whatever the nature of the flood may be in external manifestation, it is what is being portrayed in the invisible sense that has first importance. Unless one is related in some fashion to what is occurring in the invisible sense one will be caught off guard and helpless when the external event puts in an appearance. Noah and those who were with him in the ark were preserved. The flood was the means by which the preservation was made possible but this preservation only occurred because there were those who saw what was coming and were more concerned with association with the invisible causes than with the visible effects. Of course visible effects were taken into account but only because there was consideration of the invisible causes. This is portrayed in that particular story by Noah's relationship with the Lord.
There are still invisible causes. There is still the opportunity to participate in association with those invisible causes. If that is done, then the effects may come and those effects will assist in preserving what should be preserved. Those who were caught in the flood of water viewed the situation as being very destructive, but those who were in the ark found it to be quite constructive; they had a new start eventually. As it worked out it didn't seem to do much good. Human beings went right back where they were before the flood of water, where every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. This is the human state, rather aptly described.
But we have an awareness of something that is happening behind the scenes in the invisible sense so that a particular change may occur, first of all in the experience of humanity, and because of this, in all the world round about. This change comes because there is something analogous to a flood. As I say, it isn't a flood of water. It is a flood of the spirit of love, the truth of love, coming down from God out of heaven, as it has been put, emerging out of the invisible into visible experience. For some this seems to be a creative experience, for others a destructive one, depending presumably upon whether one is in what was symbolized by the ark or not. There is an ark relative to what is occurring now in the world, an ark which is lifted up by what happens. For those who are contained within the ark it might be said that there is salvation. Let us not see this word merely in a religious sense, as though it meant going to some mystical or mythical heaven somewhere, but as relating to what happens right here. The question is as to whether anyone survives on the face of the earth. It seems to me some reference was made to the importance of saving a little flesh. It was indicated that the days should be shortened; otherwise probably no flesh would be saved. Well flesh wanders around here on the surface of the earth, so the salvation relates to what happens here on the surface of the earth.
We have seen these things in some measure and recognize our own association with what is happening, participation in it, and our own responsibility, the responsibility which relates to the spiritual, the invisible, happening. There is a flood on the way. Obviously there is something happening in the consciousness, and consequently in the experience, of human beings the world around. The evidences of irrationality are clear enough everywhere, people behaving in the most crazy ways and yet able to excuse it apparently. There is something happening; there is a flood, an intensification. I suppose we might call it a vibrational flood, something happening in the consciousness of human beings which either lifts them up or drives them crazy—or more crazy than they were before. But there is an ark, which originates in an invisible realm.
You may recall that when Noah went to work he had instructions from someplace as to the material for the ark and the dimensions of the ark and all the rest. There was a design. There was something already provided of which he became aware, and because he became aware of it, it took form—the ark was built. So it is in these days. There is the invisible design. There is what is necessary from that standpoint and this may be useful, valuable, offering the opportunity of salvation, provided that there is someone who becomes aware of it. Then, coming down from God out of heaven, it may take form on earth. The invisible aspect of the ark before it was built was essential to the ark after it was built.
There is an invisible aspect to the ark now. We have described that invisible aspect by using a certain word, and that word is the Word—the Word that was with God in the beginning, the Word that is God, the Word by which all things are. Inherently in the Word is the design. The Word is portrayed in form initially by words. If that's all that happens the form will be inadequate. But if by reason of the Word and the words the invisible design takes form through human flesh, by reason of the lives of those concerned, then there is an ark— there is an ark which may be lifted up by reason of the flood. The flood may be described as a vibrational intensification affecting the consciousness of human beings the world around. There is something of this nature flooding into the world, and human beings are aware of it without knowing what it is. Because they are wrapped up in the effects of what is happening they cannot see what is happening. One has to be in position to stand back so that one is unmixed with what is happening, in order to see what is happening. But if one is merely a part of what is happening one doesn't understand what is happening and the experience is a destructive one.
The provision of the ark is present. The Word is present and there are those who know it. They know it, not just because of the words that have been spoken to clothe the Word but because they themselves have experienced the reality of that Word in their own living. Every aspect of expression, thinking, feeling, speaking, acting, then is clothing for the Word. When this is so, a person knows the Word. If it isn't so, but words have merely been heard with the ear, then nothing has yet happened of any significance; the destructive experience is still the primary one and the individual finds himself pushed around from pillar to post. What is he being pushed around by? By his own state, which exhibits an unwillingness to allow the Word to be given flesh by reason of his own living. Human beings suffer their own difficulties by reason of their own actions. They like to blame it on someone else. Very often the attitude is taken that it isn't fair. Did you ever hear children playing, getting into a little trouble somewhere?—“It isn't fair!”—and probably tears flow. One sees adult human beings indulging in the same childishness: “It isn't fair!” Oh yes it is, absolutely.
It has been said that the Law works; at least this is one way of describing the way things happen, and each one is responsible for the happening. Surely our concern is for the creative happening rather than the destructive one. If there are those who insist upon the destructive one, well they must be allowed to so insist. But from our standpoint, we ourselves properly accept the responsibility of being associated with the Word and letting that take form in our living, letting that condition what finds expression in our thinking, in our feeling, in our speaking, in our acting. That is assuming creative responsibility. We don't take the attitude that anyone anywhere can stop us from being right in this way, from letting the Word be made flesh because of our own living. So here is the immediate responsibility relative to this flood.
There is a description in several places in the Bible, in the Book of Revelation in particular, of the nature of this flood. There are some words in the 21st chapter of Revelation about “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.” Well the rain comes out of the sky. In that first flood it is said that it rained for forty days and forty nights. Pretty heavy rain! It came down from the manifest symbol of the heaven, out of the sky. So it is that this flood also comes down from the heaven, or out from the heaven—however one might for the moment be aware of the nature of the heaven, the invisible heaven. There is something coming from the invisible heaven. It was described as “the holy city, new Jerusalem.” We have seen this in terms of a new state of spiritual consciousness for human beings, a true state of consciousness once more emerging out of heaven. It comes as a flood. We don't need particularly at the moment to investigate as to why this is happening. There are very logical reasons as to why it is happening but they might not seem altogether logical to the illogical human mind. It doesn't matter anyway; it's happening. This flood is a reality; it is present with us. Human beings generally are beginning to wonder whether they are going to be able to survive it. Of course their endeavors to survive are based, as I say, in what has been known in the past, grabbing on to the flotsam and jetsam. But there is an ark—the Word—the Word that is with God, the Word that is God, the Word by which all things are, the Word in which life is.
Speaking of the flood, the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven, it is said: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life”—they through whom the pure lifestream is flowing. “Blessed are the pure in heart.” The human experience is of an adulterated lifestream, toxic blood. The poisons affect the function of the brain and the central nervous system, producing hallucinations in the mind, so that human beings sometimes imagine they are being intelligent when they are being quite irrational. The pure lifestream is known to those who enter into the Word, into the ark, which lifts them above the pollution, lifts them above the poisons. As we noted in the past, it is ultimately useless to try to cleanse the blood as long as one is still taking poisons into one's body. So it is in the spiritual sense also.
As long as human nature governs the attitudes and the experiences of living, the lifestream is adulterated; there is filthiness in the lifestream and there is no way by which a person can then experience either health or understanding. The Word is present on earth. It has been spoken in words over the years for those who had ears to hear and hearts to understand, who were willing to allow the filthiness to be removed, to be left behind, no longer taken into the expression of living. To this extent there have been those who have allowed this Word to expand in form on earth, both in the form of words and in the form of living flesh, so that the invitation might be extended to others to participate in this living flesh.
But the Word must be known. As it was put long ago, “If ye continue in my word … ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” There have been precious few who have actually continued in the Word. Some have continued in the words after a fashion but have never known the Word. The prior state of human nature has been grasped and held on to, but in the Word “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.” None of these things are present. Most people think of that as some sort of futuristic, perfect state somewhere, but not possible now. When will it be possible? There have been human beings in every generation for millennia who have had that attitude, that it will be possible one day, but how few men and women there have been who had what it takes to accept the reality now.
The Word has been offered in words and in the flesh for many years, in a personal sense for twenty-five or thirty years. It's interesting, isn't it, but words have been used week by week, month by month, year by year, in services, in Classes, in Assemblies, in lectures, in so many ways for such a long time. From my own standpoint, I have spoken over these years spontaneously for these various opportunities that presented themselves to me. How could this be done? Where did it come from? You know the answer to that, in theory at least. But there need to be those who know the truth for themselves. From time to time there are those who feel that I don't understand them. Well it's true, I don't go into great analysis of the characters of all those who come within the range of my awareness. My time would be cut out, wouldn't it, if I indulged in that sort of thing. It's not necessary. It only would seem to be necessary from the standpoint of human nature, that one has to examine people so carefully.
What is it that offers salvation? The ark, we say; well, the Word. And where does the Word come from? It may be said that it comes from nowhere, but it is now here. It has been now here for all these years. It came anyway—that's all that's necessary—not just in words but in the flesh of living. And what comes that way is the way it exactly should be. In theory, I suppose, most would say, “Yes the expression of the spirit of God is right; that's righteousness.” But in fact it's denied a lot of the time. We don't need as individuals to know everything about everything and everybody. I'm not anxious to have my consciousness cluttered up with all that; I don't know about you. What would we do with it all? Just let the spirit of God find expression, that's all, and we may do this to the extent that we have generated a little spiritual substance to let it happen, to give us a starting point at least, so that we may begin to live the truth of love. We may abide in the ark; but we can't stand outside the ark and question the dimensions of the ark or the material of which it is composed and be in the ark at the same time.
The ark is the Lord's responsibility; its dimensions are His responsibility; the way it takes form is His responsibility. It does take form because there are those who agree with the Lord in this. If there is no one to agree, of course nothing happens; but if there are those who agree then it takes form, and it takes form the way it takes form. We don't question it. We don't tear it down; we don't judge it; we don't try to make it some other way. We don't take the attitude ever that we are being unjustly treated or unfairly treated someway. That's childish nonsense! We stand with the Lord, in agreement with Him, and the evidence of that agreement is that we agree with those who stand with the Lord. It's very simple, really. The human nature approach makes it complicated seemingly. It isn't. It never was. That approach is sustained because apparently most people don't want to grow up; they want to stay childish. We know better. Let us prove that we know better.
So may we provide a facility for the full and free expression of the spirit of God and let Him have His way without constantly injecting our own theories and ideas and opinions into the picture. Let it be the way it is. Now that's been said once or twice, I believe. People nod their heads but seldom do it. They say, “Well this obviously is not right; this is unfair.” Is it? How do you know? Let it be the way it is and trust God. Each individual is responsible for that expression of the spirit for him- or herself and for nobody else. So why look at someone else and say, “Well they're not doing it right; I'm being treated wrongly, unfairly”? No you're being treated exactly the way you should be treated. We all are. Let's not object. If we get a kick in the pants, well that's what was coming to us. Or doesn't the Law work? Let's wake up and assume our responsibilities in a consistent way so that there may be a more expansive ark than has yet put in an appearance, an ark to be lifted up upon this flood of spirit and fire, to offer salvation on earth to all who will receive it.
